shooting schedule

shooting schedule 

Final Opening Sequence; 'River Bed'.

Evaluation for opening sequence - Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

 I think that there were many good things about our filming, for example i think that it was good that we had demonstrated that we could use the 180 degree rule, the match on action rule and the shot reverse shot rule. Also, i think that it was good that we had hardly any camera shake within all of our shots. Furthermore, the last thing that went successful within our film is was that we added titles at the beginning at the film to introduce it to the audience. I think to make our film better we could have made the acting seem more realistic and make it look as if we knew what we were doing within our film. Also, i think to make it look better we could have added more shots to make the film look more interesting. Furthermore, the last thing that we could have done to make it look better was to stage the shots better.

Here are two examples of where we have used the shot reverse shot rule and the eye line match rule.

I think that my progression from when i first done my preliminary task, to now after i have produced a opening sequence, has got so much better. I know now a lot more about different camera shots and editing techniques which would make my piece intriguing. Not only have i expanded my knowledge of the different editing techniques and camera shots, i have also learnt how to use certain programmes on the computer. For example, live type; iMovie and final cut. 

Evaluation; Question 5

Evaluation; Question 6

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

What technologies have you used?

There are many different technologies that me and my group have used within our work. For example, we have used a video camera to film our opening sequence, we have used iMovie and Final cut to edit our opening sequence. We have also used Live Type to produce our titles for our film. However, i personally have used things such as Blogger, Go animate, Slide rocket, etc to make the post that i need to put on my blog super visual.

What technologies are brand new to you?
The technologies that are new to me are things such as prezi, blogger and slide share. This is because i had never used these technologies before. However, i now fully understand them and feel confident to use them to produce any of my work.

What technologies have you developed your skills in?



What technologies helped produce something creative?
By using a technology called 'Photoshop' it allowed me and my group to produce a creative production company logo for our opening sequence. Also, by using a website called dafont.com it meant that we could choose a style of writing that would be best appropriate for a thriller film. E.g, capital letters or scary style.
                                             
What technologies need careful use or planning?
The technology that needed the most planning and careful use was the film camera. This was because there were many things that you had to keep in mind to be able to shoot. For example, you have to shoot on the days that it is not raining as this could damage the cameras and ruining the shots. If there is something within the location that you are shooting in that isnt in your piece then you have to either wait for it to go or change your ideas. E.g Snow, people.

Peer assessment of opening sequence. 15/02/2013

Peer assessment of opening sequence. 15/02/2013

Peer assessment of opening sequence. 15/02/2013

Teacher assessment for our opening sequence, second draft

Evaluation for my opening sequence

Question four:
The target audience of our film was for ages 15 and above. We thought that the gender that was more likely to go and watch our film was a male. The ethnicity of the male would be British and he would live around the London area's. We said that a male that was within education was more likely to go and watch our film and someone who also maybe have a part time job. However, this does not mean that our film is not suitable for any other audiences. The psycho-graphics of this male would be that he likes to go out with his friends, go to places like the cinema, bowling etc. He could also enjoy playing different sports.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

This is an 'GoAnimate' that i have made to answer question three of the evaluation of my film. The question that i am answering is 'What kind of media institutions might distribute your media product and why?'. I answered this question by answering these questions, What was the genre of our film? Who is the target audience of our film? What is the title of our film? Who have we chosen to be our distributor and why? What simularities are between between the films that our distributor has produced and the film we produced? What is our production comany and why we made it?

First draft for our film 'River Bed'.

Evaluating my opening sequence

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluating my opening sequence

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In our opening sequence, the type of social groups we have represented is a middle aged man who seems normal however; he has a certain something about his which seems eerie, and a young primary school boy who seems innocent. We know this by the way that the characters are presented.  The man is wearing casual clothing such as jeans and a shirt; however he has a sack on his back. The casual clothing is meant to represent the normality of this middle aged man to make the audience think that he isn’t the antagonist of this sequence. However, the sack on his back was a hint for the audience that something is also a bit dodgy about this man as well. The little boy is wearing his school uniform. This was to represent the innocence of this him. 

Evaluating my opening sequence

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

Within an opening sequence there are eight different conventions that would be used throughout. These conventions are titles, soundtrack, establish mood/theme, establishing shot, giving the audience clues, prompting the audience to ask questions, equilibrium or disequilibrium and a production/distribution logo. Titles are used to introduce the name of the film, the cast and the crew.  For example, in the opening sequence of ‘The Sixth Sense’ the producer has used capital letters to display the titles and used a very faint light blue colour.  The fact that the titles a light blue colour suggests to the audience that this film is going to be quite scary and eerie as the society normally associates a light blue being a cold colour. Hints and clues are used to intrigue the audience which would then make them want to watch the film. An example of a real media product using hints and clues is the opening sequence to the film ‘Brick’. There is a shot of a note from a character from the film saying ’12:30, Sarmentosa, Del Rio’. This is an example of a hint or clue as it is giving information to the audience about what could happen next. Once the audience has seen the hints and clues, it then leads them onto asking questions about the film. Such as, what happened? Why did it happen? Who is it? The producer does this because once the audience start to ask questions, it then means that they are wondering what is going to happen next which will then also make them want to watch the film.

The genre of our opening sequence/film is thriller. The conventions of a thriller movie are; Cinematography; Characters; Theme; Sound/Music; Mise en scene and editing. These conventions are used within a thriller movie as they all to help to create suspense. Each convention has its own job which then completes the film. The conventions we used within our opening sequence are a soundtrack; titles; production logo; distribution company logo and hints and clues. For example, we have used a distribution company logo at the beginning of our sequence.

This is the distribution logo that me and my group chose to use for our opening sequence.

This shows the titles that we have used for our opening sequence.

All real media products use distribution companies. Examples of some distribution companies are, 'Sony Pictures', 'MGM' and 'Paramount Pictures; Our opening sequence then goes onto a production logo that my and my group had made which was called ‘The White Light Production’ it also has a sound effect added to it which makes the noise of a light bulb flickering. We decided to use this as our production logo as the light bulb making that noise suggests to the audience that the film they are about to watch could be a thriller, due to thef act that the light bulb isnt working properly. We got the idea of using a light bulb flickering off the film called 'The Sixth Sense'.

An example of a real media product using a production logo is in the opening sequence of 'Wreck-It Ralph'. The production company that they use is 'Walt Disney Animation Studios' Another example were my group has used these conventions is the close up shots used throughout the sequence give the audience hints and cluese, i.e. the close up of his feet walking up to the gate and stopping.

Here is an example of a real media product using a production logo, 'Wreck it Ralph':

Here are some examples of where we have used a close up shot to give the audience clues and tips as to what is going to happen next;


An example of a real media product using this convention is within the opening sequence of 'Brick'. In this opening sequence they use many different close ups to give the audience hints and clues. Which is what  my group have also done.

Cast List

This is our cast list :

Storyboards

These are our storyboards. We have made these story boards to help us when we are filming, so we know what shots to shoot and so we know how to frame it. Also, we made a storyboard to roughly know how long to time each shot. Also, by making a story board, it helps us to visualize what our sequence will actually look like and if there are any shots that do not fit in then we know to cha`nge them before we go out and shoot them.

Character description

This is a characters description that me and my group made of the two main characters that will be shown during our opening sequence to our film.

Shaun -  

• Shaun is a 17 year old boy who attends 'Bishopsford High School'
• He likes to play football, go to the gym and hang  out with his friends
• He doesn't really get on with his family
• He has a part time job working at tescos
• He is 5ft 5
• He has blonde hair

Dillon - 

• Dillon is a young boy aged 10
• He goes to 'Westbourne Primary School'
• He likes to play out with his friends after school
• He has brown hair
• He likes to ride his bike 
• He is 4 ft
• He goes to cadets

Titles: font ideas

 

Titles: Font ideas. 

 This is a wordle that we created to help us decide on what font styles to choose.

I think by using a serif font for the titles of the cast and crew it will make our production look more professional as it would be following the conventions of the thriller genre.

cast/crew font idear 1:

I think this would be a good font to use beacuse it gives the veiwer the impression that the film is quite a serious one.

cast/crew font idear 2:

I dont think that this would be as an effective font in comparison to choice one as it doesnt look as serious as the first font.

film name font ideas.

I like this font for the film name I think it is intersting and also looks visually appealing to the audience.

film name font idear 2:

i also think that this would be an effective font as it would allow the audiene to get ideas about what the film would involve. i think it would be an intersting twist to the title.

Our Animatic

This is our animatic. We made our animatic to see how long roughly each shot will be on the screen for. By finding out this information it meant that we knew if it was long enough to be an opening sequence and if it wasn't then we knew that we would have to think of more shots that we could shoot which would make sense within our opening sequence.

Music that we could use for our opening sequence

Music that can be used within our opening sequence...

This piece of music could be used as an ambient piece of background noise that is played throughout the whole opening sequence. The fact that the pace was quite slow and the tempo was quite low, it suggested to the audience that something bad is going to happen. This could also represent danger. The volume of this ambient back ground noise will be not to high and not to low, just enough that the audience hear it clearly but can still hear whats going on in the actual opening sequence.

http://www.freesound.org/people/Nosebleed%20Cinema/sounds/94146/

This next piece of music could also be used within our opening sequence as an ambient background noise that would be played the whole time throughout the opening sequence. The fact that the pace is quite fast and the tempo is quite high, suggests to the audience that something bad is going to happen. Also, by using music that is quit fast, it helps the build the tension throughout the opening sequence. The volume of the music would be loud enough for the audience to hear it clearly but not loud enough for the audience to not be able to hear whats happening within the actual opening sequence.

http://www.freesound.org/people/Elektrocell/sounds/20705/

Props and costumes

Props & Costumes...

Props;

• A Bike: This would be a prop that me and my group would need as the story line of our opening sequence is that little boy is riding down a deserted road before being abducted. This would make the audience think that the child is in danger as he is riding his bike down a deserted road on his own.
• A Large Bag: This is a prop that our group will need as this is what will be used when the kidnapper takes the 'Child'. However, we are actually filling the bag up with a weight so that it looks to the audience as if the child is actually in the bag. This would make the audience feel uncomfortable but yet intrigued to know what has happened to the boy, this then leads on to the audience asking themselves questions. Such as, 'Whats the story behind this?', 'What happened to the boy?' etc. 
• A photograph of the child that is being abducted: Our group needs this prop as it allows Shaun to burn  the photograph of the boy. This shows the audience the boy has been abducted for a specific reason. This would then makes the audience wonder why the boy had been specifically chosen.

Costumes;

• Shaun: Throughout the opening sequence, Shaun will be wearing quite causal but very dark clothes. The casual clothes represent the fact that he is trying to pursue himself to be just like everyone else by wearing clothes such as a jumper with a hood and a pair of jeans. When actual fact he  is about to abduct a little boy from the park. The dark colours represent the fact that he is quite dangerous. He is dark and mysterious. This could intrigue the audience as it would make them question as what the boy is going to do.
• The Little Boy: The little boy will be wearing brightly coloured clothing, such as a t shirt and pair of trousers or jeans. The bright colours of the clothing will contrast with the dark colours of the suspects clothing. Furthermore, by the child wearing bright and colourful t shirts, it represents the happiness of the child and how innocent the child actually is.

Questionnaire for thriller film.

Questionnaire

Are you male or female?           Male        Female

How old are you?                         0-10    11-15      16-21       22-40       41+         

Do you watch thriller films?     Yes          No

How often do you watch thriller films?           

   Less than once a month              Once/twice a month                             

   Once a week              More than once a week

What do you expect to see in the title sequence of a thriller?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

What kind of setting do you think a thriller should be set in?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

What sort of characters should be in a thriller film?

………………………………………………………………………………………

What sounds/music would you expect to hear?

……………………………………………………………………………

What information do you think should be revealed in the opening sequence? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How do you expect to feel when watching a thriller?

……………………………………………………………………………………



This is the questionnaire that my group used to get information from people about their opinions of thriller films. We collected this information as it then gave us ideas about what to do within our thriller film.

Plot Synopsis

Plot synopsis

Tommy is a 10 year old boy who likes to play out with his friends and ride his bike in the local park which is just down the road from his house. However, one night whilst he was at the park, he went missing...

Once it had got past Tommy's time to be in, his mum Claire had realised he was missing and then sent out people to search for him. After many days of searching for him, the finally find Tommy unconscious by the side of a river, close to death. They immediately phone the ambulance and he was rushed off to hospital.

 The police had said that their only hope of finding the suspect was if they spoke to Tommy and got some information from him. However, unfortunately Tommy is in a comatose state which means he will not be giving them any information any time soon. The police have said that there may not be much time before the suspect strikes again. 

Furthermore, the police had revisited the place where they found Tommy and found a crucial bit of information which could be the answer to all questions. By finding this bit of information, it means that there is a high hope for them to find the suspect as quickly as possible.

After a few days of the police searching for the suspect, Tommy regains consciousness. The police then visit him and he tells them everything that he can remember. The police then track the suspect down and arrest him. As the police caught him, he was currently in the process of taking another child. The police immediately took the suspect to the local police station and as they were putting him in his cell, he said 'there is more than just me...’.

Location for thriller film.

Locations for a thriller film. 

This could be a successful location to set a thriller film in as it looks very dark and abandoned. From this location being dark, this could create an eerie atmosphere making the audience further anticipate events that may occur. By using low key lighting it makes the location seem dangerous and shady. This makes the audience uncomfortable as they expect something bad to happen.  

I have chosen this location as it is unpopulated and deserted. This shows the setting is isolated. This would be an ideal location for a thriller based film because of the low key lighting used creates a tense atmosphere.

Voxpops for questionnaire

These are the voxpops that me and my group made to give us an idea of what the audience would expect within a thriller film and whether they enjoyed it. By doing this it then gave us an ideas as to what we incorporate into our film.

Titles

Titles

As you are watching a film, you will notice that there is a certain order in the way that the titles are presented to the audience. 

- The first title that will appear on screen is the 'distributor logo'. The distributor logo is the company that promote the film to be out in the cinema or on DVD.

Example of distributor logos..

  

Some films may also use a production logo, this is to brand the film.

- The second title that would normally appear on the screen is the main character. Followed by this, it would then present the second main character within the film.

 This is the main character from the film called 'Vertigo'.

     This is the second  main character of the film 'Vertigo'.
This is the main character in the film called 'The girl with the dragon tattoo'

 This is the second main character in the film 'The girl with the dragon tattoo'.

 This is the main character from the film 'The sixth sense'.

This is the second main character in the film called 'The sixth sense'

The next title that would appear on the screen is the director of the film.

Conventions of a thriller.

Vertigo analysis

Vertigo from zoelovell

Conventions of an opening sequence

Conventions to an opening sequence from zoelovell

Bridget Jones Diary Analysis

Wallander Analysis

Brick Analysis

Brick (Johnson, 2005, US)

 In this essay I will be explain the ways that Johnson has used Mise en scene, Cinematography, Sound/Music and Editing throughout the opening sequence of ‘Brick (Johnson, 2005, US). 

 At the beginning of the opening sequence Johnson has used an extreme close up of the characters face. It starts of as a really blurry image but as the sequence goes on, the picture becomes clearer as Johnson have used a focus pull. As the picture becomes clearer, the audience can see that the facial expressions of the character look as if he is shocked. By the character having a shocked look on his face; it then makes the audience question themselves as to why the boy looks shocked and what could have happened to make him feel this way. It then cuts to a shot reverse shot scene which last for about 8 seconds of which consist of close ups. The close ups are of certain features of the two characters which could give the audience clues and hints that something bad has happened. Another example of cinematography is when it cuts to a close up of the boy holding the note which the girl had left in his locker. This has been done as it is also a clue for the audience. 

  



The first location is set in a tunnel sort of things which leads to the sewers’ where the boy is pushed up against the wall and the girl’s body is lying on the floor with her hair and hand lying in a stream of water. The second location is set within a high school where the two main characters go to. Johnson may have chosen to use these two different settings to contrast with the fact that one place is so dull and deserted and the other place is lively and full of people. 

 There are many different sounds that you can hear within the opening sequence. For example, the non-diegetic sound track that is played at the beginning. To the audience the music sounds as if it is quite a happy tone until they see the girl’s body lying on the floor. Once the audience notice the girl on the floor the music suddenly seems to be a lot more serious. Another use of sound is the ambient sound of the children at school walking and talking. Johnson may have put this normal every day scene into the opening sequence to contrast with the scene of the dead girl. This would make the audience feel confused and make them want to watch more as they have two different situations going on with no answers as to why. 

 






The titles at the beginning of the opening sequence are written in capital letters. This gives of a serious effect. Also, the titles at the beginning fade out, this could resemble the girls life as she is dying, her life is slowly fading away. Furthermore, Johnson has also used cross dissolve from the first shot to the second shot. He may have done this so the audience can’t really see what the second shot is. By doing this it makes the audience intrigued and want to carry on watching the film.