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
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.
+ 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
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
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
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
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
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!
