Question 7

Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Preliminary brief- Film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character. It had to feature a couple of lines of dialogue then must exchanged between characters and match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule should be demonstrated.

Main task - The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes (all video and audio material must be original, produced by candidates, with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source)

The main task brief we knew that it was going to be a lot more work and effort which meant dedicating more of our own time. Also more team work because it was a bigger task compared to the preliminary task as it needed more planning and thinking.



Pre –production

                                                                          Planning

As you can see above our prelim task consisted of a short film with a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down with a few lines of dialogue. In the pre-production the class we were informed that we had a set timetable to film our prelim task which was going to be after school. This is set by the teacher I think because everyone would be able to film at that time and also incase we needed more time we would be able to complete the filming on time. From the main task our set timetable again told as a class that we were to film for 2 days, in which meant that we were going to be off timetable from our normal lessons. As in the preliminary task we didn’t really use the timetable much as it was seen as a practice rather than assessment, but nevertheless we were still going to be marked. We found out by having a timetable for the day that our shots were more structured and also our filming techniques in the sense that we knew that we didn’t have to rush. Luckily for our group in the main task we completed our filming in a day and then began to edit later that afternoon.





Again similarly to the timetable for the day we used a treatment in both the preliminary task and also the main task. A treatment is used as background information on character of the profile, situation etc. We used a treatment in our preliminary task talking about our made up story in which we had to convert the main objective of the task into. For instance our treatment included about how our character had failed a mathematics test etc, having general background information so the audience know what is going on in our film. In our preliminary task the treatment wasn’t that important as all of us knew what our story was about and also the audience could tell what our story was about throughout the shots used in our film. In the main task we used the treatment more often as it was background information about our characters whole story instead to preliminary task it was just information in what is happening in the film. It was used more in the main task for the reason that it needed to be posted on our blogs to enable the examiners to see what the whole story is about, bearing in mind we had just filmed the opening sequence. We didn’t really learn any lessons apart from that the treatment gives background information to the audience on what your film was about.





In the preliminary task location was very time consuming as our group had booked the maths classroom in which everything was booked and sealed ready for us to use. However we then got a message saying that the room wasn’t available as we needed consent from the teacher in charge. We then found that the room wasn’t available in which hoped to teach us a lesson in the main task. We solved this by picking another room available with consent from the teacher. In the main task our location was the biggest problem in our group as we had 2 locations that were all reserved for us with consent everything and because of the dates we had to film and the availability of the location our location was no longer available. We then solved this by using the media department’s TV studio and turned it into a girl’s bedroom, in which we learnt that location is vital as you can see through these experiences.

Production

                                  Filming




In the preliminary task we found out a valuable lesson which was the issue of time. In this the first couple of days were a shock to us as we found out only 4 days after that we were going to film on a certain date. As a result of this as we were new to the media experience our timing wasn’t used to the best of it’s ability as we found ourselves rushing on the day of our production. We had issues with much of the equipment which wasted valuable time and also the order of our shots in which we had to wait to film them due to the distraction of the school kid’s in our location. We made sure that in the main task this was never ever going to be a repeat of what had happened, so in the main task on the day of production we did things different. We did this by we took our time with our shots whereas in the preliminary task most of the shots were taken quickly due to time being against us. We also made sure that everyone in our group arrived at school on time so we could start filming as soon as possible which contributed to our early finish. We learnt that timing is very valuable when filming on production day otherwise shots may not be to the best of your ability which our group will then loose marks.


We also found out that during production cast was one of our biggest aspects as in the preliminary task and the main task. In our preliminary task we were told that we should use our friends in the school as this would be the easiest method for our cast. As this was our only method the cast was Shazleen’s friend. Due to the equipment problem this was then abandoned and we had to film on the next day causing time wasted for our cast member. We could see that she was getting tired and fed up waiting for our group to film. We were then advised to solve this problem as it was a re-occurring problem in most groups to use cast in our media class. This was a good solution as they got credit for helping us out and also they are in the same position as us in the sense that this will allow them to add ideas to some extent. In the main task a member of our group extracted the cast in which had to have certain characteristics to meet the expectations of a typical ballet dancer. We then had to run through a rehearsal as a group so she knew everything that was going to happen in production. Also in the main task cast were much more important to our film to again represent our character, whereas in the preliminary task it was more about helping out our and other groups.



Our next initial decision made was the variety of shots in which our group selected. In the preliminary task our shots to be honest weren’t of top quality as in contrast to the main task where the preliminary task was more of can you use these shots and make them look effective. Baring in mind the time that when we did this we were just learning the different types of shots such as match on action, rule of thirds, longshots etc. The main shots in which we used in the preliminary were cutterway shots showing the character entering the room having cutterway at the handle and many longshots showing the room and the character leaving etc. We found out now that these shots were just basic and not that interesting. In addition we learnt this lesson .We made sure we wanted to show more creativity in the main task as this was where the marks were at construction based on the creativity of different shots. The first shot we did was a total shot. We didn’t use this shot in the preliminary task as we felt that it wasn’t necessary, however in the main task it allowed us backup as having a whole run through of the film. This is good because if we didn’t like a particular shot that we always had a backup to replace/change etc. Also in the main task we used more techniques of the camera such as rule of thirds when the sister opens the door, match on reaction where the sister comes inside the main characters bedroom and we see the character smiling at her and many more different shots.


Our main lesson in which we learnt in both preliminary and the main task is that total shots are always essential and also when filming that you should take more shots from different positions as you never know they may be the best shots in the whole entire sequence.


Post- production

 

Editing

Initial decision when in post production, this was about saving work. In our preliminary task and main task in editing we found that this was essential in which we knew that the editing program was experiencing problems and that it wasn’t reliable as we were told before editing. At the end of every editing session the save button was used a numerous amount of times. The ‘save as’ then the number 1 next to it as then we would save multiple copies and this then we could easily just go back if any problems would encounter. We used this mainly in the mainly in the main task as it was much easier for us to do it this way as then we could explore different type of shots and play around with different effects in picking the best and more effective shots for our film.


In addition when it came to post production time was another factor which was present in both the preliminary task and also the main task. In the preliminary task our time was against us when it came to the editing process because we were new students to media and most of the class didn’t know how to use the editing software yet alone edit the whole film on time. Also in the preliminary task we were put into pairs which made it even worse for our groups as if we had a big group everyone would be given their assigned roles to complete on the deadline. In the main we made sure we had to use of time wisely as we came back after school, during break and lunch to make sure that our film was perfect. Also in the main task our group was also much bigger which helped as the editing was shared equally and also much quickly. We learnt that time is very important meeting deadlines for our films in both projects.


Furthermore our music choices likewise to time and saving work were also just as important. In the preliminary task when it came to editing music choice wasn’t included as it wasn’t that necessary. Also our sound on our prelim task wasn’t working which muted our whole sequence. So we solved this by playing any old music over our film to attract the attention away from the muted film, in which wasn’t really a loss and the audience still understood what our film was about. In the main task music is really important of setting the theme and mood of a film. Our initial music choice selection by receiving feedback that it was too depressing which isn’t what our film was meant to be perceived to the audience as. We then took this constructive criticism on board and changed it to a more vibrant vibe it gives as at the end of the day feedback is used to help us make our film better. As a result our music choice suited our film which is what we intended to do in the main task.




Overall, I learnt in the main task that making sure that you always have more shots than you need to use that when editing you have a range of shots to choose from. In addition the most important lesson that all of us learnt that planning is the most important aspect of any film, because without planning you will struggle in the film industry as a lot of simple things such as the idea need to be extended through this. As we planned in both sequences overall I think that both of our sequences were very detailed and covered the main objectives

LET'S DANCE - Main task sequence

High school musical

The location shows a colourful atmosphere which is seen similar to the one we are thinking of using to emphasise the mood of what we want our opening sequence to come across to the audience. This is where I got my idea from and built the storyline from using changed aspects of a girl’s bedroom.

I began to think what would be the most effective way to show this to the audience in which we used the props to their advantage familiarising the audience with our film hoping to be a teenage film drama. We wanted to do this to emphasise what sort of issues may happen in these years. Also within this short clip I wanted the character to look like and normal ordinary girl through her costume which is not just the only clip we could think of many can be shown through other clips as this is an worldwide theme in many films from many other clips.

However this clip was very useful for the platform of our ideas.

Lock, stock and two smoking barrels

This film is called Lock stock and two smoking barrels which from the opening sequence we gather a sense that it is about a typical cockney lad trying to make some money. The director of the film does makes him seem confident by immidiately alerts the scene with a little business session where he shows the character with a bold presence selling items in his suitcase. The main process used to make this film is editing which is the flowing measure of the way he talks and also the voice over used action reaction etc. One thing that the director makes good use of is the close up of the main character. This is used for effect as it symbolises to the audience that its his patch and dominates authority over the rest of the customers by the constant focus of the camera on him, where significantly reaches a climax where when the police arrive the shots then change from long and wide emphasising that he has lost his control. Furthermore music is used to notify the arrival of the police and fast music setting the scene of the chaseAt the end of the sequence leaves us asking a collarge of questions such as why did the director use this use of colour throughout the scene? and why did the voice over familiarise the audience with the character has to stop.

Official STALKER

This film is called official stalker, it is based on a warzone story where a solider is trying to emulate his oponents, in which little does he know he has been beaten to it and backfires on him in which he is killed himself. The opening we catch a glimpse of the surroundings ( messed up buliding, blood everywhere) which sets the scene for the armed attack. Sound effects such as a water drop is played emphasising tension and also physically a tap has exploded.  The location fit the narrative very well because there was a lot of places where people could appear, or jump out from so we the viewers was intent in spotting anything out, almost to save him due to our fear. A lot of the building were vandalized and had smashed windows, doors etc. which suggests that some kind of war leading to conflict took place. This leaves the audience questions such as why is he all alone in this place?, what is his means to follow these enemies?, has he been sent or on command? etc. It almost made us feel that in the world of this film these three men were the only ones alive. This played with our emotions because we felt sorry for the man in the army costume even though he had a gun. Music is also played throughout the film where he is walking about cautiously until it reaches a point of stop where the aeroplanes cross over as from then the soldier is on his guard which the audience who what to expect from here now on. Then sound effects such as the soliders breathing this represents the pace and intensity of the story ascending and descending. The parallel music represented the mood of the character but not necessarily the world of the film in and out is heard for effect etc as we know something will happen when they encounter and also the emphasise the constant tempo and quickness of how it is percieved to the audience.All different types of camera shots for example cutterways, longshots to capture surroundings, over the shoulder shots to add suspense are all used frequently and very constructively which makes this a good short film. The close up shot of his foot kicking the can shows the detail and what his life depended on; it also creates tension for the viewers because we don’t want him to get caught. The handheld running shot leads us to fear something is going to happen; it left us on the edge of our seats due to the sudden pace change which built the intensity

Location Reece Final

For our preparation for producing our final piece of task which is to produce an opening sequence we have to prepare our equipments and any other accesories which will be used for our task. For this process I have indicated the locatiuon reece which will be filmed at the school.The reason for this is that its very convinient for our group so ,therefore there is no worries of taking any transport or anything that might cause any corruption to the camera or tripod. It will also be easier for the teachers assessing us as they wouldn't have to worry about anything happening also to the equipment.
These are the details of our location reece in which will be taken in variety of scenes shows the explantaion of any advantages or disadvantages which may occur while filming our opening scene. However as one of the members of staff told us the worng date for the room available in which having to move location for the third time we have now decided to do our opening sequence inside the school media production rom department as therefore we know that there will be no more further disruptions and let downs. In addition we had to therefore build our own set in which is a key skill for making a film also , in which our case we turned the room into a girls bedroom.



Location details: This is where the opening scene will take place just outside of the school.

Advantage

• It will look magnificant of how we can produce our opening scene starting from the sky showing aspects of the atmophere and the school. Also the shot is of a variety adding something different in the opening shot

Disadvantage

• At the certain type of day we need to occupy our time as school may become busy and over crowded in which may disturb our shot

• Also we may encounter rain in which would ruin the shots in which is why I have used my initiative to post the weather forecast of the days in which we are filming below;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2643743



Location


Location details: The media production room

Advantage

• Enabled us to create our own film set in which is always good for our media study skills .

• Timing can be flexible as we know that room would always be availbale in which as before in which we lost our locations if we didn't finish all of our filming we would haven't of filmed everything in which we had needed to in which having our own did.

Disadvantage

• Space is very limited in the sense that he picked out one good corner of the whole room which was suitable to film in etc. This may be bad as most of our shots may be some the same angles which may see a lack of creativity in our opening sequence etc.

Location Reece draft 2

For our preparation for producing our final piece of task which is to produce an opening sequence we have to prepare our equipments and any other accesories which will be used  for our task. For this process I have indicated the locatiuon reece which will be filmed at the school.The reason for this is that its very convinient for our group so ,therefore there is no worries of taking any transport or anything that might cause any corruption to the camera or tripod. It will also be easier for the teachers assessing us as they wouldn't have to worry about anything happening also to the equipment.
These are the details of our location reece in which will be taken in variety of scenes shows the explantaion of any advantages or disadvantages which may occur while filming our opening scene



Location details: This is where the opening scene will take place just outside of the school.

Advantage

• It will look magnificant of how we can produce our opening scene starting from the sky showing  aspects of the atmophere and the school. Also the shot is of a variety adding something different in the opening shot

Disadvantage

• At the certain type of day we need to occupy our time as school may become busy and over crowded in which may disturb our shot

• Also we may encounter rain in which would ruin the shots in which is why I have used my initiative to post the weather forecast of the days in which we are filming below;

     

Location


Location details: The leisure centre of the school

Advantage

• Varied and wide range of shots

Let's Dance' Film poster analysis

Based on our research and development my group and I decided on our target audience that our short film will be based on which is the theme ‘obsession’. We had to organise and research the advantages and disadvantages of the terminology of our attraction that we trying to give to our audience in order to make our film very successful and interesting to watch.
As our group gathered all the information about our target audience and what interests they will require I have produced my own individual film poster and me and my group had decided to call our film 'Let’s dance' in which was produced on Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Posters occupy a space between art and advertising. They have a clear commercial purpose - to promote an event or product - but they also have artistic value. People buy them and hang them on their walls. Museums have whole galleries devoted to poster art. When analysing a poster it is important that you evaluate both how well it fulfils its purpose (promotion) as well as its aesthetic value

The main colours used in this posters are blue and Black. Black is the most eye catching colour, in this poster and it could emphasise dark actions which may foreshadow in the rest of the story through black it could also represent death in which will occur in some part of the opening sequence, in which how Emma will overcome this will be essentially significant in how she deals with the negative reacting to positive. Also will represent that all the celebrities have a rough patch in their lives in order to complete their quest to be the greatest which motivates the audience and also our character.  Anybody who likes sporty based in films will be drawn to this poster and may feel to find out more about this film as it may be different for the rest in which the idea of dance is underused in creating short films. The girls hair is elegant and extremely glamorous to show is may represent a stereotypical rich girl in which our group used this proposal from a different perspective as colours will be quite dark etc in her experience. We also used these colours as they are common in both sexes as if for example if we would have used 'pinks,yellows, orange's' it would have been a feminine poster in which wouldnt clarify that the poster is suitable for both sexes.  However, as we all know, a film’s quality doesn’t necessarily crossover into the realm of poster design in which this case may be present.
There are a lack of symbols on this poster as there was no need to give everything to the audience staright away as a sterotypical film would bore them. Music will definately feature in the film in which the poster alerts us of this in different colours for effect.  The poster has all the right conventions for it to inform us about it being an 8-20 year olds film.

A medium long shot has been used to show her dark expression. This creates mystery as we don't fully know what to expect from her character except that we will see the downfall of her sanity in the film. No sex appeal can be added as we see in most high rated films. As it will add to realism in which more young females than males will go and watch it, but the moral behind it can relate to any gender. Also the image is a striking image representing the presence of our character etc and how fragile she may come across to the audience, in which will make the audience feel a range of sympathy for.

The woman is in the front of the frame in the middle in which can show that clearly all the attention is meant to be upon her, and you can see through the way she is dressed, that it has something to do with ballet or some sort of association with the hobby which is what the obsession is based upon. The location where she is represents people are watching her in essentially the spotlight is on the main protagonist in the short film leading to the location to be some sort of stage. The use of the spotlight beaming towards the characters suggests again that she is the main attraction in this poster in the sense that she is the unique selling point which will sell for teenagers or and anybody who likes seeing these things in movies will be interested in this film. The genre of the film is obsession which relates to the young generation which will inspire them to follow through in their dreams which in a sense can yet again relate to anyone, but mainly targeting teenagers going through adolescence.

There are both visual and textual messages used all over this poster, the visually messages given by the slogan is ‘Film that changed dreams'.My poster is trying to attract a young audience of around the age below 20 as we hope they will be attracted to this sort of film, because of the genre the colours and images represent. The caption reinforces and gives an insight in almost as if this is the film such as an starting point for many films to come which is also significant. Also other critic comments decorated around the audience make the audience even more persuaded to watch the film.
 The fonts also add an immature perspective to things as the stars are hand drawn to emphasise the films age group in which again will foreshadow what  may encounter in this certain age group. We gather certain ideas from this whether she may be in school or not or whether she is just a young adult with disability problems etc, which keeps the audience guessing. Bold headings , such as the title 'Let's dance' we know that the audience are in for a jam packed intense film which would also excite the audience. The title is located at the bottom because it is in a sense a pan shot as you would then have to analyse the to half of the poster to the bottom half , in which this way it would be more memorable as they are seeing this. Also it is at the bottom emphasising the last reminder not to miss out on our film.

If we were to use a role model such as Billy Elliot as a UPS.  His story would inspire people who have seen and liked him in whatever he has done previously would be interested in watching this film in which we can relate to our own character.

Critical Evaluation

• The poster successfully fits the genre of the films and hints all the secondary items that may be used in the duration of the film without spoiling it.
• It also fits the criteria of the target audience aimed at a particulary age group and also it appeals to both sexes to some extent
• Has all the conventions on a film poster such as directed by, title , use of good colours etc and communicates with the audience with all these techniques
• Applies to the market audience 
• No unauthorised and bad language

- One criticism that I had recieved is that it looks to plain in my second draft of the poster I will add more fonts etc

Question 4 draft

4) Who would be the audience for your media product and why?

Primary audience profile

Gender:Female

Age:8-20

Any ethnic background as It will apply to all females of different race etc..

Ideal lifestyle and interests of the above age group would include a various activities such as dancing, youth clubs, watching music videos, Tv which may include soap operas such as Eastenders, Waterloo road, Emmerdale etc. Also national dance programmes such as strictly come dancing. Main activities that a female of this age group would associate herself is fashion such as going shopping, hair and make-up, nails, hair etc. Often tend to go the cinema with friends, parties, going round each others house, boys. They often tend to eat quite a lot of food which is worrying!!!. Music videos genre is normally pop, r&b, hip-hop, etc.


Secondary Profile audience

Gender: Male


Age: 8- 20


Same again any ethic background as it will apply to all races


The secondary audience is males as the majority it will not apply to but stil has the same characteristics of which the age group of 8-20 which encounter the same problems starting from a child to progressing to an mature adult in which we all hide things to protect our identity but it is not as high projected as much in a male.





Why did you choose this target audience?, What would attract them to watch your film?

All of the previous will help in a sense build up in what a stereotypical female will be portrayed in in which you as the audience will expect to see some features in our opening sequence film. The reason that females are our primary audience profiles are that women most encounter these problems rather than males as research shows that women are more insecure when adolecense is at is peak in which we tried to discover how in the sense that it is affecting them and how would the individual deal with these problems if they encounter. In which in our film it is about a girl who hides her private hobby from her mum which is a typical and common situation and also we are surrounded by school environment in which we can relate to and also take advantage and use these ideas in our short film. We also chose this story idea because it is unique and different from the stereotypical horror and violence genre which is overused over the years in the media department, in which a secret hobby unexposed has a low percentage in short films as they don't usully make them in which our group wanted to stand out and be different. The main reason in which we chose this idea in that it may be a unisex trend that keeps developing over the years, for example boys tend to also hide things and they are scared that they will be laughed at in which also may feature in this short film. However boys tend to go on with their dream and it is morally accepted by everyone in which a girl wants to do something different there are many 'eyebrows raised'. So gathering from this we could also show if we were to do two short films we could show a contrast in which this topic would be good for the audience. As the end result we want our film to capture the audience in how the 8-20 age group hide and deal with their emotions.


What would you need in your poster to attract this audience?


In order to attract our audience we need a poster colours that can is applicable to both gender, costume has to reflect the story, Big bold headings in order to grab their attention. We also need a striking image characterising the film in so that they know what it is about. Also words relevent to the situation the characters is in ( form matches meaning), in which will highlight what our group are trying to show.


What other films would the target audience may have seen in the last 6 months?

• Step up 2

• You got served

• Billy Elliot

• Bridesmaids

•  Goal

Interview with Billy Elliot

As you know that the term of our main purpose is about a girl who has interest of become a ballet dancer. For my research I looked at other actors in film who had the same interest as the main character in our film and how they made their prolonged dream a reality. This will help my research of gaining new ideas of how to develop and bring out the attention of our character for the opening sequence and how they are portrayed throughout.

The second Ballet dancer that I found my research on is Billy Elliot who similarly is in the same position as the Emma is in ours as they can both relate to areas in certain aspects.

Billy Elliot

Without wasting time I already had done my research on Billy I was looking forward to this interview as I was absolutely shell shocked that I was going to interview him of all people. I normally get unknown local rookies but not Billy Elliot!!!

I was so nervous but was aware that I had to keep the interview sharp, short and juicy.

1.    What was your childhood like?

Life in my younger days were pretty rough, I remember it like it was yesterday in which you can gather that in a sense I am still very young. Since I was young I have always had a passion for dancing. I lived with my widowed dad and my brother Tony and my Nan also. From young my dad dreamed that I was to become a boxer in which I lived up to it at a certain point in my life, where I was coming to terms that boxing was not for me. I wanted to be unique and try something different until I saw a poster of a ballet class in the gym notice board which is where from that moment on my life changed dramatically.

2.    Why was your dad so protective, surely a dad will be proud if you are happy and enjoying yourself?

I couldn’t blame him but he was restricting me from living my life. I was just a kid. I remember the day he came to my ballet class and saw me there. It was the saddest day in his life, the look on his face. He forbade me to go to the class; I never spoke to him that night. I felt as if I hated him, something inside of me were boiling up in anger, but he couldn’t stop me from going.

3.    We all want to know, what was it about dancing that made it so passionate?

I actually don’t know when u explore and you get that instant connection. The way and ability people have to stretch your legs up so high I wanted to learn how to do that along with other things. I don’t care if they call me a ‘poof’ which is what I am pretty sure what they called me behind my back but I only have to say one word look at me now.

 

4.    Briefly talk us through your training schedule?

WORK WORK WORK, This was a result of my success now. I was the more or less the only boy in the my class in which they use to laugh at me and stare at me almost as if to say what are you doing here, you don’t belong here etc. My schedule was so hectic doing Boxing, school and ballet all at the same time. In school I use to fall asleep in the same maths lesson, the teacher Mr. Sandy or something knew I wasn’t being my normal self but I dealt with that quickly and efficiently.

Seriously Billy..................

5.    What would you see yourself doing after the dancing career?

I can’t imagine myself doing anything else after it , maybe boxing ( laughing so loud , my ear drums bust), Guess we are just going to have to wait and see what the future has in store for a young boy for me. Guess something to do with ballet or dancing I suppose.

6.    And what advice would you give to anyone starting off in the ballet industry?

My motto in which I always told myself is that you should always try your best in everything you do and if you put your mind to it and practise practise practise as it makes perfect you will always become successful he concluded’. Also a teenager or aged 10 or over going through their adolescence years I think that’s the word that don’t let anyone hold you back and tell you what you cannot do, In which in my case my dad wanted me to be a boxer but I wasn’t for me so always explore and try different things cause you never know what this life has in store for us.