Friday 19 April 2013
Friday 22 March 2013
FINISHED
Today we managed to finish editing our entire opening sequence. I am incredibly proud of our final piece and personally feel like we did everything we could to make it the best as we can. I enjoyed working with Serena and felt that we really got along. This is a picture to show our happiness...
Sunday 17 March 2013
I Am Legend Opening Sequence Analysis
There are a few shot/reverse shots, as they are having a conversation. The camera then stays on a close up of Emma Thompsons character which could suggest her importance in this particular scene.
I chose to analyse this sequence because the concept of the movie is very similar to ours. However, there is not much to talk about.
The Dark Knight Opening Sequence Analysis
Sound
At the start of the clip there is a low beat that beats once repeatedly slowly. Then there is the sound of traffic in the background which suggests that it is set in a must city. A foley track is used to enhance the sound of people walking on gravel and the breaking of the glass. The sound of a car is also enhanced when it pulls up to the curb. All the characters are wearing masks whilst they are talking. I believe that they recorded the dialogue and placed it over the footage. This makes it clearer for the audience to understand.
Camera Movement
There is an establishing shot of skyscrapers which suggests that the movie will be set in a busy. As it is in America I would think that it is set in New York. A high shot angle is used whilst the robbers are transitioning between two buildings. There are many close ups on the characters mask which could suggest that they are planning on committing a crime. There are also a few tracking shots following the different characters into buildings. Makes the audience feel as if they are part of the action.
Genre
The music is one element of the opening sequence that helps establish the genre. The use of props is also another element. There are many guns shown throughout the opening sequence which indicates that there will be a lot of violence. Violence is usually used in action/thriller movies.
Friday 15 March 2013
Group Update- 15/03/13
Today Serena and I thought it would be best to re film the entire lab scenes. We felt that it would work better if there was no dialogue in the entire opening sequence. We have filmed twice before and we managed to work out what went wrong each time we filmed it. I felt that this enabled us to produce better footage. We were paying extra attention not to make any errors such as holding a beaker in one glass then in the next shot it is being held in the other hand.
I am extremely confident and please with our new footage and feel that it is definitely been the best we have managed to film.
I am extremely confident and please with our new footage and feel that it is definitely been the best we have managed to film.
Narrative Applied
I tried applying Tzveten Todorov narrative theory to my own opening sequence. I thought it would be fairly simple to apply this to my sequence, but I found it difficult. I could not chronologically order it, as when there should be a new equilibrium it is actually a disruption. There is also no evident recognition of a disruption which again proves that it is difficult to apply this theory. However, it is possible to apply a binary opposites to this film. In my opening sequence my character shows her head poking through the door looking left and right. This suggests that she is being weary that someone unpleasant is watching her moves. This then brings the idea that she is the good person whereas there is also a bad person.
Thursday 14 March 2013
Group Update- 14/03/13
Today we were given the opportunity to edit our opening sequence for the entire day. Whilst editing our open sequence we all realised that there was quite a few shots we needed to film. This was an issue as none of us were wearing the same clothes; I had changed my hair colour and we had not made a plan of what to film. This resorted to us re-filming the entire lab section again.
I personally feel that we had made the right decision to re film these scenes again as there were many errors in continuity.
I personally feel that we had made the right decision to re film these scenes again as there were many errors in continuity.
Thursday 7 March 2013
Saturday 16 February 2013
Sound Analysis
The music/sound that appears the most in action/thriller is normally intense and chilling, but then becomes fast paced. This is dependent on the scene. Many action/thriller music starts off quietly and slowly builds up. I have analysed two different pieces of sound that could potentially be used in our opening sequence.
This sound is more thriller...
This sound is more thriller...
When I first listened to it I got goosebumps. I would like to think that this a good effect that hopefully our audience will have too. I also find it engaging due to the eery and dark sounds. It starts off quite and builds into creepy, spine chilling sound. However I do not feel that it is intense enough and it does not build up enough to shock the audience.
In this clip it shows an example of action/thriller type of music from The Rock. Just like the first clip it slowly builds into a more dramatic piece. I feel that some parts of this particular track would fit in very well with our film. I feel that the strings really bring the intensity and the mood that our opening sequence has.
Friday 15 February 2013
Plan Of Action 15/02/13
On the 15/02/13 I decided that our group should sit down and discuss everything that we need to do, as we are very disorganised. I led the group discussion and this is what we planned:
Blue- Filming schedule: We organised at least 2 days of filming that we could all attend to
Monday 18th Feb: Filming
Thursday 21st Feb: Filming
We need to film some of the science lab shots again as the framing was poor.
Due to the feedback we got, we had to add in some POV shots of someone spying on Theo's Character for the sequence to make sense.
Red-Blog: We are behind on updating our group blog. We have done many of our work on paper, however we need to upload it on the blog.
Yellow-Title: We have not yet agreed on a movie title for our sequence. We narrowed it down to these four:
- Bacterium
- Infliction
- Infected
- Virus
Orange-Sound: This is unfinished but we began to discuss the sound that would be used. Serena and I will begin to compose the music towards the end of the editing process. The other half of the group decided that it would be best to use a quiet instrumental music for the science scene. We also decided that we will experiment with synth, drums and symbol to create a mysterious effect.
Tuesday 12 February 2013
Feedback- Action Taken
One criticism that was mentioned from all the groups was that our opening sequence did not make sense. Having looked back at our opening sequence, we can see the confusion.
We used a POV shot for the ending of our sequence. This indicates that someone is watching+following Theos' character. We decided to add more POV shots during the rest of the sequence to make it more evident that someone is spying on him. We believe that this would solve our problem, as this gives our movie more of a story line.
Another criticism we had was Theos extended walk towards Mats character. There is nothing that we need to reshoot as we can simply edit some of the walking out. This also gives us an extra few seconds free to add any other shots we are planning on shooting.
We used a POV shot for the ending of our sequence. This indicates that someone is watching+following Theos' character. We decided to add more POV shots during the rest of the sequence to make it more evident that someone is spying on him. We believe that this would solve our problem, as this gives our movie more of a story line.
Another criticism we had was Theos extended walk towards Mats character. There is nothing that we need to reshoot as we can simply edit some of the walking out. This also gives us an extra few seconds free to add any other shots we are planning on shooting.
Monday 11 February 2013
Stolen Computers 11/02/13
On February 11th we discovered that majority of the media equipment including the computers were stolen. Our edited sequence was gone which means we have to edit all over again. However due to this tragic event, it has given us the opportunity to work better as a team and for everyone to take part in the editing. This has also given us more time to finish filming anything we have left.
Friday 8 February 2013
Thursday 7 February 2013
Feedback- 7/02/13
Today we showed our rough edit to the class even if it was not finished. Our classmates gave us their opinions on shots they liked and what needed to be improved.
We received a lot of positive feedback for our rough cut:
"The last POV shot in the sequence was excellent and unique"
"Establishing shot was good"
We were also given constructive criticism:
"It didn't quite make sense"
"The walking part was too long"
From this information we will discuss how to improve the opening sequence and plan a reshoot schedule.
We received a lot of positive feedback for our rough cut:
"The last POV shot in the sequence was excellent and unique"
"Establishing shot was good"
We were also given constructive criticism:
"It didn't quite make sense"
"The walking part was too long"
From this information we will discuss how to improve the opening sequence and plan a reshoot schedule.
Codes and Conventions
We will be using various codes and conventions in our opening sequence.
Technical Codes: We will definitely be using an establishing shot as we think it is important to let our audience know where it is set. POV shots will be used to show that someone is spying on our characters. We may also use a tracking shot whilst Theo is walking. We will experiment with different shots/angles to see what effect they can create.
We will avoid all colourful/bright clothing. We want the costumes to be quiet dull. The lab coat that we will be using definitely matches with this idea. Theo will also be wearing a camouflage suit, which again has dull green colours on it.
There will be some diegetic sound e.g. when the clipboard is slammed onto the table. Throughout the entire sequence there will be non-diegtic sound playing. We will also enhance/edit in the sound on some of the shots e.g. the chemical drop and gun shot.
Technical Codes: We will definitely be using an establishing shot as we think it is important to let our audience know where it is set. POV shots will be used to show that someone is spying on our characters. We may also use a tracking shot whilst Theo is walking. We will experiment with different shots/angles to see what effect they can create.
We will avoid all colourful/bright clothing. We want the costumes to be quiet dull. The lab coat that we will be using definitely matches with this idea. Theo will also be wearing a camouflage suit, which again has dull green colours on it.
There will be some diegetic sound e.g. when the clipboard is slammed onto the table. Throughout the entire sequence there will be non-diegtic sound playing. We will also enhance/edit in the sound on some of the shots e.g. the chemical drop and gun shot.
Tuesday 5 February 2013
Representation- Our film
Representation in Media is concerned with the way that people, ideas and events are presented to us. There is a lot of thought put into every detail, it is not put there by accident. Films and its genres can represent things in many different ways, positively and negatively. Light, costumes, props, sound and the editing can all be used to help represent different elements of the film. An example would be representing a girly girl. The stereotype would be pink clothing, pop music and bright lights.
I will now be applying it to my film.
Stereotypes:
Stereotyping always suggest that the way we are portraying/categorising people is wrong. However, the categorisation of these people is the only way people would make sense of the character. Despite it being set in a lab, our character could not be dressed in casual wear otherwise it would not make sense. In our opening sequence we will be stereotyping the scientists. We decided to dress the person playing the scientist in a lab coat, goggles, gloves and hair tied back. We got this idea from cartoons and previous TV shows we used to watch when we were younger.
Events Taking Place:
We will over exaggerate all the movements we do, as we discovered that in many action/thriller films their moves are over exaggerated. An example would be the exchange of the suitcase. Although it is meant to be as subtle as possible, we will make it more evident to indicate that there will be trouble approaching. Another example is the frustration of the scientist when she cannot work out what she is doing wrong.
Setting:
We decided to film the first half of the sequence in a lab to make it obvious straight away that there is a scientist creating something. The desk will be filled with stereotypical items that would be found in a lab, such as a skeleton and test tubes.
I will now be applying it to my film.
Stereotypes:Stereotyping always suggest that the way we are portraying/categorising people is wrong. However, the categorisation of these people is the only way people would make sense of the character. Despite it being set in a lab, our character could not be dressed in casual wear otherwise it would not make sense. In our opening sequence we will be stereotyping the scientists. We decided to dress the person playing the scientist in a lab coat, goggles, gloves and hair tied back. We got this idea from cartoons and previous TV shows we used to watch when we were younger.
Events Taking Place:
We will over exaggerate all the movements we do, as we discovered that in many action/thriller films their moves are over exaggerated. An example would be the exchange of the suitcase. Although it is meant to be as subtle as possible, we will make it more evident to indicate that there will be trouble approaching. Another example is the frustration of the scientist when she cannot work out what she is doing wrong.
Setting:
We decided to film the first half of the sequence in a lab to make it obvious straight away that there is a scientist creating something. The desk will be filled with stereotypical items that would be found in a lab, such as a skeleton and test tubes.
Group Update 05/02/13
Our main focus of todays lesson was discussing the voice over that needs to be done in one of Theo's scene. Due to the clip being filmed outside, the ambient sounds were too loud and we were not able to hear Theo's speech properly. We also began to discuss what type of music we should use for our opening sequence. Serena is a music student which is useful as she knows how to edit music. I am a pianist, so we decided to use a piano instrumental. We were thinking of using the piano quietly in the background whilst Theo and I are creating the cure in out sequence.
We are not entirely sure what to do for the rest of the sequence but we were thinking of using broken chords and half steps.
We are not entirely sure what to do for the rest of the sequence but we were thinking of using broken chords and half steps.
Tuesday 29 January 2013
Filming 29/01/13
Today we managed to shoot the majority of our opening sequence. I felt that it was very productive and was the best our group has ever worked.
Location: We filmed our shots in Kingston Upon Thames. We filmed the walking shots by TKMAXX which lead to the river. We filmed the shot of Matt and Theo exchanging the briefcase by the River Thames (Kingston).
Props/Costumes: We used a briefcase which has the cure for the virus inside it. Theo wore a camouflage outfit.
Location: We filmed our shots in Kingston Upon Thames. We filmed the walking shots by TKMAXX which lead to the river. We filmed the shot of Matt and Theo exchanging the briefcase by the River Thames (Kingston).
Props/Costumes: We used a briefcase which has the cure for the virus inside it. Theo wore a camouflage outfit.
Saturday 26 January 2013
Group Update- 24-25/01/13
On the 24th and 25th of January we filmed all our lab and office scenes. In all honesty we were very disorganised when it came to casting and we were unable to find anyone available at the times we wanted to film. Due to this Theo and I acted in our opening sequence. As we were not filming we decided that Mat and Serena should shoot the scenes that Theo and I were starring in then we film the other scenes we are not in.
I feel that over the last two days we managed to get a fair amount done and we managed to get some good shots. Some of the framing was off e.g. half of Theo's head is cut off. We may have to re-film this but we will make this decision after we have all our footage.
I feel that over the last two days we managed to get a fair amount done and we managed to get some good shots. Some of the framing was off e.g. half of Theo's head is cut off. We may have to re-film this but we will make this decision after we have all our footage.
Friday 11 January 2013
Audience
Our audience is the most important element to focus on, as they will be the ones watching our film. It is important to understand what sort of films they enjoy watching and whether they would be interested to watch our opening sequence. Towards the start of the year we filmed a focus group that we organised. That will be uploaded onto the group blog. I did some research on who our target audience would potentially be.
Action/Thriller movies are usually, if not always, for 15+ or even 18+. This is because there is a lot of violence and psychological issues which could disturb younger viewers. I have decided that I am targeting young adults between the ages of 15-26 both male and female. I have concluded that this will be the best audience from the results of my questionnaire.
I asked students from my sixth form and different family members of different ages to give their opinion of my opening sequence idea. These were some of my responses:
"I like the idea of the sequence. It sounds very similar to the film I Am Legend which happens to be one of my favourite films. I am not a big fan of Action/Thriller films, however I would definitely be interested in seeing this movie." Student, 17.
"Does not really sound like something I would pay to see. There are many T.V movies with the same concept. Although I am sure you will do a good job with it, it is not my cup of tea." Family Member, 36.
"Definitely something I would want to watch. I like the idea of there being an apocalypse. The only problem I have when watching these movies in that genre, is that if i don't find the beginning interesting I would not want to sit throughout the entire movie." Family Friend, 23.
From looking at these responses, I picked up that the opening sequence is crucial and if we do not get it right the audience will not be interested. When I asked some people from outside the age range, I read that not many were particularly interested in the film as it sounds similar to other movies. Our audiences responses is the most important thing for our opening sequence to become a success and we will try our hardest to take all their opinions into account.
Thursday 10 January 2013
Tuesday 8 January 2013
Storyboard/Schedule planning
We also began to work on our storyboard.
Sunday 6 January 2013
My chosen genre
My chosen genre for my film is Action/Thriller. This is my research of this genre.
The aim of a thriller/action is to create suspense and excitement for the audience. It heavily stimulates the viewers moods giving them a high level off anticipation and anxiety. There are usually many car chases, violence and revenge.
The setting varies depending on the narrative. For example Taken was set in a suburban town, but then was moved to Paris, France for its new location.
The music is fast paced in scenes of violence and action to match the speed of bullets for example.
There are many cuts in the scenes of violence which allows the audience to see the action from many different angles. There are also many close ups on the face (sweat dripping) and weapons of violence.
The aim of a thriller/action is to create suspense and excitement for the audience. It heavily stimulates the viewers moods giving them a high level off anticipation and anxiety. There are usually many car chases, violence and revenge.
The setting varies depending on the narrative. For example Taken was set in a suburban town, but then was moved to Paris, France for its new location.
The music is fast paced in scenes of violence and action to match the speed of bullets for example.
There are many cuts in the scenes of violence which allows the audience to see the action from many different angles. There are also many close ups on the face (sweat dripping) and weapons of violence.
Saturday 5 January 2013
Genre- Romance
ROMANCE
The narrative of a romance is a love story between a man and woman. In many there is a protective father who doesn't approve of his daughters boyfriend, so he has to rebel against him to see her. There is also usually an argument which is resolved towards the end of the movie.
Setting- romantic scenes such as beaches. Filmed in towns, cities, high school and many other places. It is quite generic and could be filmed anywhere.
Technical codes- plenty of long shots to show couples in different types of scenery. Tracking shots e.g. couple walking through a park. Close ups on hand holding and kissing scenes.
Lighting- the lighting really does depend on the type of atmosphere and mood that particular scene has. As it is normally happiness there are many bright colours. Blue skies and bright sunshine.
Characters- Depending on where the movie is set e.g. In high school= teenage boy and girl. There could also already be a couple to begin with.
The narrative of a romance is a love story between a man and woman. In many there is a protective father who doesn't approve of his daughters boyfriend, so he has to rebel against him to see her. There is also usually an argument which is resolved towards the end of the movie.
Setting- romantic scenes such as beaches. Filmed in towns, cities, high school and many other places. It is quite generic and could be filmed anywhere.
Technical codes- plenty of long shots to show couples in different types of scenery. Tracking shots e.g. couple walking through a park. Close ups on hand holding and kissing scenes.
Lighting- the lighting really does depend on the type of atmosphere and mood that particular scene has. As it is normally happiness there are many bright colours. Blue skies and bright sunshine.
Characters- Depending on where the movie is set e.g. In high school= teenage boy and girl. There could also already be a couple to begin with.
However not all romantic films go down this route. Romeo and Juliet is the perfect example of a different type of romance.
Genre- Horror
HORROR
Settings- Set in a small town. Locations often appear dark and isolated e.g. abandoned house, forest.
Technical code- extreme close ups to emphasise the subject. Establishing shots to show the location. Long shots to help show the danger or what the lad character is surrounded by.
Iconography- Lighting is quiet dark as it is usually filmed in the evening. The colour red is used which suggests danger. Dull colours such as grey and washed out green.
Characters- There is often a new character moving into a new town. The character is usually aware that something is not right. Not many well known star personas, as it makes it more believable if there is someone they don't know. This helps them forget that it is a movie that they are watching.
Settings- Set in a small town. Locations often appear dark and isolated e.g. abandoned house, forest.
Technical code- extreme close ups to emphasise the subject. Establishing shots to show the location. Long shots to help show the danger or what the lad character is surrounded by.
Iconography- Lighting is quiet dark as it is usually filmed in the evening. The colour red is used which suggests danger. Dull colours such as grey and washed out green.
Characters- There is often a new character moving into a new town. The character is usually aware that something is not right. Not many well known star personas, as it makes it more believable if there is someone they don't know. This helps them forget that it is a movie that they are watching.
Genre- Comedy
Genres are categories that films are placed into that have similar cliches and narrative elements. Fictional films are normally categorised according to their theme, setting and mood. Although this is usually the case, some films with the same context can be categorised into different genres. For example, there is a film about war yet one is a comedy and the other is an action film.
Different types of genre
COMEDY
Comedy is the most popular genre in film. This genre belongs to the films which evoke laughter from their audience.
Settings- Bright places, well populated areas. Teen comedy= high schools and small towns. Social comedy= bars and houses.
Technical code- camera follows the character, meaning loads of tracking shots. Many medium shots and close up shots to show characters over exaggerated facial expressions. Sounds are edited to add humour.
Iconography- Bright, bold colours are often used. Yellow, green and blue are most often used. Lighting is often bright, as it is filmed during the day.
Characters- idiotic and accident prone, socially awkward, over exaggerated smart people.
Different types of genre
COMEDY
Comedy is the most popular genre in film. This genre belongs to the films which evoke laughter from their audience.
Settings- Bright places, well populated areas. Teen comedy= high schools and small towns. Social comedy= bars and houses.
Technical code- camera follows the character, meaning loads of tracking shots. Many medium shots and close up shots to show characters over exaggerated facial expressions. Sounds are edited to add humour.
Iconography- Bright, bold colours are often used. Yellow, green and blue are most often used. Lighting is often bright, as it is filmed during the day.
Characters- idiotic and accident prone, socially awkward, over exaggerated smart people.
Thursday 3 January 2013
Storyboard- Rough Idea
This is the first draft of our opening sequence. We are still developing it.
[tina's slow motion bullet idea]
-doctor gets shot [headshot] against a tiled wall and falls to the ground.
-the breifcase containing vials of a formula is dropped by the doctor,
it hits the floor, opens, and the vials roll across the floor, at which point,
one of the assasins picks them up and puts them into his pocket.
-cut to the blood stain [which is going downwards as his head slides against the wall].
camera follows it to the doctors face, and we can see he is dead.
-cut to an extreme close up of doctors lifeless eyes.
[rewind all of our footage to the begining]
-inside a science laboratory, three scientists are working on a special formula
{wearing lab coats and lab goggles}
[play footage through]
-scientist 1 writes up some calculations before saying # "i think ive cracked it" #
-formula is finished.
-sound of a car pulling up outside the laboratory causes the scientists to get into a panic
-scientists hastily put it into 3 vials and put those into a foam lined briefcase.
-scientist 1 removes lab coat and goggles and gets his own coat and hat on
-exits via the rear of the building, leaving scientists 2 and 3 in the lab.
-shots of scientist 1 running quickly away from the building.
-cut away to the lab where two four hitmen proceed to detain the two scientists.
a fith man enters the building and sasy to the hitmen # "you know what to do" #
-he whips out his mobile phone [with credits on screen]
[tina's slow motion bullet idea again]
[end of footage and title sequence appears]
Wednesday 2 January 2013
Filming- Risk Assessment
Risk: 5= Very High- 1=Very Low
Briefcase: risk= 1 There is no real risk in us using the briefcase.
Beakers/Test tube: risk= 4 As it is glass, when dropped it would brake. This could potentially be dangerous as we can deeply cut ourselves. If this was to happen we would corner off where the glass has landed and use a brush to sweep up the glass. We would also wear thick gloves to reduce the chance of cutting ourselves.
Chemicals: risk= 5 These chemicals could be irritant/harmful if it came to contact with skin. Only Tina and Theo are able to use the chemicals as they are the ones acting. They should wear an apron, gloves and goggles to avoid any spillage landing on their skin.
Briefcase: risk= 1 There is no real risk in us using the briefcase.
Beakers/Test tube: risk= 4 As it is glass, when dropped it would brake. This could potentially be dangerous as we can deeply cut ourselves. If this was to happen we would corner off where the glass has landed and use a brush to sweep up the glass. We would also wear thick gloves to reduce the chance of cutting ourselves.
Chemicals: risk= 5 These chemicals could be irritant/harmful if it came to contact with skin. Only Tina and Theo are able to use the chemicals as they are the ones acting. They should wear an apron, gloves and goggles to avoid any spillage landing on their skin.
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