Evaluation Task 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to product?

Looking back at our preliminary task, i feel that i have progressed from it and learnt a lot more skills. However i also realised how much the mise en scene means and really helps set the scene in the shot. In our thriller we had one tracking shot the whole way through and with the use of our new skills and knowledge we managed to create a back stage effect with the mise en scene. I have also improved on my editing skills, this was helpful in our thriller because we had to use a lot of extra audio to create the effect that there was a large stage very near by. We layered a sound of a crowd cheering to make it sound like there were thousands of people there. We than also added reverb to the sounds to make it sound like he was playing on a huge stage. And if we compared this editing to the one in our prelim task we did hardly anything to the prelim and absolutely nothing to the audio in it. Also with the camerawork the camera ran smoothly and with the improvement of our camera handling we managed to get everything in the shot as well as making it run smoothly.

This is  is one of the opening shots in our prelim task, it is a tracking shot of his feet walking into the room. I am comparing this to the opening shot of the final product that we have made because the are quite similar shots, and this shows how we have improved because of the more controlled and flowing movement.

With regards to the planning an preparing the prelim task, there wasn't much involved however in the main task we knew that to get a really good shot an understanding of how everything is going to work we had to plan a routine for all the actors to know when their cue was to walk across the screen etc. We also needed to rehearse how the camera was going to work around the actors and to get everything in. We had to rehearse this through around eleven times, then we had to have about seven takes of this to make sure that there was a good and decent shot. Also before all of this we made a story board to plan ahead of what we were going to shoot. Our story board was quite tricky at first because we could get our images down on the paper because we weren't good at drawing. But in the end we found someone in our group who was good at art. However in our prelim task we didn't rehearse it once and we only took one shot of everything.

The camerawork between the two tasks are very different in terms of controll and meaning. In the prelim task some of the shot are pointless and meaningless, for example there is a shot where the camera is place up high looking down on the two actors, when we thought of this shot there was no need for this shot to be placed there. We did this because we were playing with the camera and we wern't thinking of what this was for or what it would look like on the the screen. Also for the prelim there is a lot of unnecessary cuts which made the whole scene look very random and out of controll. However in the main task there was a lot more controll and thought behind the one shot which we managed to capture everything in. It ran more smoothly and to capture everything in it was very good.

Overall I am now think about the type of shots which I could start to use and where shots would look good in other places. However I now know that alot of information can be given out in a tracking shot aswell as using sound, editing, camerawork, mise en scene to get your point across. Also by using sound, especially in our thriller you can get a poin across really easily by getting the rigtht sounds and by putting the right effects on the sound.

This is the tracking shot in our prelim task and the one below is the tracking shot in the opening scene of our thriller.






This is the tracking shot in our thriller and you can see that the flow look almost natural coming off from the flight case.

Evaluation Task 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

This is our final product with annotations

Evaluation task 5

How did we attract your audience

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Evaluation Task 4

Who would be the audience for our media product?

Our media product is aimed at 15-30 year old's, and targeted at a wide mainstream mixed market. This is based on the action thriller genre. It would be release in the cinemas because we have aimed it at people who go to the cinema which are 15-25, however we also have a secondary audience which is aimed older people  because we thought it would catch their attention as we were inspired by the death of John Lenon when planning our film.

We chose our main actor to represent of an older more established rockstar. We decided to use a more established rockstar because we thought it would work better with the idea of our film. We decided not to have a young actor because it would decrease the amount of people who would come and watch our film, because if we did this this would also bring down the age of people who would watch it. We have decided to have our actor looking like a typical rockstar that a wider range of ages would familiarise.

Evaluation Task 3

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

We decided to use the Vertigo as our institution because of the type of films they have made. The type of film we have made is a low budget film which show reality of backstage at a gig. This is similar to some of Vertigo's films because they show a lot reality. Films such as ‘The Business’, ‘Football Factory‘ and ‘The Firm’ all prove this. Also they are targeted at a male audience as of which are Vertigo films. However our story line is a mystery and is therefore is similar to an american film called 'the Ghost Writer'. This is because it has a similar story line and they are both very thriller like.

 

Evaluation Task 2

How does your product represent particular social groups?

Our final product is influenced by the lifestyle of a rock star because it is very much based around musicians. Therefore this means that we are going to aim it at people who are indugled and really intrested in rock music. Everyone in our thriller you can see that they are into rock music and especially the reporter because she is the main charichter. You can see she is a music lover because of the way she dresses, andthe style of clothing.

Evaluation Task 1

In what way does our product conform to a real media product

This credit is very creative because we have placed it within the scene of our  thriller  and this is an idea of what a real film company would use.

This shot is very good because it captures the two main character just before the incident happens.

Here we have put a credit on top of the clip to show who the music was by. You would see this in a proper film production.

 As you can see from these screen grabs, our product shows a setting of a typical backstage area, because of the props, alcohole bottles, flight cases, clothing, furniture and lots of people creating chaos and commotion. The lighting is quite dark and dingy to set the mood and atmosphere of being back stage at a gig. All of this upholds our expectations of what we would expect a back stage area to be like. You would expect the backstage area to be very neat and tidy and very quite for the rock stars to relax, however in some you would see what we have in our thriller.

Account of shoot day...

We filmed our thriller on Wednesday 26th January. The thing we did first was setting up the set to make it look like what we wanted and most importantly make it look suitable for are thriller. After doing this we then thought about where the tracks for the tracking shot were going to be place so it would look good in the best possible way. After doing this we ran through the shot a couple of times to see if it would work.

The set ended up looking very similar to our original ideas and matched our drawings of the set, in our storyboard and other plans. We tried to make it look like there was a stage coming off from the main stage and that it was quite chaotic backstage with sound engineers and lighting crew moving equipment backstage. Also costume designers there choosing which outfits for the stars to wear. We scattered a lot of random props everywhere to make the scene look realistic and to create an atmosphere, thing such as guitars, flight cases, monitors, drinks and a seating area for the rockers to relax after performing. All of these props together reinforce the fact that it is a typical backstage area where the rock stars are off guard and relaxing.

Our plan was to use about 10 actors, to create chaos and disorder that you expect to see backstage at a gig. On the day of filming we used 12 actors who all had specific parts to create the setting and atmosphere. We had lingerers, groupies, managers, sound engineers, lighting crew, drunken people, costume designers, photographers and journalists.

After all of this was done we then had to make sure that the dolly was fitted properly and that it all ran smoothly and that there were no collisions. There was only one problem which was that one of the areas in the scene on camera was too dark and you couldn’t see what was going on. This was sorted by adding an extra light.

We had to do eight shots to try and capture the perfect secne. We smashed a glass bottle without anyone knowing at the end of the shot where we were going to put the non-digetic sound of the gun shot. We did this so we would get a more realistic reaction for when we put the gun shot in.

Here is our props list, our story board and our stage/set design, to show our planning before our final product

Opening Sequence Idea - Rockstar

Our final and most successful idea is influenced by the killing of John Lennon and the motives behind Mark Chapman, his killer and crazed fan. Completely filmed backstage, the rock star will walk off stage after his performance and muscle through the onslaughts of fans and hassling interviewers. When a fan comes and asks for his autograph, he is shot and the sudden incident will create a shock for the audience. A reporter before the shooting will walk along with him and ask him the probing question, ‘apparently you are thinking of retiring’ this is met with a dismissal but gives the audience a two different perspectives of the murder. The murder could well have been a harrowing surprise to the rock star, or he may have set it up to get him away from the hectic lifestyle of a musician. This would make the audience question the meaning behind the sequence, long after it has been watched. Although the idea is simple, it is also effective when you question what the rest of the movie would be about.

Rockstar Idea

Scrapping an idea,and finding a new one...

We have decided to scrap the lift idea and have moved on to a completely different idea. We have decided  to do this because it was to predictable and we thought people wouldn't be intrigued by it. We also thought that is was sterile and the audience wouldn't be in the characters at all because we hadn't developed on them much at all.

Miners’

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Thriller ideas PP

Level 5’

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Elevator scene from The Eye



What is a thriller?

Something that thrills, especially a suspenseful, sensational genre of story. These pictures below have been denoted and connotated to weather they are a thriller or a horror.

Denotation and Connotation

Image	Denotation	Connotation
Still from Scream	A blonde girl, holding a phone to her ear looking at something/somebody through a window who is holding a knife and is wearing a white mask and a black cloak. She is dressed in a cream jumper, juxtaposition in clothes.	Innocent blonde girl in danger, is going to be killed by the person in the mask, they are dangerous.
Still from Psycho	A lady in a shower, wet, looking at something with a shocked expression on her face.	Something is scaring her/shocking her, signifying that danger is nearing.
Still from Gothika	A girl facing writing that is written on the wall, saying “Not One” in red writing. She is dressed in normal, plain clothing.	There is a message written in red which signifies blood, and danger suggesting death and murder.
Still from  Friday 13th	A blonde woman dressed in dark clothes stood in an empty car park, facing a man who is far away and blurred from our vision.	The man who is unclear seems mysterious as we cannot see who he is. The open space and the man suggest to us that there is danger ahead.
Still from The Exorcist	A girl with cuts all over her face, long red her, blood dripping from her mouth and eyes wide open that are just white and black with no colour. She is dressed in a white blouse.	The cuts on her face signify violence and blood. Her long red her suggests she is dangerous. Although she is dressed in the colour white which represents purity and innocence, there is a juxtaposition.
Still from The Ring	A young girl sat on a chair in an empty room, looks clinical. She has long black hair that covers her pale face. Wearing a very white, clean dress and little girls shoes. A wire is near her.	The young girl looking pale, suggests that she is ill, signifying that she could be possessed by something evil. Again there is a juxtaposition between this and her innocent clothing.

Still from Omen	A young boy stood in a black and white suit stood in between white crosses in a grassy field. He is wearing a black hat on his head, and he has his hands on his hips looking up towards this camera.	The stance that he is stood in shows us that he has confidence and power. There is a juxtaposition between the boys clothing and the white colours of the cross, signifying that he is evil, as white signifies purity.
Still from It	A person with a painted face and fang like teeth. Red hair and green eyes. Placed on a black background.	The painting on the face signifies the figure of a clown, there is a dominant use of the colour red signifying blood and danger. They have their mouth open looking as if they are ready to bite something.
Still from Halloween	A man looking over a staircase shot from a low angle, holding a knife and wearing a pale mask.	Him looking over the balcony and being shot from a low angle shows us that he is looking down at something and that he has the power and is superior. The knife suggests danger, and violence signifying that he is going to kill someone.
Still from H2O	A man with a very white, pale face who is looking through a hole/porthole and a woman with a terrified expression on her face. There is a blue colouring within the shot.	His pale face suggests to us that he is ill or dead, as it is juxtaposed with her rosy coloured face looking alive. The use of blue colouring and a porthole reinforces the fact that they are on a boat.

 Still From the film 'Scream

'

Still from the film 'Psycho'

Still from the film 'Gothica'

Still from the film 'Friday the 13th'

Still from the film the 'Exorcist'

Still from the film 'The Ring"

Still from the film 'Omen'

Still from the film 'IT'

Still from the film 'Halloween'

Still from the film 'H20'

Mood Board...

I have created a list of things which I am afraid of  and this is what they are:

My car breaking down in the middle of the woods

Children in horro films- this is scary because children in horror films are usually evil and you would find that children are usually good therefore they are more scary.


Sharks- sharks are scary because they a known to be able to eat humans and also this was re- enforced by the film that was made...'Jaws'


Deep Sea- The deep sea is scary because there is a common fobia of people being scared of the open sea... this is backed up by the film 'open water'


Terrorists- people are scared of terrorists because they put your live to risk and everyone know what depressing things they can do.

Creepy houses- people are scared of creepy houses because something always bad happens in horror films hence why people are scared. 

 

Prelim Post production...

To get in to our footage we had to check into final cut server and our group had to make a name for it. Then we had to name every clip so we knew which one we wanted to use and not use. At the end of using final cut sever we had to save and then sign out of the sever to allow other users to sign in.

The purpose of the continuity editing is to make the film more believable and so we don’t notice the editing. It is important to follow a specific film language because it ensures that only the relevant story points are shown, to manipulate time and space in the narrative, to force the audience to identify with the right characters and to make sure the story makes sense to the audience.

 When logging our shots we choose a shot from every angle we have filmed to make it clear to make that scene as clear as possible to the audience. For example it could be a conversation between two people and showing all of these shot makes it clear where they are standing in the scene, and it also show what their reaction is to what the other person is saying. However it is not only to do with this, it is also to put the right shot in to get the right point across to the audience therefore making it the best fit.

We also needed to organise the shots to make it look like a story. This is why we have a thing called a storyboard. This could also make a decision on what side you want the audience want to be on. This will help by giving the person you want to be the most important in the scene, by giving them the most of the screen time and also giving them the privilege of close-ups.

Linking to organising the shots, choosing which shots you put in front of another helps with the flow of the film because it makes it look more continuous by lets say for example, if someone is walking through a door you want to film them walking in from outside and then you want a shot of the walking in form the inside. This helps when it comes to editing because it creates a smoother flow of the film. You would put a cut in-between the first clip and then link it onto the second so it looks like it is shot all at once.

When editing in final cut we cut from the MS of both characters speaking to the EUC of A’s mouth to create a dramatic build up on what they are saying rather than the action. By using an ECU on the mouth all focus is drawn to it rather that other actions in the room.

 Story Board

Today we started filming our first draft storyboard of which we practiced the shots that were in the storyboard. When we looked thought them we found out that we had broken the 180-degree rule and that we had got most of the shots wrong. It was quite annoying but it made us learn for next time.

The location we decided to film in was in a classroom. We filmed it in there because we felt like the Mise-en – scene suited the point we were trying to get across. The room worked really well because when we used the correct lighting with the two tier lighting system, it created the verisimilitude of a classroom.

Our roles in the task were rotated through our group. I was the cameraman, director and I also helped set up the scene. All of this will help me when I do my thriller later on in the course

Lighting and other important things we had to do.

We though about the lighting and we made it soft because it was the most effective. This was important to the scene because it made the room look more realistic. It was effective because it made the shot what we wanted it to be.

We also used all of the techniques and knowledge that we learnt on the blog below. We also needed to choose which shots we were going to do.