Evaluation of G321 Coursework 3rd Apr

Readers,

Final Film URL:http://www.phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2014_03_01_archive.html
Preliminary task URL:http://www.phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013_11_01_archive.html

Key posts for preliminary and final task (reverse date order)
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/final-film-finished.html
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/music-for-my-2-minute-opening-film.html
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/film-titling-and-names.html
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/props-and-costumes-for-actresses.html
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/cw-filming.html
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/background-research-into-horror-movies.html
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/finish-of-preliminary-task-and-start-of.html
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/readers-yesterday-in-my-media-studies.html
http://phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/preliminary-task-continuity-task.html

To complete my coursework I have to evaluate and reflect upon all the practical film making work I have done this year. This will be done by answering 7 different questions.

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

In a film opening there are certain aspects that must be used. I did quite a lot of research on this.
SEE POST: Tuesday 29th October-Horror movie Good and Bad points URL:http://www.phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013_10_01_archive.html
SEE POST: Sunday 10th November-Background research into horror movies
URL:http://www.phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013_11_01_archive.html
The 2 minute opening of any film must have: The production companies' graphic(s)- most films have at least two different film production companies that sponsor the filming. Titling for; the film title, starring actors, music, casting, editor, director, clothing, makeup ect. All films use the same titles to acknowledge others who would not be known, but they do change the sequence of which the titles are shown.

URL for production companies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9js6RyoIaU

I chose the genre of Horror/Thriller and I looked at films such as: Seven, Blair Witch, Nightmare on Elm street and Silence of the Lambs. My 2 minute opening follows the conventions of professional films by the way I have studied and researched opening sequences. In these films I noticed that the graphics used the colours of: Red, Black and White. I use this convention, by using Red text. In my film I use titling to acknowledge others, film production company graphics and condense these into the first 2 minutes of the film. I decided to follow the normal conventions of the Thriller/Horror genre and I decided on the gentle intro to build up the suspense. I introduced the main character who is Emily and I showed the antagonist without revealing the reason for his actions as this would develop over the course of the whole film. I wanted to create an enigma. 

In my final film I used many different short shorts of footage to produce a montage of Emily's life around school and to create the illusion of time passing. As a result of this, the sections of different footage were to small to put in transitions so I decided to use classic continuous editing which was to set up a potential enigma which would be explained over the rest of the film. I did however use transitions at the appropriate times. e.g. Cutting from Emily to the stalker as he entered the school area at night.

The same for the music: I looked at similar films and I noticed that the antagonist is portrayed by an small melodic motif, e.g. as for the shark in Jaws and Norman Bates in Psycho. In the scenes for Emily's character I chose to create music that started off happily and then moved on to have a sense of suspense. For the stalker I decided to produce my own motif that showed his menacing and secretive aura. I made the music by using Garageband and Audacity.   

• How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In my film I used teenagers/young adults (17-18yrs) with 3 other middle aged adults (2 female and 1 male). The reason I used this age range was because in most horror/thriller films the cast is a mix of different ages and genders. The reason for this is to appeal to a wide range of audiences so that the film is a success. The reason I chose teenagers/young adults was that I wanted to continue with the theme of filming in a school which would have different students. The other reason is that many horror/thriller films are watched mainly by 15-21yrs so using teenagers in my film opening would attract them because they can relate to what is happening. The 2 adult females represent motherly characters which in an all girls boarding school is essential. The final reason for choosing my 1 male character was that his body profile is muscular so looks domineering and threatening, wears dark clothes and covers his face so he can not be seen easily and his manner of walking is perfect for a stalker as he is purposeful as he is light on his feet.

+ Norman Bates is the proprietor of the Bates Motel, a seemingly innocent little inn that holds great danger for any who stop for the night. Bates' severe psychological problems make him prone to spying on guests and stabbing them in the shower.

+ Hannibal Lecter is intelligent and charming in equal measure, he is also a serial killer who is fond of cooking and eating his victims.

+ Freddy Krueger appears in innocent peoples' dreams with his burned face, razor-sharp shears and tattered sweater to inflict horror and fear just before he kills the poor innocent souls.

All these films have different aspects of costume and acting so that is why I wanted to combine these factors to make my stalker as terrifying as possible. However, I had to remember that I was making the opening 2 minutes and there for I had to restrain this element. I didn't want to make a slasher type film, I wanted it to be more of a thriller where you imagine the danger rather than see it.

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

I have chosen 20th century fox as the best distributor for my film as they produce many different horror/thriller films.

Films are all distributed in the same way to the audience. They first must approve of the script before the any filming takes place, once this is done the cast/props/set is all brought together for filming. The editing is done next, throwing any unnecessary footage away. Once this is all finished the film can be marketed/promoted to the cinemas and audiences. The next step is to sell the product as DVDs/Blu-ray and then the film is finally put on the internet via telecom companies which make the costumer pay to view the film or the film could be streamed straight from the internet onto any device.
More information go to: www.creativeskillset.org

• Who would be the audience for your media product?

My target audience for my film would be 16-21yrs teenagers/young adults who are looking for a film that they can relate to because they are at school/ have been to school and they know what the characters' emotions are. As well as the core target audience my film would also appeal to anyone who likes the thriller/horror genre.
SEE POST: Saturday 23rd November-Audience research
URL:http://www.phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013_11_01_archive.html

• How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience by giving them the conventions of thrillers/horrors in my film and setting up an enigma. Who is the stalker? What is Emily's secret? and what will happen? These prospects excite the viewer and makes them want to watch the rest of the film. The reasons for my choice of genre was that I live in an all girls boarding school with a huge house and gardens that are very picturesque. I decided to use these factors to my advantage by setting up a story line that depicts girls being at risk in the middle of nowhere. This will appeal to many types of viewers.
SEE POST: Monday 11th November-Reasons for picking the genre of Horror
URL:http://www.phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013_11_01_archive.html 

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

I have learnt how to use Photoshop- making the titles for my final film. This was hard because I had to adapt the titling to fit with the genre and the lighting in my film. I have used the programme Final Cut Express to edit my film which was very easy once I learnt. Instead of using a tripod I decided to use a handheld camcorder by choice like in the film Blair Witch which is filmed by film production students. I have used Garageband to compose and edit my own music which I have used in my film to increase the tension. The music was edited using Audacity a programme that enables you to only edit audio. I finally learnt how to import video/music and export both into different formats e.g. Quicktime or MP4. I have also learnt how to make a blog and how to make films using an iPhone.

• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? The production element and presentation of research and planning may be individual or group work (maximum group size is four candidates). Where candidates have worker in a group, the evidence for assessment may be presented collectively but centre will still assess candidates on a individual basis for their contribution to aspects of the work, from planning, research and production to evaluation. G321 is marker and internally standardised by the centre and marks are submitted to OCR be a specific date, a sample is then selected for external moderation. The unit is marked out of a total of 100 marks: 20 marks for the presentation of the planning and research; 60 marks for the construction; 20 marks for the evaluation.

I started this year by making my preliminary task which was to use: match on action, shot reaction shot, 180 degree rule and have one character crossing a room and sitting down opposite another character exchanging dialogue. Before I started to film any of the footage with my handheld camera I planned what I was going to do and what scenes would be featured in my final product. This I did by a story board that I drew and wrote on. I was lucky enough to be able to film all the scenes in one day which was good so that I didn't have to worry about match on action. When I had all my footage I imported it into Final cut express and edited the footage so that it fitted all the necessary criteria. When I was finished and happy with the final product I exported it into a Quicktime movie so that it would be ready to put on my blog. 

SEE POST: Monday 4th November-Finish of preliminary task
URL:http://www.phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013_11_01_archive.html

The next task for me was to start planning my film opening and to find a genre and story line to go with it. The reason I decided to make a horror/thriller film was that my school lends itself to being known for its ghosts and is a terrifying place to be in at night on your own. The reason I used teenagers for my main characters is that most horror/thriller films are watched by teenagers so I would be targeting the main market because they would understand the way in which the character is feelings and also the fact that a child is seen as more vulnerable rather than an adult.   Through my research I have found that the normal age range for horror/thriller films is 16-21yrs. This range is my target market for my film. Once I had decided my story line I set about choosing perfect actresses and and actor. The reason I chose the main character was that she is petite, has dark brown straight hair and looks vulnerable. She was perfect for the role. 

My stalker in the film had to be intimidating for the viewers and also for the main character. I wanted him to be also sly and quick on his feet if anyone were to have seen him. Dave Price was exactly what I was looking for, he also looked terrifying in black clothing with dark sunglasses to cover his emotions.

When I had finished the casting I set about filming all the scenes. This was difficult as different people were free at other times to others. I successfully arranged times with the actors to film each scene and finally had enough footage which was ready to be imported and edited in Final cut express. I edited my film in scenes and exported them so that I would know what scene was what. This didn't take too long as I knew what my story line was from my planning. When I had finished my film editing I started on my titling using photoshop. This I found hard as I had only used the programme once before and then I had not used half the tools I used in making my titles. I finally got the hang of the programme and when finished I imported my the titles into my final film at specific times. The next step was to compose my own music for the film and I did this by using Garageband. This was a fast process as I knew what music I wanted and named them accordingly (Stalker, nice, background and string orchestra). 

I edited the music in Audacity and when I was satisfied I exported it and imported the music into my final film. All the music fit perfectly except the stalker music. The dramatic suspense sounds where out of time with the film so it looked messy and unprofessional. I decided to rewrite the music for this scene so that it fit and on the second time round the music was perfectly in time with the film. I have learnt from this experience that you must keep looking at your film and time when you want the music to come in or use a certain effect to promote your film. After I had finished everything and was happy I exported the whole film together as a Quicktime movie ready for my blog.

SEE POST: Friday 28th March-Final Film Finished 

URL:http://www.phoeebsmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2014_03_01_archive.html

What I have learnt from this whole experience is that you must be willing to change something even at the last minute if it does not fit perfectly with the main item.

Please COMMENT!! Thank you!

Final film finished! 28th Mar

Readers,

Throughout this week I have continued to compose my music for my 2 minute opening. To compose my music I used different loops on Garageband. As I am an A level music student I decided to take these loops and slightly change them to fit with the genre of film e.g. making some of the loops minor key or increasing the volume of the music to create suspense. I edited this in Garageband and then exported the score. I then imported the score into Audacity where I divided the score into six main sections of music. Nice music-driving down the drive, E, MD and MP meeting-this is when Emily and her mother meet the head of 6th form and are taken inside, background music-for Emily while she is at school to create suspicion that something is wrong with her, stalker music-this is his motif (small phrase of music) which introduces the audience to him while he is skulking in the bushes and around the school, orchestral strings-different background music while the stalker is not on screen and finally Big E!-this is for the ending of my film opening to create an enigma, to leave the watchers wanting more.

The night before I had downloaded the graphic of 20th century fox to be placed at the start of my film to comply with the conventions of the film industry.

All of the music worked perfectly with the film except the stalking scene. The timings of the suspense accents were at the wrong time to the film and there were too many of them so this made the film look poor and not professional. I decided to recompose this section to make sure it fit perfectly with the film. When I was finished I exported this and imported into my film which I have edited on Final Cut Express. I imported all my music into their specific places of my film and edited them. After this I edited the volume levels of the music and film so that the music faded out or came in at the right points without over riding the dialogue/ambient sounds.

When I was happy with the final product I exported the film into a Quicktime movie ready to be uploaded onto my blog.

Please COMMENT and leave me constructive feedback!! Thank you!

Music for my 2 minute opening film 21st Mar

Readers,

Last week I started looking at music for my opening 2 minute film. I saw how much music contributes to the film and how the viewers emotions can be effected by the music used. I looked at my chosen genre (Horror/Thriller) and saw that the music must fit with the genre you are filming for and not suddenly change to something that doesn't fit.

I have started to compose my music today using Garageband. I have watched my film without any music and then have added in music that is appropriate to the scenes being shown.

Here are my music ideas being put into place while having the film played alongside. To create the motif music for my stalker I will be using dissonance. This is when two or more notes clash together to make an uncomfortable sound. This is usually used in films when something bad/scary is coming to build up the tension of the scene. I will be using Augmented 4ths e.g. C and F sharp. I will use this motif when the stalker is on the screen, and when he walks/runs away I will resolve the augmented 4th so that the music has a sense of relief that the danger has gone. I was influenced by Jaws' music when the shark is coming for the next victim. The use of a minor 2nd (E and F) portrays the terror that this shark can inflict on other humans. I wanted to take this very simple idea but develop and change it into my own work for my movie.

I will be handing in my final film with the music on this coming friday, it will be then put up on to my blog for you to watch and comment.  

Please COMMENT!! Thank you!!

Fitting together the titling and film 11th Mar

Readers,

On Friday 7th March I finished making and editing my titles to fit into my 2 minute film opening.

I started my titling with translucent backgrounds in photoshop and white writing but when I started adding the titles into my film they couldn't be seen any more. I then tried black titling but this also disappeared. As most Horror genre films keep to 3 different coloured titles I was very limited so had to settle with red titling for my movie. 

I have added all my titling from my film at certain points and having changed and settled on a different colour was happy with the end result. 

Music and sound 2nd Mar

Readers,

Today I am looking at music for my 2 minutes opening of my film. I am looking at 3 different films and how the sense of terror is relayed to us through the music.

Jaws- This film is well known for it's horrifying scenes and dramatic music.
Jaws was released in 1975. The synopsis of the story, is that there is a huge shark that is hell bent on killing people in the sea while other unsuspecting people sunbath and relax. The main theme tune that the film uses over and over again is the minor 2nd two note motif. This is played by the tuba and uses the notes E and F. The audience is always alerted to the presence of the shark just before the attack happens. The music starts off the single 2 note motif then crescendos and adds other instruments playing this same melody line while underneath the timpani adds dramatic drama.

Jaws theme tune- http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCI-gNK_y4

Silence of the Lambs (SOTL)- The synopsis of the film is about this young FBI agent Clarice Starling who is assigned to help find a missing woman and to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice tries to understanding their twisted minds by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter. The FBI believes that Lecter has the answers to their questions and can help locate the killer. Clarice must first gain Lecter's confidence before the inmate will give away any information.
SOTL was released in 1991. The escape scene I have been watching has two different types of music used in it. At the start the inmate is listening to a piano concerto on the radio. This is a relaxing calm melody which puts us on edge waiting to see what is about to happen. When the Lecter attracts the unsuspecting policemen the music suddenly changes to a full orchestra playing a minor dramatic feeling melody. When the murders have been committed the dramatic music changes back to the concerto. This sudden radical change in music is very unsettling for the audience and shows the horror and thriller factor.

Escape scene- http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s3nIw30hn4U

Nightmare in Elm street (NIES)- Was first released in 1984 but the film was remade and released in 2010. The synopsis of the film is that a man with a crawled glove called Feddy Krueger. Is killing teenagers in their dreams while they sleep. The connection between all the teenagers is that they all went to the same pre-school and were sexually abused by the gardener there (Fred Krueger). The remaining children find out what really happened to Freddy and the reasons why he is seeking revenge.
Before every killing in NIES there is a scary nursery rhyme that is sung. This tells the audience that a murder is about to happen.

Nursery rhyme- http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HqzE1_b0eVs

Music changes the way in which we look at a film. In a rom-com genre film that has laughter and joy, a major tonality is used, while in a horror/thriller genre a minor tonality is used to make the audience nervous and unsettled. These 3 films use music to their advantage to make the desired emotion felt by the watchers.


These graphics are from the same company but the editing team has changed the original music to make the tonality minor, this reflects the film the audience are about to watch.


20 century Fox original graphic- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXWFYPk11GM
20 century Fox scary movie graphic- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMZb4nPMunI

Please COMMENT!!!!! Thank you!

Film titling and names 24th Feb

Readers,

I have looked at several films in the genre of Horror/Thriller and how the film industry produce their titling for their movie. The films I have studied are: Se7en, The Shinning, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCM) and The Silence of The Lambs. All these films have the same sequence of titles.

1. Production company
2. Starring actors/actresses
3. Casting by...
4. Music by...
5. Costumes and make up by...
6. Editing and director of photography
7. Produced by...
8. Directed by...
9. Title of film

I will use the same order of titles in the opening to my film.

The other main feature I looked at is the colour and font and how they laid out their text. The colours used are red, black and white. Also the editing team on all of the film openings either had BLOCK CAPITALS or thin lower case writing.

These are my ideas of font for titling in my 2 minute opening. The fonts I have chosen are Oriya MN as the san serif and Charlemagne Std as the serif. I did a tally chart of different titles for my film and then asked my target audience- teenage girls- which one they liked the most. My target audience chose "Dark Secret". 

The name of my final film is Dark Secrets

These graphics are classy and emphasise to the viewer what genre of film this is going to be.

2 minute opening update 7th Feb

Readers,

Today I continued with my editing of my film and have completed this. My film length at the moment is 3 minutes and 45 seconds so I must shorten this so it becomes 2 minutes. I will be looking at openings of different horror/thriller films to look at: colours used, graphic titling and special effects that are used on these titles to make them disappear or move in any way.

After half term I will be starting my sound track to fit with the film and then I will be putting everything together to produce my final product which I will then upload.

Please post COMMENTS!!!!! Thank you!

Editing update 27th Jan

Readers,

On Friday last week I continued my editing of my 2 minute opening of my film by cutting and rearranging the different clips so that it looked like my 'rough' story. This is just my initial thoughts and designs of what the cinematography will be like in the finished product.

This Friday I will be continuing with the editing and hopefully finishing a scene or two.

Please leave COMMENTS!!! Thank you!

Editing update 18th Jan

Readers,


Yesterday I started to edit the opening of my film by collecting, arranging and trimming all the footage I have taken last term. I will be progressing with this throughout the weeks ahead with also composing or arranging my music and making my own graphics. I am going to finish this at the end of the term which is quite a short space of time.


I will add some screenshots of me editing my film on Final Cut Express.


Please COMMENT! Thank you!! 

Who might produce, distribute and exhibit my film? 13th Jan

Readers,

My task today is to research which production company might want to produce, distribute and exhibit my film (theoretically).

My first initial thoughts were Working Title. The reason for this is because 1) they are an English production company 2) they are a large company and 3) they have ties with a wide range of multimedia contacts.

Background research on Working Title (WT): WT were set up by two people (Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe) in 1983. This company produces films and TV production. WT was taken over by Universal studios in 1999 but the company WT can still trade in its own name while having its headquarters in London. 2nd August 2004 Universal studios were taken over by Vivendi a French company that owns many other multimedia companies. As with WT, Universal can still trade in their name but are attached to Vivendi. The film side of Vivendi is called Vivendi Universal, this also includes WT.

Please COMMENT! Thank you!