Evaluation

Evaluation Questions


1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Question 1

Our opening sequence portrays a variety of media conventions which is used to enable the audience to establish a specific type of film. To enable to signify this the media conventions used must consists of character representation, setting, genre, narrative, visual style and ideology. Without out these the audience wont be able to identify the setting of the film, genre, who the characters are, and the audience's beliefs.

To enable our group to establish an authentic opening sequence I began to research the key code conventions to be able to portray the opening sequence as authentic as possible. Once our group decided on the genre and setting of the sequence we began to research other sequences that use a similar effect. These films were Sin City and Seven, we chosen these as we liked the conventions of how they were portrayed and the visual style. This is something that we aimed to achieve when filming our opening sequence. An example of this particular visual style is the sin city look, the picture to the right portrays this effect consisting of the red colouring emphasized by black and white. With the use of this effect your able to identify the type of genre through the whole film as the it gives a feel of "darkness". Due to this visual effect we wanted to develop our opening sequence using this particular aspect as it consists of a thriller genre which is what we wanted to portray with our final media product.

Another media convention that we used was the exposition, this establishes the date when and where the setting is; enabling to bring information through to the audience. This enables the audience with information as it leaves them answering questions such as "when are we", "who are we" and "whose story will we be following". We did this by a numerous ways, for example the authenticity of costumes, props and the typical 1940's non diagetic music signify the type of time period,as well as other various methods. This also consisted of the position of the clock signifying the time, as well as when the woman is reading the newspaper that signifies the time period she is in which is 1948. Therefore the use of these props enable the audience to establish when the setting of the opening sequence is as it passages the message through creating what we call a marker effect. This is any form of a media conventions used which is to enable the audience with information quickly and economically.

The use of character representation used within the video is also developed from the typical media forms and conventions, for example the antagonist is being played by Shane, he will be wearing the typical dark, mysterious look which is resembled by the image to the above right. This is one of the famous "Jack the Ripper" establishing pictures, as you can see this creates a mise en scene which is similar to the picture we have of Shane. Similarities of the two images is the dark, musky black and white effect, as well as the black costumes that hide away their identity towards the audience. These are typical media conventions that are used to portray the genre to the audience by the use of mise en scene, character representation and the way media conventions are combined together.

Question 2

Due to the stereotype, social classes and status back in time, we had to involve the character representation around that specific time period of middle class. Therefore we researched character representation, fashion and all the essentials that were popular in the 1940's time period to enable to create our opening sequence as authentic as possible.

The character I was playing was the middle class woman, your able to identify this by her actions and the character representation as well as cultural signifiers. Examples of these are her drinking wine, smoking, wearing a silk dressing gown, applying her make up as well as the surrounding of features around the house. However she was very mischievous by the way she dressed as this is was signified by her fishnet tights, we used this because we wanted to be able to create a twist of the character representation she was playing. Your able to identify the age of the character marker via the blue and white polka dot cocktail dress with curled blonde hair. As well as justifying her actions by being able to drink alcohol and smoke this also portrays she is a young adult woman.

Shane's character is played by the unknown, he was playing the antagonist, due to this he wore black and was very hidden by the camera as only the back of him was shown so his identity and age wasn't apparent towards the audience. Because of this typical bad guy persona he portrays you aren't able to identify the specific type of class he is representing. However his actions indicate that the character he is playing appears to be of an obsessive and messed up nature. An example of this is towards the end of the clip as he is seen ripping down pictures of young women, this signifies the effect that the pictures of these women are out of his reach socially. This gives an overall impression of him being a lower class to these women as he appears to be the only way he can reach out to them. 

Question 3

Our opening sequence is made from a low budget independent British film therefore only specific types of media institutions will distribute our film, examples of these type of companies consist of film4 and the BBC. I believe that film 4 would distribute our media product over the BBC as because a lot of films are shown on there as mainly TV dramas are seen on the BBC. I personally believe this will be an effective way of distributing our product as to how it is shown via the audience. Because our film contains violence references it therefore creates it not suitable for young children, due to this effect we will view the film at a certain time after 9 therefore stand more of a chance of the pursuing the correct target audience. By doing this the audience can then enable themselves to watch it more for its entertainment purpose as they will know by the type of genre what it is about and would be able to watch the film whilst feeling more comfortable. For example if we had the film showing on a earlier time scale then there is more of a possibility it has been viewed by a younger audience which can enable the company with complaints.  Also due to creating such a low budgeting film your able to identify that this typical type of film would be something seen within film 4 as the BBC is more popular and consists of more of a higher range.  However the film channles only provide finacne and facilities to enable films to be made, examples of these are films such as "The Fantastic Four".

Question 4 

The type of audience for my media product would vary from people who are aged 15 years and over which is mainly consisting of a range of young adults who enjoy watching thrillers, as well as older adults covering a wide range consisting of both genders. This particular genre is more suitable for this wide age category due to specific genre conventions used to enable to target the correct age group, an example of this is the use of moderate violence references. The violent references won't be suitable for young children as it can scare them, therefore increasing the age range slightly can enable the audience to watch it more for its entertainment purpose as they would feel more at ease. I believe the film would appeal more to a female sex due to how the way the nature of the woman is portrayed as well as being able to relate to her by her actions and characteristics. Examples of this is taking pride in herself by applying make up and combing her hair, as a lot of young women can relate to as an everyday to day routine as everybody takes some sort of pride in their appearance.

Another technological convention that is used to generate a wider audience is the soundtrack to our opening sequence, this type of genre of music is classic 1940's style and structure. It's called "Here Comes The Boogie Man"; we thought the lyrics to the song and the tune was effective as it resembles what is being portrayed on the screen. As well as the typical style and tempo of the soundtrack signifies the time period that we are associated in, therefore drawing the audiences attention as they are engaged by that typical time period and how authentic it appears. Because of this effect the opening sequence is set back in a 1940's time period enabling the elderly to also associate with this type of genre as they may have grew up or had relevance to it. These type of emotional responses draw the audience into the story and therefore encouraging them to stay and watch it.

Question 5

As a group we have enabled to attract and address our audience through using the right methods of media and technological conventions. Examples of these are camera angles; we created and used a range of specific camera angles that didn't reveal and capture the full profile of the character/s. Examples of these are camera angles that consisted of over the shoulder shot, low angle, mid shot and extreme/close up. Therefore having used these specific angles and movements has enabled suspense and curiosity to the audience as they didn't know the full profile of the character and what to expect next within the clip. This has engaged the audience's attention and encouraged them to carry on watching as because of this technique used.

To enable me to collect data and feedback of our video I showed the final version of the opening sequence to close family and friends. I carried out this survey and asked 20 of these people for their feedback on the questions that I asked. As you can see the results are shown below, and most of the feedback we had was positive.

 The first question I had asked was " Would you be interested in watching the rest of the film" ? The response came back positively as 15 of those people answered yes and only five answered with no. However I believe this could be due to the type of genre it witholds of as not everybody enjoyes watching horrors as it can scare them.

The second question that I asked to my audience was "Are you able to identify the genre of the opening sequence and if so please state". By looking at my results they vary from 7 stating Thriller, 3 Psycho Thriller, 1 Action, 8 Horror and 0 for Adventure. Due of my results being popular on thriller/horror genre I believe the audience ideology of the opening sequence genre has knowledge of the type of genre we have set which is a positive feedback for us.

Finally the last question I asked my audience was "Do you think AASS productions should make any changes and if so please state". 17 replied back stating no, which I believe is a very pleasing response whilst two replied back with no and stating their opinion. The 2 negative responses were justified by their reasons which were minor technical faults.

Question 6

I have learnt a wide range about technologies within the process of construction my media product. The main type of form of developing knowledge and gaining skills are media features consisting of filming, editing, software, production effects, music, sound effects and the Internet. The range of media conventions has enabled me to explore and gain knowledge of technologies and their purpose as well as enabling me to progress and learn new skills.

A lot of planning was used before having to film the opening sequence, this was because we had to think about where and when to film and if the camera was suitable and safe for the environment/location. As a group we also used the Internet to enable us with information and knowledge on other types of opening sequences that we had in mind, such as "Sin City". This helped us majorly as it generated more knowledge and understanding of how the construction of opening sequences would work. Also the Internet has enabled me to use a variety of functions more effectively, an example of this is the website Blogspot as I've been able to upload pictures from other similar sequences and information to help get more of a specific understanding of media conventions as well as using the search engine Google and YouTube. These website was useful as I was able to explore a wide variety of understanding and construction of information that I needed to know.

When constructed our media product together a variety of technologies were used within this process consisting of a range of using new technologies, software and researching. An example of the main technology that enabled me to gain efficient and effective skills from constructing our work is the editing software; the programme is called "Sony Vegas Pro" is a new type of software to enable us to construct and edit our work together. As we began editing everything was new to us, therefore we developed skills and learnt how to edit clips together properly, this consisted of effective transitions and using a variety of different media effects, such as superimposing generic markers, sound effects, music soundtrack, fading and the cutting of the clips, as well as the visual style which is being able to adapt the saturation from coloured to black and white.

Question 7

When looking back at how our preliminary task was performed I can identify types of methods, media and technological conventions that's enabled me a good understanding on how to construct and operate our chosen media product. Although I believe the preliminary task has gave me a more knowledgeable understanding of the operation, our final media product however has improved knowledge drastically as I have been able to progress, learn and developed aspects into great amounts of detail.

However because of the character that I was playing was featuring within the film, I wasn't physically able to film most of it. Due to this I helped out on clips that I wasn't featuring in such as the opening sequence when the camera focuses on the clock capturing all the props as it flows down. This was tricky to film as we used the zoom and panning at the same time, as well as being able to keep the shot steady and without it jumping or flicking. Because this took a few takes as the tripod was quite uneven, this gave me an idea and understanding of how the filming within the media industry would operate as it would take months and months to film being able to get all the shots as accurate as possible. I also helped the group out by giving them ideas that we couldn't achieve by following what was on our story board, this was due to various reasons such a size and space within the house and certain circumstances.

Overall I believe the editing was the hardest to achieve as it was the most time consuming. To begin with we had so many clips to upload that the computer began to freeze. Therefore we put on the clips that we only needed and shortened them down by far. As we began to link the clips and transitions together we had to make sure that they was in the correct order and also had to think about on what clip that can be superimposed on and what the soundtrack can begin to play. We also has to think about how fast and slow the transitions were made and what clips to fade. After we had a final version of what would become our opening sequence we replayed it a numerous amount of times to redo certain clips that maybe had a fault or jump in order to help create the sequence run more smoothly and effectively.

Therefore comparing this to the preliminary task I believe that our final media product helped me gain more skills and knowledge as well as understating to the development and constructing of our opening sequence. This has been influenced through a variety of ways, however mainly towards how technology is influenced and portrayed to how the sequence runs as this creates the most impact and time within the opening sequence.

However to conclude I believe that being able to perform the preliminary task effectively has influenced me and my skills to improve when having to create the opening sequence. This was mainly due to having much more of a wider range to enable us as a group to use within the sequence such as sound effects and visual style. I have more knowledge and understanding with media techniques and therefore will become more and more confident as I use them which will help me and reflect in the next media assignment. Overall I pleased with the two outcomes of my media films and I can also identify on what i have progressed on which has enabled me with a better knowledge and understanding which is hopefully reflected within my work.

As a group we all worked together with the filming and editing however more so than others, although everybody within the group contributed to at least more than one part which I am pleased about. If we had to make any changes to the clip then I would probably re think the story line as this maybe confused the audience on what is happening. By this I would pick a film to work alongside that I know I can relate to back in my work than not just learn off other films just because of how effective media and technology conventions were portrayed. I also would change a couple of this clips as one of them shows the woman putting the cigarette out, yet it is still lit as she walks out of the room. Also the soundtrack towards the end of the sequence wasn't the specific one we wanted as it was hard to find/download, this was a disappointment because if we had the right kind of music which would consist of frantic/jumpy soundtrack then it would look effective against Shane's character as he goes crazy. Also another problem we came across was the schools software as it wasn't the accurate software we hoped to be as we wanted to create a "sin city" visual style. This was a disappointment to the group as we knew having that visual effect would be the main key convention within in our final media product. Apart from that I believe I wouldn't change anything else as within the sequence as I have learned and dealt with most of these problems and hopefully wont have much of an impact to the way our media product is constructed. 

Our Opening Sequence

What we need to consider

• Location
• Character representation
• Synopsis/ Proposal
• Shooting Script
• Props
• Genre codes and conventions
• Research on other existing opening sequences to help us develop a specific understanding of opening sequences and their structure.

Research

We have studied and analysed a variety of opening sequences in class and wrote various essays to enable knowledge of how camera angles portray characters and scenes. However as a group we all had a rough idea of what kind of genre we wanted to base our opening sequence on which we therefore spoke about and planned in class. Our group decision was to base the clip to be set back in time whilst having a twist of it being a thriller. We liked this idea as it would be completely different to the type of genre we previously portrayed within our preliminary task which we knew wouldn't of been successful when having to come across filming. The idea is unique and ideal as we can use a variety of affects and props to portray the particular visual style we are aiming for. Therefore because we knew what type of genre we definitely wanted we decided to begin with researching other opening sequences that related to the specific thriller genre and studied them to give us more of a accurate idea of what and where to film and how it works. "Seven" and "Sin City" was a couple of the films that we looked at and researched as they were films which we all were familiar with and consisted of a effective opening sequence and had good quality Muse-en-scene which is the similar effect we would like to achieve in our opening sequence. To be able to perform this I looked at the key conventions to creating a thriller which are sound, camera angles/shots and editing. Examples of these are quick and frequent cuts, camera angles and changes as well as movement. Music is also a significant to the genre as it helps create tension when appropriate. This can help signify when something bad is going to happen as the music will become more powerful to help create tension. Lighting is also used, especially when someone is there, for example the use of shadows and reflections can show the audience this. All thrillers involve of dramatic story lines consisting of death, supernatural or mental illnesses; all of these have a role of a "bad guy" which is known as the antagonist. The purpose of scary films is to scare the audience into believing something. Therefore after knowing and studying these specific key conventions we all took this into account when creating our opening sequence as it must consist of these terms due to being able to signify and portray it being a thriller.

As a group we have been thinking of various ideas to base our opening sequence on. We all have finally agreed to base it on a thriller set back in a 1940's time zone. To be able to portray this effect we will make it authentic by creating the clip in a black and white theme with hints of sepia and red showing through. As you can see to this right i tried creating this affect by lowering the colour temperature and changing the stariation however it wasn't the right colour we was specifically looking for. Also the location must be able to signify the specific time period, therefore we have decided to film this within my nans house as its 90's based. This is because my nan is into 1940-50's time period and like to dress and collect the resources used back then. Thorney is the village that we would be filming in, as its easy to access for all of the group members as well as benefiting from a great a filming location.


Together we have created a storyboard to help us develop and understand a good idea for our opening sequence. The first picture just shows a rough drafts of all the stages of what would be filmed in the opening sequence. As you can see it isn't very detailed as it was just a rough plan of a step by step guide.

The second image is more of an advanced and detailed storyboard with the development stages of our opening sequence. This is more specific as it shows what would be filmed and the camera angles used.


Our last storyboard is shown on more of an accurate scale of the different media techniques we would use throughout the sequence and how well and effective this will be portrayed across to the audience. Due to this process it has caused us to change certain aspects of the film, for example it will no longer be a romance/thriller as there is no romance involved in this aspect of genre at all. Therefore it will be more of a horror/thriller as the stalker in the sequence has changed into a pedophile murderer.

Synopsis. From our storyboard we were able to get more of an accurate idea of how our opening sequence would work with the use of camera angles and movement. As the pieces started to fit together the more developed and well planned our opening sequence became enabled us as a group more confident and prepared to what we would be filming.
The storyline of our thriller is the "woman" (whom is played by myself) getting ready just like any other normal day in the life of the 1940's suspicious image of a stalker/murderer staring at a wall of goryportrayed. As the woman leaves the house the stalker will appear who will follow her without her knowing and flashbacks will occur.

Shooting Script - general idea of how the opening sequence will work.

1. Camera focuses on the old ticking clock and pans onto the objects flowing down to the floor.
2. Camera changes to Shane's wall , with photographs flowing. Camera has a close up focusing on each of these.
3. Woman gets up out of bed puts on dressing gown and goes down stairs whilst the camera follows her managing from a close up of her feet gradually moving further away as she moves.
4. Camera shot of the woman's bottom half of legs and feet when coming down from the stairs into the kitchen.
5. The woman sits down and pours wine, behind the shoulder shot and a birds eye view shot is used.
   
6. The woman opens up an old "1948" newspaper which the camera zooms out of signifying the date to the audience.
7. Shot from behind of the woman sitting down with a glass in her hand and a cigarette in the other one.
8. Woman stands up and washes up the glass, an high camera angle is used to look down on her. Music starts to fade in.
   
9. The camera focuses on the cigarette that is still lit in the ash tray whilst capturing the woman walking out of the room.
10. The woman goes up stairs to get ready, mid shots and high angles follow her whilst doing this.
11. As the woman sits down the camera pans onto objects leading up to her chair.
12. The woman is combing her hair, putting on mascara and red lipstick whilst doing this the camera focuses and zooms on specific parts such as eyes and mouth.
    
13. The camera flicks on to an over the shoulder shot of Shane looking at the wall.
14. The woman gets ready by putting on her dress and pulling up her tights whilst the camera follows on her movements, many close ups are used.
15. As this becomes more intense Shane starts going more crazy by tearing pictures down, the music changes tempo as well.
16. The woman gets up and walks out of the room, whilst the camera is following her by a consistent of shots.
17. Camera focuses on more of Shane, still being an over the shoulder shot of Shane grabbing a picture of "the woman" and dropping it in the bath. 
 

 

Props and costume list - significant objects that will be identified within the opening sequence

1. Polka Dress
2. Fishnet Tights
3. Dressing gown
4. Accessories/Jewellery
5. Make up
6. Clock
7. "1948" newspaper
8. Cigarette/Ashtray
9. Wine Bottle
10. Coins/Money.

Preperation is the key for enable us to perform well and be successful within our media group. Therefore we have done lots of research on basic props and costumes used in the 1940's time period. We have found out that polka dots, ruffles and patterns were the trends back then. Because of this we have to make sure we have the right costumes to enable us to portray a realistic effect to that specific time. Therefore my costume will be a simple blue and white polka dot dress which was used in the photos above. As for Shane playing the antagonist he will be seen in dark clothes and a overly sized hat which would be covering and hiding his identity when filmed so it appears more mysterious to the audience. Here are some photos below we have researched and collected to use on our wall in one of the clips, however we have asked permission from the source we found them from before printing them off.


The location report of the opening sequence will be in Thorney village. The main reasons for this is because it will be easy to access for all group members as well as being a great filming location due to the authenticity linking to the genre of the sequence. The house is a duke of bedford cottage which resembles the clip being set back in time as its an old looking house, also with the use of furniture and vintage collectibles portray and signify this effect. Also we will be using the school council house toilets for Shane's scene as its dark and grungy looking, this will symbolise Shane's character as well.

There will be props used within the opening sequence to help portray realism and authenticity to the audience. Before filming we decided to to get a good idea of how this would be reflected, as well as being used in the actual video. Therefore we set up a little area to help us develop an idea of what the setting would look like, however to make the pictures seem authentic to the genre of the film we edited them on photo shop. As you can see we have chosen an off black and white colour to symbolise the authenticity, because of this idea we liked the way it become significant so we will therefore be developing this within the opening sequence. Their will be a variety of props used to pursue this effect we are looking for, such as when the character will be reading a magazine however we will make sure its an old magazine that time period to make it realistic. Also other types of props used will be make-up, wine bottles, fake cigarette etc.

 







The character and representation are chosen for various different reasons which will involve of myself playing the 1940's classic woman. This was decided within the group as they voted me to do this due to the "long blonde hair". The woman will come across as being very mysterious as you don't actually see her face, yet only when putting on her make up and when entering the room. The woman will come across being very seductive by putting on her red lipstick, wearing a silk purple dressing gown and a small blue and white polka dot dress and netting tights which reflects her character. However when filming the character I will only be filmed from behind and only certain body parts that I feel comfortable with as I don't like the thought of being filmed or to come across in that particular way. The antagonist will be played by Shane, he will also not been seen from the front in the opening sequence as this will make him more of a suspicious character. Shane will be dressed in a black coat with a collar sticking up as well as an old fashioned fedora hat, hiding his identity.

The costumes will be significant to our opening sequence and this identifies the character and also the time period established. Therefore to portray this across to the audience well we must consider the patterns and trends of the 1940's time period. To enable us to establish this effect we will be visiting Sue Ryder which is a charity shop filled with lots of vintage clothing and accessories. Also I have been exploring the late fashion trends on the internet and books to get a good idea of what was in fashion and how people were be seen via their image, for example hair and make up. Therefore the red lipstick will be significant aspect for when filming especially as the desiring visual style will be black and white with red coming through. Shane's characher won't really have a specific set costume as he will be seen in black, which will create him hidden and his identity will not be revealed.

sound is a convention that we would be using in our video and will be consisting of some old classic music whilst the woman is getting ready, this would be non diagetic as its not going to be heard when actually filming. Because of this we would have to get permission of people or record labels which we will look into nearer the time. Reasons for doing this is because sometimes when people speak the camera doesn't actually pick up sounds properly, as well as filming outside the wind or outdoors could not be as effective.

The soundtrack that we have chosen is available to listen to on YouTube as well as on the following link. " Here Comes The Boogie Man" is the name of the song which signifies Shane's character as well enabling effectiveness to the opening sequence.

To enable us to film our media we have to find the right date and time that all of us are free and able to get to Thorney. However this was hard to arrange as some of us had jobs which meant we was working on the weekends, because of this I booked the Sunday off work as holiday so we could get it done in one day, the day that we chosen to film on is the Sunday 14th of March as all group memebers were available.


Weather is a key feature we need to think about when filming hopefully on the the sun will be shining, this will enable us to get our work down smoothly and quickly. If not then it would have to be filmed on a different day because rain, snow or icy weather can cause hazards and not be suitable when filming. Luckily all of our filming will be taking place indoors and the weather won't be much of an issue.

Hazards and risks aren't expected or occurred in the duration of being able to film our opening sequence. However the only one problem, and this is when the bath tub will be filled slightly with bloody water. The risk could be dropping the camera in the water and causing an electrical hazard.Also when filming the woman drinking from a wine bottle and possibly smoking we have to make sure its fake and the alcohol isn't real as complaints can be made.

FILM WILL GO HERE

The Filming for our opening sequence went very smoothly and successfully, however we had to make sure we followed everything that was specific on the storyboard so we knew exactly what we would needed to follow and also what shots we knew would work well. However some of the shots we had to adjust and also thought of then and there on the spot, therefore this isn't all shown on the final storyboard. Also we had to be aware of the objects around us that was in the way or caught/captured onto the clip, this will prevent it from being authentic and realistic; for example we realised we caught part of the kettle in one of the clips which was then replaced with a bowl of fruit. This was because of the time setting which was focused back into the 1940's time period therefore we need to portray the surrounding areas of the clip authentic as possible.

Below are pictures of Ashlee and Sophie beginning to film the first opening clip to our opening sequence, as well as Shane experimenting with the tripod.

 

changes that were made when filming

When filming we made a few changes that wasn't involved in the s t o r y  b o a r d, this was because the surrounding area was far too small for some of the shots and angles we wanted to be able to portray. An example off this is when the woman is going up the stairs and the camera shows down on her from a high angle. As you can see from the picture below it is very cramped and small to film let alone trying to get the people we needed to in the space to enable us to film. Therefore we decided to put the camera on one of the shelves to capture the shot from a high up angle which signifies the character as well as giving us the ability to have more room and all group members there to enable us to film.


Another change we made when filming was not being able to film the woman from behind walking down the street as we planned which was in our storyboards. This was because we used a whole of 3 minutes  filming and we knew we had to stop at some point soon. This change didn't cause any drastic effects or changes to our film which I'm fortunate about due to it only continuing on what the character is doing. 
 

A filming mistake was also made when the woman is sat down on the table and then stands up and puts the cigarette out, yet when she walks out the room the camera is focused on the cigarette that's balanced on the ash tray which is still fully lit. Having this had of happened it has made us realise filming objects is very difficult when your having to retake a scene, this is because you have to try and get what is in the scene the exact same as it was before. However because of this tiny error we only noticed it when we got round to editing the clips together and didn't have enough time to change or do anything about it and hopefully will be unnoticed.

Overall no initial or major changes were made, and most of the filming process had related to our storyboard, this if very fortunate as we didn't come across any hazards or risks whilst filming or any type of difficulty. Our opening sequence relates to our s t o r y  b o a r d as we followed the step by step guide, also there wasn't much that we had to drastically change. I believe that the filming went smoothly on the day and I wouldn't make any particular changes except from the mistakes which were made in the list above. I am pleased with the outcome of our video and filming conventions that I have used and learnt within the opening sequence.

Changes that were made when editing

A lot of changes were made when editing, this was because of the time consumption of the opening sequence as it had to be a certain length, a lot of shots were taken out or either shortened down to the correct length. We decided to edit together Shane going "crazy" within the video towards the end  of the footage to enable the sequence to flow more, as to begin with we put the transitions in between which made the opening sequence a bit jumpy and uneven.  By putting the clips of Shane at the end we created fast, frequent transitions which therefore created it more effective. I previously researched this as this typical media convention was a great effect to be able to signify drama and what is about to happen. However to help pursue this "thriller" effect even more we wanted a jumpy soundtrack that signifies danger; - a typical horror tune which consists of orchestral  music which is used via a great dynamic range or fast dramatic music which will symbolise Shane's character more as he is going  more and more "crazy and frantic".

As a group we decided to edit the sound and add in non diagetic sounds, examples of these are when the clock is ticking, the wooden floor creeking when the woman is getting out of bed and when the wine is pouring into the glass. The sound effects had to fit the actions of the clip perfectly otherwise it would look out of sync and wouldn't match. This helps create the clip more realistic  and authentic whilst being comfortable to watch  as it will be less boring until the soundtrack is added in to when the character is getting ready. However as we played the sequence back and realised something wasn't quite right as the soundtrack is added in only halfway through, to make the scene look more effective we decided to add the soundtrack to the beginning of the clip so that it overlaps these sound effects as it creates it a little less tedious to watch and won't seem to drag on.

When editing all the clips, shots and transitions together we realized towards the end we had to make a few minor changes to the video which were moving shots around and to fasten and s l o w e n the play back rate and transitions up or down. We even took a couple of shots and clips out due the time consumption of the video as we didn't want to over do it and for our overall grade to be affected. Therefore we have now got our video down to 2:50 which is a more ideal time length as well as enabling the sequence to flow more precise and accurate.

The first shot is when the camera is focused on the clock setting the time, as the camera focuses out it follows props which was 1940's based and then the name of our opening sequence which is " equal to a fine liquor"   which we superimposed (as well as the credits and titles) on one of the clips. However because we were so careful filming this and did it at a slow pace we had to fasten it up whilst editing to enable the timing of the sequence to fasten. (This was because as we put all the clips together the time consumption was far too long and needed cutting down). The camera then follows the footsteps of the woman getting out of bed and into the kitchen. An over the shoulder shot is used which overlooks the date of the newspaper she is reading, this signifies the time period, which is 1948. 

As the woman finishes and walks out the room the camera is focusing on a lit cigarette capturing her walking off in the distance which is an effective shot, we also used a fade to help the shots run more smoothly and accurately.

Within the process of the women getting ready a variety of shots were used and slow transitions to maintain what is happening. However when Shane's character is playing the camera focuses on the wall for a number of seconds to establish what type of photos are on the wall. Quick transitions begin as Shane's character gets more intense and the fading is shortened to make the clips appear more sudden and energetic as he is ripping the pictures of women down from the wall.

The editing of the clips have an impact of how the sequence is seen by the audience, therefore with the use of the media and editing conventions our sequence will look realistic and significant to the type of genre it is. Because of this we made sure that when editing we all agreed on the type of transitions we used for what type of clip, we had to make sure the playback rate, fading, transition, and music was all in sync and specific to what is going on.

Another technological change which took place when editing was the significant red lips, the look we wanted to portray was the same as the "sin city" effect, the picture to the right shows this effect. However unfortunately the school didn't have the particular software which was used to be able to do this. This was disappointing for the group as we wanted to portray the film in black and white with the occasional red bits coming through to make it look effective and give it more of a dramatic visual style.

Opening Sequences and Features of Filming

In this section of my assignment I will create an opening sequence to a film. To enable me to do this successfully I have explored and analyzed opening sequences from the three following films Dirty Harry, The Usual Suspects and Seven. Doing this enabled me to adapt knowledge and how specific skills were used in certain areas of films. For example key conventions like soundtrack, genre, establishing shops, camera angles were all taken into consideration when thinking about our opening scene. This is because the specific features used in appropriate points of the films are all used for effect to portray a message across to the audience such as identity or genre. Therefore we have decided to achieve similar aspects of this when performing our opening sequence to help create it as realistic and effective as possible.











Mise - En - Scene is being able to establish what is seen in a shot via the scenery arrangement, actors/characters, props and costumes and lighting. To be able to identify this you must be able to pause the film at any stage and be able signify the genre of the film and what it represents and portrays. To enable our opening sequence effective as possible we have took into account that mise en scene must be relevant and specific as we want our clip to look authentic as possible.

Characterisation is how the characters are represented within the film and how they are portrayed across to the audience making sure they look authentic and relevant to the particular role they are playing. This can portrayed in a variety of ways such as costumes, hair and make up, props and the way they speak and type of dialogue they use.

Sound The use of Diagetic sounds which happen within the filming can be used as they are natural sounds which will be picked up however non diagetic sounds are sounds which are added into the film such as bells and sirens . For example Dirty Harry used that particular sound at the start which was used as the list of deceased officers was scrolling down onto the screen. This helps portray the emotions that is occurring within the film.

Representation This is reflected by how the viewing of the film is represented and come across, for example; San Francisco is represented as a rough estate as this is shown when Harry is overlooking the city and you can see all the things that are going in within that particular scene, this portrays to the audience of him over looking the city that its his possession.

Ideology is used to send either a political,social or moral message through to the audience however the most obvious one in Dirty Harry is when the murder of the woman occurs and to enable it from preventing in the future.

Camera Shots and Angles This is when the camera focuses on an image or an object for a certain period of time. This is used to indicate the amount of subject matter contained within the frame, how far away the camera is from the image/object, and the perspective of it to the viewer. Each different shot contains a different purpose and effect.
Camera angles and movements combine together to create a sequence of images. This is used for a combination of effects in films to help portray and signify a message or signal across to the audience about a character or object.

Genre From the opening sequence the audience should be able to identify this, mainly being able to use the following terms above, mise en scene, establishing shots, camera shots and angles as well as representation and ideology. However is if this isn't used the director purposely left this out to trick the audience on what is going to happen.

Action films are non stop motion of adventure, they include of examples of high energy, physical stunts, car chases, battles, fights, escapes and natural disasters etc. Examples of these films are James Bond, Indiana Jones and the Mummy.


Comedy films are known to be "light hearted" specifically designed to amuse people and have a laugh out loud effect. It is often portrayed by exaggeration of a situation, characters, language, action etc.


Crime and Gangster are developed around sinister type of criminals, they involve of bank robbers, murders, stealing and stereotypical figures.


Drama films are mainly serious with driven plots of realistic characters, settings every day life situations and stories which involve of intense character development and interaction.

Horror are designed to scare or frighten the audience as films can contain our hidden worst fear, they can feature a wide range of style to help portray this effect, however the main ones can consist of captivity, chasing and experiencing.

Romance films often follow a love story which is two characters involved/involving with each other, this is also a "light hearted" design for the audience however can also be serious related.


Thriller is similar to horror as it also involves death and frightening acts to scare the audience. The film consists of an unpredictable plot as you don't know who the antagonist is or who he/she is after.

Physiological Thriller is when emotions and physiological features are explored, there is not much difference between this aspect of genre and thriller genre as they both share similar key features. 

After exploring a range of genres of films we have decided as a group we wanted to perform a thriller within our opening sequence, this was because it grabbed our attention as we wouldn't really have to act in it if characters were played in "mysterious" ways. Also when filming the preliminary task we knew it took a while due to trying to get the right shot of the characters without them having to laugh, this can be time consuming as none of us had much advantage with acting skills. Therefore having chosen a thriller is playing an advantage as none of us have to act or exchange dialogue if it wasn't necessary.

Preliminary Task

Introduction

In this section of my assignment we have to perform a preliminary task which is to create a short media piece of someone entering a room, meeting another character and exchanging dialogue whilst demonstrating the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot. The OCR stated these specific features and events we have to achieve, therefore we included this in our clip. Also doing this will help provide the group and myself new experience and understanding of how to use a video camera and will be able to become familiar with the wide range of shots and features.

Below is a picture that displays the 180 degree rule, as you can see your not able to cross the vertical line you also must keep the camera on a specific side so that it enables characters not to be shown on either sides (left or right) which therefore does not confuse the audience when who is exchanging dialogue. However if the camera passes through the line in the picture below this would be known as "crossing the line".

Also we were shown in class a video of this on the following link to be able to help us understand and how to use the 180 degree rule. http://www.youtube.com/watchv=HdyyuqmCW14&feature=player_embedded

To enable for us to produce our opening sequence effectively we have studied and evaluated a variety of films in class such as Dirty Harry, Usual Suspects and Seven. This has enabled me to study and gain knowledge of technical camera movements and shots which help portray the genre of the film, therefore this will help me produce more of a good quality opening sequence as i know how the key conventions will work.

Below are two storyboards which are used to show the developing stages of how the sequence would work, we wanted to make it simple and require all the elements the OCR exam board intended us to achieve. Therefore the sequence begins with someone waiting patiently outside a room, then being called in by someone whilst the camera following and demonstrating the understanding of the 180 degree rule when entering. Dialogue then will be exchanged whilst sat at the table, at least two lines or more. After that the person will then leave the room and the clip will finish.

Plan - what we need to consider

• Location
• Ideas for topic e.g. Break up, someone sharing good/bad news or a dramatic confession
• Ideas for dialogue Camera shots e.g. shot reverse shot
• Muse-en-scene
• Lighting
• Costumes and props
  

Chosen idea

We have chosen to film an interview of Shane Mayes who is playing the role of a banana man who is applying for a job in the fruit salad industry as banana chief wanting to follow in his fathers footsteps. However he can only accomplish this with the approval of Mr Sluds who is playing the role of fruit salad manager. Therefore this will be using the technique of someone coming in through the door and sitting down exchanging dialogue with someone at a table, similar to an interview. We would be able to use a vast majority of camera angles and techniques to help the scene look authentic and as serious as possible.

To the left is a picture of Shane, Mr Sluds and myself planning the script and preparing ourselves for the sequence. However we only managed to film only some of it in a day as it was time consuming. Therefore when returning to school on the Monday to continue our filming we had to make sure the characters were waring the same clothes and was taken place in the same setting to help create the clip look more authentic.

The banana was the main prop used when filming as this is significant to the film shown in the clip. Also the use of match on action is reflected in the shot of this particular bit. This is when cutting the middle of a scene and re-doing it from a different angle, therefore gives off the impression another camera is being used for that particular shot as its not immediately .

Another technical shot we have to included in our video is the shot reverse shot, this is cutting from one shot to another shot then going back to its original place. This can be represented in a various amount of ways, for example when the two people are excahanging dialogue. However doing this will provide new experience of how to use a video camera and will be able to become familiar with the wide range and variety of shots. An example of what the type of shot would look like is on the following link. http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gIdceyd1L8&NR=1

When looking back according to our plan everything went well and all the camera angles and shots were well thought through and were used. This ended up giving us our successful result accomplishing the range of camera angles and shows whilst following the 180 degree. Our preliminary task which is now able to access via YouTube and on the video below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vHqxokdQ0

Evaluation

Overall I believe the preliminary task was successful and I'm pleased with the outcome of the video. The main reasons behind this is because we have met the needs and targets of the OCR exam board whilst covering a wide range of camera shots, focuses and angles. We edited all these together to create a whole video, we did this by cutting the clips at appropriate times to keep in in sync with the video enabling and it be more authentic to what is actually going on. Doing this also enabled me to learn how to edit the software on the computer using a programme which is installed, this has created knowledge and specific types of skills which can be helpful when creating out actual opening sequence.

When deciding the characters for our clip we made sure that they were able to complete it taking the situation seriously due to the roles that they had to play and also were appropriate for their role. We used one of our media teachers Mr Sludds to play the part of the interviewer as he was an middle aged adult so therefore the audience would take him more seriously than someone who is our age. In our group Shane Mayes was playing the interviewee, we chose him because he has more experience in drama and acting so therefore he would be able to play his character more seriously than the rest of us would of been able to. Also because of his age and being so young compared to Mr Sludds this also helps to reflect the characters behaviour. However with Shane playing this specific role it was time consuming as we had to keep cutting the clips and recording over them due to one of him laughing when eating the banana, which we then used for the outtakes. Your able to view these after having seen the clip, however there is more outtakes than the actual clip which signifies this therefore we have learnt to make sure we have the right person to play the right part when next recording.

For the location we had to make it relevant to the storyline, in this case as it was in interview we filmed it in a classroom and set table and chairs up to make it seem more realistic and authentic to the audience. We did this in one of our media class rooms to help portray this effect. Shane was firstly filmed outside in the corridor showing him waiting whilst eating the banana. As he came in the room the camera shots and angles were edited and we cut out bits we didn't need to help the clip look more effective. When Shane sat down dialogue was exchanged between the two of them, we filmed this all whilst following the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot.

If we had to film our opening sequence again I think we would have to choose a topic more serious and not as funny due to taking a while to film accurately. Also maybe more dialogue could of been exchanged when talking to each other across the table. However we wasn't able to do this without Mr Sludds or Shane having to laugh. Therefore if we chose a different topic or roles for them to play we would of been able to portray this more quicker and effectively.