Thursday, 2 April 2015
Evaluation Q.6 What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Through the filming of our media product we used multiple technologies This includes different hardwares (Such as a camera, microphone or tripod), softwares (Such as Premiere Pro or Photoshop) or websites (Such as Youtube or Blogger) in the four stages of the media product: Research, Planning, Construction and Evaluation.
Software
Blogger
We used Blogger throughout the development of the media production, but mainly in the Research group. Practically all of the research that we did we documented on Blogger. We also used Blogger for the majority of the other groups, and even the posts that used other softwares were still put onto Blogger, making every single piece of work is on the Blogger site, making it the most used website in this production.
Google
Google was used primarily to research in the 'Research' group. Mainly the function of Google was to look up images to help liven up a blog. We did also use it in 'Planning' in the Location Sheet, where Google Maps was used to find the outside of the house we used to shoot the film.
YouTube
We used YouTube in our preparation, construction and evaluation mainly to upload footage to, or to look back at the footage. It was also useful for the screening, as the people watching could easily rewatch certain scenes that they enjoyed or were partially confused about. It also made the film easy to access, meaning that we could watch it multiple times at multiple different locations.
Adobe Premiere Pro Cs6
Adobe Premiere Pro Cs6 is the editing software that our group used to edit any film work that we did, including the Preliminary task, the Animatic and the finished Thriller Opening. The editing software was used in the Research, Construction, Planning and the Evaluation stages of the production of the opening.
Google Images
Google Images was used in the Construction stage to find the images used in our Ident, an ocean at night with the moon above.
FreeSFX
FreeSFX is a site that we used to add different sound effects and music to the scenes, all copyright free. The use of the website definitely improved the media product on the Preliminary task, as it created a more realistic and natural setting, as well as adding a layer of eeriness to the scene through merging creaking noises to the door opening.
Hardware
Tripod
The tripod is a piece of equipment that stabilises the camera while recording, minimising the amount of camera sway created mainly by human error. This makes the shots seem more professional, and adds to the level of immersion. We used a tripod for filming our finished Media product, making the overall quality of the film better.
Camera
The camera we used was for capturing the video used for the film, and while we could have used it for capturing the sound, we instead used an actual boom mic for a better sound quality. The camera in general is a decent quality for recording, and made the filming fairly easy to use and control.
Boom mic
The boom mic was used in order to improve the audio quality in the film, with a 'Dead Cat' over it to negate most strong wind sound. We used it in the final Media Product during the scenes showing Destiny talking in order to get the best possible quality in his speech.
Headphones
The headphones were used during the filming of the opening in order for the person in charge of sound to monitor the audio in better quality, and could easily tell us if there is any interference in the audio such as wind blocking dialogue or is a person is speaking in the background being picked up by the sensitive microphone.
Overall, we have gained a great understanding of the technologies that were used in the Thriller Opening, especially compared to the preliminary task. We managed to create a more professional looking film opening through gaining experience in most of the hardwares, and we managed to maximise the efficiency that the film took to create using different softwares and websites.
Software
Blogger
We used Blogger throughout the development of the media production, but mainly in the Research group. Practically all of the research that we did we documented on Blogger. We also used Blogger for the majority of the other groups, and even the posts that used other softwares were still put onto Blogger, making every single piece of work is on the Blogger site, making it the most used website in this production.
Google was used primarily to research in the 'Research' group. Mainly the function of Google was to look up images to help liven up a blog. We did also use it in 'Planning' in the Location Sheet, where Google Maps was used to find the outside of the house we used to shoot the film.
YouTube
We used YouTube in our preparation, construction and evaluation mainly to upload footage to, or to look back at the footage. It was also useful for the screening, as the people watching could easily rewatch certain scenes that they enjoyed or were partially confused about. It also made the film easy to access, meaning that we could watch it multiple times at multiple different locations.
Adobe Premiere Pro Cs6
Adobe Premiere Pro Cs6 is the editing software that our group used to edit any film work that we did, including the Preliminary task, the Animatic and the finished Thriller Opening. The editing software was used in the Research, Construction, Planning and the Evaluation stages of the production of the opening.
Google Images
Google Images was used in the Construction stage to find the images used in our Ident, an ocean at night with the moon above.
FreeSFX
FreeSFX is a site that we used to add different sound effects and music to the scenes, all copyright free. The use of the website definitely improved the media product on the Preliminary task, as it created a more realistic and natural setting, as well as adding a layer of eeriness to the scene through merging creaking noises to the door opening.
Hardware
Tripod
The tripod is a piece of equipment that stabilises the camera while recording, minimising the amount of camera sway created mainly by human error. This makes the shots seem more professional, and adds to the level of immersion. We used a tripod for filming our finished Media product, making the overall quality of the film better.
Camera
The camera we used was for capturing the video used for the film, and while we could have used it for capturing the sound, we instead used an actual boom mic for a better sound quality. The camera in general is a decent quality for recording, and made the filming fairly easy to use and control.
Boom mic
The boom mic was used in order to improve the audio quality in the film, with a 'Dead Cat' over it to negate most strong wind sound. We used it in the final Media Product during the scenes showing Destiny talking in order to get the best possible quality in his speech.
Headphones
The headphones were used during the filming of the opening in order for the person in charge of sound to monitor the audio in better quality, and could easily tell us if there is any interference in the audio such as wind blocking dialogue or is a person is speaking in the background being picked up by the sensitive microphone.
Overall, we have gained a great understanding of the technologies that were used in the Thriller Opening, especially compared to the preliminary task. We managed to create a more professional looking film opening through gaining experience in most of the hardwares, and we managed to maximise the efficiency that the film took to create using different softwares and websites.
Wednesday, 1 April 2015
Finished Film- Patience
This is our final thriller opening, Patience. The film is about one person, later discovered to be the antagonist, kidnapping another person, soon to become the protagonist.
Thriller titles
After the IDENT use a FADE IN. The titles should then be in the following order:
(1) 'Your Production Company' Presents
(2) A Film by 'One name - usually the director'
(3) Starring or With
(4) Male star
(5) Female star or other way round
(6) Title of film - or could be at the end
(7) Also starring - 2/3/names - each on separate title
(8) Then 3/4/5 of the following - you choose - each on separate title Editing Music Cinematography or Director of Photography Casting Set Designer Costume Designer Script
(9) Then Producer(s) - can be more than one
(10) Always finish with Director - one name, usually the same as A Film By ...
(11) Could put title here Remember to use LiveType and try to make titles interesting. They can be either over black or superimposed over your film. Space them out over the two minutes of the film.Give the audience plenty of time to read the titles.
(12) Finish with a fade out & fade music out
Se7en
The Se7en title sequence is rather unique in its style of showing the audience the cast and crew of the film.
In order, the appearances in the sequence goes:
- No Idents (this keeps the theme of the sequence)
- New Line Cinema Presents
- An Arnold Kopelson Production
- A Film By David Fincher
- Morgan Freeman
- Seven (also kept with the theme of the opening)
- Gwyneth Paltrow
- John Cassini, Reginald E.Cathey Peter Crombie
- Many shots for other people such as editing, sound and costume
- Produced By Arnold Kopelson & Phyllis Carlyle(these are only a few producers of many; These are the leaders)
- Directed By David Fincher
The opening shows a man who has not been introduced to us yet removing dead skin from his fingers with a razor. This obviously seems a weird thing for a man to do, keeping the sense of tension and confusion with the audience until we understand why he is doing this. A razor blade is a strange tool to use for this already strange act, and is used to add a sense of violence and danger to the scene.
Psycho
Psycho's opening scene is very effective in putting across its message for the film. This is due to the name of the film being linked to mental unbalance, and the use of the sliding and changing bars ti bring in names and taking away parts of the names at different times would suggest almost an incompleteness about the scene. Not only this, but the constant slight shaking of the names fits well with the films plot, as the shaking would imply an energy or unstable quality to the names, relating to the plot by making the main character constantly seem strange and uncomfortable in many scenes. Not only this, but the musical score to accompany the visual placements suggests an uneasy or rushing tone, once again corresponding with the plot of the film.
Screening
The screening took place at different times between showing my family at home and my friends at school or during my free time. A total of seven people were shown the opening, and after i asked for them to fill out a survey to collect their opinions.
Audience feedback
I showed the finished media product to a small number of people, including some family and some friends. Generally the feedback was positive, with people saying that it was a good opening, and that they would consider watching on. Some people however did say that it reminded them of the plot of 'Taken'. While this is not a great response, it still boosts confidence about the opinion of the film. One common criticism that the film received was at the last live shot of the film shows a piece of equipment in shot unintentionally placed. This wasn't noticed by me personally, making the feedback welcome and useful as a method of finding problems that small numbers of people may not see.
I also created a survey for people to take after they watched it, and as of writing this only three people in my class had answered it.
However, the overall results of our media product is reasonably positive according to the majority of the sample asked, meaning that while there were a few negative comments, they were constructive and enable us to improve on our work that we create in the future.
Tuesday, 31 March 2015
Patience- 1st Day of filming
On the first day of filming, our group got the majority of the filming done. All key scenes were shot, and we only had to go back one other time in order to reshoot scenes that were too dark and generally improve a few shots. The main issue here was that it became night, and that any shots that we did film were unusable.
However, our film does not directly relate to our storyboard as we did need to change a few elements in the film. For example, the reveal of the kidnap was changed to make it seem more violent and abusive of a kidnap instead of a mental/emotional torture.
I general however, we concluded that the first day was successful, and that the Thriller Opening would be finished on time.
Patience Editing 1
Our first day of editing was very successful, we managed to practically finish all of the editing off in the time period which we had allocated to it, although some of the clips we had actually recorded were not up to a standard that we would have hoped for, so we did have to go back and re-film those parts and then we did have to go back and edit those in again.
This is a screenshot of the finished video as it is now.
This is a screenshot of the timeline of the finished film in Premiere Pro and also shows us any edited fades, titles etc which we had implemented into the finished Media Product.
This is a screen shot of a single clip in the timeline and how we had to raise the volume on this sound clip in order to hear it over everything else.
This screenshot is of the edited sound which we had put in and shows us how we had to align the sound effect perfectly with the action in the film to make it seem realistic.
Designing/ Making Title Sequence
In our group Destiny was in charge of producing the title sequence during the editing stage, this means that he was the one which had to decide which order to put everything in and also had to decide who got what role in the title's.
After the ident this is the order which Destiny had decided to put everything in:
- A film by... (Director)
- Starring...(cast which feature in film)
- Music by...(Destiny and Jack)
- Editing by...(Destiny and Jack)
- Cinematography by...
- Set design... (Me)
- Make-up and costume design... (Me)
- Producer/producers...
- and lastly the Director...
In order to make the titles you have to do the following:
You can change the name of the title by clicking this, then changing [Title...] to what you want to call it.
Once you have clicked OK this window will appear where you can change the font, text size and the colours if you wish to, then once everything is correct just click the close button at the top right of the window and the title should appear in the bottom left box of the screen where the rest of the clips are located:
From the box shown you can just drag it into the timeline where you want it to be:
You can also add fades and other such transitions into the title in order to make it fit better into the film and not just suddenly appear out of nowhere which would just look bad anyway.
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Past student Thrillers
Hidden
The story line of hidden is basic, whereby a boy is walking his girlfriend home, when a murderer appears from the shadows and kills the boy outside of his girlfriends house. Unfortunately, the worst part about the film opening is the lighting used is far too dark to really see what is happening or for us to get a grip on the story. The choice and use of camera angles and transitions parallel with the lighting makes it hard for the audience to properly understand what is happening, a burden that the audience shouldn't have to carry on behalf of the film makers.
Powercut
This previous student Thriller opening has an easy to understand story on the surface, but without the use of dialogue to explain what is happening and some shots lasting too long enabling the audience to see camera shakes and human errors to filming. The film shows two characters, one teacher and one student, and while one person stays in a classroom to do work, the other leaves with a screwdriver, hacks into the school lights and comes back, with the ending scene being the two characters staring at each other. As previously mentioned, human errors while filming mixed with the transition effects by the bucket load make the film seem unprofessional and hard to get immersed in.
After Eight
While i'm not too sure on the story of 'After Eight', the actual acting and the use of mise-en-scene and dialogue makes it a successful opening. It is easy to keep you immersed due to the seemingly regular actions mixed with the strange shots of a bloodied axe. It is also to hold immersion, as there are not any transition effects and only parallel and diegetic sounds.
The Catalyst
'The Catalyst' is probably one of the better student openings to a thriller, as with a good use of mise-en-scene and action we can get a general overview of the story with next to no dialogue. It is easy to follow what is happening and at no point we are confused about the story apart from the end with the child, but that may have just been me. However, the only true problem with the film is hot animated the sniper scene is. While attempting to add motion to make it seem more realistic, the actual style and way that it is pulled off seems somewhat unrealistic.
The story line of hidden is basic, whereby a boy is walking his girlfriend home, when a murderer appears from the shadows and kills the boy outside of his girlfriends house. Unfortunately, the worst part about the film opening is the lighting used is far too dark to really see what is happening or for us to get a grip on the story. The choice and use of camera angles and transitions parallel with the lighting makes it hard for the audience to properly understand what is happening, a burden that the audience shouldn't have to carry on behalf of the film makers.
Powercut
This previous student Thriller opening has an easy to understand story on the surface, but without the use of dialogue to explain what is happening and some shots lasting too long enabling the audience to see camera shakes and human errors to filming. The film shows two characters, one teacher and one student, and while one person stays in a classroom to do work, the other leaves with a screwdriver, hacks into the school lights and comes back, with the ending scene being the two characters staring at each other. As previously mentioned, human errors while filming mixed with the transition effects by the bucket load make the film seem unprofessional and hard to get immersed in.
After Eight
While i'm not too sure on the story of 'After Eight', the actual acting and the use of mise-en-scene and dialogue makes it a successful opening. It is easy to keep you immersed due to the seemingly regular actions mixed with the strange shots of a bloodied axe. It is also to hold immersion, as there are not any transition effects and only parallel and diegetic sounds.
The Catalyst
'The Catalyst' is probably one of the better student openings to a thriller, as with a good use of mise-en-scene and action we can get a general overview of the story with next to no dialogue. It is easy to follow what is happening and at no point we are confused about the story apart from the end with the child, but that may have just been me. However, the only true problem with the film is hot animated the sniper scene is. While attempting to add motion to make it seem more realistic, the actual style and way that it is pulled off seems somewhat unrealistic.
Saturday, 28 March 2015
Patience 3rd Production meeting
The third production meeting was the meeting that we decided to reshoot certain parts of our Thriller Opening that we discovered weren't great. The problems were either it being to dark to film outside in certain parts, or the shots of Destiny speaking only being from one angle. Another shot that had to be redone was Azimul bargaining for Sam's safety, where in the first draft Azimul was not very convincingly sad. Luckily we were helping out another group with their Thriller, and we could use that time to film that one scene and make the sequence more convincing.
This meeting took place after the first draft was published, giving us the opportunity to realise our problems by the time the final draft was due.
This meeting took place after the first draft was published, giving us the opportunity to realise our problems by the time the final draft was due.
First Draft/Evaluation
As our first draft, we knew that there would be some aspects to it that would need changing and redoing. There are some shots that run for too long, and during Destiny's scene of talking to Azimul, we only used one shot the entire length of the conversation. There were also problems due to lighting, and from the short amount of time we were filming the light became dark, and what only is about two minutes of actual footage looks like it took the majority of the day.
Despite this, while only a first draft, out group is fairly happy with the result.
Styles of editing
Thrillers, such as 'Birdemic: Shock and Terror' generally have a certain pace and style of editing about them. While these styles and techniques are used by other genres, almost all thrillers contain these handful of techniques.
One technique that is used by thrillers is the pace of editing in certain shots. In action or important points of the story, the duration that a single shot will last on the screen will be considerably shorter than a shot during a phone call shot, for example. This technique is either to build tension and adrenaline with the audience, making action scenes appear far more frantic and movement based than if the shots were longer. On the other hand, longer shots are used at times where the protagonist is in no danger, or at calmer times of the story. This is to make the audience more secure and be lulled into safety, the same applies to the pace of the music in a shot.
When one shot moves to the next, it is called a transition. These transitions take multiple forms and can be used to represent different things.
The most common transition is a straight cut, whereby the shot abruptly ends and is replaced instantly with the next shot. This is the most common as it is the only shot that doesn't break immersion and keeps the audience focused on the film.
A second transition style that is used in film is a fade, whereby the screen gradually turns either all white or all black, generally to show falling unconscious or becoming conscious, or to give the audience the feeling of a long time passing.
Dissolves are shown when two separate shots are literally merged together, meaning that there is a time where the two shots are simultaneously on screen. This technique is used to show a connection between two places, people or objects, or to give the audience a clue as to what may happen later in in the film.
The wipe is not used regularly in modern film, as it breaks continuity and doesn't look particularly professional. The wipe is where one screen pushes another off screen, and will often symbolize the passage of time moving.
A Graphic Match is the technique whereby the film makers place two shots consecutively in order to create a smooth transition between them. This is done by placing certain objects in the frame of the first shot, then having something in the second shot with the same shape in the same location, and while everything else on the screen changes by the transition, that one object or persons figure stays the same.
Finally a Jump cut is done by filming something, then filming the same thing from a different angle, often showing the pass of time or to seem as though a chunk of the scene has been removed from the middle., and we see the beginning and the end of the shot.
One technique that is used by thrillers is the pace of editing in certain shots. In action or important points of the story, the duration that a single shot will last on the screen will be considerably shorter than a shot during a phone call shot, for example. This technique is either to build tension and adrenaline with the audience, making action scenes appear far more frantic and movement based than if the shots were longer. On the other hand, longer shots are used at times where the protagonist is in no danger, or at calmer times of the story. This is to make the audience more secure and be lulled into safety, the same applies to the pace of the music in a shot.
When one shot moves to the next, it is called a transition. These transitions take multiple forms and can be used to represent different things.
The most common transition is a straight cut, whereby the shot abruptly ends and is replaced instantly with the next shot. This is the most common as it is the only shot that doesn't break immersion and keeps the audience focused on the film.
A second transition style that is used in film is a fade, whereby the screen gradually turns either all white or all black, generally to show falling unconscious or becoming conscious, or to give the audience the feeling of a long time passing.
Dissolves are shown when two separate shots are literally merged together, meaning that there is a time where the two shots are simultaneously on screen. This technique is used to show a connection between two places, people or objects, or to give the audience a clue as to what may happen later in in the film.
The wipe is not used regularly in modern film, as it breaks continuity and doesn't look particularly professional. The wipe is where one screen pushes another off screen, and will often symbolize the passage of time moving.
A Graphic Match is the technique whereby the film makers place two shots consecutively in order to create a smooth transition between them. This is done by placing certain objects in the frame of the first shot, then having something in the second shot with the same shape in the same location, and while everything else on the screen changes by the transition, that one object or persons figure stays the same.
Finally a Jump cut is done by filming something, then filming the same thing from a different angle, often showing the pass of time or to seem as though a chunk of the scene has been removed from the middle., and we see the beginning and the end of the shot.
Shooting Schedule
Shooting Schedule
Day
|
Scene
|
Location
|
Equipment
|
Costumes
|
Props
|
Cast +Crew
|
1:
2:
3:
|
Opening scene with telephone conversation.
Scene walking down the path and shed.
Reshooting of the scene where walking down the path.
|
Sams house.
Sams house.
Sams house and garden path.
|
Camera, tripod, microphone.
Camera, Tripod, Microphone.
Camera, Tripod, Microphone. |
Destiny wearing generic clothing.
Destiny in the same clothing, Sam in "rags".
Destiny in same generic clothing.
|
Newspaper.
Sam taped up in the chair, Torch.
No props really.
|
Destiny and azimul.
Destiny and Sam.
Just Destiny. |
Treatment
Treatment
Group roles:
Cinematography: *James
Mise-en-scene: Destiny, Sam
Sound: *Azimul
Editing: Jack, Destiny
Title of movie:
Patience
Movie synopsis:
The films main plot is based on a kidnapping of a man who is being held ransom. The mans friend contacts the kidnapper in attempt to barter with the man, only to find out that the amount of money the friend has collected is not enough. After hanging up, the kidnapper consults the kidnapped man explaining his situation and leaves, where the title of the film appears and ends the opening.
Genres:
Thriller, Drama, Crime
* Both Azimul and James are not part of our group but helped us with it in exchange for our help with their media product.
How to film a Thriller
As a genre, a Thriller generally holds the same mix of shots, sounds and editing styles. This is especially shown well in this demonstration video on how to film a Thriller,
This example of a Thriller opening demonstrates most key elements that a typical thriller contains. The first shot that see shows a cross dissolve, making appear that he has walked a long distance without showing us the entire journey. When the protagonist enters the fort, parallel editing is used to show both the inside of the fort and the outside. This gives the impression of another being looking in or spying on the main character, creating a sense of danger and worry for the audience. Finally, when the music gains pace and the scene becomes more active, the shot lengths greatly decease, making the scene look more hectic and build excitement. However, when the music slows the length of the shot increases again, appearing that the danger or threat to the protagonist has disappeared.
The sound in the film is also a key element in making a thriller. First of all, the opening shots contain no added music, and only features natural diegetic birdsong and the general tones of nature. When the protagonist enters the fort, the sounds of nature fades, and we hear only the diegetic sounds of inside the fort, like dripping water and the mans footsteps. When the parallel editing comes in, we also hear a deeper, sinister music. This is parallel and non-diegetic, as the music amplifies the amount of potential danger in the scene. The character then becomes alarmed, and as he runs outside we hear his heavy breathing to show his worry. As he exits the fort, we hear the sinister music dissipate, and the return of the birdsong to the scene brings with it the sense of security and safety to the scene that we faced beginning of the opening.
Different shot types are also used in the opening to portray certain things to the audience, something that Thrillers, or most film genres in general, will attempt to tell the audience something without doing anything. The first shot that we see is a long shot of the man walking, with it working partly as an establishing shot so we can see the environment around him. We next see him in a tracking shot, displaying his movement and the idea that we are following him through his journey. As he enters the fort we look at him from an elevated view, or a high angle shot. This generally portrays weakness into the character the camera follows, yet here we do not get this association because no on else is in the scene to display dominance over him. We then see from his perspective from a POV shot, displaying the darkness and mystery that the character faces that we may not have noticed through any other shot. Later on in the scene we see a shot of the character through a gap in the wall of the fort. This was designed to appear as though someone is watching him, adding a sinister effect to the scene. We then see a close up of the protagonists face, displaying his sense of worry and to enhance the idea of danger in the scene. As he runs away, we see him running from in front of him from a shot called a Steadicam. This is designed to add movement freely without tracks to keep it steady, but the camera is weighted down to reduce shake while recording. When the man escapes, we introduced to the outside again, and the bright light and the nature shown indicates a level of safety.
This example of a Thriller opening demonstrates most key elements that a typical thriller contains. The first shot that see shows a cross dissolve, making appear that he has walked a long distance without showing us the entire journey. When the protagonist enters the fort, parallel editing is used to show both the inside of the fort and the outside. This gives the impression of another being looking in or spying on the main character, creating a sense of danger and worry for the audience. Finally, when the music gains pace and the scene becomes more active, the shot lengths greatly decease, making the scene look more hectic and build excitement. However, when the music slows the length of the shot increases again, appearing that the danger or threat to the protagonist has disappeared.
The sound in the film is also a key element in making a thriller. First of all, the opening shots contain no added music, and only features natural diegetic birdsong and the general tones of nature. When the protagonist enters the fort, the sounds of nature fades, and we hear only the diegetic sounds of inside the fort, like dripping water and the mans footsteps. When the parallel editing comes in, we also hear a deeper, sinister music. This is parallel and non-diegetic, as the music amplifies the amount of potential danger in the scene. The character then becomes alarmed, and as he runs outside we hear his heavy breathing to show his worry. As he exits the fort, we hear the sinister music dissipate, and the return of the birdsong to the scene brings with it the sense of security and safety to the scene that we faced beginning of the opening.
Different shot types are also used in the opening to portray certain things to the audience, something that Thrillers, or most film genres in general, will attempt to tell the audience something without doing anything. The first shot that we see is a long shot of the man walking, with it working partly as an establishing shot so we can see the environment around him. We next see him in a tracking shot, displaying his movement and the idea that we are following him through his journey. As he enters the fort we look at him from an elevated view, or a high angle shot. This generally portrays weakness into the character the camera follows, yet here we do not get this association because no on else is in the scene to display dominance over him. We then see from his perspective from a POV shot, displaying the darkness and mystery that the character faces that we may not have noticed through any other shot. Later on in the scene we see a shot of the character through a gap in the wall of the fort. This was designed to appear as though someone is watching him, adding a sinister effect to the scene. We then see a close up of the protagonists face, displaying his sense of worry and to enhance the idea of danger in the scene. As he runs away, we see him running from in front of him from a shot called a Steadicam. This is designed to add movement freely without tracks to keep it steady, but the camera is weighted down to reduce shake while recording. When the man escapes, we introduced to the outside again, and the bright light and the nature shown indicates a level of safety.
Friday, 27 March 2015
Introducing our group
Our group that will produce our media product includes Samuel Dell, Jack Broadbent and Destiny Ogbeide. Our group was chosen after breaking away from a larger group, and while the other two people that aren't in our group help in the production in our film, they will get no official credit in the film. While we also be helping with their film, we will also get no official credit in their film.
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Initial Ideas
Our group had a small handful of initial ideas about our media project. We initially had one main idea, and so there was no real way to vary our media project past that one.
Idea 1
The base story of this idea involves a regular scene where Destiny is reading a newspaper, when he gets a call. Upon answering, we hear Azimul bargaining with Destiny over the safety of a friend. When Destiny refuses the idea, he goes to his shed to reveal a kidnapped person, supposedly the 'friend' of Azimul. Destiny proceeds to tell the victim of the bargaining, then rips tape off of his mouth. The opening ends with the captured man (Sam) screaming for help as Destiny closes the shed door.
Costume
Dark hoodie (Destiny)
School Uniform (Azimul)
Vest and shorts (Sam)
Idea 1
The base story of this idea involves a regular scene where Destiny is reading a newspaper, when he gets a call. Upon answering, we hear Azimul bargaining with Destiny over the safety of a friend. When Destiny refuses the idea, he goes to his shed to reveal a kidnapped person, supposedly the 'friend' of Azimul. Destiny proceeds to tell the victim of the bargaining, then rips tape off of his mouth. The opening ends with the captured man (Sam) screaming for help as Destiny closes the shed door.
Costume
Dark hoodie (Destiny)
School Uniform (Azimul)
Vest and shorts (Sam)
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Unknown
The 2011 Modern Triller "Unknown" starring Liam Neeson has many aspects about it that makes it a typical Thriller, through the use and application of many Thriller Conventions by a number of theorists, and the use of four main film elements.
Unknown is one of the Liam Neeson Thriller that display the same base character facing a different story and a new beginning equilibrium. Other examples of this includes the 'Taken' franchise and 'Non-Stop'.
The films premise is based around a man and a woman going to a foreign country, and during their stay the man loses his memory, and as he only remembers a few key aspects, he learns that his 'wife' is in fact married to another man, and his reality seems to collapse around him. While this is a relatively obvious and easy to see through plot, the way that it is used and manipulated for the plot is effective.
One Media Theory that links to the film is Todorov's theory, that explains the five part 'Narrative Structure'. This theory explains the structure that is constantly used within the cinema, which is also found popular within the Thriller genre. This theory explains that there are five main sections within every film: Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition, Resolution and New Equilibrium. This particular structure does apply to Unknown, with each section of the theory being relevant to different key plot points in the film. Equilibrium applies to the beginning of the film, whereby we are introduced to the main characters in a seemingly normal yet promising scenario; a couple are visiting France on their honeymoon. This is followed by the Disruption, that is shown in the film by a car crash that makes our protagonist lose all of his memory, leaving the audience to discover the mans story along with himself, adding to immersion. The third section is the recognition with the disruption, which is displayed in the film by learning the main characters intensions for travelling to France, and how the audience and the main character have been led through one story, then suddenly thrown into another that explains most unanswered questions. Resolution within the film is shown by Liam Neeson's character taking a new moral stance in his amnesia-caused state of mind, and decides to undo the evil that he had caused before his moment of revelation.
Unknown is one of the Liam Neeson Thriller that display the same base character facing a different story and a new beginning equilibrium. Other examples of this includes the 'Taken' franchise and 'Non-Stop'.
The films premise is based around a man and a woman going to a foreign country, and during their stay the man loses his memory, and as he only remembers a few key aspects, he learns that his 'wife' is in fact married to another man, and his reality seems to collapse around him. While this is a relatively obvious and easy to see through plot, the way that it is used and manipulated for the plot is effective.
One Media Theory that links to the film is Todorov's theory, that explains the five part 'Narrative Structure'. This theory explains the structure that is constantly used within the cinema, which is also found popular within the Thriller genre. This theory explains that there are five main sections within every film: Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition, Resolution and New Equilibrium. This particular structure does apply to Unknown, with each section of the theory being relevant to different key plot points in the film. Equilibrium applies to the beginning of the film, whereby we are introduced to the main characters in a seemingly normal yet promising scenario; a couple are visiting France on their honeymoon. This is followed by the Disruption, that is shown in the film by a car crash that makes our protagonist lose all of his memory, leaving the audience to discover the mans story along with himself, adding to immersion. The third section is the recognition with the disruption, which is displayed in the film by learning the main characters intensions for travelling to France, and how the audience and the main character have been led through one story, then suddenly thrown into another that explains most unanswered questions. Resolution within the film is shown by Liam Neeson's character taking a new moral stance in his amnesia-caused state of mind, and decides to undo the evil that he had caused before his moment of revelation.
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Monday, 2 February 2015
Patience- Studio Ident
This is the studio ident for our Media Studies film. This was chosen due to inspiration both from inside of our group and outside. The name was chosen because of a group members name, Destiny. The background is of the moon reflecting off of the sea, and the background sound is of the oceans natural sound.
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Media- Media Theorists
In the world of Cinema, the 'Thriller' genre has become one of the most loved and iconic, and this is due to its relative uniqueness compared to other film genre, such as Horror or Sc-Fi. Due to its popularity, there has been multiple applicable narrative structures and theories that revolve around the Thriller genre. One of these theorists that created a theory applicable to Thrillers was Tzvetan Todorov, and his theory of the constant of narratie structure. His theory is that there is always a five-part guide line for the story that all Thrillers follow in order to make them conventional. These five steps are; Equilibrium, Disruptance, Recognition, Repair and New Equilibrium. The first Equilibrium stage shows a 'normal' scene, where the main plot of the story has not yet been established and so the main characters are living their lives as average as can be. Secondly is a disruption stage, which is often caused by the main villain(s) of the film, which somehow involves the main character. The third step is the stage where the main character realises the problem, and has not yet acted upon it. This is the fourth stage, whereby the main character(s) attempt to fix this probe land return to normal. This is the fifth stage of the 'New Equilibrium', where even though the plot has completely been revealed and the heroes are returned to normal living, the equilibrium will be different to the one featured at the beginning of the film. This narrative structure is very typical of most modern films, excluding horror films.
The second theorist is known as Vladamir Propp, and his theory involves different roles derived from folk tales. According to Propp, every conventional film has a set list of characters, and there are eight roles that are filed by different varying characters, and roles can overlap for one character. These eight roles include: The Hero, The Villain, The Donor(Provider), The Helper, The Father, The Dispatcher, The Princess and the False Hero. Each of these are fairly common among films, and can be unknowingly put into a certain category. An example is in the Hitchcock Thriller 'Rope', whereby the main two characters are technically murderers, and yet are put into the Hero and the Villain category simultaneously. This is because we automatically assume that the characters with the most screen time are the true heroes, which are still the two murderers. This also puts them into the 'False Hero' category, as by the end of the film we are left questioning why we were ever supporting two murderers, and secretly hoping that they'd get away with their crime.
The third theorist is called Levi-Strauss, and his theory of characters and themes having 'Binary Opposites' this theory explains that different recognisable aspects and parts in the film, no matter what they are, also have their opposites also in the film. This is how we can identify the good from evil, by looking at their exact differences. This can include their gender, race, religion, sexuality, personality or even their opposing views on a certain topic. In 'The Birds' however, these 'Binary Opposites' are taken to a new extreme: Human vs. Birds. While most other films concentrate on two aspects of different people to oppose each other, Hitchcock decided that the opposites to be present in this film was to be humanity against nature, and the basics of species conflicting with each other, something that rarely happens to humans when we decided to nominate ourselves to be at the top of the food chain and to be the overall Apex predator.
The Fourth theorist is Laura Mulvey, a feminist film critic who published 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' in 1975, and included in her work the idea of the 'Msle Gaze' and the 'Triple Gaze'. The idea behind the Male Gaze was that women in films are often sexualised more than men typically are, and are exaggerated in sexual aspects of the woman, including the female protagonist to wear little clothes and own above average sized breasts. This lead to Mulvey writing about the 'Male Gaze' in cinema. This means that all women are sexualised because the camera is always from a mans point of view, making women appear to be more like sex objects and men to be very epic and independent. This also leads to the 'Triple Gaze', which explains that the audience see three different male filters between the female character and themselves, and even female audience members are forced to look at the actress from a male perspective. The three filters are between the Female-Male, Male-Camera and -Camera-Audience. This means that whatever the male sees is later filed through much more sexualising, which is the reason why female protagonists are often beautiful and well gifted with their bust and physique.
Monday, 19 January 2015
Patience- Shot list
Shot List
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Scene
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Shot Number
|
Description
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Scene One
Scene Two
Scene Three
Scene Four
Scene Five
Scene Six
Scene Seven
Scene Eight
Scene Nine
Scene Ten
Scene Eleven Scene Twelve Scene Thirteen-Fourteen
Scene Fifteen
Scene Sixteen-Seventeen Scene Eighteen Scene Nineteen Scene Twenty Scene Twenty One Scene Twenty Two Scene Twenty Three Scene Twenty Four |
1
2 3 4 2 4 2 2 1 5 6 2 7 2 8 4 2 7 7 7 9 0 |
Long Shot of Destiny reading Newspaper
Close Up of phone ringing
Extreme Close up of Destiny answering phone
Medium shot of Sibling talking
Close Up of Siblings chin
Medium Shot of 'Random' door
Close Up of Destiny's face
Close Up of Destiny's Forehead
Long Shot of Sibling
Establishing Shot of Siblings house
Over the Shoulder of Destiny on phone Close up of Destiny looking up
Eyeline Match/POV of Destiny walking towards door
Close Up of Destiny turning door knob
Shot-Reverse-Shot of Destiny/Sam Medium Shot of Destiny/Sam Close Up of Sam's face POV of Destiny's view of Sam POV of Door closing(Sam's view) POV of Door closing(Destiny's view) Low Angle of Destiny Straight Cut to Black |
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