Looking back at the preliminary task we have learnt tremendous amounts in terms of editing and camera shots. The brief of the preliminary task was extremely similar to our main task such as the camera shots we needed to include (180 Degree rule,shot reverse shot)so we knew what we needed to mainly include. The preliminary task enabled us to learn from the mistakes we made and improve them in our main task .Inturn this made the major factors of a good film product( mise en scene,camera shots and angles,editing and sound)better in the main task.
Within our preliminary task we hand held the camera throughout which created shakey/trembling shots, which looked unprofessional and clusmy. Whereas in the main task we used a tripod to capture still scenes for a more proffesional outcome. We did however, use hand held shots for effect during and after the occurrence. From a viewers point of view they then would be able to tell the hand held scenes a purposefully done and therefore more effective.
As we only had a few weeks to do the preliminary task, the filming was rushed in order to do the film editing in efficient time. This resulted in little to no editing effects within the preliminary task, causing the film to seem extremelybasic and amateur. In the main task we tried to avoid clumsy editing by allowing more time to film as much as we needed so we had more footage to work with and edit appropriately and sufficiently.
For our preliminary task we had to use three camera shots(180 degree rule,shot reverse shot and match on action). This gave me insight and knowledge into why we use different shots and camera angles in filming. For the main task I thought it would be useful to develop this knowledge and research into other camera shots to help improve our main task filming techniques.For example we used over the shoulder shots for each of our main characters and chose to use this technique to imply something looking from behind the characters.
We used tracking and timestretching in scene 2(school girl) to emphasise the movement of the character and time. We made sure we paid attention to the 180 degree rule in the main task as in the preliminary as the editing of the shots based around this became confusing in the preliminary task.
When trying to apply match on action in the preliminary task, we spent quite some time cutting out parts in editing that didn't work with the match on action. This then worked to our advantage in the main task as we were then able to find the shot exactly where Jaynes office scene needed to be cut,making the outside window shot and inside the office shot work well.
In terms of software use, in the preliminary task, using adobe premier elements proved difficult as none of us had used this software before,so it took some time to familiarise with it. This resulted in basic knowledge of the software which needed to be improved for the main task. Since we were given more time for the main task to edit we were then able to get to know the the tools,and how to produce our film with little error. Some of the skills I developed within the editing process included
Time strectching,use of effects and transition and duplicating. We also added relevant to genre music in each scene, for a thrilling/shocking effect which worked well.
Through these editing techniques we were able to create a proffesional end product, which would be able to compete with other low budget films of the same genre well.
Friday 12 March 2010
Evaluation 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
These are some of the media online, computer programs and media platforms we decided to use:
Survey Monkey:
We used this to create our survey for our target audience.
Survey Monkey:
We used this to create our survey for our target audience.
Adobe Premier Elements:
This software was used to cut,edit and complete our media opening sequence.We found difficulties with using the software such as loosing work or cutting parts out which we later found we needed.We overcame these problems by saving each draft with a different file name in case we lost the current version through the software freezing, so we could go back to the previous version and start from there. We now know how to use the software efficiently for future use in our A2 project so we will know fully how to overcome our problems etc.( Image of premier element software below)
Twitter and Facebook:
We used these social networking sites in order to contact and address our target audience in regards to our initial target audience questionnaire and audience feedback Questionnaire.
Slideshare:
We used this to upload some of our own PowerPoint presentations to successfully transfer them onto blogger. We also used slideshare to view other PowerPoint sharing information and advice in regards to our media project G321.
Youtube:
We used YouTube to embed examples of film openings or camera techniques used in our piece for example the Twilight clip in my evaluation 1.
Google search:
We used google to research, find info and examples for deconstructions, to find images and films for our project.
Video camera:
We used hand held video camera this to record our main opening piece.
Camera tripod:
We used this to capture still shots from mid, high and low angles. This helped prevent trembles of the camera and helped focus shots. We would have used this most during the pre occurrence shots.
I phone 3GS:
We used Lucy's I phone for photos and shots such as where our scenes were taking place and for still camera shots we needed in our piece e.g over the shoulder shot.
Other software we used included:
Microsoft PowerPoint/word
Paint
Microsoft XP Operating System
Internet explorer
Evaluation 5: How did you attract/adress the audience?
We tried exporting our opening scene movie file to YouTube, however it was unable to load.We overcame this dilemma by allowing our target audience to view our opening scene through our adobe premier elements and our our uploaded file on DVD.Luckily we were in the right place where we could access our target audience easily( school premises)in order to get feedback etc etc.The downside to this was that our our audience feedback results and opinions would only be generalisable to Sir Harry Smith school teenagers rather than a larger quantity of the target audience in different areas of the country.
Although we weren't able to view our opening scene online we were able to advertise our media film through social networking sites to members of the school(target audience)
We would assume through word of mouth others who have watched it will discuss it with friends within the target audience on social networking sites. This is a vague example of 'The two step flow' where information travels from mass media from eventually to a wider population.
Some of the films our media product would be similar to, are films and such as:
The Blue Tower as its it fairly low budget and drama series such as Misfits due to the similarity in genre and target audience.
In order to relate to these media, we researched in depth as to what the general conventions of our film genre were and try to incorporate those media conventions into our own media film that we produced.
Our films main selling point would be the plot of our film. Although the superhero idea is unrealistic and slightly far fetched, we feel the audience may be able to easily relate the stereotypical main characters in the films to themselves and other people in their lives. This is an important trait to allow the audience to engage and be involved in the film. This in turn would hopefully create interest of our target audience and more helping create more profit for the film.
Although our media product wont be able to compete with films produced by major companies(the big four) that with bigger budgets and better software and technology for filming, our product was designed to use simple technology and seldom special effects as our storyline is our main selling point. That on its own would help us to compete against other low budget films similar to ours (British productions e.g. Coffee films).
Although we weren't able to view our opening scene online we were able to advertise our media film through social networking sites to members of the school(target audience)
We would assume through word of mouth others who have watched it will discuss it with friends within the target audience on social networking sites. This is a vague example of 'The two step flow' where information travels from mass media from eventually to a wider population.
Some of the films our media product would be similar to, are films and such as:
The Blue Tower as its it fairly low budget and drama series such as Misfits due to the similarity in genre and target audience.
In order to relate to these media, we researched in depth as to what the general conventions of our film genre were and try to incorporate those media conventions into our own media film that we produced.
Our films main selling point would be the plot of our film. Although the superhero idea is unrealistic and slightly far fetched, we feel the audience may be able to easily relate the stereotypical main characters in the films to themselves and other people in their lives. This is an important trait to allow the audience to engage and be involved in the film. This in turn would hopefully create interest of our target audience and more helping create more profit for the film.
Although our media product wont be able to compete with films produced by major companies(the big four) that with bigger budgets and better software and technology for filming, our product was designed to use simple technology and seldom special effects as our storyline is our main selling point. That on its own would help us to compete against other low budget films similar to ours (British productions e.g. Coffee films).
Evaluation 4: Who would be the audience for my media product?
The target Audience for our media are teenagers. 
The audience for our media product and our target audience would be 16-18year olds.
Teenagers lifestyle:
The audience for our media product and our target audience would be 16-18year olds.
Teenagers lifestyle:
Go to school or college
Have a part time job
Shop at high street stores(H&M,Topshop,Game)
Go out/socialise/go to parties
Study/A levels/University or College
Drink/Eat junk food
Listen to charts/R'n'b/Rock music
When going to a cinema teenagers would usually go in groups
Watch programmes such as Skins/Misfits/90210
Teenagers would watch our film because they have busy schedules and lifestyles as shown above, so during their down,relaxing time they would probably want to watch films. Obviously they would want to watch a film that they would enjoy. With friends teenagers would usually opt for a film that gives them excitement/adrenaline rushes as generally teenagers are thrill seekers. So our part Thriller genre film would suit their preferences of film.
Friday 5 March 2010
Evaluation 3: What kind of institution might distribute your media product and why?
A production company works on producing a film for all audiences to watch.They supervise the filming process from beginning to end of a film. They contain sole legal and financial responsibility for the film. The company is in charge of hiring, from makeup to costume designers, actors and directors. In post-production, the production company is approached by the director for advice. The director will start again if the production company does not agree or like what the director has done.
A Production Company that might be involved or eligible to produce our film will be indie production companies.It is unlikely we will be approached by one of the big four(Warner Bros., 20th century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios) as we are industry amateurs and film makers with a low budget, therefore aren't able to produce the film to a high standard.An indie production company such as Coffee Films, Wicked Indie Productions and Flower Films.They produce lower budget films that don’t have enough money within the companies be as big and successful as the films Paramount pictures produce.
A distributor who would possibly distribute our film product would be a small indie distribution company such as Dogwoof Indie Distribution, Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation and Apparition.Our film wouldn’t be able to be distributed by one of the Big Four due to the low budget and amateur status.
Money is a major factor in the film making process. Our budget was low, however we could have used a loan or maybe applies for a grant to up our budget which would have helped create a professional end product. We then could have purchased and used professional equipment and better editing software. A production company that would possibly consider giving our film funding indie company such as Coffee Films. We would have present the idea with storyboards and scripting etc in meeting with the company in order to persuade them to fund the film.
The people who helped in the making of the film were named in the title sequence. We named all three of our main actors, Michayla Oglesby, Grayce Collis and Tom Suchoruczka and the directors of the film Lucy Skerritt and Maria Schiavone. The reason for naming the main people, is to ensure the advertisement of their names in case people would want to contact them for information about the film or to be involved in their film/production.The names were ordered in the Directors first, then Actors in the order of appearance in the film.
In a film, the opening titles might possibly include roles such as:
Name of the production company,name of main actors , the film title, featured actors, casting director, composer of music, production designer, set designer, costume designer, make-up artist, hairdresser, visual effects director etc. Our film was very low budget, and therefore we didn’t have anyone else involved in the film apart from the actors who did their own makeup and wore their own costumes after we advised what we needed from them.
Some films that have been released similar institutionally include:
Echoes of the Rainbow - a low budget film from Hong Kong, which gained popularity and was distributed by Mei Ah Entertainment, a major media distribution company
Primer - an independent film made on a tight budget of just $7,000 back in 2004. It’s on TV today after a limited release in theatres a few years ago. It’s become a cult classic and is recommended by critics.
Primer was made almost entirely by Shane Carruth, a former mathematician and engineer who used his technical know-how to write, direct, produce, and edit a movie which avoids belittling and patronising the audience. It was distributed by ThinkFilms, a privately held production and distribution company situated in New York City.
Both films are low budget similar to "The Occurrence". They were also produced and distributed either by themselves (like The Occurrence) or an indie company.
A Production Company that might be involved or eligible to produce our film will be indie production companies.It is unlikely we will be approached by one of the big four(Warner Bros., 20th century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios) as we are industry amateurs and film makers with a low budget, therefore aren't able to produce the film to a high standard.An indie production company such as Coffee Films, Wicked Indie Productions and Flower Films.They produce lower budget films that don’t have enough money within the companies be as big and successful as the films Paramount pictures produce.
A distributor who would possibly distribute our film product would be a small indie distribution company such as Dogwoof Indie Distribution, Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation and Apparition.Our film wouldn’t be able to be distributed by one of the Big Four due to the low budget and amateur status.
Money is a major factor in the film making process. Our budget was low, however we could have used a loan or maybe applies for a grant to up our budget which would have helped create a professional end product. We then could have purchased and used professional equipment and better editing software. A production company that would possibly consider giving our film funding indie company such as Coffee Films. We would have present the idea with storyboards and scripting etc in meeting with the company in order to persuade them to fund the film.
The people who helped in the making of the film were named in the title sequence. We named all three of our main actors, Michayla Oglesby, Grayce Collis and Tom Suchoruczka and the directors of the film Lucy Skerritt and Maria Schiavone. The reason for naming the main people, is to ensure the advertisement of their names in case people would want to contact them for information about the film or to be involved in their film/production.The names were ordered in the Directors first, then Actors in the order of appearance in the film.
In a film, the opening titles might possibly include roles such as:
Name of the production company,name of main actors , the film title, featured actors, casting director, composer of music, production designer, set designer, costume designer, make-up artist, hairdresser, visual effects director etc. Our film was very low budget, and therefore we didn’t have anyone else involved in the film apart from the actors who did their own makeup and wore their own costumes after we advised what we needed from them.
Some films that have been released similar institutionally include:
Echoes of the Rainbow - a low budget film from Hong Kong, which gained popularity and was distributed by Mei Ah Entertainment, a major media distribution company
Primer - an independent film made on a tight budget of just $7,000 back in 2004. It’s on TV today after a limited release in theatres a few years ago. It’s become a cult classic and is recommended by critics.
Primer was made almost entirely by Shane Carruth, a former mathematician and engineer who used his technical know-how to write, direct, produce, and edit a movie which avoids belittling and patronising the audience. It was distributed by ThinkFilms, a privately held production and distribution company situated in New York City.
Both films are low budget similar to "The Occurrence". They were also produced and distributed either by themselves (like The Occurrence) or an indie company.
Evaluation 2: how does your media present particular social groups?
I have decided to compare our character of plain Jayne the office worker and Miss Money Penny the office worker/assistant at James Bonds' headquarters (from the film series James bond).
Shown in my PowerPoint below.
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Evaluation 1:In what ways does your media product use and develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The title of the film
The title of the film is “The Occurrence”. The idea to make the title simple yet confusing also stemmed from the movie , “The Blue Tower”deconstructed by Lucy. The title was also partly based on "The Incredibles" format . This title leaves the audience curious as to what the film would be about as it doesn’t give anything away. The title Occurrence would work better and have more versatility to what peoples perception of the film could be,rather than a movie with the name “Superman” or "superheroes". To a modern day audience, these titles set strong imagery of what the film might include,which in turn leaves little to the imagination resulting in a predictable film from the audience's point of view . Some people may dislike superhero story lines and cliche`s and will therefore not watch a film titled"superheroes"as they assume what it would be about. Audience's who read the title “The Occurrence” might be intrigued at what the storyline entails, so will be more likely to go and watch the film out of curiosity.
“The Occurrence” could appeal to audiences who enjoy horror movies. It is a common format for a Horror movie beginning with the word The such as;The Crazies, The Ring, The Happening etc.The title is a useful marketing tool to encourage horror fans to decide to watch the film, even though the genre doesn't fit our description.Although we deduced from our initial questionnaire that our target audience of 16-18yr olds prefer our chosen genre(action/drama),they also like to watch horror movies, so as the title of our film is open to interpretation on genre(could be horror from audience point of view), it could advantageously attract more of our target audience.
Setting/location
Similar to the film mean girls, scene 2 of our film was set in a school as our character was a school girl. We had extras dressed as teenage school children. To make the film more "real", we made the mise en scene basic and true to life in comparison to mean girls.Occasionally Mean girls in fake and unrealistic and is also based on American culture whereas our scene 2 is based around English teenage social culture
Scene 1 with the character Jayne's setting, was based on the surroundings and the style of the main character in The Blue Tower;boring and generic.These qualities make the audience empathetic towards Jayne as she is in a monotonous,boring environment, resulting in a more engaging scene for the audience. This is mirrored in The Blue Tower scene.
Costumes and props
The film opening was intended to be true to life in order for a realistic perspective.In contrast to the film 'The Incredibles', our eventual "Superheroes" costumes were made to appear ordinary, as each character was supposed to relate to stereotypical images of real life cliche persona's. Props were obviously not used in the Incredibles because the film was animated therefore fictional, whereas in our film we tried to use everyday props similar to The film Blue tower. Similarities made from the Incredibles film, were the outstanding differences in each characters personality. This was reflected in their costumes(Jayne plain,dull clothes, school girl typical popular teenage style and artistically loose clothing for our artist).Props we used in our filming process included, an office phone,two mobile phones, a computer, and art equipment e.g canvas paintbrush and palette. We chose these items as they would be used by real people who lead similar lifestyles to our characters.
Our decision to not have any unusual 'superhero like' props was in order to attract our target audience. The information that we gathered from our initial questionnaire was, the capability for the audience to relate to the characters on screen was preferred by our target audience.This can be achieved by being able to relate to the characters lives and compare them to their own.If we were to decide to use unusual,cinematic(sci-fi) props e.g wand, magic carpet etc, our target audience would find it difficult to relate to the characters.
Camera Work and Editing
Inspiration was taken from the editing and camera work of the film trailer of Twilight saga: eclipse for scene 2. The video below demonstrates some Time stretching particularly in this movie trailer at the start. We took this technique and developed it in our own genre effectively.Our scene 2 gives the impression that the school girl believes that her presence is very important in the environment she steps into.Twilight uses this time stretching technique for a similar effect(to bring attention to the characters actions) and insinuation that the audience is meant to pick up on .
Title font and style
We chose simple font for our title in capital letters. The main reason for this was for the audience to be drawn to the title and not to be distracted by fancy font and embroidery that are apart of some movie title shots e.g. Cinderella. We saw this as a technique to make the title clear and simple, as the message of the title is very ambiguous. The contrast of this works well in the fact that its not overloading the viewer with information and thoughts.The famous Titanic film I deconstructed has a similar technique in the opening sequence.The title states TITANIC The Unsinkable Ship. This obviously gives an indication to what the film is about, however we preferred to challenge this concept although it works well and with our title opt for the ambiguity factor. THE OCCURRENCE titles aim is to not give away information that might make the audience lose interest as if it were to be advertised etc. it wouldn't be as high profile as The Titanic.
The title of the film is “The Occurrence”. The idea to make the title simple yet confusing also stemmed from the movie , “The Blue Tower”deconstructed by Lucy. The title was also partly based on "The Incredibles" format . This title leaves the audience curious as to what the film would be about as it doesn’t give anything away. The title Occurrence would work better and have more versatility to what peoples perception of the film could be,rather than a movie with the name “Superman” or "superheroes". To a modern day audience, these titles set strong imagery of what the film might include,which in turn leaves little to the imagination resulting in a predictable film from the audience's point of view . Some people may dislike superhero story lines and cliche`s and will therefore not watch a film titled"superheroes"as they assume what it would be about. Audience's who read the title “The Occurrence” might be intrigued at what the storyline entails, so will be more likely to go and watch the film out of curiosity.
“The Occurrence” could appeal to audiences who enjoy horror movies. It is a common format for a Horror movie beginning with the word The such as;The Crazies, The Ring, The Happening etc.The title is a useful marketing tool to encourage horror fans to decide to watch the film, even though the genre doesn't fit our description.Although we deduced from our initial questionnaire that our target audience of 16-18yr olds prefer our chosen genre(action/drama),they also like to watch horror movies, so as the title of our film is open to interpretation on genre(could be horror from audience point of view), it could advantageously attract more of our target audience.
Setting/location
Similar to the film mean girls, scene 2 of our film was set in a school as our character was a school girl. We had extras dressed as teenage school children. To make the film more "real", we made the mise en scene basic and true to life in comparison to mean girls.Occasionally Mean girls in fake and unrealistic and is also based on American culture whereas our scene 2 is based around English teenage social culture
Scene 1 with the character Jayne's setting, was based on the surroundings and the style of the main character in The Blue Tower;boring and generic.These qualities make the audience empathetic towards Jayne as she is in a monotonous,boring environment, resulting in a more engaging scene for the audience. This is mirrored in The Blue Tower scene.
Costumes and props
The film opening was intended to be true to life in order for a realistic perspective.In contrast to the film 'The Incredibles', our eventual "Superheroes" costumes were made to appear ordinary, as each character was supposed to relate to stereotypical images of real life cliche persona's. Props were obviously not used in the Incredibles because the film was animated therefore fictional, whereas in our film we tried to use everyday props similar to The film Blue tower. Similarities made from the Incredibles film, were the outstanding differences in each characters personality. This was reflected in their costumes(Jayne plain,dull clothes, school girl typical popular teenage style and artistically loose clothing for our artist).Props we used in our filming process included, an office phone,two mobile phones, a computer, and art equipment e.g canvas paintbrush and palette. We chose these items as they would be used by real people who lead similar lifestyles to our characters.
Our decision to not have any unusual 'superhero like' props was in order to attract our target audience. The information that we gathered from our initial questionnaire was, the capability for the audience to relate to the characters on screen was preferred by our target audience.This can be achieved by being able to relate to the characters lives and compare them to their own.If we were to decide to use unusual,cinematic(sci-fi) props e.g wand, magic carpet etc, our target audience would find it difficult to relate to the characters.
Camera Work and Editing
Inspiration was taken from the editing and camera work of the film trailer of Twilight saga: eclipse for scene 2. The video below demonstrates some Time stretching particularly in this movie trailer at the start. We took this technique and developed it in our own genre effectively.Our scene 2 gives the impression that the school girl believes that her presence is very important in the environment she steps into.Twilight uses this time stretching technique for a similar effect(to bring attention to the characters actions) and insinuation that the audience is meant to pick up on .
Title font and style
We chose simple font for our title in capital letters. The main reason for this was for the audience to be drawn to the title and not to be distracted by fancy font and embroidery that are apart of some movie title shots e.g. Cinderella. We saw this as a technique to make the title clear and simple, as the message of the title is very ambiguous. The contrast of this works well in the fact that its not overloading the viewer with information and thoughts.The famous Titanic film I deconstructed has a similar technique in the opening sequence.The title states TITANIC The Unsinkable Ship. This obviously gives an indication to what the film is about, however we preferred to challenge this concept although it works well and with our title opt for the ambiguity factor. THE OCCURRENCE titles aim is to not give away information that might make the audience lose interest as if it were to be advertised etc. it wouldn't be as high profile as The Titanic.
Story and how the opening sets it up
The music chosen was to help amplify the tension and characters actions.When the tribal drum beat comes in towards the end of each scene it signifies excitement and wonder. This helps emphasise the earthquake type "occurrence". This also helps to emphasise the thrill factor of the film,in turn helping to attract the audience.This is slightly different to all of our chosen deconstructed films as they are all trying to convey a different purpose and effect for the audience. The similarities of our film and the other deconstructed film such as The Blue Tower is that they both use a mixture of diagetic and non-diagetic sound in the opening sequence.
Genre and how the opening suggests it
The opening of our film was intended to be quite confusing so as not to reveal the outcome of the 'occurrence' and/or plot. The genre was action/thriller so in order to achieve this through the opening we used several different techniques to do this. Each of our main actors used facial expressions and actions to show "the occurrence happen". These actions were also accompanied by the tribal drum music, together emphasising the thrill factor as each occurrence happens suddenly.After each occurrence happens the characters are then made to run fast to some sort of destination.A series of different shots filmed(such as tracking,low tilt and mid-shots) whilst each character is running sets the fast pace. Inspiration was taken from the “The Blue Tower”. We tried to extract shot techniques from the opening. These included slowly revealing shots of the characters body, face and surroundings(cut-in shots). The characters were not fully revealed until a few minutes into the opening. We mainly used this technique with our plain Jayne character and slightly with our artistic character as they had more introvert, calm personalities, whereas our school girl character's personality was extrovert, so we tried to reflect that in the shots we used(mid-shots and close ups). This was done mainly to try to make it easy for the audience to realise each characters personality easily, so there was elements of simplicity as the opening is generally quite complex. In terms of suggesting the genre, the shots, techniques and calm music used before the occurrences depict the 'calm before the storm' element typically used in thriller movies.
Special effects
We used just one special technique and that was in the school girl scene. This was time stretching, done by copying and pasting the same part of the girl opening the door 3 times. This was to indicate that all eyes (subordinate characters) were on the school girl. As stated previously, a similar technique was used in the clip from Twilight achieving the same effect we wanted to achieve. The lack of special effects also helped in making the opening less confusing in contrast to the storyline.
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