Tuesday 31 March 2009
Filming 31st March
The filming today was very successful, we managed to film all the shots needed on our shot list for improvements. All actors and members of the group needed were present, in correct clothing and with appropriate props. Having watched some footage back, we are fairly confident the quality is of a high standard, in particular the establishing shot which we had difficulty getting right. We also took more shots of sehb on the platform, reinforcing the narrative that he is on the opposite side to Andy. We also got shots of the train leaving, and more expressive reaction shots of Andy (close up showing emotions as specified). We hopefully now have enough footage of good quality to be used in our opening. The footage will be uploaded tomorrow and further editing will take place and will continue until all aspects of the piece are complete.
Update 31st march (titles/improvements)
Ryan has been working on the titles for our opening, a logo for our production company has been developed ('worthwhile productions') using photoshop. We have opted for a brush script font and a quill placed next to it as if it were writing it. We have also developed 'New Focus Cinema' logo as well (magnifying glass focusing on name of cinema). We feel this will make our thriller opening appear more realistic, as it follows the codes an conventions of typical thrillers and films in general as they tend to open with the name of the production company etc. A shot list has also been drafted for the improvements/ shots that need to be re-filmed. We have also gone through how to make the ending more effective (choices of shot-POV?), we also need to improve the pace of the editing and create more of a build up. Various shots of andy running down the street have been cut and shorter clips added. The order has been re-arranged and we have decided to film a POV shot of andy as he arrives on the platform and see's sehb stepping on the train. This would make the thiller opening more engaging, create a sense of pace a better narrative rather than the bland shots of continuous running we had before.
Monday 30 March 2009
Evaluation-Initial ideas/notes
Assessment 5: Evaluation/questions to consider
In the evaluation the following questions must be answered:
• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our thriller mainly follows typical codes and conventions of the genre however the music we have used could subvert the usual music used in thriller as it isn't typical tense music. We feel it does however fit with the film, as the lyrics fit with what is happening on screen and the beat also connotes running and fits with the piece.
• How does your media product represent particular social groups?
our opening mainly represents older males, probably of middle class as they are agents working for the government. They are in some ways stereotypical as the audience would identify a suspitious character as wearing smart business clothing, perhaps dark glasses. the mise en scene we have used for our actors is very similar to this to establish them as government agents and very typical clothing for a thriller.
• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Institutions such as Warner Brothers or Twentieth Centuary Fox.
• Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our media product would is aimed at a younger audience 15 up to late 20's/early thirties however it could potentially be watched by anyone over the age of 15 as it has a very broad theme (spy thriller) something many ages would be able to engage with.
• How did you attract/address your audience?
Typical codes and conventions for thrillers, things that audiences would recognise such as dramatic, tension building music, colour scheme-reds, blacks which connote danger or evil and style of editing and film over all. Thrillers being tense films, certain areas would be jumpy and fast paced, engages the audience and appeals to those who like on the edge of the seat tension. We also used questionnaires to gather data on what our target audience expect in a thriller, what endings they prefer etc.
•What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
A lot of the media product has been produced using programs that we were not familiar with. 'Premier pro' for example was the main program we used to edit our footage and from developing our opening with music, editing and sound we have learnt how to use this efficiently and effectively in order to achieve the conventions used in thrillers. Our camera work and use of equipment such as tripods has also developed as part of the assessment criteria is to operate the camera correctly and achieve quality, steady filming whereby shots are framed correctly. This is a skill essential to the production of the thriller and something we have learnt over time whilst creating our thriller.
• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel i have made significant progress since filming the preliminary task. At that stage i was not completely confident using a camera and could not achieve a completely steady shot. Since filming footage over a period of time for the opening my skills with the camera have developed, as well as editing using premier pro. Although this is the area i struggled most with i still have a better knowledge of how to edit footage effectively, add sound (non diegetic/diegetic) and create titles. The initial process of drafting a story board and shot list and developing an animatic has also helped me greatly to better understand what a thriller is, and what techniques are the most effective and therefor are used by directors today. Watching thriller opening such as 'Sin City' and 'Casino Royal' have also developed this knowledge further as it enabled me to see the sort of work i should be producing and how all aspects of a film such as mise en scene, sound, editing, camera are all used to appeal to the target audience and create a compelling thriller. My understanding of the audience has developed also, i now know how to appeal to them through the research i did for my thriller and asking them what they look for in a thriller. This helped a great deal in the production of our thriller and choosing a storyline as we knew what would engage the audience and what aspects where expected in this genre.
In the evaluation the following questions must be answered:
• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our thriller mainly follows typical codes and conventions of the genre however the music we have used could subvert the usual music used in thriller as it isn't typical tense music. We feel it does however fit with the film, as the lyrics fit with what is happening on screen and the beat also connotes running and fits with the piece.
• How does your media product represent particular social groups?
our opening mainly represents older males, probably of middle class as they are agents working for the government. They are in some ways stereotypical as the audience would identify a suspitious character as wearing smart business clothing, perhaps dark glasses. the mise en scene we have used for our actors is very similar to this to establish them as government agents and very typical clothing for a thriller.
• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Institutions such as Warner Brothers or Twentieth Centuary Fox.
• Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our media product would is aimed at a younger audience 15 up to late 20's/early thirties however it could potentially be watched by anyone over the age of 15 as it has a very broad theme (spy thriller) something many ages would be able to engage with.
• How did you attract/address your audience?
Typical codes and conventions for thrillers, things that audiences would recognise such as dramatic, tension building music, colour scheme-reds, blacks which connote danger or evil and style of editing and film over all. Thrillers being tense films, certain areas would be jumpy and fast paced, engages the audience and appeals to those who like on the edge of the seat tension. We also used questionnaires to gather data on what our target audience expect in a thriller, what endings they prefer etc.
•What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
A lot of the media product has been produced using programs that we were not familiar with. 'Premier pro' for example was the main program we used to edit our footage and from developing our opening with music, editing and sound we have learnt how to use this efficiently and effectively in order to achieve the conventions used in thrillers. Our camera work and use of equipment such as tripods has also developed as part of the assessment criteria is to operate the camera correctly and achieve quality, steady filming whereby shots are framed correctly. This is a skill essential to the production of the thriller and something we have learnt over time whilst creating our thriller.
• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel i have made significant progress since filming the preliminary task. At that stage i was not completely confident using a camera and could not achieve a completely steady shot. Since filming footage over a period of time for the opening my skills with the camera have developed, as well as editing using premier pro. Although this is the area i struggled most with i still have a better knowledge of how to edit footage effectively, add sound (non diegetic/diegetic) and create titles. The initial process of drafting a story board and shot list and developing an animatic has also helped me greatly to better understand what a thriller is, and what techniques are the most effective and therefor are used by directors today. Watching thriller opening such as 'Sin City' and 'Casino Royal' have also developed this knowledge further as it enabled me to see the sort of work i should be producing and how all aspects of a film such as mise en scene, sound, editing, camera are all used to appeal to the target audience and create a compelling thriller. My understanding of the audience has developed also, i now know how to appeal to them through the research i did for my thriller and asking them what they look for in a thriller. This helped a great deal in the production of our thriller and choosing a storyline as we knew what would engage the audience and what aspects where expected in this genre.
Thursday 26 March 2009
Update-26th march
We have exactly one week before our final piece is due in and we still need to re-shoot some areas of our opening.
SCHEDULED FILMING:
SUNDAY 29TH MARCH
TUESDAY 31ST MARCH
We have also compiled a mini shot list of additional footage needed and shots we feel need to be re-shot (establishing shot!!) Its isn't a huge amount of filming, more adjustments but we will need to be very precise and efficient with our filming if it is to be edited in time to meet the deadline. Editing will completed Wednesday and Thursday of next week. The director will work on the credits tomorrow morning to insure as much is done as possible before Wednesday as we Will need to focus on getting the editing of the footage as perfect as we can.
It has also been brought to our attention that the music we have used in our opening doesn't comply with the usual codes and conventions of typical thrillers. We have looked closely at the work of M.Night Shyamalan who directed thrillers such as 'The sixth sense' and 'The village'. The openings to his films feature long title sequences that are very simplistic (white font,black background) and dark with atmospheric music creating tension and pace before the opening scene. Breaking the usual conventions of filming, he holds his opening shot for very long periods of time without cutting-perhaps something we should consider in our establishing shot.
However, I still feel 'Sinnerman'effective for our piece, and could subvert the usual techniques used. The inspiration for our thirler is based on the film 'The Thomas Crown Affair'. The following scene shows the 'final heist'- a scene using the music we think fits with the narrative of our thriller and perhaps the best musical choice to get us the best grade.
SCHEDULED FILMING:
SUNDAY 29TH MARCH
TUESDAY 31ST MARCH
We have also compiled a mini shot list of additional footage needed and shots we feel need to be re-shot (establishing shot!!) Its isn't a huge amount of filming, more adjustments but we will need to be very precise and efficient with our filming if it is to be edited in time to meet the deadline. Editing will completed Wednesday and Thursday of next week. The director will work on the credits tomorrow morning to insure as much is done as possible before Wednesday as we Will need to focus on getting the editing of the footage as perfect as we can.
It has also been brought to our attention that the music we have used in our opening doesn't comply with the usual codes and conventions of typical thrillers. We have looked closely at the work of M.Night Shyamalan who directed thrillers such as 'The sixth sense' and 'The village'. The openings to his films feature long title sequences that are very simplistic (white font,black background) and dark with atmospheric music creating tension and pace before the opening scene. Breaking the usual conventions of filming, he holds his opening shot for very long periods of time without cutting-perhaps something we should consider in our establishing shot.
However, I still feel 'Sinnerman'effective for our piece, and could subvert the usual techniques used. The inspiration for our thirler is based on the film 'The Thomas Crown Affair'. The following scene shows the 'final heist'- a scene using the music we think fits with the narrative of our thriller and perhaps the best musical choice to get us the best grade.
Filming 11th March
This shoot was to fill in gaps we have in our narrative and to address the points for improvement we had been given. The filming focused on Andy's character and was shot on location at Gerrard's Cross station, as there were issues with his character and the narrative that meant more filming with him was needed. We shot some good reaction shots where he realises sehbs character has fooled him and more showing him chasing sehb, hopefully improving jumpy editing. Andy worked very well, took Ryans direction and advice and was also in appropriate dress. Having watched some of the footage back, i am pleased with the quality and most if not all of the shots will be used in the final piece.
Thriller opening animatic-revisited
The animatic we produced was completed late but i feel we did fairly well. I would have preferred to use photographs rather than sketches as this is more effective in creating a sense of narrative that is easy to follow. We also had issues with conflicting ideas about what the storyline should be about and lack of communication made it difficult to complete this task to a high standard but the issues were solved and we are happy with our animatic as a whole.
After showing the animatic to our class/teacher there are some improvements to consider...
1. We missed the 'Directed By' text in the opening.
2. An 'Establishing Shot' needs to be included.
3. Edit the dialogue to not give too mush away too soon.
4. Include an 'Establishing Shot' of the train leaving at the end of the opening.
5. More diagetic sound in the animatic e.g. footsteps.
Furthermore, we drafted a shooting schedule so we know when and where we are filming certain shots however most of our filming is outside on location in Gerrads Cross which means weather will be an issue. We will need to check weather updates regularly and re-schedule certain shoots if need be.
After showing the animatic to our class/teacher there are some improvements to consider...
1. We missed the 'Directed By' text in the opening.
2. An 'Establishing Shot' needs to be included.
3. Edit the dialogue to not give too mush away too soon.
4. Include an 'Establishing Shot' of the train leaving at the end of the opening.
5. More diagetic sound in the animatic e.g. footsteps.
Furthermore, we drafted a shooting schedule so we know when and where we are filming certain shots however most of our filming is outside on location in Gerrads Cross which means weather will be an issue. We will need to check weather updates regularly and re-schedule certain shoots if need be.
Rough cut feedback
We have watched each groups thriller opening and have given and received feedback on where improvements can be made and the overall effectiveness of our pieces. Our teacher also went through what needs to be done to improve our grade.
We ranked each thriller from best to worst, this is my view...
1)Next-Amber,Emily,Sehb
2)Reflections-Andy,Georgia,Charlie,Jade
3)Disturbance-Amber,Gemma,Jamie
4)Tracker
It was the general view of the class that Tracker was bottom, however i fully expected that. Despite this, watching the work back in its entirety made me see the positives. I feel its opens strongly and am please with the first 30-60 seconds, it is the latter half which needs improvement. It is clear from watching the other openings that the standard of work is very high, as a group we will need to pull together to get the best grade possible but i am confident we can improve on our opening vastly before the final deadline.
FEEDBACK:
Grade: D
Mark: 30
Level: 2
Improvements,
1. The titles are too big- they need to be more subtle.
2. An establishing shot is needed, with the cafe in view, a slow pan would also help to build tension.
3. Get rid of the mid shot/close up of sehb, instead just get the brief case and torso in shot.
4. Hold the shot of sehb sitting down- tension.
5. Slow the pace down.
6. Do not cut before the character leaves the screen- hold the shot.
7. Cut straight into Andy at the fence watching Sehb escape- editing.
8. More emotional reactions.
9. Instead of loads use just one good shot of Andy running off screen- cut to Sehb walking through the entrance of the train station.
10. Finish with Sehb on the train, get a shot of Andys reaction, last shot will be the train pulling away.
Overall i think the shots of sehb and andy running need to be cut down dramatically. This is due to the fact that often the narrative is hard to follow which also highlights issues with editing. We need to be more thorough with our editing in order to create pace, tension and a sense of narrative. We are quite confident in the quality of the first minute, but like alot of groups that quality needs to be maintained throughout the opening.
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Update-Improvements to be made (3rd march)
Having been through our work we need to consider the following in order to improve...
A longer establishing shot of the surroundings, this will also establish a tone and pace to the piece. The is also an issue with the narrative. Certain shots are needed to add pace and narrative, therefore making the piece flow.
Andy, looking at phone...
sound effects-we have added more diagetic sound as well as the backing track but we need to decide weather sehb will speak or not because we need to hear what he is saying. A sound of a text message being received is also needed. There needs to be more time spent on introducing Andy's character-sehb dominates. The issue of time passing needs to be depicted better as this increases the realism and verisimilitude of the piece.
The editing is also to jumpy, to establish dual narrative we need to introduce andy in his environment and perhaps consider making the two characters associates and perhaps exchange a briefcase. This could add emphasis on the secretive tone to the undercover operation.
FILMING SCHEDULED: WEDNESDAY 4TH MARCH
Titles-consider making them tie in with the tone of the film more. The simplicity of them is very effective but we should consider how we will integrate them into the opening effectively and still maintain narrative and pace. 'Tracker' could make the film title a different font-emphasis
_____________________________________
FILMING 4TH MARCH
Filming on this day was a success. The director being present helped us to complete work quicker and i feel to a better quality- we now have a better understanding of what shots we need. The actors worked well, taking direction well and complying with the dress code we set for them (suits-business dress) in order to create an effective use of mise-en-scene for our film. Sehb also brought an important prop- the briefcase which was essential to filming.
5th march-Charlotte uploaded footage and began editing
A longer establishing shot of the surroundings, this will also establish a tone and pace to the piece. The is also an issue with the narrative. Certain shots are needed to add pace and narrative, therefore making the piece flow.
Andy, looking at phone...
sound effects-we have added more diagetic sound as well as the backing track but we need to decide weather sehb will speak or not because we need to hear what he is saying. A sound of a text message being received is also needed. There needs to be more time spent on introducing Andy's character-sehb dominates. The issue of time passing needs to be depicted better as this increases the realism and verisimilitude of the piece.
The editing is also to jumpy, to establish dual narrative we need to introduce andy in his environment and perhaps consider making the two characters associates and perhaps exchange a briefcase. This could add emphasis on the secretive tone to the undercover operation.
FILMING SCHEDULED: WEDNESDAY 4TH MARCH
Titles-consider making them tie in with the tone of the film more. The simplicity of them is very effective but we should consider how we will integrate them into the opening effectively and still maintain narrative and pace. 'Tracker' could make the film title a different font-emphasis
_____________________________________
FILMING 4TH MARCH
Filming on this day was a success. The director being present helped us to complete work quicker and i feel to a better quality- we now have a better understanding of what shots we need. The actors worked well, taking direction well and complying with the dress code we set for them (suits-business dress) in order to create an effective use of mise-en-scene for our film. Sehb also brought an important prop- the briefcase which was essential to filming.
5th march-Charlotte uploaded footage and began editing
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