Filming went well. We ran into very little issues, only lighting issues and the camera battery dying - which was easily fixed. The filming process was very swift (overall, filming took 6 hours over the two evenings), mainly due to sufficient planning, such as scripting and having this shooting schedule.
Although, it could have gone better due to Katie being absent in the first filming day (25/11/16) due to a last minute inconvenience, therefore we had less help which prolonged the filming. Additionally, as it was our first time filming to a professional standard, it took us some time to figure out how to make the camera work as good as possible (lighting, settings, lens, zoom, panning, shots).
The following costumes will be used in our film opening to portray the different characters realistically and make it clear to the audience what type of person they are:
- Denim shorts
- Plaid shirt
- Cropped top
- Adidas Superstars
- Dressing gown
- House Slippers
The image attatched is our shooting schedule, showing all of the days we are busy and when we are free to film for our film opening. We will stick to the schedule as well as creating an iMessage group chat to arrange any other filming dates and last minute arrangements and talk about the film opening process in general.
'Night time Productions' is the institution company which we shall be using to distribute our film opening 'Untamed'.
We created this production as a group and will be shown before the opening to the film.
This is our emaze presentation we pitched to the class. Feedback we received For our film pitch we got many mixed reviews in the different categories. For the category 'clear genre, themes and messages?' we got 6 positive reviews and 1 negative. The majority of the statements said that the film had a clear narrative and was vey relatable to the target audience but the one negative comment stated that there is not much enigma to the story line. The next category was 'interesting characters?' which we received 10 positive comments saying 'interesting and can relate to reality' and main character had an interesting back story and 3 negative comments stating 'not original and traditional characters' which means that the film opening could be seen as predictable to the audience. For the third category, 'is the target audience suitable' all 13 pieces of feedback were positive saying things such as 'the target audience is perfect for this film' and 'will relate to the target audience because it relates to teens. Overall, our film pitch received mainly positive feedback with a view negative comments. I believe that this is mainly down to the relatable narrative and characters.
Aubrey is walking home from a party where the girl who she
likes (Riley) just was. She seems absent minded due to being drunk still from
the previous events but with a slight smile as she is reminiscing the enjoyable
night she just experienced. Aubrey is seen stumbling and kicking puddles
distractedly.
(Aubrey arrives home and drunkenly stumbles into the house)
Mum: Where have you been?
Aubrey: (drunkenly puts her hand over her head and sways
whilst she speaks. Speaks slowly and stammers slightly. Says aggressively) I
told you were I was. You know I had a party.
Mum: (speaks with an overall disappointed tone) I told you
11 at the latest. It’s 2am for goodness sake, what were you even doing?! (long
silence, begins to speak slowly and sternly) You were with that Riley girl
again, weren’t you?
Aubrey: who cares who I was with
Mum: I know whatever this is, is not just friends and I do
not in the slightest approve of it. You are a child of God
Aubrey (Looks straight at mum, begins to answer but then
gets cut off) it’s not what you think… and even if it was like that, I don’t
see what’s wrong with it.
Mum: (tears in her eyes, straight face and stern voice) I’m
sick of looking at you. Get out of my sight now.
(Aubrey storms up to her room. A short clip is shown of her
packing her bag and slamming the front door.)
(Aubrey runs towards a field,
wiping tears from her eyes)
(Upon arrival at the field, she
slumps down to the floor and puts her head in her hands for 5 seconds. She then
looks around in a distressed manner; she spots Riley walking towards her from
the distance- long shot)
(Riley caringly approaches Aubrey,
sits down next to her and grabs her hand – emphasis on this moment -)
Riley: (quiet and lovingly) I
heard you slam the door.
Aubrey: (wipes tears from her
face) Its nothing. My mum just doesn’t understand
(Riley lights a cigarette and has
a puff, then passes the cigarette to Aubrey)
Riley: I understand, my dad doesn’t
approve either
(long silence and stare longingly
at eachother, background music builds up and gets louder, then stops all at
once. Black screen with title shows (untamed))
Film Title: CONNECT FOUR high band 3, 47 marks. It was original and the titles were unique and were clear and with high clarity. There was controlled camera work shown and good editing - creating a well finished piece. The setting and characters fitted nicely into the theme.
Film title: DOUBLED middle band 3, 42 marks The story line was good, but not the most original, quite generic. The sound track fitted with the genre and theme well. The camera work was slightly shaky but overall well done.
Level 1 0–23 marks The work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the creative use of any relevant technical skills such as: • Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set; • shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.
Level 2 24–35 marks There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical skills: • Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set; • shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.
Level 3 36–47 marks There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills: • Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set; • shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.
Level 4 48–60 marksThere is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills: • material appropriate for the target audience and task; • using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions; • using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set; • shooting material appropriate to the task set;including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene; • using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.
In today's lesson, we learnt about the 5 theories of narrative: Barthes, Aristotle, Propp, Todorov and Srauss.
Barthes suggested the text may be "open" which means unravelled in a lot of different ways, or "closed" (there is only one obvious event ) he decided there were 5 main codes in a media text and every one will have one or more of his 5 codes.
Barthes codes:
enigma (hermeneutic) code - what is happening/what will happen next, when clues are dropped but there are no clear answers, makes the audience want to know more, unanswered enigmas frustrate the audience
action (proaireti) code - sequential themese of action, add suspense
semantic code - parts within a text that suggest or refer to other meanings, elements of semantic code are called semes, these have a connotative use and add additional menaings to a liteal meaning.
symblic code - uses oposites to create contrast, create gender meaning, tension and character development.
referential code - a part of text that refers to an external knowledge such as a historical, scientific or cultural idea.
The idea we went with was a basketball film where it was girls vs boys.
Production diary
11/10/16 We got given are genre and came up with are idea and started to think of the plot and characters. 12/10/16 We wrote the storyboard and started to add camera angles to the plot we also came up with the characters. 13/10/16 We finished the storyboard and started to write the script and wrote the shooting schedule. 17/10/16 Started to film. 18/10/16 Carried on filming. 19/10/16 Finished filming and started to edit. 20/10/16 Carried on editing. 21/10/16 Finished the editing and filmed a shot we could not find. We also updated the shooting schedule.
Shooting Schedule
Storyboard
The script
Shot 3
Holly: Can we play basketball with you.
Jordan: No you can’t play because your girls.
Anneka: I bet you £20 that we can bet you.
Jordan: Your on I could do with the extra money.
Anneka and Jordan shake hands. Shot 4
Anneka: Do you want to come and beat the boys at basketball ?
Katie: Sure, When?
Holly: Now.
Charlotte: Ok , Lets go and get those boys. Shot 9
Anneka: You own us £20.
Jordan: I can’t believe you won.
Holly: And you said that girls can’t play.
Girls laugh and high five. The boys act in defeat.
Cast
Girls: Holly Anneka Charlotte Katie
Boys: Jordan Harry Adam Sam
Costume: Sports wear
Music:Here come the girls
Finished Film
Evaluation:
Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
My group consisted of Holly Connell, Charlotte Revell and Jordan Carter. I feel that we did work well together as a group and all played equal parts towards the finished project. We additionally did make a group chat on our phones to plan ahead for the upcoming lessons so that we would know exactly what to bring and when to bring it. This made the creation process smooth and a lot less stressful. How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use?
We planned our sequence using the storyboard provided. We chose the shots that we believed were the best and that would showcase our ideas in the best light.
What theorists do you think you could apply to your task?
Our film had a beginning (the boys playing and being confident that they would win), a middle (the girls gathering their team then the actual game against the boys), and an end (the girls winning and the boys admitting that "girls can play" - the girls' success) to it - which is the Aristole Theory.
What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
In the planning stage, we obviously had to take into account that we would have to book the area of the school that we wanted when we wanted it so that we could film without ant disruptions. Also, we had to know when everyone was free to film so that we could choose the most suitable time to film. Additionally, one person in my group was on a school trip during filming week which meant we had to take that into account whilst planning. As we filmed outdoors, we had to try to film whilst the wind was as still as possible. Whilst editing, we realised the wind was still loud so we had to try and balance the noise.
How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well and with hindsight what would you improve/do differently?
All members of our group were pleased with final product, but it could have been improved. We could have filmed the video and the audio separately due to the wind being too loud over the characters dialogue. We could have also made the story line slightly more gripping and interesting. With hindsight we should have watched our clips once we filmed them when we still had filming time so we could have seen if we wanted to re film any whilst we still had time.
What did others say about your production?
Others said that are production was good however the audio could have been better as it was hard to make out what the characters were saying. Also that some of the shots could have been improved as they all looked quite similar. One of the shots that some said that could have been better was the tracking shot. However most people liked the 'here come the girls' scene due to it being funny however to improve it we could have made it slightly longer as it was short but the most liked scene in the film.
What have you learnt from completing this task?
I learnt group working skills and I improved my editing skills as well. I learnt to take into consideration everyone in the group's feelings about the work and what they were and were not comfortable with. With editing, I learnt how to edit as a group instead of by myself (like the Juno production).
Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing your final film opening?
It will be significant to my final film opening because of the skills I have learnt from this will create a better overall finished product, due to mostly learning from my mistakes.
The filming went smoothly, with only two shots which needed to be re-done, which was not time consuming, nor complicated at all. My group did not experience any technical difficulties with the technology involved (camera and microphone). Additionally, we managed to complete the filming within less than one lesson (our lessons are one hour) which made the process more convenient as my group could all move onto the editing stage faster than we had anticipated.
Was the storyboard accurate?
Our storyboard was accurate as we used it as a template whilst filming to followed the timings and descriptions for each shot. It was additionally helpful in the way which we used it to add notes on anything else appropriate to the project, such as the bottle being in the left/ right hand.
Strengths and weaknesses in the group
A major strength which appeared in the group was the ableness of working as a team. We all assigned ourselves one job each (Juno, camera-man, director) and were able to stick to our specific titles well, as well as co-operating and helping each other with their roles. Another strength which stemmed from this was working at a fast pace and being efficient with the time provided as a group.
One weakness which could be interpreted was perhaps how we rushed the filming process and did not take our time or be more careful with it. A second weakness was that we lacked attention to detail, we did not have the part of the 'runners' who were supposed to run past Juno at the beginning. This could have made our final video seem messy or unfinished.
Did you get all the footage you needed?
We did manage to get all of the footage which we needed and was required. We managed to do this because we made sure to constantly compare our footage to the actual model Juno video. This allowed us to easily reach and attain that goal.
Technical skills learnt
As I did not film, the technical skills that I learnt were all on Adobe Premiere. I learnt how to edit footage by using cut to make the timings as accurate as possible, adding an external video onto our original footage, adding the music over the top, and to change the speed and colour of the footage.
How does it compare to the original?
Our footage matches the timings of the original well. Although, I found it difficult to match the cartoon effect of the original Juno clip, therefore it is not a complete match.
What went well - What I learnt - What I will take with me to the next production
Our group worked overwhelmingly well together, we were all accepting and open to eachother's ideas which was what went most well. I learnt how to do new and different effects, technical skills and editing skills - this I will additionally take with me to my next production. I will also take the amount of detail used in our story board to the next production as it was a helpful thing to have in the process of our filming and evaluation.
Movement- pan(right and left on tripod), tracking (camera and tripod move), static, Zoom, whip pan, drone/helicopter, hand held
Mise En Scene- CLAMPS
Costume-
Lighting- high key, low key, natural light
Actors- age, gender, class
Makeup- costume makeup (blood), natural makeup
Props-
Setting- time, temperature, place, date, weather
Camera Shots
Sound- MCDOVE
Music-
Contrapuntal- when the music does not match the images.
Diegetic/ non-diegetic- what you hear in the film
Off screen/ On screen-
Voice over- (non- diegetic)
Emotion Felt- when hearing something.
Dialogue- the way something is said, accent, emotion behind it.
Editing (most invisible) STOPS
Screen time-
Transitions-
Order of Narrative-
Pace-
Special effects-
Boys in da Hood opening scene analysis
The first 1:07 minutes uses non-diagetic, off screen sound effects, not showing any pictures just the opening titles. These sound effects include gun shots, car tires screeching, helicopters, alarms and a young boy crying "he shot my brother!". These sounds and explicit language give the effect of suspense and an uneasy feeling to the audience.
The story begins with young characters walking along run-down street talking about a shooting which occurred the night before. None of the characters seemed particularly phased by the events which emphasizes how they have been exposed to this life style for a long period of time.
When the children arrived at the murder scene, the lighting dimmed which reflects the mood of the happenings in the scene (pathetic fallacy). The camera additionally uses a close up shot from eye level, focusing on the children's facial expressions. Again, they do not seem shocked. When they arrive at their classroom, there are photographs of police and crime on the walls. This highlights just how much the police are part of these children's everyday life. The children talk using slang and are wearing worn down, old looking clothing. These two aspects show how the children originate a poverty-stricken background.
Above is my first attempt of editing. I used the editing programme Adobe Premiere to edit this on. I was able to access some short pre filmed clips of footage around New York City - I decided to chose the New York footage as it was the most interesting in my opinion. Over the sequence I created with the footage, I added effects such as blurring and warping the image. Secondly, I added a music clip over to top of the complete video to add to the city effect and give the video a more interesting and fun look.
The word 'Representation' has multiple meanings in multiple categories. The official definition for representation is "the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way."
In media, representation covers every aspect of what is produced. Women and men are represented in a certain way, children are represented in a certain way, family life is represented in a certain way, celebrities are represented in a certain way. The media does not show anything in its true form, everything gets manipulated - sometimes in a positive exaggeration, sometimes a negative one.
Representations from the media typically quickly get turned into stereotypes linked to a group of people which the audience instantly thinks of after hearing a word.
Many representations/ stereotypes are shown in this short clip from the film Aladdin. These stereotypes include: women, men, Indian people and Indian culture.
Women are represented as objects to look at in this clip as Jasmine does not say much or show much personality but Aladdin is still shown gawping at her with lust whilst describing her with "wow".
This also shows the stereotype that women must conform to me's beauty standards in order to be noticed and liked.
There are similar stereotypes set upon males in this clip. One main representation of men is when Aladdin jumps in front of Jasmine to save her from a man with a knife. This highlights the stereotype of men having to be hyper-masculine in order to progress and become successful. It also accentuates the stereotype of women being weak and not being able to save themselves.
Additionally, this clip makes India look poverty full and economically poor. This is noticeable when Jasmine remarks at the young boy "you must be hungry".
The media is representing these stereotypes to be seen by the audience because it makes the story and location more obvious without having to have a narrator. Many films and aspects of the media use this technique .
There are many questions which get circulated about the whole of the media industry. Some of these questions get published and answered and many are down to the opinion of the beholder.
One question which is specifically answered by opinion (therefore does not have a clear YES or NO answer) is who creates the content of the media, the media or the audience?
This question is one of the most dubious of questions as the answer could be both. The audience creates media every day through their own posts on social media. Social media is now, in some lights, a great platform for people sharing their personal thoughts and opinions which could be shared and used to make a positive impact on this Earth,
Despite this, sadly most of the media which we see is created by not every day people, but superficial companies who want the audience to have the same mindset and think in the same way as they do. Examples of this media: advertisements on televisions, radios, internet, social media, billboards. Also the content which is aired on television, the news, the songs played on the radio.
Another question commonly asked is can the mediaexist/function without an audience? Can an audience (public) exist/function without media? Media could not exist without an audience because the whole reason that media is created is to affect an audience. On the other hand, an audience could exist without media, of course, but to an extent. The audience could exist but not at all how the we has morphed into being today. People suffer without media because of the way it has come to control and influence our lives so much - therefore removing it from our lives would make us function in an entirely different way. Thirdly, yet another question which media has aroused from the audience is: who is more powerful: the media or the audience why/how?
This question is one more tricky one due to how both options could apply. The media holds more power in a way because we are surrounded by the media creator's creations. Additionally because the media can so easily influence and alter the way in which we think, act and perceive things. Much of the media has subliminal messages within which alter the way we are, this proves just how powerful the media is over the audience.
On the contrary, the audience holds a considerable amount of power as well. This is because no matter what the media shows us, we are ultimately the one and only consumers of it all. WE are the ones who decide how powerful the media is because we are the ones who judge it and decide whether we are going to let it control us and alter the way we think. We have the decision and we decide just how successful the media is and becomes.
One final question which we as an audience and consumers ask is: Can the media control an audience?
The answer to this question is almost a 100% clear yes. Of course the media can control an audience. It happens every day without us even realizing - such as in film adverts where they show the best parts of the film and then show at the end of the advert in big, bold letters WATCH NOW. The audience then goes onto do what the advert told us to do, and we go to watch the film. If a fashion magazine tells the consumer that a new style of jacket is the next big thing, we will do as they tell us and go to purchase and wear that style of jacket. We are almost completely being controlled in everything we do.
But again, we control just how much the media controls us. Consequently, the audience cannot entirely be controlled by the media.
Clueless (!995) fits into many genres, but two main ones. These two genres are: Romantic Comedy and Teen film.
From this short opening, the audience will be able to tell that this film will be a teen film due to the setting in which the film is filmed. The setting is in a house hold in what seems and looks to be like Beverly Hills in America. We can also tell that the film is in America due to the characters accents and the song playing in the background (Kids in America by Kim Wilde) - which clearly refers to the fact that they are teenagers in America.
This scene additionally shows that the main character is Cher Horowitz. The audience can recognize this due to the way she narrates her actions and explains what is happening in her life at that moment in time and does not talk about many other people. Cher performs this narration in a comical way which proves the film's belonging in the romantic comedy genre.
From this opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), it is clear to see this film is a science fiction/ fantasy film with aspects of comedy.
The setting shows the fact that the film is a fantasy due to showing many animals and plants which do not exist on Earth. Additionally, the way in which the main character, the Star Lord (played by Chris Pratt) is dressed and the technology he is using - both futuristic and unearthly. This also highlights the fitting of the science fiction genre with the film.
The comedy aspect becomes clear within this whole scene. This is due to the way the Star Lord lightheartedly and comedically dances around the scene to Come and Get Your Love by Redbone.
This clip of What Lies Beneath (2000) shows clear inferences to the film belonging to the thriller and horror genre.
One aspect of the clip which emphasizes this is the music. The music highlights the tension by a violin using a tremolo technique - also using stop starts to create jump scares. Additionally the character shown in the clip (Claire Spencer) accentuates the films belonging to the thriller genre through her acting with many techniques to mirror the genre and thrill of the scene.
Additionally, the setting provides thrill and tension. The bathroom covered in steam adds elements of mystery and the feel of not knowing what will happen next due to not being able to see properly. this adds to the already-tense-atmosphere
This image is the film poster for a film named Coraline.
From observing this image alone, I can pick up denotations and tell this film will be a horror/thriller and perhaps of the children's genre additionally.
It is clear that this film has aspects of the horror and thriller genres because of some symbolic images and aspects of the whole combined film poster. Aspects of this image which have connotations to thrillers and horror could be the black cat at the front of the image (black cats have connotations to bad luck), the overwhelming use of dark colours such as deep purple and black (darkness is connotative to death, danger and mystery). The tree on the left side of the poster has very sinister connotations.
The way that the branches form make it look like a claw reaching towards the young girl at the center foreground of the film poster. This technique is mixing innocence and horror which creates a spooky and eerie feeling to the viewer, which may make them more intrigues to watch the film (preferred reading).
Based from the image, this film could included in the fantasy genre also as it shows a parallel universe effect (one side of the house is spooky and fantasy like/ make believe, whilst the opposite side of the house is normal and ordinary day-to-day life).
Today's Task: the class was split into groups of two. Each person in the pair was given a random genre and we went out and photographed things inside the school which fitted with the theme.
This image is based on the genre of High School Movies. The image reflects and corresponds with this film genre because typically, high school movies usually consist of a lot of sport - hence why I am being photographed throwing a basket ball at the hoop. We decided to use an ordinary straight angle because most films in this genre don't use any advanced or intricate angles, but just film it realistically.
Most High School Movies (if not all) are typically set in America. The school rule in America is to attend school in non-uniform, hence why I am not in uniform, in order to correspond with the chosen film genre.
This image was based on the genre of Apocalyptic. This image reflects and corresponds with the film genre because it shows a deserted scene. Additionally, the weather is gloomy and grey which as connotations of sadness, despair and melancholy emotions. Apocalypse genre films typically involve a scene which shows the aftermath of the actual apocalypse itself at some scene in the film - hence why my partner and I recreated that scene.
From this opening scene of The Great Gatsby alone, the viewer would be able to sense that the upcoming film would be perhaps a thriller. The opening scene could be described as mysterious due to the face it does not give away much and leaves the viewer with an overwhelming sense of suspense with an almost cliff hanger effect. This effect was most likely intended on because of the way it grips the viewer and makes them want to carry on watching - no one wants to be bored of a film 22 seconds in.
The music in the background (violins humming) makes adds the effect of suspense and tension as this sound could be described as unnerving, it is not "easy listening" music, instead it creates an eerie and tense aura.
