Evaluation Activity 7

Looking back at my preliminary task, i feel i have learnt a lot about editing and camerawork which i contributed to my full product. Before filming my preliminary task i had to learn about different camera shots and the significants of each one. Here are a few of the camera shots i used in my preliminary task:



In this scene Jayde has given Paige the bag of money but there is some money missing so he is becoming more concerned to what is going to happen next. This is a close up shot as the camera is focused on Jayde's face and shoulders showing his emotion of worry and anxiety.

In this scene Jayde is on his way to Paige's office where he's meeting her to give her the money. This is a birds eye view camera shot as we can see Jayde from directly above. This camera shot makes it look like someone is spying on him whilst also showing a different spatial perspective of the setting.



In this scene Jayde is trying to escape from Paige's office but he finds himself trapped as the door is locked. This is a over the shoulder shot as we are looking from behind Paige's shoulder facing Jayde. This type of shot is used for discussions between two people.

MY MISTAKE:

When filming my preliminary task i made a big mistake, as you can see Jayde was wearing grey tracksuit bottoms in one shot and dark denim jeans in another shot. I had to reshoot some shots but i had totally forgotten what Jayde was wearing for the original shots so when I placed the clips together i noticed his outfit had changed. This is the key rule you have to think about when filming as everything needs to be the same. When filming my two minute title sequence, i remembered to always keep the mise-en-scene the same, for example - if Jayde was holding a bag, I'd make sure he was also holding it in the same hand.

HERE ARE THE CAMERA TECHNIQUES I LEARNED:

I had to learn about the 180° degree rule before i began filming. The 180 dregree rule is a standard guidline in film making which states two characters should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary line connecting the two characters, this means the 180° degree rule has been broken.







When filming my two minute title sequence, i used various shots which i never used in my preliminary task. These shots consisted of:



In this scene, Jayde is running behind Thomas as they are trying to run from the police. This is a point of view (POV) camera shot as we can see a view from Jayde's perspective. This type of shot makes the audience think and feel like the character as we are in their shoes. This is a good technique to draw the audience into the scene.

In this shot Jayde and Thomas have stopped for a break whilst engaging in a conversation shouting at one another. This is a two shot. This type of shot usually establishes some sort of relationship between two characters letting the audience know who they are in relation to each other. As we can see Thomas is Jayde's big brother and he's trying to look of for him making sure he gets away from the police.

In this shot Jayde is reminiscing have flashbacks of the day when he and his brother Thomas were running from the police. This is an extreme close up camera shot as we can see Jayde's eyes in depth. This shot was used so the audience could establish his emotions and feel sympathy for him. This type of shot is a very effective way of drawing an audience into a character. 

Evaluation Activity 6

Inorder to edit and record my preliminary task and main task (two minute title sequence) i used various technologies and online computer programmes which consisted of: 

WWW.BLOGGER.COM

I used blogger.com to create my own personal blog which featured every piece of coursework for my media product. I learnt how to post my work and upload images and videos onto it. I uploaded my screen grabs, diary entries, recce, storyboard fight scene and preliminary task. I also wrote about each one explaining what i had learned etc. Overall i thought it was a very easy software to use as it was pretty straight forward.

WWW.YOUTUBE.COM

I used youtube to upload all my video footage such as my recce, preliminary task, diary entries, audience interview and storyboard fight scene. I learnt how to the export videos from final cut into quick time movies so they could be uploaded onto youtube. I then learnt how to upload my videos from youtube onto my blog. Without youtube i would have been unable to upload my videos onto my blog so youtube was the main source which came in very handy.

iPHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE

I used iphoto to crop each of my screen grabs removing any irrelevant items.

FINAL CUT EXPRESS EDITING SOFTWARE

I used final cut express to edit all of my video footage such as my main task, preliminary task, recce, storyboard fight scene, audience interview etc. I found this software quite tricky to use at first as there were so much techniques to learn.

Evaluation Activity 5

I have produced a short video clip explaining how i addressed and attracted my audience: 

SOUND

I didn't use any music in my two minute title sequence but i did use police siren sounds during Jayde's flashback when running from the police with his brother. This sound effect helped establish the genre of the film which was crime/gang. Overall I believe this is a strong selling point as the sounds in a trailer usually set the genre of the film and help attract the right fans for the specific genre film.

LANGUAGE 

In my two minute title sequence, Jayde and Thomas spoke using informal slang. This type of language is very common in teenagers today in the United Kingdom. The type of language you use in a trailer will determine who your audience are. For example slang will attract a young audience as the audience will be able to relate more to the characters as they speak the same.

CHARACTERS 

The two main characters in my two minute title sequence are aged between 17-18 which should lead to the attraction of the audience being around the same age as the audience will able to relate to the characters more as they will feel on the same level in life.

Evaluation Activity 4

I would classify my film as a 15 due to strong language and violence and also because the two main characters are 17-18. My target audience would be teenagers and young adults between 15-21 because the issues raised in the film relate closely to the lives of youths in the United Kingdom encountering real life events. Also the use of slang is commonly used by teenagers of this age group. Here is a picture of my target audience type:

I have drawn out a spider diagram suggesting my target audience and what kinds of tastes they might have including where they shop, the music they listen to, their favourite TV channel etc:

From looking at my spider diagram, I believe teenagers and young adults from the United Kingdom would watch the film as they would be able to relate to it more than any other audience type. I also believe there would be a connection between the audience and characters as if they are in the same boat due to their similar characters such as their appearance, clothing, roles within the street etc.

Evaluation Activity 3

Evaluation Activity 2

Social groups can be two or more people interacting and sharing similar characteristics. For example, these characteristics can consist of sharing the same beliefs, motives, roles or social rank etc. One advantage of having social groups is that it helps identify one another. One disadvantage is that it stereotypes people placing certain individuals in one category.

In my two minute title sequence, a particular social group is represented. This social group is young black youths. When watching the sequence, your first stereotypical views are based on the appearance, costume, language and the role in which the characters play in the film. I am going to compare and contrast one character from '1Day' and one character from my sequence evaluating on their appearance, costume, role in the film etc.

The top screen features Flash from 1Day. He is a black male part of a gang known as Old Street. Throughout the film we see his struggles as he tries to pay his debt to Angel whilst running from rival gang members and protecting his family. From his appearance and clothing, he is seen as the stereotypical gang member who is violent and dangerous. However he is a gang member but he is trapped in the life of crime and needs to put everything right so he can leave the streets.

The bottom screen features Jayde from my two minute title sequence. He is also a black male who took part in criminal activity. Throughout the film we see him reminiscing on his past running from the police with his brother after a robbery. From his appearance and clothing, he is seen as a stereotypical hoodlum or gang member who is dangerous and violent. However he is not dangerous or violent, he is just trapped in a cycle of crime due to peer pressure from his brother. In his heart he wants to do leave street crime alone but something keeps pulling him back.





Both characters wear similar clothing. For example both of them are wearing a hat/cap which covers their eyes suggesting they are involved in criminal activity. They are also wearing loosely fitted clothing. Flash is wearing a collared tracksuit top and jeans; which suggests although he is part of a gang, he still makes the effort to look more classy. On the other hand Jayde is wearing a t-shirt with a puffy body warmer and tracksuit suggesting he doesn't really care about his appearance which links in with his personality as being carefree. In contrast Flash is wearing dark coloured clothing which suggests he is too deep in the life of crime whereas Jayde is wearing neutral colours suggesting he is in between good and bad. In addition, both of their clothing represents the stereotypical views of what gang members look like.

Diary Entries

In this diary entry I am explaining the 'flash back' scene:

In this diary entry I am explaining the 'bedroom' scene:

In this diary entry I am explaining the recce of the 'prison scene':

Titles

The Bonfire Of The Vanities


'The Bonfire Of The Vanities' contains one of the most complex tracking shots ever seen in their opening scene. During this tracking shot the camera is disorientated relating to the main character as he is drunk. This also relates to the genre as we can see its a comedy drama from the camera angels used in contrast with events happening, for example, the camera is disoriented following the main character through many rooms whilst he's knocking over plates stealing food etc. The film titles are white to show the coolness and cleanness of the main character relating to his glamorous and rich lifestyle.

This is a print screen from the opening scene of 'The Bonfire Of The Vanities'. The gold eagle is static/still whilst everything is moving. There is no pan nor movement in the shot symbolising the city never sleeps. The gold eagle symbolises greatness, power, wealth and money.

This is a print screen from the opening of 'The Bonfire Of The Vanities'.Theres a pan shot moving from once place to another. The title of the film evolves into bright lights which turn into the title of the film. This is linked to the 'Bonfire' in the title. This tells us every little detail in a film has a meaning.

The First Frames From The Film:

Animatics And Storyboards

Animatics
Animatics are storyboards which have been brought to live using pre-visual 3D animation. Animatics show us the timing and passing of each shot giving us a brief idea of what it will look like when it is filmed. This allows the animators and directors to work out any timing issues or camera shots that may not work well. The animatic may be reviewed and changed many times until the storyboard is perfected. A strength of using animatics is that it can prevent scenes in which you would have edited out of the film. One weakness of using animatics is that it is very expensive and time consuming.

Here is a link to show you how animatics look:

Storyboards
A storyboard is an animated production of a film made up of written words and images similar to a comic strip. It is the outline or skeleton of a film. It show cases the camera shots and angles which will be used, the characters positions and the direction the character is moving in pointed out by arrows. It is very important that the storyboard shows each frame which makes up the film.

This is a storyboard taken from 'The Simpsons'

'Lord Of The Rings' is such a successful and mainstream film meaning any mistakes to filming could cost valuable time and money. Peter Jackson, the director used both storyboards and animatics to plan out the film. The animatics showed the storyboard with very limited motion conveying camera movement and action accompanied by the soundtrack. This gave the animators and directors a outline of how the real film would look. It also gave them time to rethink certain ideas and to get rid of things that didn't work well. The storyboard in which they drew up gave them a basic draft of the scenes leading to the Recce where they walked through the scene experimenting with camera shots, angles and the characters movement.

Introduction To Editing

When editing my preliminary and main task, i used 'final cut', a professional editing software on imac computers. In order to start editing my shots i had to:

• Open up 'final cut', set the settings and where you're going to save it

• Connect the video camera to the computer and put it on play/edit mode. Then click file > capture your filming

• When all your filming has captured press the esc button

This is the timeline in which you place your video clips onto, arranging them to create your preliminary and main task

This is the viewing window where you can view everything you have done

Here is a print screen of the 'final cut' software.

Here is the first video i edited:

For this task i had to bring a storyboard to life by acting out all the frames using the same camera shots. I found this easy to film but hard to edit as i didn't think the transitions between shots ran smoothly. As you can see the shots look quite messy put together.

The Equipment I Used

For both my preliminary and main task, i used various pieces of equipment such as:

A Video Camera - To film my preliminary, main task, recce and diary entries

A Tripod - To make all my camera shots steady and still

A iMac Computer - To work on my blog and upload my preliminary, main task and recce onto youtube

Final Cut Software - To edit my preliminary and main task

   A Camera - I used a Lumix camera to take pictures of my props and locations in which i used to film

My Recce

For my main task I had to film a Recce of a selected scene so I could work out the suitability for the filming assessing any potential issues which may effect the real filming. I found the Recce helped a lot as It helped me to point out many problems with the scene such as:

• The location - The scene when Thomas was coming out of prison didn't fit into the mis-en-scene as we filmed it in a busy college where students were walking past making it look very unrealistic

• Camera Angles - I found that the long shot camera angles were not working as we couldn't see the characters emotions. Also we filmed the scene in one shot making it very plain and boring to watch back

• Sounds - The location in which we filmed in was very loud and busy

• Actors Movement - The actors movements were quite plain and boring as there wasn't much to do during this scene

Here is the Recce for the scene in which was taken out of my film:

Having watched back the Recce I decided to take the whole scene out of my film as i thought it was boring and not very important to the film as it didn't really have meaning. Also i found that no camera angles really worked for this scene though i experimented with many.

Recce

A Recce is when you film a rough version of a scene to work out its suitability for shooting assessing any potential issues which may effect the real filming such as:

• Lighting - The set may be too dark and so extra lights may be needed in the real shoot

• Sounds - The room in which your filming in may be hollow and so the sound may echo

• Camera angles - You may find the camera angles you are using are not working well. i.e you may want the audience to relate to the character and so close up shots may be one to consider

• Location - From looking at the Recce, you may choose to shoot your film in another location

• Mis-en-scene - You may need to use more props or different costumes to fit in the scene

• Actors Movement -  The actors/actresses movement may be restricted due to the amount of space available. Also different types of camera shots may be needed to follow the actors/actresses movement if they are combat fighting, dancing, running etc

A Recce is like a run through dress rehearsal, without it you dont have much knowledge of how the scene will turn out. The reasons why many film makers use Recces are to:

• Save Money - If you have a Recce, you will be able to test the suitability for the shooting in advance so when it comes to shooting the real film, you will be organised making it less likely for there to be mistakes costing you more money on your film

• Camera Shots - This is a chance for you to explore using a range of camera shots so you can see what shots work and don't work

Quentin Tarantino, the director of Reservoir Dogs used a Recce in his film to test how the scene would look before he filmed the real version. From his Recce he noticed many problems:

• Camera Shots - The camera shots in the Recce were too long making it boring. Also a long shot was used during the suffering of the man who had been shot, making it hard for the audience to feel any emotion as we couldn't see the man. In the real version of the film, a close up was used on the suffering man so the audience could see his suffering and feel his pain making it easier to relate emotionally

• Camera Shots - In the Recce of the toilet scene, the camera faced the mirror to make the room look big as it was really small. This was a good shot though it didn't really work because the two characters couldn't fit in the frame due to the space and movement. In the real version a long shot of the toilet was used so we could see both characters and their movement

Location & Props

In our main task we used various locations for filming and several important props:

This is the bedroom we used for a large part of our filming.

 These are the two Jesus piece chains we used to symbolise good and bad within the two brothers. Jayde wore the white Jesus piece and Thomas wore the black Jesus piece.

This is the bag we used for a large part of our filming. It was used to hold the money in in which Jayde owed Thomas.

These are the locations we used for the flash back when Jayde and Thomas are running from the police.

We placed the camera on these stairs so Jayde and Thomas could jump over it during the flashback scene

Audience Types

All films have different audience types. These audience types consist of:

'Mainstream'

This is a large audience of people who watch box office films. Mainstream has the biggest fan base audience as it is the most popular leading to these specific films selling out in the box office. Two examples of mainstream films are 'Salt' and 'Avatar'.

'Cult'

This is a small, passionate and loyal audience who follow a particular media text. For example if a film makes a sequence following on from the first part, the same audience will go and see the others. Two examples of cult films are 'Saw' and 'Paranormal Activity'.

'Subversive'

This is a audience of people who watch controversial medial texts which may offend people. For example some of these types of media texts may contain racism, sexism, religious views, violence etc. Two examples of subversive media are programs such as 'Southpark' and 'Family Guy'.

'Alternative'

This is the opposite of mainstream. Many types of these films tend to be parodys, for example 'Scary Movie' was a parody version of the mainstream film 'Scream'. Many audience members enjoy media texts that are similar to mainstream as many are hilarious. Two types of alternative films are 'Scary Movie' and 'Dance Flick'.

'Abstract'
This is a type of film in which has no narrative meaning or story line as the understanding is based on the audiences ideas. It is a form of modern art.

'RELEASE DATE' - Audience Type
If i were to make 'Release Date' into a real film, i would like it to be mainstream as mainstream have the biggest fan base and are the most popular type of films. I believe the film would be categorised as 'cult' as the story line could be a sequel in which a small loyal audience would watch.

Audience Ratings

There are a variety of different film ratings. These ratings decide whether the film is suitable for you and your family. Here are the different audience ratings from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC):

'U' - Universal Suitable For All

A film classified as 'U' is suitable for all audiences aged four years and above. These types of films contain positivity and happiness with all encounters of danger balanced. Two examples of a 'U' film are 'The Incredibles' and 'A Bug's Life'.

'PG' - Parental Guidance

A film classified as a 'PG' is suitable for unaccompanied children of all ages, however parents are advised to consider whether the content is suitable as some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.  Two examples of a 'PG' film are 'Coraline' and 'Like Mike'.

'12' & '12A' - Suitable For 12 Years And Over

A film classified as a '12' or '12A' are suitable for children aged 12 and over although '12A' ratings only exist for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a '12A' film in the cinema unless accompanied by an adult although they are not recommended for children below 12. Two examples of '12' and '12A' films are 'Mean Girls' and 'Transformers'.

'15' - Suitable Only For 15 Years Or Over

A film classified as a '15' is only suitable for 15 year olds or over as it may contain some strong language, violence, sex, drug use, treats and so forth. The difference between a film rated '15' and '18' is that a film classified as a '15' may contain violence but not dwell on detail or be shown as sadistic or sexualised. Two examples of a '15' film are 'Kidulthood' and 'Boyz In The Hood'.


'18' - Suitable Only For Adults
A film classified as an '18' is only suitable for adults as it may contain strong language, violence, sex, drug use, treats and so forth. Two examples of an '18' film are 'Con Air' and 'Set It Off'

Rating My Film - "RELEASE DATE"
I would classify my film as a '15' due to the strong language, violence and drugs used and also because the main characters in the film are 17 years and above. 

My target audience would be teenagers aged 15-19 because the issues raised in the film relate closely to the lives of youths encountering real life events and also the language used such as 'slang' is commonly used by teenagers of this age group.

Preliminary Task

For my preliminary task, i had to film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down on a chair opposite another character in which he/she had to exchange a couple lines of dialogue. I had to use a variety of camera shots such as an over the shoulder shot, close up and two person shot. This task demonstrated match on action, a shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. The purpose of the preliminary task was to help me gain knowledge and experience of filming so i could prepare to use my new skills in my main task.

Here is my preliminary task:

My preliminary task was about a young boy Jayde who owed Paige money. He was on his way to Paige's office to drop the money in a bag. When he got to the office Paige opened the bag to see some money was missing so she grabbed her gun and the scene ended with panicking Jayde trying to escape out a door twisting the handle.


When i was shooting my preliminary task i felt everything went well though I had to shoot it twice due to the volume button on the camera being turned off so I didn't pick up any sound. I found it a little hard when editing the preliminary task on the 'final cut' software as i was new to it.

180° Degree Rule

180° Degree Rule - Dark Knight

The 180° degree rule is a standard guideline in film making. It states that two characters should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary line connecting the two characters, this means you have broken the 180° degree rule. Here is a video explaining the 180° degree rule:

In the Batman film "The Dark Knight", the director Christopher Nolan chose to break the 180° rule in the interrogation scene between The Joker and Batman. This rule was broken to show the similarities between the characters of Batman and the Joker as Batman believes he is very different to The Joker. In addition, in the conversation Batman says "i have one rule" and The Joker replies "thats the rule you have to break". These phrases relate to the breaking off the 180° degree rule making it fit into the scene cleverly.

Initial Ideas

RELEASE DATE SCRIPT

OPENING TITLES

INT. JAYDES ROOM. AFTERNOON

JAYDE is looking at the bag of money having flashbacks of the previous year.

EXT. JAYDES FLASHBACK. NIGHT

JAYDE and THOMAS are running with police sirens following them.

THOMAS

Lets go man, quick bruv, move bruv, lets go bruv -

JAYDE

I knew I shouldn't of went with you you know -

THOMAS

Bruv I knew I should have never of brought you so lets go man

THOMAS

Argh fucking hell bruv, it's a dead end,fuck! Oi are you listening? take the bag

JAYDE

I can't take it

THOMAS

You will be good man, No trust me you will be good, yeah just stay here every things gonna be good

JAYDE

But –

INT. JAYDE ROOM. AFTERNOON

The flashback ends and JAYDE picks up the bag of money.

JAYDE walks out the door with a cutaway to prison bars and the film titles

Here is my groups brainstorm:

Our brainstorm included all the ideas which came together to form our main task. These ideas consisted of:

• The genre -  We decided to make a film based around crime, drugs and money so the genre was crime

• Similar Films - We decided to base our film on two similar films known as 'bullet boy' and '1day'. We wrote down quick ideas about the costumes and locations used in both films