Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
The preliminary task was to gain insight into shooting a filming footage, staging a simple scenario, and then editing it. I found this was highly beneficial for me as a director, as i gained knowledge into how films are created, scripted, filmed and edited. Although the task was very basic, i had gained a lot knowledge into practically executing camera angles, and using a range of them to have a selection whilst editing. I feel as if the preliminary boosted my confidence into finally filming the production, as it allowed me to become more familiar with filming and uploading to YouTube.
Here are some things I have learnt from doing the preliminary, and how it was applied by the cameraman in the final production: (refer to main picture below, of all shot types mentioned)
180 Degree Rule:
This rule states the following-

The rule is a basic guideline that states that 2 characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to one another. If the camera were to pass the imaginary axis (as seen on diagram) connecting the 2 characters/subjects, it is known as crossing the line. Filming from the opposite side and crossing the line is known as a reverse angle.

From using the 180 degree rule, we learned how it is vital to maintain it, so that the audience does not become confused by seeing either side of the shot. In the preliminary, the camera is placed on the right side of the axis, looking at both characters so they are horizontal in the frame, looking straight on. However, in the production, we have a shot of Ahmed reaching toward Jordan, showing him in front of Jordan, however still staying in the imaginary axis, therefore not breaking the 180 rule. We used our experience of executing the rule in the preliminary, and applied it to the final video. This was very beneficial as we were able to use basic shots, as well as more creative and innovative ones.

Establishing Shot:
This shot is used to-

We used an establishing shot in both the preliminary and final production. We used it to establish the location to the audience, to show where the scene was taking place, so the viewer is not confused about the whereabouts of the character. In the preliminary, we used the establishing shot right at the beginning, where it is normally supposed to take place.

It is clear to see there are 3 characters introduced to the audience. We can clearly see they are in a school environment, walking in the corridor. We can establish they are school students, as they are dressed in similar colours, being black and white, as they are in their natural daily environment. This shot was also mirrored in the final production, we found it was vital to include this shot in the final production as well, because we wanted the audience to know exactly where Ahmed was, to justify the reason as to why he was detained in detention for so long after school. This also allows the viewer to make sense of what is happening in the scene, and allow them to understand the proxemics of the space, which can affect the mood too: e.g. if the space is small, a sense of desperation and confinement is introduced, however if the location is big, we get this idea of freedom, and chaos e.g. an establishing shot of a city, or school, or big building. We used the establishing shot in the final production as well.
By using this shot i have learned that it is crucial for the audience to understand where the character(s) is, as it therefore makes sense to them, so that they are not at any point confused about what is happening. The fact that we used a school environment showed a very normal location, where it is busy and chaotic during the day, however becomes eerie and silent after hours. I think the preliminary and final production contrast on those terms, which is why it was great to compare both with each other.

Closeup:
In the preliminary task, we wanted to explore the use of close-up shots, as we thought they would be vital to use in the final production, as they capture the subject's facial expression, to possibly heighten their mood, and present it to the viewer in a more dramatic way. It is also for the audience to observe eye-contact, and where their eyes are looking. In the preliminary, the actor's eyes are looking downward towards her newspaper, suggesting she is not interested in talking to the person opposite her. We wanted to include this in the final production, and the photo shows Ahmed's eye contact is with the area directly infront of him, he is looking straight on, to show his shock and curiosity as to why the tricycle is tilted and left abandoned. I learnt from executing close-up shots that the camera has to be extremely still, as even the slightest movement can distort the viewer. So when we did our preliminary, we practiced holding the camera still on the tripod, and zooming in, and allowing the camera to focus on the shot for 5 seconds before saying 'cut'. this allowed clear and easy execution in the final production filming stage.

 

Match on action:

Match on action is crucial for maintaining continuity in the sequence, as it allows the audience to see an action followed by a matching action of the previous action. This can be done in 2 or more shots. We used this in the preliminary to explore it. I was used whilst the actor was walking towards the door, and then opening the door to enter the room. This is a match on action because the actor wants to go to the door to open it and go inside the room. We also used this shot after exploring it in the preliminary, in our final production, in the same way. When Ahmed leaves the classroom, he puts his hand on the handle, and in the second picture he has opened the door, wanting to exit the room, as detention is over. This shot was so that the audience could clearly see Ahmed leaving, so that they are not confused when he travels into a new location within the setting.

Shot reverse shot:

We explored this in the preliminary task, to show an exchange of emotion between the two actors, in the first frame, the actor is explaining to the actor opposite her, why she has done something, in the next frame, the actor on the other side is not reacting, showing she is not interested. Lastly in the 3rd frame, the actor looks disappointed. This allows the viewer to see the reaction exchange between two subjects, who are facing opposite eachother, and this is normally used in conversation. We then applied this to our final production, where Ahmed is told he can leave, and the first frame shows the teacher looking directly at him, disappointed. The second frame shows Ahmed retaliating to the instruction, and leaving the classroom, and finally in the third shot, Mr Cole looks at Ahmed in disgust, once he has left the classroom. I learned that it is vital for the audience to see both subject's reactions in a conversation, as it conveys the mood of the character and atmosphere. By applying it to the final production, i feel as if we have shown our understanding of these shot types, and used them in our production effectively.

Evaluation Activity 6

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
For the production of our product, we were required to use and familiarize ourselves with a wide range of technology, to present our work at a high standard. I myself, am used to using similar types of technology in my everyday lifestyle i.e. for school work, however have not been exposed to some technology used for the production before. I found that doing so has made me more able and confident to use these programmes, and I have learnt a new skill I can apply to other aspects of my life.These programmes were vital for the completion of our coursework, as we had to display use of technology to a high standard, to improve the quality of our work.
Below are all the technologies utilized in order to complete our coursework:

 
Blogger:
Blogspot.com, is the site we had to use to create our personal and group blog accounts, where our work would be presented. We had to learn how to use the site, apply themes to the background to correspond with the genre of our film, add the logo, learn how to make posts, polls and label posts, and we also learned alot about blogs themselves, and how versatile they can be, and easy to present work rather than having to hand write everything. Furthermore, before doing media studies, I had never used blogger before, however I was aware of the purpose of a blog, which is why it was easier for me to adapt and learn how to use it. This software was the most crucial element to our coursework as it was the site which displayed and saves our work/posts for us, and we had to make sure we were maintaining the presentation of the blog to a high standard.

Preliminary task/production filming: 

 To film the production and preliminary task, we had the opportunity to use a professional camera, which was interesting because I have never used a camera like this before, and I have never used a tripod with my camera either, so it was interesting to see how films are actually shot, and seeing camera angles being created practically, rather than analyzing them off a page. I found that keeping the 180 degree rule intact was practiced whilst filming the preliminary, and we also applied it to the main production. During filming the actual opening sequence, the cameraman had to use a range of camera angles to ease the editing process, and get some good shots to make a good film. Using the camera for the preliminary task made it easier for us to film the main film, as we were already experienced with using it previously from the prelim.


  

YouTube:

 YouTube is a site I am familiar with, however I had never myself created an account, uploaded a video or annotated a video on it before. This was a new experience for me, using the website in such a way, uploading videos onto our channel, and annotating the final video for the evaluation section of our coursework. I have only ever searched for and viewed videos on the site, so exploring the website further has let me gain more insight into the website itself. Furthermore, We used YouTube to upload our videos, to self-distribute our video globally, as anyone anywhere is allowed to watch our video, thus allowing a larger audience to tune in and watch our opening sequence. We also thought using YouTube would be a good way to gain feedback, as you can 'like/dislike' the video, give it ratings, and leave comments, we thought this would be good for constant feedback, and to see how well our audience is receiving the product, and judging by how many views we get, we can determine how many people have watched the film.We also used YouTube so that we are able to embed the videos onto our blogs, using the html code provided by the site, to embed it in a post and post the video onto the blog, which would allow the video to be viewed with ease, as opposed to just posting the link.


Macbook & Mac desktop:

 I have never used apple software on a computer or laptop before, and was always reluctant to try myself as I am very used to the windows software, so this first seemed challenging for me. However, using it frequently helped me get used to the software, and I now know how to use it to a good standard, which has also allowed me to learn a lot from this experience. The laptop was used for documented work, blog maintenance, blog posts and other planning tasks, however the desktop was used to transfer the filming to the computer, and to then edit it, add sound, and upload onto YouTube. All of this was a new experience for me, as I have never had to edit, look for sound, or upload to YouTube before, so this was a learning curve for me.





Final Cut Pro & Sound Cut Pro:

 Final Cut Pro is a program used to edit footage, and is an apple software, I have never used such a program before, as i have never needed to edit any filming. I had gained some knowledge about how editing works during the preliminary task, which helped me to build this understanding when applying it to the actual video. I found the software very confusing, however using it and observing the editor helped me understand how films are pieced together, and how much work really does go into film making as a whole. The program also allowed us to burn dvd's which was helpful. Overall, our film would not look as effective if it was not edited, which is why editing is crucial towards the final outcome of the film.

Sound Cut Pro was used to look for audio sounds to add to the production whilst editing, on this software, you can search for sound clips, and download them for your film. I found this relatively easy to use, using my knowledge of final cut pro, and found searching for audio effects was not as difficult. Furthermore, the program allowed us to have easy access to sound effects, and had a huge range of them, giving us a variety to choose from, which was good, so that we could choose the correct sound. Without this program, it would have been difficult to transfer audio files to the editing software.

Soundcloud:

 Soundcloud helped us to transfer audio clips to the blog, as we were able to embed it, and enhanced the presentation of our blog as a whole. I have never used soundcloud before either, so it was interesting to see what the purpose of it is, and how it operates. It enabled us to post our diagetic and non-diagetic sounds onto our blog, to give previews of the sounds we intend to include in our final production. The software was quick and easy to use, and downloaded the files relatively fast, so the individual sounds can be heard on our blog clearly and efficiently.

Scribd:                                         
Scribd is a document converting publishing site, which allows you to upload and present microsoft word files neatly and professionally, which was good for our blog as we were able to use microsoft word, and still sustain good presentation for our work, as well as the ease of uploading the document onto the blog. This helped a lot for the completion of our coursework, as it was time-saving and the ease of use made uploading documents very easy, and also makes the document very easy to view.

Slideshare:

 Slideshare helped me to transfer my powerpoint presentations into a slideshow, that can be embedded. This was extremely helpful as I did not expect there to be a site which can carry out these things. I found it very simple to use, and easy to transfer and embed onto the blog. It helped me transform my meeting minutes presentation and still images slideshow into a more efficient viewing experience. I found the way in which the slideshow was presented on the blog was excellent and I was happy with using the software and the results.

Bubbl.us:

 Bubbl.us was used to transfer our brainstormed ideas onto a computerised format, which was both exceptionally simple and efficient to use, as it also allows you to embed it onto your blog. I found using it really helped enhance the presentation on my blog, as it is a creative website. It clearly shows a mindmap of our ideas, and is easy for someone to read and understand, and also view as it is easily embedded onto the blog. This helped us get our initial thoughts and ideas across for our production.

Evaluation Activity 5

Evaluation Activity 4

Jordan Hewitt- 16 years old

Likes to shop at: H&M, Forever21, Urban Outfitters, Topshop, Primark, New Look, Accessorise, JD, Office, Oasis, House of Fraser, Vintage clothing stores = Overall a trendy selection of stores that appeal to young people. Normally sell high fashion clothing, on trend and statement pieces, which every teenage girl wants to include in her wardrobe.

Carl Caperina- 16 years old:

Likes to shop at: JD, Zee & Co, house of fraser, office, vans etc. These are also very trendy stores which a lot of males tend to purchase their wardrobe, as they also sell high fashion clothing with big labels.

Both like to listen to: Coldplay, Rihanna, Linkin Park, Michael Bublé, Cher Lloyd, Ed Sheeran, Olly Murs, Ellie Goulding, Tinie Tempah, Beyoncé, Drake, J-Cole, Diana Vickers = All very current artists, with contemporary music such as pop, rock and hip hop, very well known bands and artists, mostly from television contests such as X factor- showing she has interest in current TV shows and keeps up to date with artists from the show.

Favourite TV Programmes: X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, MTV, Eastenders, Jersey Shore, The Only Way Is Essex, Made in Chelsea, Come Dine With Me, Friends, Family Guy, South Park, The Simpsons- All also very current and popular TV shows on television, mainly aired on mainstream channels that either cater to a mass audience e.g. ITV or a niche audience that targets younger people such as MTV, which targets the urban lifestyles of teenage kids interested in mainstream hip-hop, pop and rap music both international and national.

Why would someone like Jordan and Carl watch my film?

Someone like Jordan is likely to watch my film as she is fond of horror films, as teenagers are most likely to be engaged in gory, thrilling entertainment. Also, many males in our target population e.g. Carl tend to play video games of a supernatural nature, and also a violent nature e.g. Call of duty, Halo, Assassin’s Creed, which makes them more liable to want to watch a horror film like ours.

Furthermore, both people like to watch Horror films above all other genres, which is why our film would be something they would be interested in watching, they are trendy teens who watch similar tv programmes, linked to channels such as Sky Movies, Film4, MTV, and other mainstream channels which are likely to distribute and advertise our product.

Evaluation Activity 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?
What does a production company do?
A production company provides for the requirements in the realms of television, radio, video and film. It mainly handles budgeting, scripting, scheduling, supplies talent and resources, organization of staff, post production, distribution and marketing. Production companies can also work alongside another company is a co-production, which could mean finances and budgets are shared equally between the co-producers.
Someone who might run a production company could be a Director, producer, or even a production executive. A production company relies entirely on its talent to lead the production to a success, and therefore make a profit.

Our production company:

This is the name and logo for our production company

We decided to call it 'Spine Chiller Productions' as when we were conducting research, we used a thesaurus and looked up synonyms of both 'thriller' and 'horror' and we found a very catchy, but uncommon phrase, and thought it would be perfect for our production company name, as it is both unique and striking, and definitely represents our production company to be one that distributes films of a scary/horror genre nature. The logo was created by me, and I wanted the text itself to be very unique and connote to the horror genre, but also be very clear. I found the font on picnik.com and thought it was very unusual but the use of skulls, lightning and distorted writing really drew me towards it. Also, I decided to use contrasting colours, but also keeping it simple, so I opted to use black and white, as black and white both symbolise death or threat, and I didn't want to keep it very typical by including red (even though it connotes blood and the horror genre) as I wanted to create something original and unique.

Opening credits for our film:

In the beginning of the production, the opening credits are set out in a specific order, as from watching films previously, we wrote down the order of job titles for each film, and applied it to our own production. We also found that they go in order of importance, which is why they are set out this way. Each credit is in a clear, readable white text, which is the basic text any film would use, this does not draw the eye away from the scenes, however does make it clear and readable for the viewer to acknowledge the roles within the production. Each opening credit has about 3-4 second intervals between them, which allows them to be read efficiently in this time, and not have them on screen for too long. In the credits, the production company is named first, thereafter the director, cameraman and editor, and lastly the cast. We thought we would only name the main contributors rather than having a lot of credits, as we wanted to sustain simplicity.

What is a film distributor and who would distribute our film?
A film distributor is a company who is responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically (i.e. to cinemas) or for home viewing (DVD). The distributor will also be in charge of marketing the product, in the form of advertisements, merchandise, trailers, posters etc. If the film is a foreign film, the production company will also be in charge of dubbing the film or adding subtitles. The funding and money for our own film will come from a film company which specializes in horror/thriller films.

Who could potentially distribute our film?
The SAW franchise has been distributed by a company named 'Lionsgate', and is known for distributing films of a horror/thriller genre. The film would benefit being produced from a well-known distribution company, as it is made more aware of, and in the public eye; which will therefore attract a larger and broader audience. The company is known to release and distribute successful horror/thriller films, which will heighten the ratings of the film, and make it successful as well, as a well known company will be sharing it with the world, and it would be very prestigious to be linked to a company as big as Lionsgate.

This is the logo for Lionsgate entertainment

We wanted to conjoin with lionsgate, as the logo is similar to ours in terms of color scheme, because this logo uses basic colors such as black and white, which is similar to our production logo. The two companies combined will both suit each other and create a visual relationship between them.
Our target audience is for teenagers, over the age of 15, as the BBFC states the film would be suitable for no-one under the age of 15. Through research, we have discovered that teenagers like to watch gory horror/thriller films, especially psychological thrillers/horrors and even supernatural horrors such as Paranormal Activity. Therefore, if our film was to be distributed by lionsgate, we would be able to address our audience better, and have them more liable to watch our film as they would have heard of it, as the distribution company is so well known.

Evaluation Activity 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Below are two images of characters I am going to compare, one character is devised by me, for the production of the opening sequence, and one character has played an existing role in a previous horror film. For both characters, I will analyse their similarities and differences, and how they are presented, in terms of costume, appearance, and role played in the film.



This is 'Billy' from the well known SAW series

This is the little girl in T3WOH, who plays the role of the antagonist





Billy is Jigsaw's puppet in SAW (2004), and acts as an indicator for the torture/punishment about to be given to the culprit, Billy's role is to simply introduce the punishment, he usually appears on a screen. Billy symbolises danger and warning, which is similar to what the little girl in our own production also represents. However, a difference is that Billy is controlled and created by his master, Jigsaw, however in our film, the little girl is an independent antagonist, with no side-kick. similar to the girl in 'Insidious'.
Another similarity between both characters is that they are petite, which is ironic because they threat they prove to others is monstrous, and their makeup contrasts their size, which is a great tool to shock/scare the audience. Both characters ride a tricycle, this is initially where my inspiration came from, Billy himself, and the idea of utilising a tricycle. The tricycle in SAW is not given as much significance in SAW than it is in our film, as the title of our film hints upon the tricyle- 'The three wheels'.
Also, both characters are introduced in unusual ways, Billy is introduced as a puppet on a screen, anouncing the punishment, and usually says 'let the games begin'; however the little girl is introduced by myseriously sitting in the corner of a school corridor after hours, crying, to then reveal her ghastly face and hide. Billy does not have direct contact with the protagonist/victim, however the little girl in our production does. I did not want our character to play a indirect role, as this would not build up supense effectively enough, and not allow direct contact e.g. taking him and making him dissappear.
Both characters are also very clearly portrayed as the antagonist, as the audience has been able to correctly identify the protagonist and antagonist. Both characters look unapproachable, threatening, abstract and scary, however the victims in SAW and Ahmed in T3WH (the three wheels of horror) look fairly normal, and do not have ghost/clown like makeup, therefore making them normal, the under-dog and vulnerable to the antagonist.
A difference however, would be that Billy is a male puppet, and the little girl is a female supernatural being, they differ because Billy is controlled by Jigsaw and the little girl has her own motives and free will. Also, the tricycles used are different, as Billy (above) has a metal red/black tricycle which looks more authentic and suited to the torture dungeons in SAW, however the tricycle we used in our production is purposefully colourful and childish looking, to enhance the little girls age, and make her seem very small but very dangerous. We wanted to present her as being very young in age, this is similar to the little girl in 'Insidious', however this is the only way those two characters relate to eachother in terms of roleplay.
Billy is dressed in black, white and red, primary colours a director would opt to incorporate in costume for a Horror film, as these colours correspond with ideas of fear, danger and blood/death. Billy's costume differs to the little girl's costume, as she is dressed in purple girly pyjamas, to emphasise her age and gender, and contrast more with the strong face makeup.
Overall, both characters are quite similar in terms of appearance, however the roles that they play in their films are different, although they do successfully portray themselves as the antagonist, and look scary, threatening, and original.

Evaluation Activity 1

Evaluation Activity 1 (Jaspreet)