Having created the final propduct I was excited and eager to gain audience feedback. I understood that the final product was not as good as it possibly could be, especially putting into consideration the prelim and all the changes made and planning that went it to it.
I again got a focus group together and asked a number of people for audience feedback. I felt the larger the audience questioned, the greater and more valid the feedback would be.
The target audience whilst happy and kean to praise the movie opening were not afraid to speak their mind - they reflected how they were equally dissapointed and did not consider their to be that larger range of camera shots, they mentioned that the Actress "Rose" should have got more involved e.g. got messy and not afraid to fall over - they felt she was to concerned with what she looked like to get involved and they also felt the shots were still to long.... For future reference we may need to consider getting the acter/actress more involved and this will make the introduction seem more life like and realistic.
When questioning the conventions of the film the audience felt there was great development since the prelim. The film carried many common conventions and the use of editing was also nicely implemented as the "Fade out/in worked very well added added to the illusion of the Blackout.
The sound contributed to the effect and worked very well with the film however the audience mentioned that the use of diagetic sound would have added to the illusion that someone was wathcing Rose..... looking back, yes diagetic sound would have added to the film although the equipment had limited the quality of the diagetic sound we were looking for. For future reference we may have to consider experimenting and allowing more time for this - it will deffionately be considered for future reference.
Nevertheless it was a good a film and the audience, although displeased had many positive comments.
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Monday, 22 March 2010
Evaluation Q7
Q7) Looking back at your preliminary, what do you feel you have learnt in progression from it to the full project?
Looking back at the preliminary task I can almost not believe that I participated in such a poor production. The task lacked a certain level of continuity and was most definitely to short which ultimately proved disappointing and it didn’t really achieve the message we were trying to put across or reflect the groups potential. In terms of expertise and knowledge gained from the prelim it is amazing of the awakening it gave me with regards to the use of technology and ensuring that I am working to the best of my ability in order to reach my target grade and above.
The preliminary task was very structured and it didn’t provide us with so much time to ensure every detail was met; we had to keep to a tight time schedule to ensure that our actual finished production was given enough time. Our main task allowed a lot more preparation to take place such as a range of research regarding our target audience, who they were and how we could please them. Inevitably we had a greater amount of time to produce this and this allowed us to put into consideration depth and further detail to the storyline and this is when we started to think about the use of mise-en-scene, props and shots and the effects we wanted them to have on our viewers. The prelim taught us not to rush into things and actually take a step back to consider our actions and where they were leading us; a good example of this would be when we made arrangements that fell through without a backup plan ultimately wasting filming time.
The group took a slightly relaxed approach to the prelim and considered that simple was effective “that’ll do” when in reality it was not good enough and this was an important step for us realising that this is not always the case, we need to put pen to paper and jot down detailed points. This later revealed the important of planning which allowed us to save time which again was important as we were trying our best to keep to tight deadlines. Another aspect was the location in which we were filming. In our prelim many of the areas we approached were often inappropriate due to noise levels and the sheer amount of people in any given place or the room was booked meaning the actual filming was postponed which then placed a domino effect on the rest of the film as everything was delayed. We were not prepared to make this same mistake and this taught us a valuable lesson being that it was important to book locations in advance to avoid drawbacks.
The prelim was organized poorly and the notes were minimal meaning there was no real direction of where we were going and for the matter where we wanted to go and this reflected in the poor comments and grade achieved. There were generally plenty of areas for improvement such as a detailed shooting schedule which would play similarity to the way it would be shot out to our viewers and this was important as it allowed us to set aside areas for filming and the shots that would be done in a particular settings and this ultimately helped with the continuity and general flow which I felt was very poor in the prelim, had the prelim not taken place the group may not have picked up on this.
The prelim didn’t require us to carry out research concerning genre, target audience or conventions and having analyzed the prelim it taught me and the group to go away and really dig for information on common conventions etc and this is important because had we not known this it could have proved tragic when conventions clashed.
The actual production of the prelim proved helpful as it allowed the group too really point out elements we didn’t like and then build on them by adding greater detail and if there was an aspect we really didn’t like and perhaps felt is in the wrong place we would go back to the drawing board and look at finer detail for improvement or even scrapping a particular shot all together. Areas that were picked out featured the rushed ending as we the viewers felt it was to sudden and when it came to our actual shoots we added more shots to break in the footage so the viewer didn’t feel so rushed and as a result they have time to react.
With regards to shoots the prelim featured no re-shoots, every shot was considered playable and this was partially due to the time scale we had though this affected the quality of the film and explains some of the poor footage that can be seen. From this we took away that it was important to plan the shots first hand and not settle for anything less than our viewers would expect to see and in relation to time the fact that we were so tight for time in the prelim made us aware of what we needed to do and the time they should be done in.
By the time our prelim had been shot an uploaded to the Mac we found ourselves embarrassingly laughing at the quality of shots we were reduced to because we considered that we would work with what we had and all would be okay. When it came to editing and cutting we were reduced to a measly 30 seconds introduction from what had been the good part of 15 minutes filming. From this we gained the understanding that we would need to shoot more footage than perhaps needed as when it came down to the editing process it was better to have more shots than not enough.
One area that was not directly related to filming was the work load. We had a large task to perform and we were restricted to small groups of four which meant that there was a lot of pressure. However in the initial prelim we managed to get a group of three together underestimating the work that needed to be done. Inevitably some members pulled their wait more than others though this can be argued by the amount of experience that certain members held.
To conclude we learnt that it was important to share the work load equally between the group and it really helped when it came to the final product as we learnt to assign roles and provide deadlines to ensure there was an element of pressure. A good example of sharing the work load concerned editing in the Mac suit, during the prelim editing was relatively small and straight forward as was our understanding of the application on the Macs. However when it came to editing the real thing it proved a lot more time consuming and the group therefore needed to work together and in partners to tackle the editing bit by bit.
Looking back at the preliminary task I can almost not believe that I participated in such a poor production. The task lacked a certain level of continuity and was most definitely to short which ultimately proved disappointing and it didn’t really achieve the message we were trying to put across or reflect the groups potential. In terms of expertise and knowledge gained from the prelim it is amazing of the awakening it gave me with regards to the use of technology and ensuring that I am working to the best of my ability in order to reach my target grade and above.
The preliminary task was very structured and it didn’t provide us with so much time to ensure every detail was met; we had to keep to a tight time schedule to ensure that our actual finished production was given enough time. Our main task allowed a lot more preparation to take place such as a range of research regarding our target audience, who they were and how we could please them. Inevitably we had a greater amount of time to produce this and this allowed us to put into consideration depth and further detail to the storyline and this is when we started to think about the use of mise-en-scene, props and shots and the effects we wanted them to have on our viewers. The prelim taught us not to rush into things and actually take a step back to consider our actions and where they were leading us; a good example of this would be when we made arrangements that fell through without a backup plan ultimately wasting filming time.
The group took a slightly relaxed approach to the prelim and considered that simple was effective “that’ll do” when in reality it was not good enough and this was an important step for us realising that this is not always the case, we need to put pen to paper and jot down detailed points. This later revealed the important of planning which allowed us to save time which again was important as we were trying our best to keep to tight deadlines. Another aspect was the location in which we were filming. In our prelim many of the areas we approached were often inappropriate due to noise levels and the sheer amount of people in any given place or the room was booked meaning the actual filming was postponed which then placed a domino effect on the rest of the film as everything was delayed. We were not prepared to make this same mistake and this taught us a valuable lesson being that it was important to book locations in advance to avoid drawbacks.
The prelim was organized poorly and the notes were minimal meaning there was no real direction of where we were going and for the matter where we wanted to go and this reflected in the poor comments and grade achieved. There were generally plenty of areas for improvement such as a detailed shooting schedule which would play similarity to the way it would be shot out to our viewers and this was important as it allowed us to set aside areas for filming and the shots that would be done in a particular settings and this ultimately helped with the continuity and general flow which I felt was very poor in the prelim, had the prelim not taken place the group may not have picked up on this.
The prelim didn’t require us to carry out research concerning genre, target audience or conventions and having analyzed the prelim it taught me and the group to go away and really dig for information on common conventions etc and this is important because had we not known this it could have proved tragic when conventions clashed.
The actual production of the prelim proved helpful as it allowed the group too really point out elements we didn’t like and then build on them by adding greater detail and if there was an aspect we really didn’t like and perhaps felt is in the wrong place we would go back to the drawing board and look at finer detail for improvement or even scrapping a particular shot all together. Areas that were picked out featured the rushed ending as we the viewers felt it was to sudden and when it came to our actual shoots we added more shots to break in the footage so the viewer didn’t feel so rushed and as a result they have time to react.
With regards to shoots the prelim featured no re-shoots, every shot was considered playable and this was partially due to the time scale we had though this affected the quality of the film and explains some of the poor footage that can be seen. From this we took away that it was important to plan the shots first hand and not settle for anything less than our viewers would expect to see and in relation to time the fact that we were so tight for time in the prelim made us aware of what we needed to do and the time they should be done in.
By the time our prelim had been shot an uploaded to the Mac we found ourselves embarrassingly laughing at the quality of shots we were reduced to because we considered that we would work with what we had and all would be okay. When it came to editing and cutting we were reduced to a measly 30 seconds introduction from what had been the good part of 15 minutes filming. From this we gained the understanding that we would need to shoot more footage than perhaps needed as when it came down to the editing process it was better to have more shots than not enough.
One area that was not directly related to filming was the work load. We had a large task to perform and we were restricted to small groups of four which meant that there was a lot of pressure. However in the initial prelim we managed to get a group of three together underestimating the work that needed to be done. Inevitably some members pulled their wait more than others though this can be argued by the amount of experience that certain members held.
To conclude we learnt that it was important to share the work load equally between the group and it really helped when it came to the final product as we learnt to assign roles and provide deadlines to ensure there was an element of pressure. A good example of sharing the work load concerned editing in the Mac suit, during the prelim editing was relatively small and straight forward as was our understanding of the application on the Macs. However when it came to editing the real thing it proved a lot more time consuming and the group therefore needed to work together and in partners to tackle the editing bit by bit.
Evaluation Q6
Q6 What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
This was a large task to tackle for a group who have had very little experience in the area of film before. Of course when assigning roles we put all cards on the table and assessed which each member contributed, those who had the most experience in one area were assigned to that job role and inevitably I had the most experience with a camera though it was always interesting to find out more about the technology I had access to.
The use of a camera was very important to our media production as without, there would be no product. I knew the basics however for the group to really benefit from me I needed to explore the special affects and features the camera had to offer. I learnt how to make use of the cameras capability through research on the internet and help from family friend. A good example of this is when Rose is looking around her and the shot is very blurry reflecting how she is still very trippy and tired. We chose to make use of a better quality of camera that had a DV input. This meant that footage was captured on a DV tape, however as far as technology is concerned this is a relatively old piece of equipment though it was perfect for our purpose. It meant that these tapes were portable and could be transferred into other cameras for perhaps different shots or standstill shots where it was important to have a tri-pod at hand. However one drawback to these tapes is that they are very easy to erase as I fortunately found out very early on in the production. This taught us to be very careful when rewinding footage and it was a valuable lesson that had we not known could of lost our entire film.
Once we had obtained a first draft we were warned that the film may take a long time to upload due to the poor quality of cables available however initial research showed how the camera had an input allowing it to be firewire compatible. This allowed the uploading process to take a couple of minutes as oppose to hours and also provided a better quality of image which proved important for finer detail. Again had I not retrieved this information the film quality would not have been so good and it would have taken longer to upload, meaning less time to edit.
The firewire enabled us to upload the footage on to the Mac’s and use specially designed video editing software called “i Movie HD”. I Movie HD is a renowned software tool used specifically for media use. Before I started on this media task I had never come in contact with an Apple Mac or its applications. One large benefit to the Apple Mac was that is saved our work to the hard drive thus allowing the group to return to the film at any given time and make edits over and over again. I Movie HD allowed us to enrich our product by layering video footage, additional sound such as voice over’s and in our case songs and credits. I Movie HD consists of four main windows: The browser in the far left, where the media files and sub clips are organized, the viewer, where the cutting takes place, the title along the title along the bottom of the screen where the layering etc, take place.
One drawback I movie HD is that it is not very intuitive to begin using, although it does not differ too much from other editing packages such as Adobe premier in that is uses the common opaque terminology for example “Rendering”. This being a potential benefit to those having used similar editing software in the past though for my group this terminology slowed us down to begins with. An example of the work that took place may be the fact that we knitted together “Closer-Kings Of Leon” with our footage. The footage telling the story and the music setting the pace of the story, before this task I had no idea in relation to the use of I movie HD but now I have a much greater understanding.
One site that was unknown to me before this media task was set was “Blogger.com”. Blogger is the website we were given to record our film/magazine activity and this website allows you to post your own views, opinions and related media work on. The site also allows you to upload pictures and videos as oppose to printing off print screens for paper. It also allows fellow class friends and teachers to examine your work for progression ultimately proving a very good, cheap website. I have a reasonable understanding as far as technological use is concerned although I have little experience when concerning things like WordPress which is a more advanced site much like blogger. Having no experience with blogging I found it very easy to use regardless of my technical knowledge. I found the interface very friendly and intuitive and this allowed me to navigate freely around the site adding entries, pictures and alterations which I would not have been able to do before.
This was a large task to tackle for a group who have had very little experience in the area of film before. Of course when assigning roles we put all cards on the table and assessed which each member contributed, those who had the most experience in one area were assigned to that job role and inevitably I had the most experience with a camera though it was always interesting to find out more about the technology I had access to.
The use of a camera was very important to our media production as without, there would be no product. I knew the basics however for the group to really benefit from me I needed to explore the special affects and features the camera had to offer. I learnt how to make use of the cameras capability through research on the internet and help from family friend. A good example of this is when Rose is looking around her and the shot is very blurry reflecting how she is still very trippy and tired. We chose to make use of a better quality of camera that had a DV input. This meant that footage was captured on a DV tape, however as far as technology is concerned this is a relatively old piece of equipment though it was perfect for our purpose. It meant that these tapes were portable and could be transferred into other cameras for perhaps different shots or standstill shots where it was important to have a tri-pod at hand. However one drawback to these tapes is that they are very easy to erase as I fortunately found out very early on in the production. This taught us to be very careful when rewinding footage and it was a valuable lesson that had we not known could of lost our entire film.
Once we had obtained a first draft we were warned that the film may take a long time to upload due to the poor quality of cables available however initial research showed how the camera had an input allowing it to be firewire compatible. This allowed the uploading process to take a couple of minutes as oppose to hours and also provided a better quality of image which proved important for finer detail. Again had I not retrieved this information the film quality would not have been so good and it would have taken longer to upload, meaning less time to edit.
The firewire enabled us to upload the footage on to the Mac’s and use specially designed video editing software called “i Movie HD”. I Movie HD is a renowned software tool used specifically for media use. Before I started on this media task I had never come in contact with an Apple Mac or its applications. One large benefit to the Apple Mac was that is saved our work to the hard drive thus allowing the group to return to the film at any given time and make edits over and over again. I Movie HD allowed us to enrich our product by layering video footage, additional sound such as voice over’s and in our case songs and credits. I Movie HD consists of four main windows: The browser in the far left, where the media files and sub clips are organized, the viewer, where the cutting takes place, the title along the title along the bottom of the screen where the layering etc, take place.
One drawback I movie HD is that it is not very intuitive to begin using, although it does not differ too much from other editing packages such as Adobe premier in that is uses the common opaque terminology for example “Rendering”. This being a potential benefit to those having used similar editing software in the past though for my group this terminology slowed us down to begins with. An example of the work that took place may be the fact that we knitted together “Closer-Kings Of Leon” with our footage. The footage telling the story and the music setting the pace of the story, before this task I had no idea in relation to the use of I movie HD but now I have a much greater understanding.
One site that was unknown to me before this media task was set was “Blogger.com”. Blogger is the website we were given to record our film/magazine activity and this website allows you to post your own views, opinions and related media work on. The site also allows you to upload pictures and videos as oppose to printing off print screens for paper. It also allows fellow class friends and teachers to examine your work for progression ultimately proving a very good, cheap website. I have a reasonable understanding as far as technological use is concerned although I have little experience when concerning things like WordPress which is a more advanced site much like blogger. Having no experience with blogging I found it very easy to use regardless of my technical knowledge. I found the interface very friendly and intuitive and this allowed me to navigate freely around the site adding entries, pictures and alterations which I would not have been able to do before.
Evaluation Q5
Q5) How did you attract/address your audience?
Having already established a target audience and gained an understanding to what our audience expected we were under a lot of pressure to ensure the common conventions were stuck to and a good example of this in our production would be the stalker/potential murder vs. the suspect – Rose. We decided to play to the viewer’s imagination and stuck to common scenes and conventions such as a large open forest and long shots on Rose, slowly moving in to build up tension and foreshadow an event, the woods were relatively dark and shots were taken at high angles to emphasize Roses power amongst the dark open forest. The group ensured that the film kept viewers guessing as this is a very important aspect of thrillers and those who hold an interest in our type of production will be looking out for this..... Viewers gain an understanding to who they think it is watching the innocent girl although a late twist wows the viewers and exploits their judgemental temperament ultimately making them want to watch the rest and find out what has happened.
The questionnaire produced by the group revealed that our audience expect to relate to events and our film meets this expectation through editorial techniques such as fade ins, fade outs and alterations slowing down the shot. Viewers will be able to relate to a time where they have had a large consumption of alcohol and the bad effects they received from this, (they expect to be confused and affectively worried). This is what keeps them watching and anticipating. And with relation to editorial techniques we investigated our cameras capability and looked at some of the effects, putting into place that our film features clubs, teens, and drugs resulting in a drunken mind and sense of security we decided to blur a couple of shots as if to say Rose has had a heavy night and having woken up in a unfamiliar surrounding it tied in quite nicely, this was an area are target audience could relate to well.
I looked on “YouTube” at two – three minute similar film introductions to gain an understanding of what other production teams had produced and the feedback they had received and this made me discover what my target audience would like to see in my groups production and this helped with general elements such as building suspense which can be seen in such film introductions as “Lost” again demonstrating a very gripping start immediately catching the viewers attention and making them ask questions. This was a film they could relate to and an event they could question which created a diverse affect and this was important as it was an effect viewers expected to feel.
The introduction works well with the way the audience is kept in suspense, guessing as the main themes are dealt with in the opening scenes and the viewers gain an idea of whom the kidnapper could be though it doesn’t reveal the motive behind it which again keeps them guessing and plays on their mind and patience to find out. The contrasting scenes take focus off the events happening in the woods and focus primarily on the events that have lead her to the current position, the contrasting music also aids the delusion and final twist of the story. The target audience are smart and therefore enjoy a challenge, the constant diversity in our shots, scenery and music only adds to this and heightens the mood they are experiencing for example whilst Rose is cast away thinking about what has happened the music is calm and this sound track (Closer by Kings Of Leon) is supposed to match her pattern of though and reflect the intake and effect of the drug which has been slowing her down. Whereas when she is in the club she is happy and she doesn’t have a care in the world because the drink has affected her response to humanity and things around her. This is something viewers will need to take in and relate to in order to understand the film. This is why the film is targeted at 16 years and up as those younger may not understand the film and events occurring. The audience we are targeting will take a liking to this as it doesn’t portray a flat story line; giving everything away early on instead it carries a number of twists and enigmas therefore directly appealing to the audience’s interests.
Feedback received was originally very constructive and general comments were in relation to the music used and range of shots. When it came to the final editing we asked for constructive comments, and areas changed consisted of the diversity at the beginning. The film started and originally went straight into the main events though feedback recommended that we made the we implemented more shots, of course we couldn’t go out and film any more as the film had come to a deadline. We looked through our shots are looked for possible shots that we could use again and so we did. This proved very successful and provided greater suspense as oppose to a dramatic change in scenes which would look rushed and poorly produced, it also didn’t give viewers enough time to reflect on the events taking place therefore going against our consumers/target audiences expectations. I do however agree with this comment in that we did try introducing to much information in such a small amount of time which meant the consumer could not focus on any given event meaning they would soon lose concentration and account of what was going on.
Originally we aimed to produce a film that was informative and made those concerned aware of the greater dangers out there. There are certain aspects that I feel could have gone better such as organization amongst the group which would have led to time being spent better and deadlines being met on time so certain aspects were not rushed. All in all are film panned out to my approval and i definitely think every minute was worthwhile.
Having already established a target audience and gained an understanding to what our audience expected we were under a lot of pressure to ensure the common conventions were stuck to and a good example of this in our production would be the stalker/potential murder vs. the suspect – Rose. We decided to play to the viewer’s imagination and stuck to common scenes and conventions such as a large open forest and long shots on Rose, slowly moving in to build up tension and foreshadow an event, the woods were relatively dark and shots were taken at high angles to emphasize Roses power amongst the dark open forest. The group ensured that the film kept viewers guessing as this is a very important aspect of thrillers and those who hold an interest in our type of production will be looking out for this..... Viewers gain an understanding to who they think it is watching the innocent girl although a late twist wows the viewers and exploits their judgemental temperament ultimately making them want to watch the rest and find out what has happened.
The questionnaire produced by the group revealed that our audience expect to relate to events and our film meets this expectation through editorial techniques such as fade ins, fade outs and alterations slowing down the shot. Viewers will be able to relate to a time where they have had a large consumption of alcohol and the bad effects they received from this, (they expect to be confused and affectively worried). This is what keeps them watching and anticipating. And with relation to editorial techniques we investigated our cameras capability and looked at some of the effects, putting into place that our film features clubs, teens, and drugs resulting in a drunken mind and sense of security we decided to blur a couple of shots as if to say Rose has had a heavy night and having woken up in a unfamiliar surrounding it tied in quite nicely, this was an area are target audience could relate to well.
I looked on “YouTube” at two – three minute similar film introductions to gain an understanding of what other production teams had produced and the feedback they had received and this made me discover what my target audience would like to see in my groups production and this helped with general elements such as building suspense which can be seen in such film introductions as “Lost” again demonstrating a very gripping start immediately catching the viewers attention and making them ask questions. This was a film they could relate to and an event they could question which created a diverse affect and this was important as it was an effect viewers expected to feel.
The introduction works well with the way the audience is kept in suspense, guessing as the main themes are dealt with in the opening scenes and the viewers gain an idea of whom the kidnapper could be though it doesn’t reveal the motive behind it which again keeps them guessing and plays on their mind and patience to find out. The contrasting scenes take focus off the events happening in the woods and focus primarily on the events that have lead her to the current position, the contrasting music also aids the delusion and final twist of the story. The target audience are smart and therefore enjoy a challenge, the constant diversity in our shots, scenery and music only adds to this and heightens the mood they are experiencing for example whilst Rose is cast away thinking about what has happened the music is calm and this sound track (Closer by Kings Of Leon) is supposed to match her pattern of though and reflect the intake and effect of the drug which has been slowing her down. Whereas when she is in the club she is happy and she doesn’t have a care in the world because the drink has affected her response to humanity and things around her. This is something viewers will need to take in and relate to in order to understand the film. This is why the film is targeted at 16 years and up as those younger may not understand the film and events occurring. The audience we are targeting will take a liking to this as it doesn’t portray a flat story line; giving everything away early on instead it carries a number of twists and enigmas therefore directly appealing to the audience’s interests.
Feedback received was originally very constructive and general comments were in relation to the music used and range of shots. When it came to the final editing we asked for constructive comments, and areas changed consisted of the diversity at the beginning. The film started and originally went straight into the main events though feedback recommended that we made the we implemented more shots, of course we couldn’t go out and film any more as the film had come to a deadline. We looked through our shots are looked for possible shots that we could use again and so we did. This proved very successful and provided greater suspense as oppose to a dramatic change in scenes which would look rushed and poorly produced, it also didn’t give viewers enough time to reflect on the events taking place therefore going against our consumers/target audiences expectations. I do however agree with this comment in that we did try introducing to much information in such a small amount of time which meant the consumer could not focus on any given event meaning they would soon lose concentration and account of what was going on.
Originally we aimed to produce a film that was informative and made those concerned aware of the greater dangers out there. There are certain aspects that I feel could have gone better such as organization amongst the group which would have led to time being spent better and deadlines being met on time so certain aspects were not rushed. All in all are film panned out to my approval and i definitely think every minute was worthwhile.
Evaluation Q4
4)Who would be the audience for your media product and why?
In the early stages of production whilst we were planning the film we wanted to make and the type of audience it would appeal to we had to put in to place a handful of key factors: Gender, age range and interests of the demographic that we thought would pay for the kind of production that we had made. We researched various audiences in order to find out which audiences liked what such as, blokes placing a particular level of interest in action and adventure films whereas younger children like cartoons and girls like romantic comedy. I also looked at how age and gender places a huge affect on what people are interest in.... Young, youth individuals are keen in watching large blockbuster hits featuring a range of special effects such as the latest “Too fast too Furious” whereas elderly people are keen to watch classic TV and film and less likely to watch cartoons as they never experienced the same level of comedy etc. Gender also effects choice and preference as briefly touched on above boys are into violence and generally respond less to romantic films therefore creating a direct comparison to females.
Age: Our film deals with a wide range of true life events and raises awareness to the world that some of us have yet to acknowledge. It would be useful if early teens were made aware of this as it may prove useful in later life and protect them. On the other-side we do not want to worry the younger generation too much with matters that do not concern them. Putting this into account our film will be rated a 15, though we expect it will appeal to those slightly older (16 - 25).
The film may prove slightly disturbing to anyone below are film rating and this is therefore why I would not recommend anyone below this watches it innless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Our secondary audience will reach out to those up to the age of 40-45; I do not believe anyone beyond this will be interested in an up-to-date modern film featuring many events which they cannot relate with.
We introduced a modern, popular sound track into the backing in order to engage our audience though it is not too loud as we do not want focus to be taken off the main points of our film. We further attracted and engaged our audience through a combination of different twists which really grabbed their attention allowing them to piece the puzzle together themselves.
Gender: Gender plays a large role in the film as the lead actress is a female. This specific gender was used on purpose as we felt it would have the greatest affect on our audience (particularly females) as they can really relate to times where they have felt alone and been in a somewhat similar setting however it is unlikely to affect males so much as they are very stereotypical and do not react so much to the events taking place and issues concerned.
Females will be drawn to this film as it features a very sad, sympathetic storyline which can prove emotional to some females, a good example of this is when the viewer can see Rose being watched yet Rose is oblivious to what lies in those woods and some may say they want to reach out for Rose.
Demographic interests: The average person watching our film is likely to be educated and enjoy engaging with films in attempt to try and understand the film and its complexities. Those interested in the film will be trying to put together the pieces in are puzzle and solve the mysteries, also those watching it will have the basic interest of being on the edge of their seat, scared and our film achieves this.
The target audience will share an interest in our film because it is relatable to other top films such as “Lost” and the “The Carpenter”. We created this sense of association through our character(s) that are young and deceptive much like in the film The Carpenter where the young actress takes little into account and ends up in a bad situation.
In the early stages of production whilst we were planning the film we wanted to make and the type of audience it would appeal to we had to put in to place a handful of key factors: Gender, age range and interests of the demographic that we thought would pay for the kind of production that we had made. We researched various audiences in order to find out which audiences liked what such as, blokes placing a particular level of interest in action and adventure films whereas younger children like cartoons and girls like romantic comedy. I also looked at how age and gender places a huge affect on what people are interest in.... Young, youth individuals are keen in watching large blockbuster hits featuring a range of special effects such as the latest “Too fast too Furious” whereas elderly people are keen to watch classic TV and film and less likely to watch cartoons as they never experienced the same level of comedy etc. Gender also effects choice and preference as briefly touched on above boys are into violence and generally respond less to romantic films therefore creating a direct comparison to females.
Age: Our film deals with a wide range of true life events and raises awareness to the world that some of us have yet to acknowledge. It would be useful if early teens were made aware of this as it may prove useful in later life and protect them. On the other-side we do not want to worry the younger generation too much with matters that do not concern them. Putting this into account our film will be rated a 15, though we expect it will appeal to those slightly older (16 - 25).
The film may prove slightly disturbing to anyone below are film rating and this is therefore why I would not recommend anyone below this watches it innless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Our secondary audience will reach out to those up to the age of 40-45; I do not believe anyone beyond this will be interested in an up-to-date modern film featuring many events which they cannot relate with.
We introduced a modern, popular sound track into the backing in order to engage our audience though it is not too loud as we do not want focus to be taken off the main points of our film. We further attracted and engaged our audience through a combination of different twists which really grabbed their attention allowing them to piece the puzzle together themselves.
Gender: Gender plays a large role in the film as the lead actress is a female. This specific gender was used on purpose as we felt it would have the greatest affect on our audience (particularly females) as they can really relate to times where they have felt alone and been in a somewhat similar setting however it is unlikely to affect males so much as they are very stereotypical and do not react so much to the events taking place and issues concerned.
Females will be drawn to this film as it features a very sad, sympathetic storyline which can prove emotional to some females, a good example of this is when the viewer can see Rose being watched yet Rose is oblivious to what lies in those woods and some may say they want to reach out for Rose.
Demographic interests: The average person watching our film is likely to be educated and enjoy engaging with films in attempt to try and understand the film and its complexities. Those interested in the film will be trying to put together the pieces in are puzzle and solve the mysteries, also those watching it will have the basic interest of being on the edge of their seat, scared and our film achieves this.
The target audience will share an interest in our film because it is relatable to other top films such as “Lost” and the “The Carpenter”. We created this sense of association through our character(s) that are young and deceptive much like in the film The Carpenter where the young actress takes little into account and ends up in a bad situation.
Evaluation Q3
Q3) What type of Media distribution might distribute your product and why?
My team and production company “Timeline” focuses on cheaply produced, low budget entertainment in the form of thrillers targeting a similar audience to those featured in it. (School relations)
Generally the production company depends on the type of production that has been produced. If my group had created a large Hollywood blockbuster that we wanted the world to see (perhaps to cover film costs) Film 4 may chose to fund us and they may then distribute the film to companies like “Odeon and Vue” who would exhibit or show the film at appropriate cinemas in the UK as this will appeal to the largest audience and hopefully create the greatest profit..... However those films that have been independently made would be better suited to small independent cinemas or special film screenings such as the “Curzon” or whatever the distribution company see fit.
If our film was to be made on a low budget due to small funding from the production company (which it was made on a small budget set aside by the group) it may be shown at a film festival i.e. situated in Manchester (One of the largest ones) or an independent film channel. Inevitably we cannot sell our film or make any money from it as we have songs in here which we do not own the rights to etc, although if we were trying to reach a large audience I would think the best way to do it is via the web where many students and people interested can access freely.
Although this film has been put together by a group of talented media students on a low budget it holds a strong point being that it is raising awareness to the dangers surrounding us. I therefore feel that if a larger budget had been placed and it had been put together by specialists it should be played in the main cinemas in bigger towns as it is important that this message is put across to viewers and people are made aware. By placing our film in big cinemas it would attract more attention, more views and raise greater awareness to the point being made in this film.
Film 4, renowned for the quality of studio/ production, in 2007 began sponsoring an annual ‘FrightFest’ which started in the year 2000 and has now been up and running for 10 years. It consists of a 4 day film premiere that has featured films like “Scary Movie”. Sponsors consist of companies such as channel 5 and horror channel. Frightfest has moved to a number of locations and often visits universities such as Glasgow and Brighton; this is good as this is where our target market lies. Below is a copy of the website:
http://www.frightfest.co.uk
Film 4 nowadays produces mainly mainstream Hollywood movies. They have produced many successful movies such as “This is England” – an award winning British film (2006). I feel that film4 would be interested funding my group’s production as it is a British film holding a very important message, should they chose to distribute it they would receive much appraisal as they are tackling an issue that everyone is exposed to.
My team and production company “Timeline” focuses on cheaply produced, low budget entertainment in the form of thrillers targeting a similar audience to those featured in it. (School relations)
Generally the production company depends on the type of production that has been produced. If my group had created a large Hollywood blockbuster that we wanted the world to see (perhaps to cover film costs) Film 4 may chose to fund us and they may then distribute the film to companies like “Odeon and Vue” who would exhibit or show the film at appropriate cinemas in the UK as this will appeal to the largest audience and hopefully create the greatest profit..... However those films that have been independently made would be better suited to small independent cinemas or special film screenings such as the “Curzon” or whatever the distribution company see fit.
If our film was to be made on a low budget due to small funding from the production company (which it was made on a small budget set aside by the group) it may be shown at a film festival i.e. situated in Manchester (One of the largest ones) or an independent film channel. Inevitably we cannot sell our film or make any money from it as we have songs in here which we do not own the rights to etc, although if we were trying to reach a large audience I would think the best way to do it is via the web where many students and people interested can access freely.
Although this film has been put together by a group of talented media students on a low budget it holds a strong point being that it is raising awareness to the dangers surrounding us. I therefore feel that if a larger budget had been placed and it had been put together by specialists it should be played in the main cinemas in bigger towns as it is important that this message is put across to viewers and people are made aware. By placing our film in big cinemas it would attract more attention, more views and raise greater awareness to the point being made in this film.
Film 4, renowned for the quality of studio/ production, in 2007 began sponsoring an annual ‘FrightFest’ which started in the year 2000 and has now been up and running for 10 years. It consists of a 4 day film premiere that has featured films like “Scary Movie”. Sponsors consist of companies such as channel 5 and horror channel. Frightfest has moved to a number of locations and often visits universities such as Glasgow and Brighton; this is good as this is where our target market lies. Below is a copy of the website:
http://www.frightfest.co.uk
Film 4 nowadays produces mainly mainstream Hollywood movies. They have produced many successful movies such as “This is England” – an award winning British film (2006). I feel that film4 would be interested funding my group’s production as it is a British film holding a very important message, should they chose to distribute it they would receive much appraisal as they are tackling an issue that everyone is exposed to.
Evaluation Q2
2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My group primarily focused on character conventions for our thriller in which our one actress is the typical pretty, good looking party animal who spends her time partying and generally having a good time. Close ups reveal the lavish life style she leads and reveal her make-up, hair and accessories. Our actress is well dressed for a good time out on the town with her expensive handbag, phone and again accessories thus reflecting how she comes from a middle-upper class back ground with plenty of disposable income. The party scene creates a clear representation of youth and division between age groups as there is a young vibe flowing about the club (drama studio in which it was filmed) as reflected by the similar age groups that can be seen. The fact that there are a vast amount of people in the “Club” reflect how the youth of today are fluttering their money away easily and perhaps being very naive to the amount they are spending and equally consuming therefore making them a very easy target.
.JPEG)
The film again reinforcing the idea of this age group (18-21) and the youth of today. The fact that Rose is drinking an alcoholic beverage reflects how she is reliant on alcohol to have a good time and so are her companions. Had we placed a cup of water or bottle of orange juice in her hand this may have reflected a friendlier, more sensible person who perhaps has her wits about her. This would inevitably create a more positive outlook on this sector though it would not have fit in with our film.
There is a short glimpse of the portentous kidnapper and this is in our rave scene, though the footage only reflects one character placing a drug into the drink, this again leaves the viewer in suspense. We decided to then turn the tables and illustrate how common assumptions with regards to males being evil and females being friendly can be so wrong. So, we decided to use a female to play this part. The actress portrayed was a skinny, pale and rough character featuring scruffy clothing thus giving the idea that she is not the average person and spends most of her time finding victims. She therefore does not eat properly which explains why she is in the state she is in. She is dressed in casual, baggy clothes which reflect how she is working-class and the fact that she has her hood up shows that she does not want to be seen. We also represented class and educational status through the scene in which our film was set....
We figured that viewers could associate the setting with the kidnapper’s train of thought and then relate this to their social group.
The fact that the girl Rose has been bought into the woods and not a house infers that the killer may not have enough room in her flat/apartment and she may not even have a place of her own which would again explain the state she is in. Had the scene been set in a stately home viewers would have gained the understanding that the kidnapper was a cleanly dressed, upper-class individual, thus playing similarity to “American Psycho”. The fact that our character Rose is in the open woods may also reflect the intelligence of the individual who kidnapped her as this is not very subtle, leaving someone in the open woods and from this we can infer that she may not have an education which creates a poor outlook. The character in my film and that of American Psycho create a direct comparison with regards to wealth and status.
My group primarily focused on character conventions for our thriller in which our one actress is the typical pretty, good looking party animal who spends her time partying and generally having a good time. Close ups reveal the lavish life style she leads and reveal her make-up, hair and accessories. Our actress is well dressed for a good time out on the town with her expensive handbag, phone and again accessories thus reflecting how she comes from a middle-upper class back ground with plenty of disposable income. The party scene creates a clear representation of youth and division between age groups as there is a young vibe flowing about the club (drama studio in which it was filmed) as reflected by the similar age groups that can be seen. The fact that there are a vast amount of people in the “Club” reflect how the youth of today are fluttering their money away easily and perhaps being very naive to the amount they are spending and equally consuming therefore making them a very easy target.
.JPEG)
The film again reinforcing the idea of this age group (18-21) and the youth of today. The fact that Rose is drinking an alcoholic beverage reflects how she is reliant on alcohol to have a good time and so are her companions. Had we placed a cup of water or bottle of orange juice in her hand this may have reflected a friendlier, more sensible person who perhaps has her wits about her. This would inevitably create a more positive outlook on this sector though it would not have fit in with our film.
There is a short glimpse of the portentous kidnapper and this is in our rave scene, though the footage only reflects one character placing a drug into the drink, this again leaves the viewer in suspense. We decided to then turn the tables and illustrate how common assumptions with regards to males being evil and females being friendly can be so wrong. So, we decided to use a female to play this part. The actress portrayed was a skinny, pale and rough character featuring scruffy clothing thus giving the idea that she is not the average person and spends most of her time finding victims. She therefore does not eat properly which explains why she is in the state she is in. She is dressed in casual, baggy clothes which reflect how she is working-class and the fact that she has her hood up shows that she does not want to be seen. We also represented class and educational status through the scene in which our film was set....
We figured that viewers could associate the setting with the kidnapper’s train of thought and then relate this to their social group.
The fact that the girl Rose has been bought into the woods and not a house infers that the killer may not have enough room in her flat/apartment and she may not even have a place of her own which would again explain the state she is in. Had the scene been set in a stately home viewers would have gained the understanding that the kidnapper was a cleanly dressed, upper-class individual, thus playing similarity to “American Psycho”. The fact that our character Rose is in the open woods may also reflect the intelligence of the individual who kidnapped her as this is not very subtle, leaving someone in the open woods and from this we can infer that she may not have an education which creates a poor outlook. The character in my film and that of American Psycho create a direct comparison with regards to wealth and status.
Evaluation Q1
Introduction
1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Having started off slowly but surely our film took a backwards approach being that there were many different ideas and themes brought forward by different members in the group though this problem was tackled through mind maps and film analysis. We made the right choice and started to pull out many different aspects that we liked from the TV series “Lost” to films holding similarity to those building suspense like “Sixth Sense” and those holding the same scenes and settings in the form of a documentary like Bear “Grylls”
We were quick to spot elements we did like such as a vast use of close ups and extreme close ups illustrating the characters fear and sense of security. The use of close ups inspired us to focus on Roses state of mind in attempt to create a similar image and give the viewer the idea that she is lost, in trouble and needs help. Other elements (such as the use of mise-en-scene in the opening scene) we also attempted to replicate. The opening scene in “Lost” uses the surrounding greenery and objects such as trees, twigs and leaves to illustrate the character’s sense of security and again introduce the idea of him being lost. The film sequence uses fast-paced editing and lots of action to keep the audience enticed. After analyzing similar movies such as “Cast Away – Tom Hanks” we decided that this is what we wanted to focus on so we dug deeper and deeper and soon realized that this is what we wanted to choose for our own genre. And we did.
Generally thrillers share many conventions such as a dark environment (often) featuring a main/potential murderer and a target/victim. Some of the common themes of suspense, victim(s) as well as the conventions of the production such as portentous and ominous music and editing of the story create an enigma for the audience, thus keeping them in suspense which was really a very important goal in my movie opening. An example of a TV series that does this is “Lost” and a film, “Shaun of the Dead”. Both films are classic examples and hold back a lot of information until the end so the audience are kept intrigued an on their feet, ultimately more scared. The group generally stuck to these conventions of a thriller by pursuing the classic characters of a victim female and a perverted stalker, as well as using enigmas such as not showing the stalkers face.
The group used iconography similar to that of films and TV dramas analyzed. These included such things as the location; condense woodland and dark dingy scenery featuring little lighting. Another way in which the group represented the theme of a thriller was through stalking which can be seen in similar films such as “Scream”. The group also decided on a form of subtle music which would create an ominous drone effectively foreshadowing evil.
We wanted to be creative so we decided not to focus too much on conventions. For example we used a modern story line featuring clubs, drugs and alcoholic consumption accompanied by a modern song, though we felt this particular song was important in order to continue our particular scene. Our film stuck to the common forms and conventions of horror as reflected by recent stories regarding bodies being found deep in the woods and the common association with woods being scary and questionable.
We followed the opening of “Lost” featuring disruption and ultimately leaving the reader confused and asking questions. As opposed to many films that start off slowly, for instance: “Shaun of the Dead” which doesn’t actually give you an idea of what it is all about until later on in the film.
The group also needed to look at the conventions of an opening sequence in order to put together a film that was accurate in content and production.
Conventions include the following:
• Introduction to the various roles (Snatch)
• Titles (Lock stock and two smoking barrels)
• Music (A wide range of films such as “Life” and “Yellow Brick” )
• Main themes of the film (Minority report)
• Visual reference to the title (Pumpkins in Halloween, Carpenter)
• Sense of danger from the offset (Saw)
We did our best to stick to the majority of these conventions. We introduced the roles assigned along with the titles and music, giving a brief establishing shot allowing the viewer to gain an understanding of the setting and what was to follow. Our film opening allows the viewer to get an idea of what the main themes are and it also provides a visual reference to the opening title where Rose, our actress “blacks out” equally creating a sense of danger.
We also used the classic character role associated with our film, featuring a innocent, stereotypically targeted and weak female that can be portrayed in other films such as “Baby Sitter Wanted”. Our overall style is very eerie featuring a range of camera shots to show Rose’s condition and state of mind. This is often express through a number of close ups reflecting her fear.
1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Having started off slowly but surely our film took a backwards approach being that there were many different ideas and themes brought forward by different members in the group though this problem was tackled through mind maps and film analysis. We made the right choice and started to pull out many different aspects that we liked from the TV series “Lost” to films holding similarity to those building suspense like “Sixth Sense” and those holding the same scenes and settings in the form of a documentary like Bear “Grylls”
We were quick to spot elements we did like such as a vast use of close ups and extreme close ups illustrating the characters fear and sense of security. The use of close ups inspired us to focus on Roses state of mind in attempt to create a similar image and give the viewer the idea that she is lost, in trouble and needs help. Other elements (such as the use of mise-en-scene in the opening scene) we also attempted to replicate. The opening scene in “Lost” uses the surrounding greenery and objects such as trees, twigs and leaves to illustrate the character’s sense of security and again introduce the idea of him being lost. The film sequence uses fast-paced editing and lots of action to keep the audience enticed. After analyzing similar movies such as “Cast Away – Tom Hanks” we decided that this is what we wanted to focus on so we dug deeper and deeper and soon realized that this is what we wanted to choose for our own genre. And we did.
Generally thrillers share many conventions such as a dark environment (often) featuring a main/potential murderer and a target/victim. Some of the common themes of suspense, victim(s) as well as the conventions of the production such as portentous and ominous music and editing of the story create an enigma for the audience, thus keeping them in suspense which was really a very important goal in my movie opening. An example of a TV series that does this is “Lost” and a film, “Shaun of the Dead”. Both films are classic examples and hold back a lot of information until the end so the audience are kept intrigued an on their feet, ultimately more scared. The group generally stuck to these conventions of a thriller by pursuing the classic characters of a victim female and a perverted stalker, as well as using enigmas such as not showing the stalkers face.
The group used iconography similar to that of films and TV dramas analyzed. These included such things as the location; condense woodland and dark dingy scenery featuring little lighting. Another way in which the group represented the theme of a thriller was through stalking which can be seen in similar films such as “Scream”. The group also decided on a form of subtle music which would create an ominous drone effectively foreshadowing evil.
We wanted to be creative so we decided not to focus too much on conventions. For example we used a modern story line featuring clubs, drugs and alcoholic consumption accompanied by a modern song, though we felt this particular song was important in order to continue our particular scene. Our film stuck to the common forms and conventions of horror as reflected by recent stories regarding bodies being found deep in the woods and the common association with woods being scary and questionable.
We followed the opening of “Lost” featuring disruption and ultimately leaving the reader confused and asking questions. As opposed to many films that start off slowly, for instance: “Shaun of the Dead” which doesn’t actually give you an idea of what it is all about until later on in the film.
The group also needed to look at the conventions of an opening sequence in order to put together a film that was accurate in content and production.
Conventions include the following:
• Introduction to the various roles (Snatch)
• Titles (Lock stock and two smoking barrels)
• Music (A wide range of films such as “Life” and “Yellow Brick” )
• Main themes of the film (Minority report)
• Visual reference to the title (Pumpkins in Halloween, Carpenter)
• Sense of danger from the offset (Saw)
We did our best to stick to the majority of these conventions. We introduced the roles assigned along with the titles and music, giving a brief establishing shot allowing the viewer to gain an understanding of the setting and what was to follow. Our film opening allows the viewer to get an idea of what the main themes are and it also provides a visual reference to the opening title where Rose, our actress “blacks out” equally creating a sense of danger.
We also used the classic character role associated with our film, featuring a innocent, stereotypically targeted and weak female that can be portrayed in other films such as “Baby Sitter Wanted”. Our overall style is very eerie featuring a range of camera shots to show Rose’s condition and state of mind. This is often express through a number of close ups reflecting her fear.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Common conventions associated with our genre?
From research we found out that common conventions associated with our type of genre were all to do with sounds and editing such as fast editing, quick cuts, changes in camera angles and music that gave the story a lift ultimately placing emphasis on key scenes...... bulding tension.
Some films play to particular types of conventions such as "Sixth Sense" featuring darkness and shadows, mirrors and stairs.
Whereas our production avoids the use of darkness and shadows (in most cases). We wanted to inflict fear into our readers so in essence you can (hear) and see from the killers prospective. With the aim of making you feel for the female protagonist so this prospective was great. We wanted to implement flashbacks which illustrates the affects that the drug are having though this is more commonly associated theme with a physchological thriller as oppose to the form of genre we have positioned our film under.
Some films play to particular types of conventions such as "Sixth Sense" featuring darkness and shadows, mirrors and stairs.
Whereas our production avoids the use of darkness and shadows (in most cases). We wanted to inflict fear into our readers so in essence you can (hear) and see from the killers prospective. With the aim of making you feel for the female protagonist so this prospective was great. We wanted to implement flashbacks which illustrates the affects that the drug are having though this is more commonly associated theme with a physchological thriller as oppose to the form of genre we have positioned our film under.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Research on equipment
In order to create accurate footage that met expectations we needed to use up to date technology, of which many of us had little experience with.
We carried out research on the different types of equipment that we had access to and we felt this was important to ensure that the footage was filmed properly, uploaded appropriately and edited accordingly. For this to happen research took place on the following:
Sony Cam Corder:
Fortunately I had a basic understading to how this piece of equipment actually worked though to assure the rest of the group this camera was potentially better to use than the standard camera provided by the school I needed to do some research.....
I looked up various websites such as: sony.co.uk/hub/cyber/shot?s.
I figured that sony would have a lot to say about the camera though the actual website reflected little, (as is understandable for a 6/7 year old camera) so i decided to contact them directly... They were very prompt in getting back to me and I even managed to obtain a free manual explaining general usage of the camera.
The main benefits were that the camera could counteract jults and movement (to a degree) which ment that the majority of the film could easily be filmed on foot as oppose to lugging around a large tripod which would also be potentially dangerous in the conditions in which the film was captured.
The camera also captured footage on to DV tape which ment the footage captured was portable and could go into other camera, this was important as it ment that more than one tpye of camera could be used, perhaps in the event that we wanted to film a different shot from a stand still (tripod) prospective...... yet upload the footage from one tape to make things simpler.
I also found out that it was firewire compatible, meaning i could use a firewire cable to upload it onto a mac. The firewire and otherwise known as the IEEE1349 interface would help when transfering our captured footage onto Final Cut Pro - the editing software avialable on the Apple Macs. It would deliver a better quality of image at a greater speed.
The group held no experience with apple mac's or their software applications and being that the film was largerly reliant on editing it was important that we had a reasonable understanding of how to work it.
We begun are reseach and approached fellow class mates and teachers for help and guidance although in some cases they were very limited to what they could actually help with.
So we approched the internet and looked at different website such as:
Hawaii.edu - this website reflected a very helpful step by step guide on the use of Final Cut Pro though it was very long winded and putting into account the time allocated there was only so much we could take in.
And we approach Wiki, which somewhat proved helpless as a lot of the information on there was writen by everyday people which ment that most of it was inaccurate and unhelpful. We also tackled youtube in hope of a step by step video though many of the search results were simply irrelavent.
These were the two main pieces of equipment that needed to be researched in order to produce a good quality film, and although not all sites and sources were relavent it did prove helpful.
We carried out research on the different types of equipment that we had access to and we felt this was important to ensure that the footage was filmed properly, uploaded appropriately and edited accordingly. For this to happen research took place on the following:
Sony Cam Corder:
Fortunately I had a basic understading to how this piece of equipment actually worked though to assure the rest of the group this camera was potentially better to use than the standard camera provided by the school I needed to do some research.....
I looked up various websites such as: sony.co.uk/hub/cyber/shot?s.
I figured that sony would have a lot to say about the camera though the actual website reflected little, (as is understandable for a 6/7 year old camera) so i decided to contact them directly... They were very prompt in getting back to me and I even managed to obtain a free manual explaining general usage of the camera.
The main benefits were that the camera could counteract jults and movement (to a degree) which ment that the majority of the film could easily be filmed on foot as oppose to lugging around a large tripod which would also be potentially dangerous in the conditions in which the film was captured.
The camera also captured footage on to DV tape which ment the footage captured was portable and could go into other camera, this was important as it ment that more than one tpye of camera could be used, perhaps in the event that we wanted to film a different shot from a stand still (tripod) prospective...... yet upload the footage from one tape to make things simpler.
I also found out that it was firewire compatible, meaning i could use a firewire cable to upload it onto a mac. The firewire and otherwise known as the IEEE1349 interface would help when transfering our captured footage onto Final Cut Pro - the editing software avialable on the Apple Macs. It would deliver a better quality of image at a greater speed.
The group held no experience with apple mac's or their software applications and being that the film was largerly reliant on editing it was important that we had a reasonable understanding of how to work it.
We begun are reseach and approached fellow class mates and teachers for help and guidance although in some cases they were very limited to what they could actually help with.
So we approched the internet and looked at different website such as:
Hawaii.edu - this website reflected a very helpful step by step guide on the use of Final Cut Pro though it was very long winded and putting into account the time allocated there was only so much we could take in.
And we approach Wiki, which somewhat proved helpless as a lot of the information on there was writen by everyday people which ment that most of it was inaccurate and unhelpful. We also tackled youtube in hope of a step by step video though many of the search results were simply irrelavent.
These were the two main pieces of equipment that needed to be researched in order to produce a good quality film, and although not all sites and sources were relavent it did prove helpful.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Research on target audience....
In order to gain an understanding of who are target audience was we had to ask a number of friends and family a variety of questions, ranging from gender and age to films preference an interests.
Of course we didnt have the time or budget to put toget a large scale questionnaire so we gathered relevant questions such as:
1)What is your sexuality? (Male) or (Female) please place a line through thee relavent
This question was asked so we could gain a further understanding to which genders are interested in what.
2) How old are you (1-5), (6-11), (12-15),(16-21), (22-35), (35,50),(51+). Please place a line through thee relavent
This was asked so we could narrow down which age groups liked what i.e. 6-11 years enjoying cartoons. It would help to gain an understanding to which age groups would be interested in our film.
3)Do you have a particular preference when watching film? if so please state what it is you like and what it is that you like about it on the line below:
.....................................................................................................................................................................
I asked this question in the hope that we would recieve some detialed feedback regarding personal preference and also what they liked about this. This would help us to gain an understanding to particular parts in our film that viewers would take a liking to.
4) What is your type of genre? (Horror/Thriller), (Commedy), (Action/adventure), (Rom Com),(Dama/Epic film), (Science fiction), (Sci-Fi). Please circle more than one if applicable.
Again, just grabbing relavent information in order see what age and genders liked what. This question would allow us to target a spercific audience and equally understand who would be interested in us.
5) Name your top 10 films in the space below:
1- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
This question was asked to see what the most popular films were, from this we would find out who directed them, look at the shots and type of genre it was and ultimately see if this had any correlation with ours.
6) Name the worse film you have ever watched
...........................................................
This was quite important as it allowed us to look at poorly produced films that didn't grab their viewers interest. This would allow us to stay away from anything closely related to ensure we didnt make the same mistake.
Of course this questionnaire is not deadly accurate as it has been performed on a small scale, however it did prove helpful as the results allowed us understand who the majority of our watchers were/would be, what their interest were, age groups and genders. It also allowed us to look at the films people didn't like so much and one of the films that came up over and over again was "Open Water" a filmed based at sea featuring a lot of POV shots. General aspects like this proved valid as it stirred us away from implementing to many POV's etc.
A top 10 contender that came up on a number of papaers was "Lost" which combined action and suspense generally proving a very interesting and likable film. Fortunately I had already watched and analyzed this earlier on in the task and the group had an idea of what was appealing...... We then took aspects we liked and applied them to our film.
Of course we didnt have the time or budget to put toget a large scale questionnaire so we gathered relevant questions such as:
1)What is your sexuality? (Male) or (Female) please place a line through thee relavent
This question was asked so we could gain a further understanding to which genders are interested in what.
2) How old are you (1-5), (6-11), (12-15),(16-21), (22-35), (35,50),(51+). Please place a line through thee relavent
This was asked so we could narrow down which age groups liked what i.e. 6-11 years enjoying cartoons. It would help to gain an understanding to which age groups would be interested in our film.
3)Do you have a particular preference when watching film? if so please state what it is you like and what it is that you like about it on the line below:
.....................................................................................................................................................................
I asked this question in the hope that we would recieve some detialed feedback regarding personal preference and also what they liked about this. This would help us to gain an understanding to particular parts in our film that viewers would take a liking to.
4) What is your type of genre? (Horror/Thriller), (Commedy), (Action/adventure), (Rom Com),(Dama/Epic film), (Science fiction), (Sci-Fi). Please circle more than one if applicable.
Again, just grabbing relavent information in order see what age and genders liked what. This question would allow us to target a spercific audience and equally understand who would be interested in us.
5) Name your top 10 films in the space below:
1- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
This question was asked to see what the most popular films were, from this we would find out who directed them, look at the shots and type of genre it was and ultimately see if this had any correlation with ours.
6) Name the worse film you have ever watched
...........................................................
This was quite important as it allowed us to look at poorly produced films that didn't grab their viewers interest. This would allow us to stay away from anything closely related to ensure we didnt make the same mistake.
Of course this questionnaire is not deadly accurate as it has been performed on a small scale, however it did prove helpful as the results allowed us understand who the majority of our watchers were/would be, what their interest were, age groups and genders. It also allowed us to look at the films people didn't like so much and one of the films that came up over and over again was "Open Water" a filmed based at sea featuring a lot of POV shots. General aspects like this proved valid as it stirred us away from implementing to many POV's etc.
A top 10 contender that came up on a number of papaers was "Lost" which combined action and suspense generally proving a very interesting and likable film. Fortunately I had already watched and analyzed this earlier on in the task and the group had an idea of what was appealing...... We then took aspects we liked and applied them to our film.
Monday, 1 March 2010
Initial planning and ideas
Having analyzed a number of films and film openings this prompted us to produce a mind map which reflected many different aspects that we could include in our film.
The mind map features informaiton regarding Dialouge, Settings, Characters, edits, genre and camera shots and angles.
Although a handful of ideas were produced that did originally seem plauseable we had to cut them down and decide were they really going to grab the viewers attention and make them watch the rest.....
Ideas that were disregarded were as follows:
Genres: We didnt like the idea of many genres such as action simply because this would involve a large budget which we didnt have access to, it may also require stunts being performed and none of the group are trained and it may have therefore proved risky and we equally ticked off commedy quickly as commedy is very unique and it takes allot to actually reach somones sense of humor and pull it off. It would have also proved hard targetting a set group as different people have different senses of humor..... it may have therefore proved disasterous. Also being that we are creating a film opening it we were to base it on commedy and no one laughed it would be disasterous resulting in people not watching the rest.
Settings:
Having decided on a Thriller we needed to build suspense and place our film somewhere where people could relate to. We decided agaist setting the scene in any form of house as this would not have the same affect on our viewers as houses are more friendly and you dont nessacarily gain a sense of "where Is she, is she okay?".
Character:
It is important to our film that the character is young, innocent and appears vulnerable. Throughout the films the group has watched an analyzed male dominance is a real issue whereas females are often played down to look weaker.
Generally males are reffered to as a strong figure and someone who can fend for the themselve whereas a females cannot. We therefore decided that we would need a female actress.
Sound:
We chose not to use any dialouge in our film as our film is based around 1 person being lost and confused. By taking away dialouge it keeps the viewer in suspense and keeps the questioning what is going through "Rose's" head.
The initial story board/mind map has helped us to come to some conclusions about what we are doing and where we are doing it. Below is what the group has decided on:
Genre: Thriller/Horror
We thought that a thriller would be exciting to produce and it would also allow us to use an array of media skills in order to appeal to our auidience and make are film interesting.....
Settings: We have set our film deep in the woods where it is quite condense with shrubs abd woodland which introduces the idea of vulnerability. It is important that are character is small in comparrison to the large space around her as this again emphasizes her position amougst her unfimiliar surroundings.
Chracter:
A young female has been chosen to represent our film dealing with the issues of vulnerability as the stereotypic refrence to men having a stronger charecteristic and dealing with things better would not fit the part.
Sounds:
The movie will feature no dialouge, only non-diagetic music which will be put into place to make the film run smoother and equally enhance the viewers experience. We have not chosen any dialogue because this will place emphasis on the element of confusion and mind tricks enabling the viewer to percieve it a unique way.
We have planned to place sound effect into the film such as deep breathing and rustling leaves etc however this may prove difficult as we intend to put contrasting music into the film also.
The mind map features informaiton regarding Dialouge, Settings, Characters, edits, genre and camera shots and angles.
Although a handful of ideas were produced that did originally seem plauseable we had to cut them down and decide were they really going to grab the viewers attention and make them watch the rest.....
Ideas that were disregarded were as follows:
Genres: We didnt like the idea of many genres such as action simply because this would involve a large budget which we didnt have access to, it may also require stunts being performed and none of the group are trained and it may have therefore proved risky and we equally ticked off commedy quickly as commedy is very unique and it takes allot to actually reach somones sense of humor and pull it off. It would have also proved hard targetting a set group as different people have different senses of humor..... it may have therefore proved disasterous. Also being that we are creating a film opening it we were to base it on commedy and no one laughed it would be disasterous resulting in people not watching the rest.
Settings:
Having decided on a Thriller we needed to build suspense and place our film somewhere where people could relate to. We decided agaist setting the scene in any form of house as this would not have the same affect on our viewers as houses are more friendly and you dont nessacarily gain a sense of "where Is she, is she okay?".
Character:
It is important to our film that the character is young, innocent and appears vulnerable. Throughout the films the group has watched an analyzed male dominance is a real issue whereas females are often played down to look weaker.
Generally males are reffered to as a strong figure and someone who can fend for the themselve whereas a females cannot. We therefore decided that we would need a female actress.
Sound:
We chose not to use any dialouge in our film as our film is based around 1 person being lost and confused. By taking away dialouge it keeps the viewer in suspense and keeps the questioning what is going through "Rose's" head.
The initial story board/mind map has helped us to come to some conclusions about what we are doing and where we are doing it. Below is what the group has decided on:
Genre: Thriller/Horror
We thought that a thriller would be exciting to produce and it would also allow us to use an array of media skills in order to appeal to our auidience and make are film interesting.....
Settings: We have set our film deep in the woods where it is quite condense with shrubs abd woodland which introduces the idea of vulnerability. It is important that are character is small in comparrison to the large space around her as this again emphasizes her position amougst her unfimiliar surroundings.
Chracter:
A young female has been chosen to represent our film dealing with the issues of vulnerability as the stereotypic refrence to men having a stronger charecteristic and dealing with things better would not fit the part.
Sounds:
The movie will feature no dialouge, only non-diagetic music which will be put into place to make the film run smoother and equally enhance the viewers experience. We have not chosen any dialogue because this will place emphasis on the element of confusion and mind tricks enabling the viewer to percieve it a unique way.
We have planned to place sound effect into the film such as deep breathing and rustling leaves etc however this may prove difficult as we intend to put contrasting music into the film also.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Feedback
After putting the film together and in a sense completing a draft copy we looked at areas for improvement...
The feedback would allow us to see what our target audience felt about our production, we had hoped that this would reflect whether our aims and objective had been met.
By putting together a focus group (as previously mentioned in my blog) it would allow our target audience to give detailed and relevant feedback needed for improvement and adjustment.
Positive feedack recieved consisted of the following:
-"Music really suited the film and helped with the general flow"
-"Good use of sound and effects throughout the film, includng acting"
-"Good music, edits and continuity"
-"Really good camera shots - and camera effects used"
-"Cleverly put together and interesting use of contrasting music with flashbacks"
Amousthe positive feedback there were a handful of negative points given, however this was important as it allowed us to improve and make alterations.
-"Transitions needs to be longer between flashbacks"
-"Need more close ups"
-"Cleverly position the music" - "Stop the music when Sophie is running"
-"More distressed image of character i.e. smudged make up"
-"Re-consider the amount of people in your party scene" - There should be more.....
-"Slipping the drug into the drink could be more realistic"
-"More diagestic sound and suspense needed"
-"Unsure whether the music with lyrics takes focus off the main aspects of the film"
Above is the feedback recieved from the focus group and peer assesment. Inevitably the majority of the feedback was negative, though this was important as it allowed the group to improve and focus on changes that needed to be made.
The majortiy of aspects that are peers felt created a negative effect we were able to fix. They were mainly regarding the shots and use of shots used such as adding close ups and reducing the amount of background noticeable which confused the viewer with what they were supposed to be focusing on. Other elemenets consisting of transitions and extending/shortening to make the film flow more evenly. Things like this took a matter of minutes to put right and re-shoot.
Some points however did prove hard to re-construct and change such as are rave scene which was positioned in the drama studio. Of course this is a small area and putting this aside many people were not willing to give up their free time. We therefore made little alteration to this.
We faced the dilema that we were recieving a mound of positive and negative points about different areas of our film from our target audience. This ment we had to decide whether we liked it or not. We looked upon help from our teachers as they are experienced and afterall they are the ones marking it so it was important that we got it right. After much thought and putting into place that our teachers are not our target market we took on board the guidance and decided ourselves.
The feedback would allow us to see what our target audience felt about our production, we had hoped that this would reflect whether our aims and objective had been met.
By putting together a focus group (as previously mentioned in my blog) it would allow our target audience to give detailed and relevant feedback needed for improvement and adjustment.
Positive feedack recieved consisted of the following:
-"Music really suited the film and helped with the general flow"
-"Good use of sound and effects throughout the film, includng acting"
-"Good music, edits and continuity"
-"Really good camera shots - and camera effects used"
-"Cleverly put together and interesting use of contrasting music with flashbacks"
Amousthe positive feedback there were a handful of negative points given, however this was important as it allowed us to improve and make alterations.
-"Transitions needs to be longer between flashbacks"
-"Need more close ups"
-"Cleverly position the music" - "Stop the music when Sophie is running"
-"More distressed image of character i.e. smudged make up"
-"Re-consider the amount of people in your party scene" - There should be more.....
-"Slipping the drug into the drink could be more realistic"
-"More diagestic sound and suspense needed"
-"Unsure whether the music with lyrics takes focus off the main aspects of the film"
Above is the feedback recieved from the focus group and peer assesment. Inevitably the majority of the feedback was negative, though this was important as it allowed the group to improve and focus on changes that needed to be made.
The majortiy of aspects that are peers felt created a negative effect we were able to fix. They were mainly regarding the shots and use of shots used such as adding close ups and reducing the amount of background noticeable which confused the viewer with what they were supposed to be focusing on. Other elemenets consisting of transitions and extending/shortening to make the film flow more evenly. Things like this took a matter of minutes to put right and re-shoot.
Some points however did prove hard to re-construct and change such as are rave scene which was positioned in the drama studio. Of course this is a small area and putting this aside many people were not willing to give up their free time. We therefore made little alteration to this.
We faced the dilema that we were recieving a mound of positive and negative points about different areas of our film from our target audience. This ment we had to decide whether we liked it or not. We looked upon help from our teachers as they are experienced and afterall they are the ones marking it so it was important that we got it right. After much thought and putting into place that our teachers are not our target market we took on board the guidance and decided ourselves.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Shot list
We put together a rough shot list which holds relation to are shot scehedule...... we are using an approx range of 19 shots to create the opening scene for our film "BlackOut".
1) Establishing shot
2)Long shot of Rose asleep in the woods
3)Close up of Rose's face
4)Medium shot of the party
5)Extreme close up of Roses eyes
6)P.O.V. shot from Rose lead down (tree trunks)
7)P.O.V. shot from Rose lead down (tree tops)
8)Long shot of Rose (in front)
9)Long shot of Rose (face)
10)Medium shot of Rose (in front)
11)Medium shot of Rose (behind)
12)Medium shot of the party(flash back of the night before)
13)Close up of the glass (drink being spiked)
14)P.O.V shot of the woods
15)Medium shot of Rose (behind)
16)Long shot of Rose running
17)Close up of Rose drinking her drink. (Has been spiked)
18)Close up of rose falling over
19)Close up of glass
1) Establishing shot
2)Long shot of Rose asleep in the woods
3)Close up of Rose's face
4)Medium shot of the party
5)Extreme close up of Roses eyes
6)P.O.V. shot from Rose lead down (tree trunks)
7)P.O.V. shot from Rose lead down (tree tops)
8)Long shot of Rose (in front)
9)Long shot of Rose (face)
10)Medium shot of Rose (in front)
11)Medium shot of Rose (behind)
12)Medium shot of the party(flash back of the night before)
13)Close up of the glass (drink being spiked)
14)P.O.V shot of the woods
15)Medium shot of Rose (behind)
16)Long shot of Rose running
17)Close up of Rose drinking her drink. (Has been spiked)
18)Close up of rose falling over
19)Close up of glass
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Introduction
In this task my group is required to produce a film opening with a target time of two minutes.
In order to complete the task in hand four members needed to be assigned. The group list consisted of Myseldf, Layla - Jay, Becky Morrish and Sophie Davies. It was improtant that there were four members in the grop as their were an abundance of tasks that needed to be performed. Each member was given a spercific role in the group, each member brung fourth many attributes which helped with the planning of ideas, generes and story lines.
It was important that the footage gained was original footage, however to get a rough idea of what we wanted to film varioud methods of primary and secondary research took place..... Ranging from first hand film reviews to online reviews.
In order to complete the task in hand four members needed to be assigned. The group list consisted of Myseldf, Layla - Jay, Becky Morrish and Sophie Davies. It was improtant that there were four members in the grop as their were an abundance of tasks that needed to be performed. Each member was given a spercific role in the group, each member brung fourth many attributes which helped with the planning of ideas, generes and story lines.
It was important that the footage gained was original footage, however to get a rough idea of what we wanted to film varioud methods of primary and secondary research took place..... Ranging from first hand film reviews to online reviews.
The initial story board
To start off with thr group needed to gain a rough idea of what was happening in our film so we could prepare..... we therefore create a story board which gave us a vivid imaage to what was happening.
Below is a copy of the original story board:
Below is a copy of the original story board:
Potential shots
Before I began to film the shots we discussed it amougst the group and decided that it may prove beneficial to see what they looked like before hand, we hoped that this would have given us an understanding to the camera angles used and allowed s to see the quality of the pictures taken.
Below is an extreme close up of our actress and posed is a potential shot that we hoped to relate to. This shot holds the intention of getting across "Roses" state of mind and it therefore achieves its purpose. We found that this shot worked very well as the extreme close up would allow us to reflect the girls fear and emotions..... which plays an important aspect in our fim. A simialar shot will be found in the openeing scene of our film.
The idea behind this shot is to show Roses vulnerabillity and it links in nicely with the film, its target audience (teenagers) reflecting how we are all vulnerable...... This shot will be placed to reflect the scarcity and lonliness of Rose.
The shot also build suspense which is an important aspect in a film opening, as we want the reader to keep guessing.
Below is an extreme close up of our actress and posed is a potential shot that we hoped to relate to. This shot holds the intention of getting across "Roses" state of mind and it therefore achieves its purpose. We found that this shot worked very well as the extreme close up would allow us to reflect the girls fear and emotions..... which plays an important aspect in our fim. A simialar shot will be found in the openeing scene of our film.
This shot was to be used in our "Rave scene" in which Rose is getting stalked. An over the sholder shot was going to be implemented to reflect how powerless Rose is in relation to her unexpected stalker.
The idea behind this shot is to show Roses vulnerabillity and it links in nicely with the film, its target audience (teenagers) reflecting how we are all vulnerable...... This shot will be placed to reflect the scarcity and lonliness of Rose.The shot also build suspense which is an important aspect in a film opening, as we want the reader to keep guessing.
Shooting schedule
In order for thr group to get an idea of what needed to be done, when it needed to be done and dead that must be met we arranged a shooting schedule.
Date, Time and What it is we are doing?
20th Jan Period 1+2, Finish planning story board
26th Jan Periods 3+4 ,First shots - Woods
27th Jan Periods 5+6, Filming P.O.V + Flashback shots
29th Jan Period 1+2, Uploading footage and begin editing
31st Jan All day, Finish Film
1st Feb Period 5+6, Uploading and editing
2nd Feb Period 3+4, Editing
3rd Feb Period 1+2, Editing
9th Feb Period 3+4, Final edits
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Above is a copy of the shooting schedule put together by the group, of course we tried to stick to this but by no means was it easy,and on a number of occasions it required us to use are spare time to ensure we were up to date with it.
Date, Time and What it is we are doing?
20th Jan Period 1+2, Finish planning story board
26th Jan Periods 3+4 ,First shots - Woods
27th Jan Periods 5+6, Filming P.O.V + Flashback shots
29th Jan Period 1+2, Uploading footage and begin editing
31st Jan All day, Finish Film
1st Feb Period 5+6, Uploading and editing
2nd Feb Period 3+4, Editing
3rd Feb Period 1+2, Editing
9th Feb Period 3+4, Final edits
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Above is a copy of the shooting schedule put together by the group, of course we tried to stick to this but by no means was it easy,and on a number of occasions it required us to use are spare time to ensure we were up to date with it.
Editing
When we had finished filming the film the footage was uploaded onto the I-Mac so we could see the outcome of our shots.
Once we looked through the shots and decided which worked well and which didn't..... making various alterations to clips, cutting them down and adding special effects such as transitions to ensure a positive flow was consistent.
Once we looked through the shots and decided which worked well and which didn't..... making various alterations to clips, cutting them down and adding special effects such as transitions to ensure a positive flow was consistent.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Choice of possible songs...
The group looked at a number of songs in order to determine the most ideal song that would accompany are non diagetic video.....
Below is just a small amount of the songs looked at:
Drum and bass - for the disco/club
Below is just a small amount of the songs looked at:
Drum and bass - for the disco/club
- Pendulem Slam
- Pendulem Propain nightmares
- Prodigy
- Mr happy
- Pendulem Blood sugar
- Prodigy - Warriors dance
A majority of the songs looked at were based on a certain band such as Pendulem as we are familiar with with their genre of music and aware that many of their songs would prove suitable. However because we needed a really up-beat tune and many of the songs proved to slow throughout the scene and did therefore not meet our need.
We needed to find an up-beat song that matched the rhythm of the film and actions taking place.... a song that would build up anticipation and suspense, we decided upon: Warriors dance as this an up beat song which creates fast rythem and anticipation...... it is therefore nicely suited to our film.
We equally needed to find an appropriate song that fitted in well with the opening shots , something that we could associate with the theme of betrial and sadness.
Again we looked at a number of songs that proved suitable:
- Kings of Leon Closer
- Kings of Leon use somebody
- Hallejuar
- A number of snow patrol songs..... featuring chasing cars and just say yes
We concluded that Kings Of Leon - Closer was the most appropriate song as it provided the rythem and beat that are film required. And being that my group is producing a film opening a song with rythem and beat is needed to build this anticipation......
Re-shoots
Having originally filmed a complete shoot we uploaded the footage and their were certain aspects that inevitably didn't run as smoothly as expected..... we therefore decided upon a re-shoot on the Wednesday - 17th.
The group sat down together before this date, looked over the film and jotted down errors for improvement. We also took into consideration are target audiences views...... gathered a focus group and took critisizm constructively.
When the day came the weather was against us and puttin into place that we didn't want to re-shoot the whole film, it would not have proved easy to change the scenery or the weather for this factor. Thus resulting in a major drawback t0 the group and plans made. We did have the option of changing the scenery though this would have proved insufficient and perhaps created a negative view on the group and its final production as the use of mise en scene would have differed un - accordingly.
After a dissapointing first attempt we decided to check the weather forecast for the following day, we decided upon the 18th, a Thursday. Again the weather decietful, nevertheless we made the best of our time and got on with other aspects of the film that reflected important such as the music that would accompany it. Although this did mean we were not behind schedule with our film and time was of the essence.
Again, we looked at the weather forecast and decided upon another date - the 23rd.
The weather was promosing and to are amazement the bad weather had cleared. We begun re-shooting the shots noted and scenes for improvement, also taking into account the deadline we found it neccasariy to take a few extra shots to ensure their were an abundance to chose from. This also enabled us t eliminate those shots that weren't to good quickly.
Filming is now finnished and we are momentarily making adjustments and alterations to sound tracks.
The group sat down together before this date, looked over the film and jotted down errors for improvement. We also took into consideration are target audiences views...... gathered a focus group and took critisizm constructively.
When the day came the weather was against us and puttin into place that we didn't want to re-shoot the whole film, it would not have proved easy to change the scenery or the weather for this factor. Thus resulting in a major drawback t0 the group and plans made. We did have the option of changing the scenery though this would have proved insufficient and perhaps created a negative view on the group and its final production as the use of mise en scene would have differed un - accordingly.
After a dissapointing first attempt we decided to check the weather forecast for the following day, we decided upon the 18th, a Thursday. Again the weather decietful, nevertheless we made the best of our time and got on with other aspects of the film that reflected important such as the music that would accompany it. Although this did mean we were not behind schedule with our film and time was of the essence.
Again, we looked at the weather forecast and decided upon another date - the 23rd.
The weather was promosing and to are amazement the bad weather had cleared. We begun re-shooting the shots noted and scenes for improvement, also taking into account the deadline we found it neccasariy to take a few extra shots to ensure their were an abundance to chose from. This also enabled us t eliminate those shots that weren't to good quickly.
Filming is now finnished and we are momentarily making adjustments and alterations to sound tracks.
Settings
Because our film features desceat the group needed to create a sense of loss of security and unawareness to the sourroundings. We could have based the film inside and this would have proved easier to film as the weather conditions interuped filming times and delaid arangements. To meet the groups aims of basing the film on reality events we researched past events that have previously taken place and we also attempted to think of a circumstance we could relate to.
We concluded that the film would be set deep in the woods as people can associate the woods with mysterios objects and woods are known for being "Spooooky". By placing are actress in the woods it allows the viewer to gain an understanding of the hard conditions he/she would potentially face in those cicrumstances. As oppose to waking up on a bright summers day central to shops etc..... this would create the oppositve effect.
The group scowered the woods for a suitable location and put into place "Mise en scene" and the light that we wanted/didn't want and also the scenery and the image it reflected.
We found a remote location which provided suitable lighting and scenery. Because the film is based upon mysterious goings on it was important that the landscape was messy, dirty, and again remote. Trees were to be used to promote different camera angles and also to reinforce the idea of power, it was important that the greenery was not to condense as light plays an important aspect in the film. Twigs, trees and general forest aspects were used as props in order to create imagery to someone being hidden and "them not knowing where he/she lied".
It was equally improtant that the area chosen provided a large enough area to reflect the girls desolate presense amougst the great outdoor.
We concluded that the film would be set deep in the woods as people can associate the woods with mysterios objects and woods are known for being "Spooooky". By placing are actress in the woods it allows the viewer to gain an understanding of the hard conditions he/she would potentially face in those cicrumstances. As oppose to waking up on a bright summers day central to shops etc..... this would create the oppositve effect.
The group scowered the woods for a suitable location and put into place "Mise en scene" and the light that we wanted/didn't want and also the scenery and the image it reflected.
We found a remote location which provided suitable lighting and scenery. Because the film is based upon mysterious goings on it was important that the landscape was messy, dirty, and again remote. Trees were to be used to promote different camera angles and also to reinforce the idea of power, it was important that the greenery was not to condense as light plays an important aspect in the film. Twigs, trees and general forest aspects were used as props in order to create imagery to someone being hidden and "them not knowing where he/she lied".
It was equally improtant that the area chosen provided a large enough area to reflect the girls desolate presense amougst the great outdoor.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Electronic story board
The group originally put together a story board on pen and paper as a rough copy which we could refer back to, however we decided it would make far more sense to go ahead and create an electronic story board for a more accurate and detialed understanding.
The story board was created to give the group a sense of direction and a further understanding to shots taking place and scenes being used. It allowed the group to have aclear structured underdtanding to what was happening, this proved beneficial as it avoided misshaps occuring .
The story board was created to give the group a sense of direction and a further understanding to shots taking place and scenes being used. It allowed the group to have aclear structured underdtanding to what was happening, this proved beneficial as it avoided misshaps occuring .
Roles
To ensure appropriate roles were assigned we categorized the contributions each member of the group brung, we then concluded that Sophie are main actress held previous experience in this area of drama and she would therefore fit the part.
Having studied various films and film openings we gained an understanding that male dominance was a key facter expressed throughout the majority of film openings especially those concerning violence and suspense, as mentioned in the film review.
The group needed to ensure the actress was young, lifely and active possibly holding a simialr upbringing and understanding to the character being played. We put into consideration that Sophie was the only member of the group holding any theatre related qualification, for this reason she took on the role of Rose Kensnignton.
Originally two directors rolls were going to be assigned however after much thought and consideration it was decided it could end up in conflict and confusion ultimately reflecting crossed views and opinions. The group decided that Layla would hold the upper-hand over other members as she has previous experience in this line of work and this is what the group needed, a certain area of confidence and manageabillity.
The group needed an experience member to hold the camera and make general justifications to the camera in order to create special affects and gain suitable, accurate footage. It was important that the camera shots were carried out correctly and in some cases a certain level of experience was required in order to manouver the camera and make general operations and adgustments to create the affects nessacary, having assigned a director and actress I took on the role of the Camera man.
Although the film would be controlled by the group in general and different aspects would be implemented by different members it was important that their was an authoritive position assigned to each and every member so a general level of responsibillity could be placed. This helped to put the film into prospective and it also got the ball rolling.
Having studied various films and film openings we gained an understanding that male dominance was a key facter expressed throughout the majority of film openings especially those concerning violence and suspense, as mentioned in the film review.
The group needed to ensure the actress was young, lifely and active possibly holding a simialr upbringing and understanding to the character being played. We put into consideration that Sophie was the only member of the group holding any theatre related qualification, for this reason she took on the role of Rose Kensnignton.
Originally two directors rolls were going to be assigned however after much thought and consideration it was decided it could end up in conflict and confusion ultimately reflecting crossed views and opinions. The group decided that Layla would hold the upper-hand over other members as she has previous experience in this line of work and this is what the group needed, a certain area of confidence and manageabillity.
The group needed an experience member to hold the camera and make general justifications to the camera in order to create special affects and gain suitable, accurate footage. It was important that the camera shots were carried out correctly and in some cases a certain level of experience was required in order to manouver the camera and make general operations and adgustments to create the affects nessacary, having assigned a director and actress I took on the role of the Camera man.
Although the film would be controlled by the group in general and different aspects would be implemented by different members it was important that their was an authoritive position assigned to each and every member so a general level of responsibillity could be placed. This helped to put the film into prospective and it also got the ball rolling.
Friday, 29 January 2010
Shot lists....
To ensure the film goes according and achieves the objectives it is important that the camera shots used are appropriate as these will be the cornerstone of the movie, putting into place that our film focuses on anger, confusion and a sense of security the film is likely to carry a number of POV's, as these shots will work the best.
By introducing a POV it allows the viewer to get in the mind of the acter and gain an understanding to the feelings, perhaps synthezing with them therefore creating a more powerful affect. This is important because our film is in relaiton to true events, and we want to enforce the idea and awareness of the wider wold and the dangers out their.
By introducing an opening establishing shot it allows the setting to take place, it introduces the idea of tranquillity making the reader aware that something will happen ultimately building suspense and anticipation, close ups are then used to reflect the state of Rose, followed by an extreme close up showing her disturbed awakening. By introducing an extreme close up it draws the viewers attention thus reflecting the girls state of mind this is then followed by a POV of which the viewer can relate to. This is an important facter as it allows them to understand an uninticipated awakening from a some what abnormal night. By creating imagery to a previous experience the reader is setting their mind for the rest of the film.
Because it is so important that a range of shots are used we tried to implement them where possible, however because are film worked around the build of tention we wanted to implement a number of POV's, though this seemed unproffesional and perhaps poor. We layed out our story bord and analyzed possible shots we could use in each scene, we then established the shots we hadn't used.....
An extreme close up will be placed on the incident in which the drug is dropped in the drink, this is important as it is the bases to the film, and potentially the plot set. The idea of the drug being placed into a drink was affectively stolen from the "stone in the pond" affect where the stone pierces the surfaces and ripples then follow. This creates imagery to our film in which the extreme close up emphasizes the bullet to the hear, and the change in atmosphere and scenery. The ripples are associated with the ongoing affect of Rose going out that night.
By introducing a POV it allows the viewer to get in the mind of the acter and gain an understanding to the feelings, perhaps synthezing with them therefore creating a more powerful affect. This is important because our film is in relaiton to true events, and we want to enforce the idea and awareness of the wider wold and the dangers out their.
By introducing an opening establishing shot it allows the setting to take place, it introduces the idea of tranquillity making the reader aware that something will happen ultimately building suspense and anticipation, close ups are then used to reflect the state of Rose, followed by an extreme close up showing her disturbed awakening. By introducing an extreme close up it draws the viewers attention thus reflecting the girls state of mind this is then followed by a POV of which the viewer can relate to. This is an important facter as it allows them to understand an uninticipated awakening from a some what abnormal night. By creating imagery to a previous experience the reader is setting their mind for the rest of the film.
Because it is so important that a range of shots are used we tried to implement them where possible, however because are film worked around the build of tention we wanted to implement a number of POV's, though this seemed unproffesional and perhaps poor. We layed out our story bord and analyzed possible shots we could use in each scene, we then established the shots we hadn't used.....
An extreme close up will be placed on the incident in which the drug is dropped in the drink, this is important as it is the bases to the film, and potentially the plot set. The idea of the drug being placed into a drink was affectively stolen from the "stone in the pond" affect where the stone pierces the surfaces and ripples then follow. This creates imagery to our film in which the extreme close up emphasizes the bullet to the hear, and the change in atmosphere and scenery. The ripples are associated with the ongoing affect of Rose going out that night.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Script
The group got together and focused on the different ways in which the film could go though to ensure the film pulled off the image we wanted it to with regards to the realistic world and dangers that surround us today we placed our selves into the dilema and decided on the following:
Name: Rose Kensington
We wanted to introduce the idea that Rose was not a normal person, she was to be a spoilt individual who lived in a bubble taking little notice of the surroundings, to create this image it was essential that the name had a difinitive ring to it and that it didn't come across to lower class, hense the name "Rose Kensington", this reflects wealth and perhaps authority within the family.
Age: 19 Years of age
Having decided on a name we needed to now needed to place an appropriate age on it. When deciding this we put into account the average range of individuals who attend clubs and having carried out secondary research as to the average age limit we concluded 22. Had there been more time available and we werent restricted to a number of weeks we would have considered carrying out primary research, though this is not neccasarily essential.
Although 22 years of age was the retrieved figure we felt this would not suit the film, at the age of 19 some people can be very nieve, and lost with their ongoings, we therefore decided that 19 years would be appropriate as teenagers are starting to explore the limits, thus making the film more realistic.
The background consists of a rich family with whom the daughter makes consistent quarrels and disagreements with regards to the way she choses to lead her life, Rose is very dependant on her parents and is not half shy to ask for money.
She is highly educated and has experienced private education amougst many of her other friends.
Our film "Black-out" focuses on the harsh truth that lies at hand with todays teens, it focuses on one girl in particular who takes life as it comes untill one day when out on the town things start to change and life does not appear so perfect.
Nineteen year old Rose Kingston approaches the town with a large smile, when all of a sudden her drink get spiked, and yet does she know it but she is about to wake up in the woods the following morning....
Unexpecting and exhausted Rose, stumbles to her feet but can't quite remember what happened or what is going on, panicked she staggers through the woods..... but is she the only one?
The film continues in an investigtion for the Body of Rose, though it is apparent that she is nowhere to be found. The film continues on the bases of Rose being captured and an ongoing enquiry reveals more than her friends are willing to reveal.
Shots have not been included in the script as directions are looked down upon by many directors.... though shots will be discussed between the group at a later date.
Name: Rose Kensington
We wanted to introduce the idea that Rose was not a normal person, she was to be a spoilt individual who lived in a bubble taking little notice of the surroundings, to create this image it was essential that the name had a difinitive ring to it and that it didn't come across to lower class, hense the name "Rose Kensington", this reflects wealth and perhaps authority within the family.
Age: 19 Years of age
Having decided on a name we needed to now needed to place an appropriate age on it. When deciding this we put into account the average range of individuals who attend clubs and having carried out secondary research as to the average age limit we concluded 22. Had there been more time available and we werent restricted to a number of weeks we would have considered carrying out primary research, though this is not neccasarily essential.
Although 22 years of age was the retrieved figure we felt this would not suit the film, at the age of 19 some people can be very nieve, and lost with their ongoings, we therefore decided that 19 years would be appropriate as teenagers are starting to explore the limits, thus making the film more realistic.
The background consists of a rich family with whom the daughter makes consistent quarrels and disagreements with regards to the way she choses to lead her life, Rose is very dependant on her parents and is not half shy to ask for money.
She is highly educated and has experienced private education amougst many of her other friends.
Our film "Black-out" focuses on the harsh truth that lies at hand with todays teens, it focuses on one girl in particular who takes life as it comes untill one day when out on the town things start to change and life does not appear so perfect.
Nineteen year old Rose Kingston approaches the town with a large smile, when all of a sudden her drink get spiked, and yet does she know it but she is about to wake up in the woods the following morning....
Unexpecting and exhausted Rose, stumbles to her feet but can't quite remember what happened or what is going on, panicked she staggers through the woods..... but is she the only one?
The film continues in an investigtion for the Body of Rose, though it is apparent that she is nowhere to be found. The film continues on the bases of Rose being captured and an ongoing enquiry reveals more than her friends are willing to reveal.
Shots have not been included in the script as directions are looked down upon by many directors.... though shots will be discussed between the group at a later date.
Equipment list and scene settings
The majority of the film is taking place in the woods. This is where the focus of the film is taking place and where most of the action will be concerned. Whereas the flashbacks will take palce in a lively environment, possibly the drama studio where the group can take full advantage of the facillities.
This area was chosen because it best suits the ideas expressed amougst the group, it also accompanies the issues we want to express.
Below is an equipment list.
Equipment
Camera
Tripod
Tape
Tablet
Props
Glass
Paracetomol
Table
Alcoholic bottles
Costume
Dress
Heels/shoes
Heavy make-up
Ripped tights
Heavy make up
Because there are few scenes in are shots and little focus on anyone other than our main actor there is little equipmentn needed. Costume is a very important factor to our film as it illustrates Rose (our main actresses) state of mind which is in effect a major part to the film.
This area was chosen because it best suits the ideas expressed amougst the group, it also accompanies the issues we want to express.
Below is an equipment list.
Equipment
Camera
Tripod
Tape
Tablet
Props
Glass
Paracetomol
Table
Alcoholic bottles
Costume
Dress
Heels/shoes
Heavy make-up
Ripped tights
Heavy make up
Because there are few scenes in are shots and little focus on anyone other than our main actor there is little equipmentn needed. Costume is a very important factor to our film as it illustrates Rose (our main actresses) state of mind which is in effect a major part to the film.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
AS Film evaluation
Lock stockThe first film i evaluated was Lock stock and two smoking barrels by Guy Richie. This is a greatly enspiring film and certain aspects I would ideally like to introduce in to my groups film although this would have to go through the direcet, Layla of whom may chose to discuss it amougst the group.
The film gets off to an intense start featuring a chase, it follows a range of different shots featuring close ups and mid range to long range shots to show the drama taking place, and to ensure the viewer is drawn into the movie, the first few minutes are important, if the viewer is not drawn they may not view the rest. From the beginning of this film I have learnt to ensure that every aspect of my groups production will need to be powerful and effective, entising the viewer..... I have also learnt from the use of camera shots that this can place a large affect on the film, coupled with music. If the camera shot is distant and long range the music may be sudden building up momentum, of cause this will vary depending on aims and objectives set by the Director.
The film envolves four main characters,much like the film I am envolved in, I therefore gain the understanding that with such a succesful film rated 8/10, mine can equally be very good and it does have the potential to work as four characters are present in it also...... however this film is based on commedy and violence where the film I am focusing on is potentially based on the theme of horror , with slight reflection on commedy.
Snatch
The second film I set out on watching was "Snatch" again produced by Guy Richie, both films share simialr characteristics as you may expect and focus on humour and action.
The film combines several stories, from the heist of a diamond to an incomprehensible gypsy with a mean right hook (Brad Pitt). One main element I like about the two films is the fact, Guy Richie manages to cleverly weave these segments and ideas into a whole, however having been a great fan of Guy Richies movies this second and perhaps not so succesful movie seems a little patchy featuring to many uninteresting and unneccasary characters and dialouge reflecting poorly upon the film.
This is an aspect I do not want to carry over to my film, it is important that the characters are lively and play respective rolls, with little or no dialogue present hense few roles have been assigned and no speech will be taking place.
A strong element is the commedy throughout, Brad Pitt plays the role of a Pikey really well, reflecting someone who may be more than he seems. I wish for my film to be exciting and equally leaving the viewer in suspense, throughout Pitts role he continues to excite the viewer and offer suspense, wth humerous lines written by Guy Richie.
Again, having watched the pair their is an undeniable sense of, been there done that with pervades the whole film. The two share very simialr camera shots, starting with close ups on the quick fire opening.
Of course, I and my group are focusing on the introduction to a film so this does not place to greater affect. We will need to look at a variety of camera shots to ensure there is a differential facter keeping the viewer entertained.
Having analyzed both productions I realise how there is allot of focus on close ups, and mid ranged shots placing emphasis on action, whereas shots grabbing the viewers attention and escalation focus on establishing shots.
Though my film will not present commedy, nore dialogue general elements such as the range of shots and the way they are grouped will be introduced to the film.
To gain an accurate understanding to film oppenings and understand why these shots have been performed and the affect placed on the reader I looked at a different genre, which didn't focus so much on commedy.
Lost
The third film analyzed was Lost. Lost is a fairly cheaply producded film, but to no extent is it working with a simialr to budget to that of mine. Season one is an action packed set, featuring large distrubing noises, fires, explosions and abductions...... My film is based on simialr events and settings, I have therfore taken close note to the camera shots and diagetic and none diagetic noises used to see the effect on the viewer and film. This will also help when planning my story board, as i can take note of the individual cuts and set lists.
The film uses a variety of shots to build up tention and suspense In the film, emphasis is also built with the use of a POV placing the viewer in the actors position. The film my group is focusing on bares simialarity to thee of lost. It is set in a jungle/forest and it focuses on an individual being lost, tention is then built up through the use of clever shots, and POV's enforcing the idea of lonelyness allowing the viewer to emphasize with the character, perhaps linking it to a personal experience.
Lost is based on trauma, and action implements a vast amount of this. A strong feature to lost is the flashbacks in which the character flashes back to a moment in which they remember, this is an effective characteristic to the film and it shares the same roll in this as it does mine. Because they have a simialar story line the flashbacks are introduced to pick up the pace of the film, and perhaps give the viewer a greater understanding to what is actuallly taking place, it also build up momentum which is an important factor in the initial five minutes, to draw attention and ensure that the reader wants to see more....
One element that cannot be implemented is, character development. There is a vast amount of characters in the Lost series, these have been cleverly picked and developed, Lost is based on relationships whereas "Black-out" the film I am focusing on is based on deseat and betrail, though this can equally be displayed in the Lost series as survivers gain an understanding they are not the only ones on the island, this provides anticipation which is inevitably a very important aspect.
Of the lost collection season one was picked because it is clearly the first segment to the season, however the main reason being that season one is in effect one great, long introduction to the complete series so this is a mirror to the first five important minutes of my film...... having purchased a copy in blue ray and watched the series two or three times over I am confident that this has worked very well, and the small slice of footage and introduction is all that is needed in order to hook the viewer and ensure they purchase/want to watch the rest.
Having looked at a suitable range of films that potentially place an effect on my film, I have decided to watch a number of shorter, introductories to films simialr to the task set so i can gain an understanding of the quality being produced.
I focused on retrieving information with regards to mise en scene, dialogue and camera shots used in these short introductions. I wanted to see what i was up against, and perhaps gain an understanding of special affects to gain an understnaidng to what software etc, was required.
Five minute movies
I looked at house wifes 14, this is a powerful renowned film famous for it's abillity to engage the audience and keep them entertained, it achieves this through it's choise of commedy, camera shots and mise en scene .
The clip analyzed focused on love and relationships, it emphasized this through the use of dim lighting and red props, reflecting the theme of love and passion. The clip also has a slight twist as you expect the couple to participate in sexual activity, then an argument breaks out giving the viewer the understanding that the red is equally related to hatred, this idea is then reinforced by dimlighting and close camera shots on the face.
This films bears imagery to ours, it poses various camera shots to emphasize the characters state of mind and the mood is set by the lighting surrounding, this is an important factor as lighting plays an important role and it can and will be used to set the mood fo the film.
Trainspotting
The opening five minutes to this film are very effective as they introduce a different stlye of filming to what the average person baring an interest in film is use to. It combines mixed shots ranging from close ups and mid range shots placing emphasis on anger and agression to long range shots placing focus on a different area.
The film kick starts witha chase followed by an extreme close up on a number of characters posing in the form of a "mug shot" thus creating the impression that the film is perhaps violent and drug related. From the first five minutes you are geared up for an intense film but left after the five minutes is up.
One very clever element to this film is the use of a Match on action shot which creates a physcologically great feel to it and it also works very well the way it is used, this would be a shot I would love ti implement though it would seem tricky and it may prove hard finding a suitable scene to shot it.
Never the less this is a very powerful start to a film and although this has a different theme to my groups, certain aspects such as the upbeat music and general pace to the movie will be adapted.
To conclude the film reviews it has been a great help admiring other pieces of art and picking certain aspects which I believe would work well with our film, certain elements such as rhythem and beat to music used to illustrate violence and action, or perhaps Male dominancy and authority.
I concentrated on films that would ultimately place an effect on my final production, be it small or large each film contributed towards decisions made, however to ensure I have a full understanding I will continue to watch films relating to my groups interests.
Films I plan on watching consist of the following:
- The complete lost series one: In order to greaten my understanding of shots and affects used and see how I can relate them to mine.
- The cast away: Again this film features a simialar story line about one man (Tom Hanks) who gets cast away and inevitably he goes mad.
- Shaun of the dead: This is a slightly different film to one you may expect, though it features a handful of action scenes and from this i hope to look at the shots used.
- The minority report: Very intense opening addressed the film directly .
- Carpenter: Believed to carry an effective opening wit reference to the tite
- Saw: Holds an interactive opening which poses danger from the offset.
Friday, 15 January 2010
AS Media, regarding the letter of permission - Song choice
This is a copy of the letter sent direct to the copyright holder of Pendulem reflecting how the group wanted to tackle things proffesionally and obtain rights to play the song..... This was an important step as without this we may have needed to look elsewhere for a song which may not have been so appropriate.
We then needed to obtain peace of mind that It would be okay to play "Kings Of Leon - Closer", and in order to do this we contacted Sony.....
"Dear Sear/Madem,
I am writting with regards to a Media assignment in which requires me to obtain the right to play Closer by Kings Of Leon. This will mearly be used in a media assignment and it is in no way profitable.... It will only be used for educational purposes.
If you could get back to me that would be great,
Thanks for you time."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
