Pre-lim task Little Birdie

The great thing about the project was that during the video shoot we could try any position we wanted, such as managing the camera, or the sound system that controlled the music, or the director. My favorite role was managing the camera because I could control the angle of which was being presented. I along with another team member did a lot of the editing which was challenging when we had to synchronize the picture to the sound. But it was enjoyable because we could make decisions one which shot we wanted.

Prelim task album cover

Here I have multiplied the image of the lead singer to reinforce her importance and have included a picture of all the singers at the bottom of the cover. This I have made quite colourfull in contrast to the black and white images above, because I am showing the difference in their music. Their genre is an old form of pop which would probably relate more to a neich market.

What is a horror/thriller

A horror film consists of different codes fitting with each film; religious, phychological, a true story, or gore. Horror films are produced to put the viewer in an overwhelming cathartic experience and creates entertainment because of the panic and fear. Everyone has a fear in life, by putting a person in the situation of danger but not actually inducing it gives a rush of energy. There are different types of audiences that get effected from different types of fears. Ultimatly the phychological dependencies of being vunerable, alienated, unknowing, distrust, or dying will create a feeling over whichever viewer. There is almost always a main hero survivor at the end of every thriller which is was the viewer needs in order to feel safe and out of the movie experience. Horror films reminds me very much of the legend of Pandoras Box, after all of the disaster was unleached there was hope at the bottom of the box. The 'killer' character will usually have a specific killing weapon, for instance, Freddy Kruger in Knightmare on Elm Street had knives for fingers.


If every killer used a casual knife there would be no element of change and so the viewer would get bored after seeing a number of horror films. The hero either needs to survive, kill the killer or there is a sequal.
The music will enphasis as the director wants you to feel suspence and continue if there is an attack.

Analysis of Opening Sequence - The Shining

Opening into a wide angle shot showing the scape of a calm and still lake which represents the nature of the character Jack at the start of the film before he descends into madness towards the end.

The bending roads seem to foreshadow the same twists and turns of the maze that is shot towards the end of the film as Jack chases his wife and son around it. As the road comes out of the forest and away from the open space it leads onto a hillside path which is more winding than the previous roads and is surrounded by trees and shadows. This is significant to the approach of Jack's peak of insanity later in the film. There is a juxtaposition between the winding of the road and the orderly title sequence that follows.
The echoing rhythm that follows the car through out the title sequence gradually gets louder and a drum beat comes in as the sequence continues. The echoed noise gets darker as the car leads into a tunnel. From that point on the rhythm stays at a constant tone leading up to the hotel where the family stay.  The tracking shot overlooking the hotel has a bewildering effect on me at the start.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDR4OJUPG6A

Account of Shoot Day

Edward and I created a storyboard of which the day was planned according to. Because we knew exactly which shots to follow and how many angles to shoot from, it was made very easy since it was well organized.  The opening shot into the detective’s room was not initially meant to be taken as a crane shot, however our group saw the genie lift and was eager to use it. It made the shot far more defining, as though we were moving deeper into the story as the camera went in. we experimented with reverse shots on the genie lift because it seemed to be more conventional to start off with an establishing shot, but we ultimately decided that leading into the shot worked better.

The majority of our thriller clip was shot in the studio, except for when Seb is talking at the beginning that was shot in the main house. There were huge benefits in shooting in studio; it meant we were able to control our lighting and elements of the shoot. Even though our set seems to be quite dimly lit, we actually shot it very brightly but used a light filter to achieve the dim lighting.

Pre-Production Planning- Storyboard and Script

Script- Dialogue

INT: On Camera (youtube) Confession greenlit / computer screen /webcam look. Actor looks into camera and talks to his ‘audience’:

ALEX:

I don’t expect you to understand now, you’ll see though. I can’t show you until it’s done. Every single day, I watch humanity go about their business, so pointless, so apathetic, shit. That’s what we are. And now it’s time to show every single one of you what you could never see, you’re not so indestructible, you won’t feel so hard tomorrow when your teachers and friends are lain out, lifeless, in front of you, if you’re lucky.

By the time you see this, I’ll be gone and it’ll be done. And you’ll wonder, how could anyone do this, why, what was going through the head of that fucking psycho?!

My answer to you, there is no kindness in mankind, we’re selfish, every single one of us, I’m gonna show you how one insignificant psycho can change everything, not so fucking useless now am I?! By now, I’m dead, literally got away with murder.

Kate, you know you are my world, any time I’ve ever been happy’s been with you. I’m so sorry, but you need to understand that I had to do this. I love you, forever. I love you now, and I’ll love you still when you see this and I’m gone. Don’t go in to school, you don’t need to see this, you’re the only person in this entire fucking world I’m willing to spare.

In years to come, you’ll all be forgotten. Just another kid, tragically killed in that school. But everyone remembers the killer, the psycho that flipped out, killed himself afterwards and claimed it was all justified and in the name of something meaningful. Well let me tell you right now that this is all for the sake of beauty, Kate. The only understanding of real beauty that I ever had. Babe, I won’t let you grow up in a world that doesn’t understand the individual, just like me and you. I won’t let you live in that kind of place, nobody else is gonna change it for you, and you can’t change yourself for the world, so I’ll change the world for you.

INT: CUT TO Interview Room

INTERVIEWER initial insensitive approach, perhaps an element of personal anger over what has happened- shot focused on hand/evidence pictures, Kate out of focus:

 So another senior school boy shoots up his school, posting a confession video beforehand, pretty much claiming it’s all for you and you’re trying to tell me that you had no idea about this? Come on, don’t mess me around here. You know it’s all gonna come out regardless of weather you try and lie to me or not.

KATE focus pulls back to Kate as she replies. She is quiet and emotional, signs of grief and shame strongly apparent:

 (silent tears) are you fucking kidding me? He killed my friends….

Interviewer Same shot pulls back to OTS of interviewer, left shoulder and head in view, focus on Kate:

Just take your time, tell me everything that you know.

Kate Focus changes to Kate’s image in the evidence camera, she is blurred in the background.- Non- diegetic voice over of youtube confession plays over her tears

 (Bursts into uncontrollable tears)

Interviewer Shot cuts to through one way glass, medium wide of the entire interview room, and focus on interviewer here:

 (sighs)

Kate ‘I remember’ said in previous through glass shot, cut to close evidence camera picture.

I remember…. He said don’t go into school (dubbed with au voiceover from video- non- diegetic) – but I didn’t see the video in time, I went to school…..

Interviewer :

What did you see at school?

Girl:

I was in maths, at the very end of the main building……… I heard shots… and screaming…. The shots stopped, I went out…………. (crying)

Interviewer:

 Go on….

Girl:

My best friend…. Was on the floor, I didn’t believe it, I tried to help…….. she was so pale (uncontrollable crying)

Interviewer:

I know it’s hard, is there anything else?

Girl:

There were so many more….. blood everywhere (crying) ………….then I saw him lying there, he was covered in blood….. (breaks down properly) with a gun in his hand (uncontrollable tears)

Interviewer:

Okay, I think we need to take a break. 

Final Idea Pitch

We developed our ideas and came down to a completely different idea, to which we presented to our teachers for approval.

The idea was about a schoolboy posting his confession online about his reasons for killing the population of his school. The blog would be posted after the said event had taken place, so that nobody would know he was going to do it.

We would only include two scenes into our opening sequence; the blog confession on a computer screen and the investigation room with a detective and the killers girlfriend Kate. Kate would be claiming she had no idea about this, but the detective pursues his questioning, unable to believe that she was the only one left unharmed and yet she claims to be non-involved.

This leaves a reason for the audience to be interested, because of the suspicion that there is something more to the story than meets the eye.

This idea was approved by our teachers and so became our thriller sequence to be developed.

Evaluation Task 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

This is the title card to our opening sequence. The sketched,chalk effect behind the bold words indicate that the title is on a blackboard. It being on a blackboard relates as to the killings in the school to come.
As opposed to having a full opening title sequence, we concerntrated on the conventions of the character Kate.The Title gives a big impact to the audience and states that it is not about the actaul event itself, it is about what happends afterwards.

Here we are indicating the production company that would realistically represent our film, which is Vertigo Films. Vertigo films, as i have previously discussed in a past blog post, is a Brittish film company that has a small budget and produces independent films. The classic font is juxtaposed to the way the letters are unevenly floating, this implies a sense of mystery. Different from the opening title, which is chaotic and messy, it is consise and ordered. This challenges the audiences expectatione because it is different from the beginning opening title. The third screengrab entitled, 'A Jim Clarke Film' shows the director of the production because he is important and rightly deserves an appearence in the opening title sequence. distributer goes first because they have the money,then producer or production company because they find the money, then the director because its his film made from the distributers money, so the director can play around with how he wants to present his vision of the film. conventions we expect .



                                                                   This is our establishing shot which does not have any titles because it leads us straight into the story. The lighting of the computer screen shows the shadows in his face, implying he has a dark nature. His black t-shirt that we picked out for him was a key chose in mes-en-scene in highlighting his disposition.

Here we have constructed 'over the shoulder shots' to indicate the characters response. Kate, in clip is shot slightly lower down showing us the top of her shoulder to suggest the attack being made on her from the detective. The angle is made higher on the detective to show superiority and hierachy withing the room.

This tracking shot around the from Kate to the camera is a shot that i created. I wanted to lead away from the tenis match shots we previously had and wanted to incorperate a shot suggesting that the something in the story is about to change. At the moment of the tracking shot Kate is about to reveal key information about the event, this creates suspision and points the cameras quite literally back at her.



Evaluation Task 2

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our opening sequence relates to middle/upper class conventions. The boy shooting up the school in our opening sequence, shows his rebellion towards the conventions of middle/upper class. Society is the reason for his sublininal thoughts. He is consumed by the disgusting acts of the human race and how social groups are dictated by money or power. He makes a statement, shunning the world and its corruption.
My opening sequence would relate well to teenage emo/gothic boys who are in morn of the worlds decay in society and how death is something that comes in the end anyway.

The character 'Alex' that Seb playes in our horror sequence, is a negative portrayle of a young teenage boy. He is a non-steryotypical character because he does not have rippling pectorals or anything sexual suggestive that would intice the typical highschool prom queen to watch it. The character 'Kate' playes by Sabrina is a steryotypical portrayle because of her attractivness and attitude when playing her character.

 
above is a group of careless young men smoking, i think that this care-free socail group would relate to 'alex'. This group seems to have a 'reckless, non-caring' oulook on life and would find it comedic to blow up a school. The way this girl (below) is rolling her eyes is suggestive of her superfisial lifestyle. She would be likely to watch another attractive blond girl.

Evaluation Task 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Because this film is inspired by different university shootings that has happened, many people will be interested to see it. There would be no special effects which would make it reasonably inexpensive, but if the production company wanted to seek further interest in the films viewing success rate, they would employ a famous actor to seal the deal, which will bring in a bigger audience.

Vertigo would be a good company to produce our film because of the type of films they have released before that would attract the same type of young audience. Vertigo has produced films such as Street Dance, which relates to a younger generation. Streeet Dance was in 3D, which is what gave the film a boost and is what should be taken into consideration when making other films. We would need something along the lines of virtual effects or compensate by having a relatively known actor/actress.

This is Vertigo films logo. Below is a film produced by Vertigo that is similar to our film called 'Outlaw'. Since outlaw is a similar film and got a good income our film is liable to do well also. This gives us verification that our film is likely to do well.

Evaluation Task 4

The ideal target audience would be consisted of a younger generation because of the current events taking place involving knife crime, ect.

Young men would be attracted to the violence, as a lot of men tend to be. They would probably be uneducated, seeing as the diolgue is not extravegent. Also the film would be slating the middle/upper class more so than the lower class, the young, uneducated, poor male would relate well.  Sadly there are very many underpaid workers  in society worldwide, which is why a predominatly the film would be a success over a film based around the stock market. A film about the stock market would sell to only a small region of people.  There are very many emos and goths in world which would have a greater effinty to our killer character Alex in the film because they have hatred of the world.

Evaluation Task 5

Task 5

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Evaluation Task 6

Evaluation Task 7

Evaluation Task 7

I have felt enormous progression from our preliminary task to our main task, our continuity and precision of shot as you can see by the comparative sequences of each of them above. The planning and preparation of our basic prelim task was relatively simple because every shot was printed and given to us in correct order. For our main task we had to create our own scenes with our own shots which made it harder. The differences in choices of shot from our basic prelim task and our main task, was that we decided not to use an extreme close up in our main task where we did in the prelim task, but we used a tracking shot in our main task where we did not in our prelim task.

In our prelim task we used wide-medium-close shots to cover the basic shots we needed. We got very creative with our main task in making the story show through the shots that we took. We took different angled shots to show superiority within status and a diminishing in status. Instead of using straight cuts in our sequence, we used a cross-fade to show the passing of time in the interview room.

As I said in Evaluation Task 1, this tracking shot was created to show a change. The character is about to enlighten the detective and the audience about something that was not previously stated before.

In our basic prelim task we constantly crossed the 180 degree line and had to re-shoot different shots because of our failure of framing the eye line of our two characters to match. We became very attentive because of our mistakes in our prelim tasks and shot the main task with no problem. Smooth. We have a Genie lift and a tracking shot which are the greatest examples of how our skills have progressed from the simple shots in our prelim task. We have constructed our shots so that they are tighter to show the intensity between the characters.

In our prelim task we used a basic raw boom mike through out for each shot, however in our final task we went through each shot individually to find the best sound for each clip. We used the sound effects of a faint screaming and gun shots, piano music, heavy breathing and rain to create a dramatic emphasis. We bridged all non-diegetic sound which had to be levelled. Also what we did not do in our prelim task which we did in our final task was including music and ambient sound effects in Soundtrack Pro.

Pre-Production Planning-Storyboarding and Script

Throughout the planning, I drew out the layouts for each shot and how it would take place. We all contributed to how the script would be presented, but my prime focus was to figure out how each shot would be carried out by storyboarding.

Audience and Institutions

The general age category for the viewers of our horror clip would be 16-25 year olds. It would make an impact on the audience because lately the outbreake of violence within the younger generation has grown with the kife crimes, murders, ect. We were inspired by the true events that took place at the Vigina Tech university on April 16th, 2007. In this event, a single student killed 32 people and is among one of the most serious gunman attacks ever accounted in teh USA, by a single man.

Final ideas pitch

My group consisted of four members. We each discussed our ideas and then came to completly different ideas for our thriller. We presented three ideas to our teachers and narrowed our ideas down to one. Our idea was surrounding around a phycopathic teenage boy who shot up the schools pupils and teachers. The majority of the filming would be in an interview room with the killers girlfriend and her interegation of the account as to why she was not killed aswell.

First ideas for Thriller/horror sequences

Our group had numerous ideas for our thriller opening sequence.

1.) We surrounded our first idea around the concept of clowns. A mother would be leading her eight-year-old son around a park, the boy saw a clown but when he directed his mother’s attention towards the clown, it had disappeared. This would happen in a few different locations, such as in a grocery shop/bus stop/café.  The last scene would be in the boy’s home. The parents would be asleep upstairs, the boy would casually go downstairs for a drink of water and then see the clown staring at him through the window. The clown would then point at the door and the boy would open it. The camera would then follow the boy and the clown up the stairs, about to go into the parent’s bedroom. This would set the narrative for the story, being based around a clown killer.

I suggested to the group that this idea might be too predictable.  I convinced the group that instead of the scene ending at the parents bedroom door, we should show the boy and the clown going into the room, but then only having the boy come out with a bloody knife. This would suggest that the boy subconscious side is killing. The boy believes it to be a clown but the reality is that it is he. This brings a whole new narrative to film. It tells us that the film will continue to be about this boy and his parallel mind.

2.) Our second idea was surrounded around the workings towards the black market. The black market consists of people selling kidneys and other human organs that were taken unwillingly.

The first shot would be of a man in a bath filled with ice cubes. He would wake up in a nervoce frenzy to find a note saying ‘sorry’. The shot would track around to the mans side to find a stitched up cut.  The shot would then turn to the man’s P.O.V (point of view) looking at the cut moving around and then fainting, The next seen is still on the man’s P.O.V of him opening his eyes.  The camera has a hazy view of him looking up at the nurses. The doctor is talking to a federal agent. The dialogue is roughly between the two men discussing how it happened. The federal agent will say something around, ‘Why would he cut out his kidney and then have the moral to call 911?’

3.) Our second idea led us into our final idea. The stealing of organs led us into this sacrificial element. The idea was that there would be a 1000-year-old scarecrow that people deliver human organs in sacrifice to.

The first shot would be the scarecrows P.O.V of a girl in a red cape walking towards him with basket of meat. The shot would switch between this shot and an over the shoulder shot of the girl. The shot would be post edited into sepia at this stage, showing the same sacrifice 100’s of years ago by another person in a red cape, with people holding candles around the scarecrow in a circle, chanting. Changing the shot back to the scarecrows P.O.V, we are establishing a sense of time, with the hooded girl’s clothes and face changing. This implies the length of this scarecrow tradition.

Mood Board

Mood board sl

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Prelim Post Production

 We chose shots that linked fluidly into the sequence. Some shots were too differently angled to use because it would look out of sync if placed together. Logging the shot was my job, we checked all the appropriate shot angles were used and that they fit correctly into sequence. Organising shot, refers back to our story board( which you can find on one of my earlier blogs) . We would chose shots to explain what was happening, for instance, when man A was walking to the door we would do a wide, then a close up on the door handle. on the next scene when we see him walking towards man A, the door slams behind him showing his entry. Character A had the most screen time because he had the privilege of having close ups, showing attention to detail of the character. The shot order came quite easily after organising. We had to remember to stay infront of the 180 degree line. we would switch between the actors in mid shots and over the shoulder shots to show conversation. In one of the shots we had realised we moved the papers on the table, we fixed this by shooting it all without, to save us from a bad continuity error. I edited the beginning making the door creek, when it shuts to allow for pause.

Prelim task Evaluation

We shot our film location in the studios, which worked in a good spacial way for our task, however we had to improvize the sound effect of a door being opened and shut, aswell an exterior location shot since we were not filming in an actual room. This challenged us to work in a manner which we havent before, to create what visibly was not there.
        My active role was to identify which angles we have shot from, making the continuity correct and to make sure all shots were completed. We had to accomplish the exterior location,over the shoulder, close up, extreame close up, (if there was time) wide shot, (for both characters). My story board is shown below.

       We initiated the lighting to have full beem floodlights, which created a bright exposed setting. My thoughts on this lighting, was that it gave a good effect and it gave the notion that it was either a midday shot. However we did have to re-angle a few times because the camera mans figure was shadowed on the scene which made it diegetically invalid. This was important to the scene because we would hense be showing the audience that it isnt a real circumstance. The floodlights were effective because it hightend the drama in our continuity sequence.
        We had to bubble the camera when we were filming our exterior location shot which was outside on the gravel. This was because the ground was uneven and hence would make the camera angle uneven and unprofessional as a shot. A professional shot consists of quality of camera work, having the frame perfectly level unlesss it is intended to not be. We had this scene shot outdoors with natural which, meaning that we did not need to use any other artificial light. The angles for this were over the shoulder to show the direction of where one of the characters was enetering from. We also managed to have time to do a hand held point of view shot, where showed the angle of the character opening the door handle.  We did conform to the 180 degree rule by always watching our camera movements.
        This exercise helped me establish an understanding of angles and to watch the 180 degree line. I am now much more aware and capable of doing this correctly without breaking any rules that categorize the film industry.

Introduction to video camera

We have learned differents techniques to do with the video camera that we will be operating. The more you increase the shutter speed, the blurrier and less sharp something will be, it also gives the effect of freezing movement temoraily. The wider the aperture is the more light is able to come into the shot. White balance is pointed towards a blank white wall to alow the camera to get a solid balance on all the other colours of the spectrum. If you are aiming to focus on a specific object which you are planning to close up on, you need to previously have zoomed in and focused on that object first, then you can zoom back out and film you sequence.
Different types of shot
extreame wide angle shot: is often reffered to as an establishing show. It shows the viewer the setting of the scene, which gives information and insight as to where a character is.
wide shot:   the shubject take sup most of the frame, so you can see their full figure.
Mid shot: seeing the subject from the waist upwards.
over the shoulder shot: Shows primarliy two people having a convosation but only having one in focus and showing a portion of the back of the head of the other character, and keep being focused on the main subject.
close-up: The main feature of what the is being shot, or an ideal expression that the director wants to identify, is being coomed in on.
point of view shot: The angle is spaced from the point of view of where the subject is looking.

Continuity editing is to make the story make sense, and by putting different types of shots together, they lead eyeline well which create rythmn and a nice flow. The rule of thirds enables you to divide up the screen to see you four main hotspots in which your focal point consists. The rule of thirds helps you adjust your composition of where your informatio lyes.

Introduction to photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a graphic and picture editing tool. It enables the user to alter, manipulate and create images either from existing photos or found images. Different tools create different actions.
The basic tools : The Crop tool enables you to decrease the image down, only leaving the desired information and size. The text tool alows you to type. You can create a gradient, warp, drop shadow to the text, as well as placing an image in the text itself or changing the color. The zoom tool alows you to tempoarily get closer to the image to get more of an attention to detail. The clone tool alows you to gather imformation from around the similar area,suchas different colors and tones, and lets you move it.
By fixing and inhancing photos, you can do a many number different ellements , such as; contrasting, sharpening, touches up spot, wrinkles and scatches. You can darken or lighten pictures with the dodge and burn tool. You can remove a color cast with Auto Color. You can also fix any red eye and create a photo frame.

basic skills camera work and composition

Composition:
Photography brings a visual language that is universal in understanding. We must then understand its vocabulary which consists of shapes, textures, patterns, lines, colours, shade of light to dark and sharp to blurry images. Just as we must learn to arrange words in a coherent order in order to make sense when we write or speak, so too must we put visual elements together in an organized manner if our photographs are to convey their meaning clearly and vividly.
Composition means arrangement: the orderly putting together of parts to make a unified whole; composition through a personal, intuitive act. However, there are basic principles that govern the way visual elements behave and interact when you combine them inside the four borders of a photograph. Once we have sharpened our vision and grasped these basic ideas of principles, then we will have the potential for making our photographs more exciting and effective than ever before.

Rule of thirds

if you have a relitively still image, you should visulize a diagram of the horizontal and vertical lines used to create the game'knots and crosses' . The important ellement of the image should be centerly places. By aligning the subject in this equal way, you are making the image more intense and not sloppy, which makes the composition better.

doc who trailer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/trailermaker/view/7iaeh4