Evaluation Question Six: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During the filming of our opening we used a range of technology, including my own FujiFilm FinePix HS10 camera, Tripod, a light board, dolly tracking as well as Adobe Premiere editing software.

Camera - FujiFilm FinePix HS10.

The camera used was the FujiFilm FinePix HS10, which is now discontinued. The camera is 10.3 megapixels with a 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS image sensor. The cameras lense is Fujinon 30x optical zoom lens, F2.8 (Wide) - F5.6 (Telephoto) and the lenses focal length is f=4.2 - 126.0mm, equivalent to 24 - 720mm on a 35mm camera.

The camera's focus distance (from lens surface) is the following; 

Normal:

- Wide: Approx. 50cm / 1.6ft. to infinity,

- Telephoto: Approx. 3.0m / 9.8ft. to infinity

Macro: 

- Wide: Approx. 10cm - 3.0m / 0.3ft. - 9.8ft.

- Telephoto: Approx. 2.0m - 5.0m / 6.5ft. - 16.4ft. 

Super Macro: 

- Approx. 1cm - 1.0m / 0.4in. - 3.2ft.

The camera turned out to be perfect for us. The movie recorded as fully HD 1080p and recorded at 30 frames/sec with stereo sound.

Dolly tracking/tripod.

Above are two images which are as accurate to the equipment we used as possible.

Due to the fact that we used a tripod we were able to film shots that were incredibly steady, allowing our film to get a more pristine, professional, clean-cut look rather than a jumpy or slightly jerky one. As well as the bonus of the pristine shots, due to the use of a tripod, we were able to connect it to the dolly tracking. Although we rarely used the tracking, it still proved to come in handy during some of the dancing shots.  

Although there were many advantages to the tracking and the tripod, there were also disadvantages; during the first few weeks of filming we truly spent most of our time attempting to sort out the tracking and the tripod. As we progressed in the filming we managed to set up earlier and quicker so that we got in the filming that was vital. As well as this the tripod that we used was rather old and therefore was quite frail. 

Lighting Board

To obtain the effect of a club for a particular scene we were aware that we needed to create a strobe effect. Thankfully, we had access to a lighting board in the schools drama room. To the right is a photo of the exact lighting board we used.

This lighting board enabled us to create a blue strobe lighting effect to make the drama room that we used take on more a club-like look to it. I believe this worked very well and is one of our best shots in the entire opening.

Adobe Premiere CS6

The final piece of technology we used was Adobe Premiere CS6. We used this editing software to not only cut our film but to enhance and tweak any lighting problems we experienced during filming. As well as this we used Adobe Premiere to add in diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. 

Over all, I think that this editing software is decent and allowed us to get the job done to a high standard, although I believe Amber and I would have preferred it to be slightly better than it came out.

Evaluation Question Five: How did you attract/address your audience?

How did you attract/address your audience?

Firstly, we addressed our audience through social media. Both Amber and I posted a series of questions on a handful of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. From the answers on Facebook we came to the conclusion that the age range of 15 to 30 whom are also female would be most interested in our film. The way we covered two different lifestyles in our film opening I think allows more of an audience to relate to the film and therefore, hopefully enjoying it more.

Annotations on the YouTube link also show how we attracted and addressed our audience;

Evaluation Question Four: Who would be the main audience for your media product?

Who would be the main audience for your media product?

I believe that the main audience for our film will be in the age range from around fifteen years of age to to around thirty years of age. I think both males and females would enjoy our film, however I do believe that females may enjoy our film more than men as it does feature nothing but females and situations that many females can identify with.

The age range decision lays primarily on the fact that a fifteen age rating tends to include the following; strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour and lastly, drug taking. I believe our film includes a couple of the above and therefore I have placed our film as a fifteen upwards.

Feedback

I posted a number of questions on popular social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter, however, here I will post the answers from Facebook as I think they were the most detailed and had the most relevant answers. From the feedback given I took on-board the fact that a sense of enigma is vital throughout as well as having a good storyline. 

Inspiration

Inspiration for our film originally came from the 2010 film, Black Swan.

Black Swan follows the story of Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughters professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

Throughout the film there are many changes between the White Swan and the Black Swan in costumes, make up and personality. This dramatic effect is what we wanted to have occur in our film throughout except instead, we decided to use a split screen to make the differences stand out even more.

Evaluation Question Three: What kind of media institution may distribute your media production and why?

What kind of media institution may distribute your media production and why?

For our film we chose Paramount to be our conglomerate production/distribution company and as well as this we chose Film4 and BFI. 
However, this answer will focus entirely on BFI and Film4 as they are our main distribution companies.

BFI

The British Film Institute (In short: BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to; Encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and the moving image generally, and their impact on society, to promote access to and appreciation of the widest possible range of British and world cinema and to establish, care for and develop collections reflecting the moving image history and heritage of the United Kingdom. 

The BFI were founded in 1933, they run the BFI Southbank and London IMAX cinema, both which are located on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The IMAX has the largest cinema screen in the UK and shows popular recent releases as well as short films showcasing its technology, this includes 3D screenings and 11,600 watts of digital surround sound. 

This company funds British and culturally specific films which makes them perfect to distribute our film.  

In our film we used 0:18 to 0:25.

FILM4

Film4 Productions launched with the objective to fund and support up coming directors, producers and actors who have a passion for film. As well as this, Film4 is a British company, meaning all involvement within distribution and production supports the British film industry itself. Film4 began in 1982 as Film4 Productions, a film production company whom were owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. They have been responsible for backing a large number of British films, as well as those made around the world.

Examples of films produced by Film4 within the 2013 slate include: 'Under The Skin' by the British director Jonathan Glazer ('Birth' and 'Sexy Beast') and 'The Double' by British director Richard Ayoade who is known for 'Submarine' and his various TV series and comedic TV appearances.

'Under the Skin' is a Film4 and BFI production, in association with Silver Reel, Creative Scotland and FilmNation Entertainment and was critically acclaimed at the Venice, Toronto and London film festivals. 'The Double' is a Film4 & BFI presentation of an Alcove production which received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013. 

‘Film4.0 is a talent and idea driven hub within Film4 that works with established and emerging talent, supporting them to tell unique stories and connect with audiences in new ways.’ 

We have chosen Film4 to produce 'Parallel' as a select handful of films produced by Film4 incorporate the same qualities and traits that our film includes. We also feel that our film deals with many situations that British viewers may be able to relate to. Lastly, I believe that Film4 would be a good production company for 'Parallel' as they believe in funding up-coming, new directors, actors and producers.

We used 0:00 to 0:13 in our film opening.

Evaluation Question Two: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I have chosen to present this question and answer in the form of a Prezi;

If the prezi above does not work, please click the following link; http://prezi.com/szlqykae88ds/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Evaluation Question One: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Question one: In what ways does your media product, use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

I have chosen a selection of screenshots from our film 'Parallel' that demonstrate many forms and conventions. 

1.

The first screenshot I have chosen clearly shows the distinction between the two characters, this is what we aimed for throughout.

The two shots show distinction by the stereotypical 'delicate' look of a female where as on the right we see a more gender-role challenging woman.

The right frame shows a more 'free spirit' as such, she does not conform to the typical gender role of women, she does not come off as a submissive, nurturing character. 

Where as the character in the left frame seems to radiate a more loving, compassionate temperament. By doing this, she does in fact conform to the stereotypical role of women in the media. However - as well as conforming to the typical role of women, she does in fact still challenge it in a way. The fact that we see a young woman attempting to pursue her possible dream causes her to inherit a stereotype from a man, she is independent.

2.  Sound

The sound for our film begins just after the paramount logo, we chose to do this as we believed that fluency throughout was vital for our film. Continuity needed to be on point and as well as this, we wanted the music to help drive the narrative forward. This, I believe we accomplished.

As well as our main score, we chose to use children's laughter to introduce the first two frames. By doing this, I believe we created a slight eeriness and a sense of the unknown as well as a sense of happiness.

We thought that the children's laughter would also cause the audiences attention to snap onto this and question what may happen in the upcoming shots.

3. Titles

Our titles do not in fact include many elements, we wanted to keep them simple. 

We kept to the white writing on the black background to enhance the titles, however - this does not enhance them so much that the audience forget about the actual film itself. To create our titles we simply used the 'titles' tool on Adobe Premiere. 

4. Props

In this shot we decided to use two different types of trophies, on the left; carnival/beauty queen and dance trophies (the more stereotypical female items) and then to challenge the stereotype, on the right we have football trophies. This was done in attempt to pose a question in the audiences mind and to try and make the audience take notice of the different items in each frame as well as what this could mean.

In this shot we chose to use the obvious binary opposites of water and alcohol. The frame on the left features water and the frame on the right features alcohol. We chose to do this as we felt as it would hopefully show the two very different paths the two young females follow and how the film is to play out in the near future.

5. Narrative.

Very early on in the production of our film we chose not to show the faces of the two characters until the very end of the opening as we believed it would leave the audience in suspense and cause them to question if in fact they are the same person or if they have any links to each other at all. 

Once the final cut occurs, the shot reveals that the two women are in fact twins. The two are always running along side each other - this sparked the idea for the name of the opening 'Parallel' which was originally to be 'ON POINTE.' however once we made changes to our synopsis, this name no longer fit.

We believed by doing this it would cause the audience to react in a way where they may want to see more of the film and question who the two females really are, why they are identical in what they look like, but not what they do and finally, who is on the other end of the phone calls?

Parallel - AS Media Studies, Final Cut.

This is the final cut of our film opening 'Parallel.'

The aim of the task was to create an opening sequence of a film of our own choice of genre. 

In the beginning, Amber and I chose the 'thriller' genre, however, through the course of filming and editing we decided a mixture of genres would be more suitable for our film. 

We would label our film as a more 'coming of age' film, as well as ever so slightly - a thriller.

Synopsis and Name Change.

After a lengthy discussion with Bruce (whom has made many films himself,) we decided to give our opening sequence more structure and flow by adding more to the synopsis and story.

The film will now follow two people as they grow up (from baby, to a young girl - 12, a teenager - 16, a young adult - 23, to adulthood - 37.)

As the narrative gets to the thirty seven year old, it will be the first time a face is revealed in our opening. The audience will be able to see that both people in the split screen look identical. Following this, two phones will ring simultaneously, both people answer them. After the faces are revealed, the music will fade out slightly as well as the footage and the film name, which has now been changed from 'On Pointe' to 'Parallel.'

We feel as if this name would fit our film better as the characters are always running alongside each other but never seem to truly meet, just as parallel lines never do.

Test Shots: Clip #23

Test Shots: Clip #22

Test Shots: Clip #21

Test Shots: Clip #20

Test Shots: Clip #19

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Casestudy

Title - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.

Genre - Adventure, Family and Fantasy.

Writer - Steve Kloves and J.K. Rowling.

Director - David Yates.

Runtime - 130 minutes.

Production Companies Involved - Hayday Films, Warner Brothers, Moving Picture Company.

Distributing Companies Involved - Acmefilm, Warner Brothers, HBO (Home Box Office) these are just a few distributors as overall there were 21 distributing companies that were involved with the process of Deathly Hallows, Part 2.

Filming Locations used within the production of the film -  Buckinghamshire (England), St. Pancras station (England), London (England)

Cast - Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman, Dame Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter.

Release Date (UK) - 15th July 2011

Budget - $125,000,00 (estimated)

Gross amount of money made - $169,189,427 (USA)

Amount of money made in the opening weekend - $380,955,619 (USA)

Plot/Storyline - 'The final chapter begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. But as the mystical Deathly Hallows are uncovered, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.'

Fishtank (2009)

Fishtank Casestudy

Title - Fishtank

Genre - Drama.

Writer - Andrea Arnold.

Director - Andrea Arnold.

Runtime - 123 minutes. 

Production Companies Involved - BBC Films, UK Film Council, Limelight Communication, ContextFilm, Kasander Film Company.

Distributing Companies Involved - Artifical Eye, IFC Films, Nutopia Entertainment; these are just a few distributors because overall, there were 29 distributing companies that were involved within the process of Fishtank being shown to audiences globally.

Filming Locations used within the production of the film - Barking (London), Dagenham (Essex), Havering (London), Stanford le Hope (Essex), Tilbury (Essex), Tower Hamlets (London).

Release Date (UK) - 11th September 2009

Gross amount of money made - $373,060 (USA)

Amount of money made in the opening weekend - $32,619 (USA)

Cast - Katie Jarvis, Kierston Wareing, Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Griffiths, Harry Treadaway, Sydney Mary Nash, Sarah Bayes.

Plot/Storyline - Fishtank tells the story of Mia (Katie Jarvis), a 15 year old girl who is a resident on an Essex council estate with her irresponsible and single mother, Joanne (Kierston Wareing) and precocious little sister, Tyler. Whilst facing the trials and tribulations of becoming a young woman, Mia faces being thrown out of school as well as awaiting admission to referral units. Alongside this, Mia starts to build an uneasy and unlikely relationship with her mothers recent boyfriend, Connor (Michael Fassbender) who slowly starts to encourage Mia to take further interest into her secret passion that is dance.

Film4 Productions - Why we have chosen this Production company.

Film4 Productions launched with the objective to fund and support up coming directors, producers and actors who have a passion for film. As well as this, Film4 is a British company, meaning all involvement within distribution and production supports the British film industry itself.

Examples of films produced by Film4 within the 2013 slate include: 'Under The Skin' by the British director Jonathan Glazer ('Birth' and 'Sexy Beast') and 'The Double' by British director Richard Ayoade who is known for 'Submarine' and his various TV series and comedic TV appearances.

'Under the Skin' is a Film4 and BFI production, in association with Silver Reel, Creative Scotland and FilmNation Entertainment and was critically acclaimed at the Venice, Toronto and London film festivals. 'The Double' is a Film4 & BFI presentation of an Alcove production which received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013.

‘Film4.0 is a talent and idea driven hub within Film4 that works with established and emerging talent, supporting them to tell unique stories and connect with audiences in new ways.’ [2*]

We have chosen Film4 to produce 'On Pointe' as a select handful of films produced by Film4 incorporate the same qualities and traits that our film includes. We also feel that Film4 would be a good production company for 'On Pointe' as they believe in funding up-coming, new directors, actors and producers. 


Citations:
1. http://www.film4.com/film4-productions
2. http://blog.film4.com/ben-wheatley-project-announced-as-first-feature-from-film4-0/

Black Swan - Opening Title Sequence.

Black Swan Opening Title Sequence

- 00:41, Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake' begins to play. This is the use of non-diegetic sound.

- 00:46 The Production 'Fox Searchlight Pictures' company title appears first, using a fade in transition.

- 00:47 'In Association with 'Cross Creek Pictures' then fades in. The fading in of titles with the use of non-diegetic sound builds enigma leaving the audience awaiting in fear as well as excitement of the unknown.

- 01:03 The film title now fades into shot, again with the use of non-diegetic sound. This time, laughter. This sound adds to the idea of the unknown, it also adds a sinister quality to the opening sequence.

- 01:10 The film title fades out whilst the music continues to play.

The fonts used for the title are basic, however at the same time, they are formal.

The font that is used for the title of the film could possibly be - 'Baskerville Old Face,' 'Georgia' or 'Bodoni MT'

Test Shots: Clip #18

Test Shots: Clip #17

Test Shots: Clip #16

Test Shots: Clip #15

Test Shots: Clip #14

Test Shots: Clip #13

Test Shots: Clip #12

Test Shots: Clip #11

BFI and BFI NET.WORK

BFI

"We work to discover and develop new talent and to support the production of a wide range of films that will enrich British film culture and define Britain and its storytellers in the 21st century, for the benefit of audiences at home and abroad."

 

BFI NET.WORK

The BFI NET.WORK will connect the UK’s film agencies for the first time, bringing together experienced development teams and talent centres to offer hands-on and holistic development opportunities for promising UK writers, directors and producers who are yet to make their first feature film.

The NET.WORK partners are Creative England, Film Agency for Wales, Northern Ireland Screen and Creative Scotland. Film London will also deliver a number of targeted development programmes 

Social Networking site, Question and Answers.

To gain a better knowledge on the Thriller genre within the film industry, I posted a status on the social networking site 'Facebook' asking three questions.
1. What do you expect from a thriller film?
2. What is your favourite thriller film?
3. What is your favourite aspect of a thriller film/of the thriller genre?

The posts below show peoples responses to my status;

Starred Up and Twelve Years a Slave.

Starred Up

Starred Up is based around a troubled and explosively violent teenager who is transferred to an adult prison where he finally meets his match. A man, who also turns out to be his father.

The film is directed by David Mackenzie, and it is written by Jonathan Asser. The film features a more of a ‘niche’ cast. No actors featured in the film are majorly known.

The cast includes; Jack O’Connell, Rupert Friend, Ben Mendelsohn and Sam Spruell. The main character ‘Eric’ is portrayed by Jack O’Connel, known for his part in the Channel 4 TV series ‘Skins.’

The film was produced on a very low budget.

12 Years a Slave

The award winning 12 Years a Slave is a 2013 British-American historical drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 memoir of ‘Solomon Northup.’

This is Steve McQueen’s third feature film, the screenplay was written by American John Ridley.

The cast includes; Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita N’yongo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt, Alfre Woodard and Sarah Paulson.

12 Years a Slave had received wide critical acclaim, and was named the best film of the year by many media outlets. It proved to be an immense box office success, earning over a staggering $140 million on a production budget of $20 million.

So far, the film has won three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was awarded a Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture – Drama and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts recognized the film with the ‘Best Film’ and the ‘Best Actor’ for Chiwetel Ejiofor. 

Updated Storyboard (incomplete)

Here is my updated, however still incomplete storyboard. 
I have placed two shots in each box to resemble the split-screen effect we are using in our opening.

Black Swan - Poster Analysis.

 

 

Black Swan

 

 



Storyboard - incomplete.

Below is the first draft of my storyboard. A few more stills need to be taken before the storyboard can be completed.

14/02/14

Filming is complete, the process of editing the opening has begun. Any pick-up shots will be taken on the last week of February.

Typography - On Pointe.

We have began to look at different types of typography using the website 'www.dafont.com', for On Pointe, we particularly like the 'typewriter effect' or the long, thin fonts for our titles and to be used in posters we are creating for our film.These fonts give off an elegant yet strong feel, just like the personality of our main character. This type of font would reflect the main character and give off an odd feeling by the slightly warped shaping in the typography.

Below, labelled '1.' is the font we will be using for our poster and also for our titles. We chose this font as we felt that it mirrored our film opening in the best way possible.

1.

 

Moodboard - On Pointe.

Here I have created a moodboard on the website iPiccy that relates and links to the opening of our film 'On Pointe.'

The moodboard contains elements of both characters.

Feedback MGS 31/01/14

- Transfer any footage from memory card onto a Mac.

- Filming 'light' side of Amber on Friday.

- STORYBOARD - Get stills off camera imported and into storyboard form by Friday.

- Moodboard - iPiccy/Polyvore.

- Upload poster analysis.

- Analyse titles.

- Continue with opening credits.

- Test footage - YouTube - annotate tool to show and discuss the process.

Filming 29/01/14.

During our 'filming' session today(29/01/14), Amber and I experienced some technical faults with the lighting on location and therefore, we decided to occupy the time we had by brainstorming some ideas for the other key elements of the film opening, such as the editing and the sound.

On Friday, we will be moving to a back-up location to complete the filming segment of the opening.

After Friday, editing will begin.

Filming Dates.

Our previous and future filming dates for main shots are as follows;

- 8th of January,

- 15th of January,

- 22nd of January
- 29th of January 
- 5th of February (final filming date)

If required, any other dates will be used for 'pick up shots.'

Test Shots: Clip #10

Test Shots: Clip #9

Test Shots: Clip #8

Test Shots: Clip #7

Test Shot: Clip #6

Test Shots: Clip #5

Test Shots: Clip #4

Test Shots: Clip #3

Test Shots: Clip #2

Test Shots: Clip #1

New narrative - On Pointe.

On Pointe.

After a slight conflict in ideas, the third member of our media group who portrayed the part of 'Lewis' decided he wanted to go on and make his own film. Due to this, we have had to tweak our narrative slightly.

The entirety of the opening will now be shown in a 'split screen' this allows us to show our lead character 'Rosabella' and her alter ego. This allows us to show the differences in personalities.

Left side of screen - Rosabella.
Right side of screen - Rosabella's alter ego.

First Shot
Left side of screen: Close up of Rosabella's ballet shoes as she is entering the ballet studio.
Right side of screen: Close up of heeled, clumpy boots walking along a pathway.

Second Shot 
Left side of screen: Placing down a bottle of water, gently.
Right side of screen: Throwing a bottle of alcohol into the grass.

Third Shot
Left side of screen: Practising her ballet routine.
Right side of screen: Dancing in a nightclub.

Fourth Shot
Left side of screen: Elegant, tight tied up bun turning as she spins.
Right side of screen: 'Wild' hair flicking whilst in the nightclub dancing.

Fifth Shot
Both Rosabella and her alter ego facing each other except they are both in different scenes and costumes breathing in rhythm with each another. 
Suddenly they both inhale sharply.

Screen cuts to black, the title of the film 'On Pointe' fades into the screen. Credits then begin.