Here is what some people thought of our opening sequence:
"I liked the contrast from it being serene to the climax at the end"
"I thought it was awsome but the falling bit is a bit odd"
"OMG this is so professional!!! I really like it. Good job guys!"
"I don't really like it because you can see that it is a dummy and the skyline looks unrealistic."
"It's good, i love the paper but the skyscrapers at the end are a bit weird"
"I thought it was really good, and the credits were good"
"The shots were good and the music fit in really well to set the mood"
Overall the feedback is good, however it also shows that the end of the sequence with the dummy is not as strong as it could have been and therefore if we were to do it again we would edit it slightly differently to make the dummy falling look more realistic.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Task 7
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
Preliminary pictures
Pictures from the main task
The amount i've learnt from the preliminary task to my final product is fenominal. We had virtually no planning for our preliminary task, the limited script was provided for us and we only had to decide where to put the one light in the room and grab a couple of actors on the day. For our main task however, we had months preparation in order to decide the storyline of our production and everything else needed like which locations would be best to shoot our sequence. Furthermore we needed to decide which actors we wanted in our production and how they would benefit it.
Regarding the locations in the preliminary task we picked a location out of a hat and recieved our classroom. We had no decision making process or thought to the location. In the main task this was very different; we thought about many different shooting places and at one point we were going to shoot in Ewhurst, Hurtwood and up the road to Hurtwood where there are narrow roads which are surrounded by woods. In the end we only shot at Hurtwood at the top and bottom of the theatre which was ideal for the suicide aspect of our sequence.
In our preliminary task we didn't have much experience and were really learning as we went along. We set up a few different shots: a wide shot, a close-up and a hero shot. We should have recorded all of these shots at least twice so we could pick out the best one in the editing process, however we didn't know to do so until we had finished all of them and because we only had a lesson we had run out of time. On the other hand we had the whole day to film our main task and therefore we could experiment with a lot of different shots, for example we got the tracks out and did a tracking shot around our actor on a high angle so he looked powerful-far more sophisticated than the preliminary task.
Another aspect that differed greatly was the need for costumes. In our preliminary task there was absolutely no thought of costumes and the actors wore whatever they came in. In the main task we had to think about how what the characters are wearing would affect the audience's judgment of them. We also had a dummy which we had to dress exactly the same as our actor James so costumes were very important.
Props also differed greatly in each tasks. In the preliminary task all we had was a gun lying on the table which didn't really have much use at all. In the main task however our props had the most important roles in the sequence. We had to get a lot of paper with bank notes printed on them which worked well in our sequence against the blue of the sky plus we had to make a dummy and buy a wig for it with similar colour hair as the actor (believe you me, it is not easy to get a ginger wig).
The editing process in the main task was very different to the one in the preliminary task. For the Preliminary we only spent two lessons editing and because we were very inexperienced and didn't have much time on our hands we only placed the different shots next to eachother very roughly. In our main task we had a lot more time to figure out the style of our peice and make the cuts very smooth when the paper is falling down and gradually getting quicker towards the end where our character is about to jump. We also learnt how to use effects for example fading the titles and at the end animating a still picture so it looked like the character was falling from a high city building.
Although there wasn't any dialogue, sound was also a big issue in our main task because in the editing process we added city and wind sounds which made the illusion that our character was high up in a city building more realistic. The music we added to the peice was also really important because it added to the mood of the peice. When-at the beginning of the sequence- you could see paper falling we made sure the music was quite light in order to make the mood fairly safe and comfortable, however when the peice progressed and the audience find out the man is about to commit suicide we made the music in a lower key which made the mood more sombre. In the preliminary task we had dialogue and just used the sound from the microphone on the camera on the day. We didn't think at all about music or other sound effects.
Overall I would say that there is no doubt that the main task was more complex than the preliminary. The amount of work we put in with the planning, the different, more sophisticated shots and the editing just made our peice more professional and enjoyable to watch and as a film maker I have learnt a lot more.
Regarding the locations in the preliminary task we picked a location out of a hat and recieved our classroom. We had no decision making process or thought to the location. In the main task this was very different; we thought about many different shooting places and at one point we were going to shoot in Ewhurst, Hurtwood and up the road to Hurtwood where there are narrow roads which are surrounded by woods. In the end we only shot at Hurtwood at the top and bottom of the theatre which was ideal for the suicide aspect of our sequence.
In our preliminary task we didn't have much experience and were really learning as we went along. We set up a few different shots: a wide shot, a close-up and a hero shot. We should have recorded all of these shots at least twice so we could pick out the best one in the editing process, however we didn't know to do so until we had finished all of them and because we only had a lesson we had run out of time. On the other hand we had the whole day to film our main task and therefore we could experiment with a lot of different shots, for example we got the tracks out and did a tracking shot around our actor on a high angle so he looked powerful-far more sophisticated than the preliminary task.
Another aspect that differed greatly was the need for costumes. In our preliminary task there was absolutely no thought of costumes and the actors wore whatever they came in. In the main task we had to think about how what the characters are wearing would affect the audience's judgment of them. We also had a dummy which we had to dress exactly the same as our actor James so costumes were very important.
Props also differed greatly in each tasks. In the preliminary task all we had was a gun lying on the table which didn't really have much use at all. In the main task however our props had the most important roles in the sequence. We had to get a lot of paper with bank notes printed on them which worked well in our sequence against the blue of the sky plus we had to make a dummy and buy a wig for it with similar colour hair as the actor (believe you me, it is not easy to get a ginger wig).
The editing process in the main task was very different to the one in the preliminary task. For the Preliminary we only spent two lessons editing and because we were very inexperienced and didn't have much time on our hands we only placed the different shots next to eachother very roughly. In our main task we had a lot more time to figure out the style of our peice and make the cuts very smooth when the paper is falling down and gradually getting quicker towards the end where our character is about to jump. We also learnt how to use effects for example fading the titles and at the end animating a still picture so it looked like the character was falling from a high city building.
Although there wasn't any dialogue, sound was also a big issue in our main task because in the editing process we added city and wind sounds which made the illusion that our character was high up in a city building more realistic. The music we added to the peice was also really important because it added to the mood of the peice. When-at the beginning of the sequence- you could see paper falling we made sure the music was quite light in order to make the mood fairly safe and comfortable, however when the peice progressed and the audience find out the man is about to commit suicide we made the music in a lower key which made the mood more sombre. In the preliminary task we had dialogue and just used the sound from the microphone on the camera on the day. We didn't think at all about music or other sound effects.
Overall I would say that there is no doubt that the main task was more complex than the preliminary. The amount of work we put in with the planning, the different, more sophisticated shots and the editing just made our peice more professional and enjoyable to watch and as a film maker I have learnt a lot more.
Task 4
Who would be the audience for your media product?
I think our film would appeal to wide age range like 16- 45 due to the genre being a complex thriller rather than the classic horror conventions. This being said we decided to target our film at young adults of both gender from around 16-25 year olds. We chose this age range because the characters in the film are around the same age and there are elements of horror that would appeal to them. Although it is not essential for the audience to be well educated the film is fairly complex so it would benefit them if they are well educated in order to have further understanding of the plot.
Task 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
For our sequence we thought Lionsgate would distribute due to the fact they are renound for producing low budget films and especially psycological thrillers like our own.
Some of the more recent films include 'precious', the 'Saw' movies and 'the eye'
For our sequence we thought Lionsgate would distribute due to the fact they are renound for producing low budget films and especially psycological thrillers like our own.
Some of the more recent films include 'precious', the 'Saw' movies and 'the eye'
Lionsgate also do festivals and presentations which would be useful to advertise and get our film seen by as many people as possible.
As Lionsgate is so well known due to distributing many well known films it would be an insentive for audiences to see our film which is another good reason for them to distribute our product.
Task 2
How does your product represent particular social groups?
By symbolising the paper as banknotes we made the character in our sequence seem like a banker which then surprises the audience because they would later find out in the film that the man is mentally ill.
Because of the current economical situation where lots of people in the banking industry have lost their jobs, the fact that the man is commiting suicide makes sense to the audience. The man's situation (losing his job and his whole life as he knows it) is thus something the audience can relate to due to the resession occuring at the moment.
By symbolising the paper as banknotes we made the character in our sequence seem like a banker which then surprises the audience because they would later find out in the film that the man is mentally ill.
Because of the current economical situation where lots of people in the banking industry have lost their jobs, the fact that the man is commiting suicide makes sense to the audience. The man's situation (losing his job and his whole life as he knows it) is thus something the audience can relate to due to the resession occuring at the moment.
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