Friday, 26 April 2013

Final Opening Sequence




Evaluation - 7. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Evaluation - 7. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

For my media product, a film, we have used a wide variety of technological processes to construct the film.



These consisted of:
- Digital Camera
- iPhone Camera
- Digital Video Camera
- Scanner
- Internet Explorer
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Powerpoint
- Tripod
- Final Cut
- Live Type

And many more, below I have constructed  a mind map using 'bubbl.us' to present all the sites we used via internet explorer to help us in the process of constructing our film.





The mind map shows what sites we used from internet explorer which helped us make our blogs more creative and innovative to look at so that they didn't just consist of the same bland posts continuously.

Google and We Hear It were two sites which we used to get images off to post in various places within my blog and continuously using for inspiration and ideas.

Lino and Padlet were sites which we used to produce posts which just contained various amounts of texts and sometimes pictures on a single page.

Author Stream, Slide Share, Animoto, Slide Rocket were sites we used to create powerpoints and put online and contain text, images, and often videos.

Survey Monkey was a site we used to create a survey and then analyse these results which we got and see what this meant for our target audience ideas.

Gmail is the email service we used to email casting directors when the need occurred. 

Polyvore is a site we used to create outfit combinations for our characters.

Wordle and Tagxedo are word generating sites which we used to make words look more creative and colourful to look at when describing certain things.

Bubbl.us  is a site we used to create mind maps.

XtraNormal, Voki, Go Animate and Pixton were sites we used to make visual animations which often spoke, Pixton was one which created a storyboard however but we could still incorporate visual animations into them.

Thursday, 25 April 2013

Evaluation - 6. Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Evaluation - 6. Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Evaluation - 5. How did you attract/ address your target audience?


Evaluation - 5. How did you attract/ address your target audience?


Evaluation - 4. Who is the main target audience for your product?


Evaluation - 4. Who is the main target audience for your product?


Evaluation - 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?




Evaluation - 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?


We really feel that Lionsgate is the best company to distribute are film. They are a very successful company and so we know are film has a great chance of earning a large profit at the box office. All of Lionsgate films are succesfull and so we are confident with the company. We know that Lionsgate will work hard to get are film distributed. Below is the Lionsgate Logo.

Evaluation - 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation - 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Social Groups by isabelle.britton on GoAnimate

Animated Presentations - Powered by GoAnimate.

Evaluation - 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Evaluation - 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?


Evaluation - 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?



What is a script?

Titles Analysis

Using websites like 'Art of the Title' and common knowledge of titles from watching films, I looked at how the titles were incorporated into the film itself and if they had any link to the film itself and how this was portrayed and looked good. 



Skyfall (2012)
Directed by Sam Mendes


I think the title for this film is very creative and if you look at the image above which is taken from the opening of the film as the titles all emerge, you notice that although in this part James Bond is supposedly under water, from looking at this picture alone it almost looks as if James Bond is actually falling through a cloud in the sky and it looks as though there are mountains poking through the clouds. This is creative as it links back to the title of the film and looks relevant and simple and basic so that all attention is focused primarily on the title and image below of James Bond falling with his arms placed as if they're holding up the title. The text isn't actually that large which may be because it's trying to imply that James Bond is lost in a large world, or that he is alone and secluded as it could be trying to belittle him.


This image shows the series of titles which emerge within the opening, I believe all of these are effective as they use different ways of media and effects using programs on the computer and also different shots, it's creative and interesting to watch and engages the audience immediately.


Blue Valentine (2010)
Directed by Derek Clanfrance



The titles for this film are effective as throughout it's like a set of fireworks constantly bursting through and creating images which is something I've never seen done before and therefore is particularly interesting to watch and original. The titles itself are of a basic font and are in capitals as these makes the legible and the last names are in a larger text than the first names this is because the last names are what make them more individual as it's more likely someone will have the same first name rather than last name. The titles which appear are often in the centre of the screen and in white as this means they will be seen straight away and catch the audiences attention.

This is effective as the way in which the titles appears is quite magical and this fits the genre of the film, which is romance and so will have an affect on the audiences thoughts and feelings and make them feel intrigued into watching the film. 


Se7en (1995)
Directed by David Fincher


The titles in this film often come up flickering slightly like you see on an old tape and is often used in crime films which already through the titles determines the type of film this could be as they take fairly long to show the next text when going through casting names and crediting people involved. This adds suspense and again links to it being a crime, mystery, thriller film.  The director places his name in there multiple times, he appears at the beginning and then again at the end which are the two most significant places to an audience. 

When the title appears which is in the above image, it is only on the screen for a split second but is quite shocking as it's the only part in the opening where the whole screen is black with the title printed largely and in white which adds a massive contrast in colour and so the quick, sharp appearance can be quite shocking.



The above image shows 9 shots which are within the opening involving titles. These show how the font often looks handwriting which is slightly sinister and already makes the audience feel curious as to who's handwriting this could be. 

This is effective as by making the audience ask themselves questions and feel curious as to what is going on, they are already engaged and captivated into watching the film.

Film Script - Lewis's


This was Lewis's initial idea for a film script, however we altered this slightly when actually filming due to some of the limitations we suffered when filming which is included on an earlier post.

We felt that this script contained all the vital information which was needed for the cast and producers to know what was going on and therefore should make the filming process less stressful.

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Editing Process



In case the 'Lino' post doesn't load properly then the textual information is copied and pasted below.

Final Cut Express
Final cut express is a video editing software program which has the ability to be operated in a non linear manner and therefore create a desirable order to the film regardless to the order it was filmed in initially.

We used this software to edit our entire film by transferring all of the clips from the camera device onto the program and then carefully pick and choosing the different shots we wanted to incorporate. We ordered them into a chosen way which we believed would tell the story most effectively and easily so that the audience could follow. We cut down the individual shots to the point where we needed them and so that they fit into the sequence how we wanted them to. We used transitions between shots and occasionally added in different features such as the dissolve feature which made a more subtle transition but gave the impression that the next shot was a dream and so we only used this for the title as it gave a more subtle transition between shots.

Live Type
Live type is a software program also created by Apple inc. which gives you the ability to create animated title sequences which you can then use in your film.

We used live type to animate our texts by creating effects on the texts. It enabled us to change the font, colour, size, and how the text entered and left the screen so that we could make our film seem more interesting. However, when doing so we had to ensure we didn't over do it with the texts effects and ways that the text entered and left the screen as this could look tacky and unprofessional and overall, just too much. We also had to make sure that the colour, font, size, linked in with the genre of the film and story line of the film so that it didn't look random as again, this would seem unprofessional.

Filming Evaluation & Overview



This post contains information based on filming and the struggles we had to deal with and what we believe to be the cause of these. It also talks about the successes we achieved.

The post then goes on to discuss the auditions and what we had to consider when doing them amongst over information to do with the auditions.
It also talks about cinematography and mise en scene and how these were carefully thought about and incorporated into our filming.

*If you have any difficulty reading the text on the 'Prezi' then hover over it and a magnifying glass should appear along the right hand side so you are able to zoom in and out.

Character Name Change

Originally, the character who plays the part of Will, the one who informs Nancy on the death and then becomes her new romantic interest, was called Rafe, this meant that the name had to be altered throughout the entire blog. I decided I had the ability to do so and so went through my blog and changed the names. However, my other two group members decided they would just state the change in a post.

The reason behind this change is due to the fact that the character of, now Will, is supposed to be slightly less high class as oppose to Nancy and we believed that the names were not portraying this well enough as Rafe, in our opinion, and that of many others, sounded more superior and posher compared to Nancy. We wanted to make an immediate point that Nancy is of a higher class to Will so that it is apparent to the audience, and so we swapped the names of the two male characters over as her previous husband is supposed to be of a high class and posher.

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

Audition Process



Here I have recreated the auditioning process which we went through in order to choose those which we believed were most suited to the role.
This clip shows a single audition which we dealt with and the way in which we did so.

Production





Here are some images which we took on the day of the filming, the image of Joe's house with the snow all over it was taken when we checked out the location to make sure that it was suitable for filming.

In the shots we have included the camera and the scene marker which we didn't write the scenes on but used it as it made it seem more professional and worked as an indication for when we were about to start filming.

Friday, 19 April 2013

What is a shooting schedule?



"A shooting schedule is a plan of each day's shooting for a film production. It commonly includes the location, cast,  whether the filming is internal or external, the day, the date, a description of the set and sometimes other features. It is given to producers and everyone involved in the film. It is created and managed by the assistant director"

Paris Trip Overview


Thursday, 18 April 2013

European Film Festival

Soundtrack Issues


Soundtrack Ideas



The music above isn't too overwhelming and so won't take attention away from the scene which shall be going on to the music. Also, it sets a solemn, sad mood which could work as an advantage as it could engage the audience instantly but also could be a disadvantage as it may make the audience feel gloomy and put an instant downer on the film. 

However, the softness and slowness of the music is something we are looking for, the change in dynamics and pace could work effectively as we want the scene to feel like a climax up until the moment when Nancy is told the bad news which is that her husband is dead.



Although there is an element of sadness to this music, it seems more subtle than the piece above. This is good as it isn't too sad and seems to build up which sets a more light hearted tone on the piece and the music almost takes off into a world of its own as it goes on and builds up. Again, we like this idea of climax and build up within the music as it changes pitch and tempo as this can represent the rocky life which Nancy is about to go. The way the music comes back to a slower, softer pace and tone towards the end represents how Nancy's turbulent life works out in the end and she comes out on the other side. 

Often it seems like the music is beginning again and the dynamics representing change link back to change in Nancy's life and new beginnings.

Also this music is something I imagine a ballerina dancing to and Nancy's passion is dance within the film and the story line follows her mothers dance studio which she teachers at and eventually takes over so this piece of music can link back to that idea.



This piece of music seems very sad and almost slightly sinister in different places which may not have the effect on the audience which we want it too.

Although the music is a good piece which could link to the ideas of Nancy's passion, dance and her mother's dance studio, I think it may be too sad and old fashioned sounding, as it sounds slightly medieval in my opinion and we want the audience to feel like the film is more modern and contemporary.  

Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Choosing a soundtrack

soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picturebooktelevision program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded sound.' 
- Wikipedia definition

A soundtrack is important because it can determine the genre of the film by the pace of the sound as if it's a fast pace then this could mean it's an action film. Soundtracks make the film more interesting to watch and can provide the film with a theme tune which people will associate and relate with the film.

When choosing our soundtrack we wanted to make sure it was linked to romance and had to make it seem dramatic and emotional as this is the scene which is being shown within the film.

Below is an example of the opening scene from Pearl Harbor, which is a fairly famous film written by Randall Wallace, directed by Michael Bay and starring Kate Beckinsale, Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett. The films opening scene contains a soundtrack which has fairly emotional and romantic music and follows a similar style and story line to ours which is why we used this as our initial stimulus when choosing a soundtrack.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Will - Media Coursework

Will - Media Coursework

For our opening scene to 'Loving Again' this is how we picture Will to be dressed as we want him to look smart for the news he is about to deliver and as he's a fairly well maintained man who takes a pride in his appearance.

Nancy - Media Coursework

Nancy - Media Coursework

For my opening scene in my media film 'Loving Again' I want the female protagonist, Nancy to be dressed in a similar outfit to this and although it's fairly casual it has an upper class edge to it which suits the character nicely.


Equipment placket shirt
intermixonline.com


Acne skinny leg jeans
$245 - brownsfashion.com


Real leather handbag
my-wardrobe.com

Monday, 15 April 2013

Magazine Advertisement


Here I have put together a magazine cover which contains an image from the website 'we heart it' and is a basis as an idea of an image which could be on the cover of the film. However this image doesn't contain any of the actors used in my film.

I have put other advertisements on top of the image and included a bar code and the title for the magazine 'Total Film'.

The magazine is supposed to contain an interview of the two main female and male characters, Will and Nancy and how they supposedly fell in love on set as this may be a publicity stunt which will influence people to read into the magazine.

Audition Advertisement



Here is an example of auditions for the film being advertised over facebook as this is a social networking site which will attract more amateur and welcome possible up and coming actors which is an option with a lot of votes on my survey.

This advertisement has the ability to attract over 1 billion possible users which use facebook and therefore can be viewed multiple times and by clicking on the link the user will be directed to another page with greater detail and information into what is required and how to apply.

This could further promote the film to all these users and can attract more viewers to watch the film and be interested in following the process of the film up until its release.



Logline


As a group we discussed various ideas to use for a logline, but were limited in discussion due to the previous post involving the communication issues amongst the group creating restrictions in coming up with an idea together. Therefore we used each others initial ideas as a base of inspiration for our own. Here's what I came up with:

Press the play button in the left hand corner of the video to here the logline.



Differences Within Our Group


After sitting down as a group and looking over each others blogs we noticed that certain aspects of our work differed and we hadn't been having enough group discussions about our ideas. From reading our treatments this was particularly obvious, I think we all work well individually and as we were doing different pieces of work at different times we often forgot to discuss them as group. Our treatments are a prime example of this as they were all similar however within the story we had all created separate motives for each character and different mini relationships and added other characters into the plot.

Sunday, 14 April 2013

Casting - Actor Portfolios



This is a screenshot of the email sent to the casting director containing an attachment of the actors portfolios containing headshots of the actors and also information concerning their education, special skills such as skiing, acrobatics, etc and useful skills such as languages, drivers license, etc

Location Update Via Twitter



Through using twitter to update it can broadcast information across a wide spread audience of a possible 140 million users. Also, people who aren't following the 'Reel Creations' twitter account will see their tweets through them being retweeted or favourited by other users and therefore advertising the film on a large scale using an inexpensive technique to do so.

Another benefit of this is that people interested in the film are able to ask questions and as a production company we may be able to seek information also through open tweets asking preferences for example. 

Location – Opening Scene