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Final video

Evaluation question 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Frame one- the title of the film

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The first frame I have selected is the film title;Quadrigenta. The film opening is a crime thriller based on a book and numbers therefore I have used the title of the movie whilst in the background the ultimate effect of the book is presented. This is important because it allows the reader to identify early what the storyline is and what the film is about but making the audience question the full story. The use of black and white shows the audience that this was back in time therefore making a distinct division between past and present which is important for the audience. I have used a clear bold white font which is very recognisable and easy for the audience to read. The title plays a key role as it its what splits up the opening to the film and when the films then films truly began. The bold font and the black and white back ground compliment one another and create a memorable title.

A film that we got inspiration form and followed the codes and conventions was 'Se7en'. My film and this film are the same genre and therefore this had an impact the way we constructed our piece and filmed it to make it as effective as this film. I have used the same sort of layout with the bold white title over the mysterious background.





Frame two- Costume and props

The first character in my film was Jordan, the character who finds the book in the present tense. The film is a crime thriller therefore there isn't a need for fancy costumes. Jordan wearing normal clothes allow the audience to feel a big sense of realism therefore making them feel even closer to the movie. Jordan's face isn't shown in the scene and this helps to convey the sense of mysteriousness trying to be presented. It makes the audience guess what's happening and who it is, creating tension. This is appropriate for the genre.

The second actor conveys the same tactical approach to create a sense of tension but this was set in the past, his face is being shown due to the panic of the situation and the urgency. The character is wearing normal clothes due to the conventions of the genre. The film is a modern crime thriller therefore his appearance is very appropriate with a modern outfit to let the audience know this is a modern film.








Frame three- creating the enigma

With the genre being a crime thriller enigma is important to be shown. The enigma was created within our opening scene as the audience will find it difficult to see why there is such focus on just a book, and why there is someone writing in it. Why is just a book so important? the audience will think that because the character dropped it and immediately chases it again that its very important. This creates the storyline straight away and makes the audience ask questions. This intrigues them even more and encourages them to carry on watching. The black and white effect used when in the past and normal in the present is important as it allows the audience to see that there is a history with the book, again creating tense and suspension.


Frame four- setting/location

This is one of the locations we used to film our opening scene. This was used for the running scene in the opening sequence it shows the character running in fright dropping the book and then quickly running back to retrieve the book after just losing it. It was filmed in Werrington and the location was very secluded and mysterious this allowed the scene to create a sense of tension as the scenery was also very frightening complimenting the suspense of the actors movement. This is perfect for our genre of crime thriller. There is no other activity in the scene therefore makes the audience concentrate on the characters actions. The secluded location allowed the effect to happen. The second location was in Emily's attic, we used that because it also helped create a sense of tension and mysteriousness. We needed a place inside to film and this was perfect, the attic had a very vintage feel to it which complimented the idea that the scene was filmed in the past. Also Jordan was searching for the book therefore he needed a place to look for it so an attic full of junk was ideal. The idea that someone had hidden also played in favour as it shows the true power of the book.



Frame five- Tittle font and style

Throughout our whole opening, we have stuck to one font and style apart from the title which is in bold to show importance. We kept the same theme basic but effective going all the way through. A lot of film opening do this therefore we have followed them. Again, the colour of the titles we have used is is white and bold to emphasise who made it for publicity. The white is a contrast against the darker colours used throughout the scenes and shots in our film opening this makes it easy for the audience to see the titles and attracts them too look at them.




Frame six- Genre and how the opening suggests it
The genre we have gone for is crime thriller. There are a number of ways in which the genre has come through the film opening to the audience. Parts of the film opening is black and white, this suggest a flashback of some sort to create the opening scene for the film. The searching around for the book makes it seem obvious the book is evil/bad, why would it be hidden away if not? the whole idea that people are crazy over the book is shown by the urgency of the running scene. If the book wasn't incriminating why would it be hidden? these are all questions the audience are asking themselves. The whole idea of it being hidden and the urgency shows that it is a bad book and there is something to hide this is perfect for the genre we chose to do it on 'crime thriller' as it includes criminal activity and thrilling suspenseful scenes. The voice over also helps to set the genre as it talks about the book and creates a sense of tension for the audience which is a conventions of crime thrillers.





Frame seven- How characters are introduced 

One of the main characters Jordan is introduced at the very start coming up into the attic and searching for the book. immediately we can see that it is set in modern times and the character Jordan is very much a normal boy. The fact that he is the first thing we see indicates that he is a main character and that we should concentrate on him because he has a very important role in the story line and potentially every action he makes they should watch due to the importance of the character. The second character is introduced with a cut shot and straight away the character is running with the book, the urgency of the character will attract the audience straight away. He drops the book this is very important in the scene. The character running would make the audience guess something bad is happening and that fits into the genre of crime thriller as it creates suspension.



Frame eight- Camera work and editing

Throughout our film opening we have used a variety of camera angles, shots and movements alongside a few editing techniques. The first thing we done was a mid shot to show the writing on the wall as it is very important to the storyline and creates a sense of optimism, Then we used a tracking shot to follow Jordan finding the book in the attic this allowed the audience to establish where Jordan was and what he was doing by following his movements. We also used an over the shoulder shot to see what Jordan was looking at again this allowed the audience to establish what is happening. We also used a point of view shot (POV) when Emily was writing in the book, this allowed the audience to have a clear view of the action taking place and allowed the audience to pay attention to detail. These specific shots were used consecutively to create the same effect to the audience and a consistent view point for the audience.


Frame nine- Story line and how the opening sets it up

The film opening is about a boy in the present who is looking for something in attic but finds the magical book. He faints due to the criminal power in the book and has a set amount of criminal activity to complete or he dies. The affect of the book also is shown in the past tense by the boy running and fainting when he doesn't retrieve it quick enough. The storyline is all about the book and this shown through the various camera angle and editing techniques used to portray the book. The voice over at the start also helps to create tension and help the audience understand the storyline.

Evaluation 2. How does your media product present particular social groups?

Although the torch lighting proves a little difficult to make out the costumes in our film, our protagonist (bottom picture) is inspired by 'Will Salas' (top picture) the main character in the film 'In Time', also an action/thriller genre. We felt it would better represent our protagonist if we took a different shot of him (not included in our film) to display his clothing. Additionally his facial expression is similar to the top character - both in deep thought.  




Both are presented wearing casual clothing  to show the realism of the piece. We chose this outfit for our character as we felt it accurately represents the general male’s attire in present day (for everyday life not work) and therefore the ordinariness would contrast with the futuristic, make-believe aspect of the film. In addition, although not properly shown in our opening scene, both characters have that heroic role and therefore are empathised with. This aspect would be shown in our film had we developed it as our main character is able to break the 40 day curse.As both of these films are set in the future the audience watching are more likely to be able to relate to the characters which overall could heighten excitement. 

Evaluation 3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The film production which i thought would be best suited for my film is film 4 as the company use a lot of modern British up and coming directors a chance to promote their films.

Also its a British company therefore my movie will fit in with their general target audience of British families. Film 4 also is a channel that everyone gets regardless of if they have sky etc or not, this will help promote the film. 

Film 4 play crime thrillers quite frequently so this aspect would be even better for promotion as film 4 will be more likely to invest into my movie. Me and film 4 have a similar target audience of families and teenagers so that is also a big benefit as the audience of film 4 would enjoy my movie this is beneficial for both parties.

Raising money for our film

Our film is a low budget film so raising the money would have to come from a loan, then eventually payed back when the film proves dividend. Another option could be that we pitch an idea to a british film distributor such as film4 and ask them to provide the facilities for the movie then let the keep a percentage of the profit made. Furthermore the money made could be invested into making a new film if the first one is successful.

Gaining interest from film 4

Ways of creating interest from film 4 could include social media trending and marketing, making posters and flyers getting the word out. Asking local businesses to promote our movie so that film 4 would notice the uprising movie. Further more sending film 4 a short gripping clip would ppotentiallyattract them into investing in to our product

Evaluation 4. Who would the audience for your media product?

The target audience we have primarily gone for is families from the ages thirteen plus. The age restriction is important because people younger than this will not understand the complicated story line and plot. The action also might be a bit too much for them too handle there fore an audience of teenagers plus cures all of these problems as they will be old enough to understand.
Then film will appeal more to male audiences rather than female due to it being a crime thriller and stereotypicaly men enjoy this genre than females but the film is aimed at both and can be easily enjoyed by both genders. The main characters are male so this also may attract more of a male audience because they could relate to it and feel closer to it than what a female would. The Main reasons for the target audience being a family is the questionnaire we conducted to find out what people would enjoy.

The target audience for my piece would enjoy common 'R n B' music and chart show music, very mainstream tracks that are played on the radio and enjoyed by a majority. They would shop in very main stream shops such as 'Burton' and 'Topman'/''Topshop' and 'h and m'
TV programmes they would typically watch is 'CSI' and 'Silent witness' these are all based on crime and include action. These all also can be enjoyed by families .

Evaluation 5. How did you attract/address your audience ?

• Having created a questionnaire in the early stages of my project about our chosen genre helped us to create an opening our target audience would enjoy. As our questionnaire was taken by a male and female audience aged between 16-18 and our teacher 25+ it was exactly the target audience we were looking for and therefore took their ideas on board. 

Questionnaire 
Research into our chosen genre from fellow pupils in our class, the questionnaire was as followed - 

1. What would you expect to see in an action thriller movie? (Tick more than one if you need too)

Our film opening includes a murder, physical stunts, and a race/chase. All of which our target audience voted the highest too. This was a way we addressed the audiences needs. 

- The murder - Amittai falling dead (with a 0 on his hand)

- The physical stunt - Amittai (running and drastically falling)

- The race/chase scene - Amittai dropping the book and having to run after it. 

 

 

2. What builds suspense in an opening scene?

Most answers we recieved have been included into our opening sequence. The ones that were not included would not have fit into our storyline so early on for example ''knives'. 

'Quick action music'

'A tense opening - usually if someone dies or its full of action' 

'fast cuts and music'

'Always leave the audience wanting to know what is happening' 

By including all these elements in our opening sequence addresses how we have taken on board our audiences preferences. 

3. What characters would you expect to see in an opening scene?

'Main characters'

'Main character/villain - someone who dies'

'Protagonist'

- Everyone in answered question 3 in our questionnaire said that the main character should be included. Hence why ours is. This again addresses the audience. 

Evaluation 6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The usual cameras weren't working very well and kept deleting the clips we were recording therefore switched to using an Iphone 6. The camera on the Iphone 6 is high definition and made it very easy for us to get the clips from the phone onto the computer. The phone was reliable and easy to set up and use, We also used the phone to record sound and include it in our opening, this was an easy process.

I was shown how to use the software efficiently and correctly. How to upload videos and how to change the format of the videos so it could be exported. It was very useful to use to be able to use youtube as it played a big part in the final product of our movie. We were able to preview what it looked like when properly finished. Youtube was very useful for finding clips to use an example when talking about the researching into making the film.


Prezzi was very useful in presenting research for
the making of the film on the blog. Prezzi allows you to present information easily and fashionably.

I also used adobe premiere pro cs4. Unfortunately after weeks of editing the software didn't let me view my videos on it. I learnt how to slow down clips and include transitions however it was unreliable so I had to use a
different software.

Alternatively I used movie maker to edit and construct my film opening. This software was very easy and effective to use. I could easily insert text, edit transactions and insert black and white effects. Movie Maker was very useful and made it possible for me to finish my product at a high standard in quick succession due to the failures of adobe premiere pro.

Evaluation 7. Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

location scout

We are using Emily's attic to discover the book in a mysterious manor, this creates a sense of tension because doesn't give the audience a clear view of where it is. The lights will be off and character will only be using a torch light in order to look around searching for something, then come across a magical book in which makes character to faint. Its important that it is in the attic because obviously someone's tried to hide the book to prevent evil reoccurring.
The attic is good to use because it also has a lot old warn down items which adds to the suspense of the scene and makes it more mysterious.

Also will be using this forest to do a scene, the scene involves someone running through the arch of the trees at night time this chasing scene will create a lot of tension for the audience and shows the true danger of the book.

Communicate organisation and explanation of cast, props and locations

Props

The book 

the book is a magical item in which possess whoever touches it and gives them 40 days to live, the whole opening is based on the book and its effects it has on people.  This will hopefully keep the audience hooked resulting in them carrying on watching it.

Cast

Main characters

The main character in the clip will be Jordan Payne. He is a very skilful actor and has experience at GCSE. He lives locally therefore its very convenient for everyone which makes the filming easy and stress free. Another main character is Ammitai, we had to chose very specifically when it came to this role because we needed someone who has good at running and stunts but at the same time good at acting. We thought long and hard about the actor who would best suit and Ammitai did just that. He is an incredible athlete. This will make the running scene very effective. The last actor we in use will be Emily as we need someone who is tidy and good at writing for the book scene. Emily fits perfectly as she has nice hand writing.

Locations

Attic

We are going to use Emily's attic as it will make the scene look scary and create a sense suspense also the location fits into the genre of our movie opening 'Crime thriller' the scene is Jordan looking for something but in the attic he finds the magical book. The attic ties in with the idea of the book being lethal as it was very hidden to keep everyone away.

Woods

In the running scene we will use a local forest to run through to create a sense of tension and optimism for the audience.

Use appropriate skills to demonstrate filming (Description and analysis of a days filming)

A days filming would very busy. We would arrive at Emily's house and go through our story board to see what we would be filming at the day, this was very useful as we could easily identify who would be doing what and what needed to be done. Having a plan made it easier and more efficient for us to work.

Once we had figured out what we were filming on the specific day we would get to work. Initially we would do a practise run without any cameras. This allowed all of us to make any last minute changes. We found that by doing this we could see what needed to be done to better it before we started filming. There were no dialogue in the scene therefore no characters had to practise lines. That time was spent making sure all props and background were set and Jordan our main character was sure on what he needed to do. We filmed him finding the book in the attic, a discussion before we started filming took place on whether to leave the lights on or off. We came to the decision that we would try filming with the lights on and the lights off and then make a group decision. After we had filmed a few times making sure we had got everything perfect we looked at both clips. This allowed us to analyse our work to see if anything needed to be changed for example camera positioning or character movement. The group discussion would influence us to make small changes to better our work. This was very useful as it allowed everyone to get involved and allowed us to recognise where we had gone wrong and make changes.

After we had done all that we would plan further on our next day of filming to improve our work and make the day flow efficiently by doing this allowed us to save time and concentrate more on editing and evaluating our piece to see of how we could further improve it.

Finally after we had finished we made our ways home and conducted even more research into conventions of crime thrillers. This was useful as it allowed us to emulate styles of crime thrillers. produce a product which was appropriate for our target audience use conventions of crime thrillers in our movie opening

Director

The director is responsible for overseeing the creative aspects of film, including controlling the content and flow of the films plot, directing the performances of actors, organizing and selecting the locations in which the film will be shot, and managing technical details such as positioning of cameras, the use of lighting, and the timing and content of the films soundtrack. Though directors wield a great deal of power, they are ultimately subordinate to the film's producer or producers. Some directors, especially more established ones, take on many of the roles of a producers, and the distinction between two roles is sometimes blurred.

Music director 

In India-based movie productions, many of which are musicals, the term 'music director' is commonly used for the composer and music producer of the songs and score used in the film. The role involves supervising the arrangement, recording and mastering of film music along with conducting and orchestration 

Producer 

A film producer creates the conditions for film making. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises, and controls matters such as raising funds, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. The producer who was not involved throughout all phases of the film making process from the development to completion of project. There may be several producers on a film who may take a role in a number of areas, such as development,  financing or production. Producers must be able to identify commercial, marketable projects. They need a keen business sense, and an intimate knowledge of all aspects of film production, financing, marketing and distribution. Producers are responsible for the overall quality and control of productions.

Casting director

The casting director chooses the actors for the character of the film. This usually involves inviting potential actors to read an excerpt from the script for an audition.

Director of photography

The director of photography (dop) is the chief of the camera and lighting crew of the film. The dop makes decisions on lighting and framing of shots in conjunction with the film's director. Typically, the director tells the dop how he or she wants the shot to look, and the dop chooses the correct lens, filer, lighting and composition to achieve the desire aesthetic effect. The dop is the senior creative crew member after the director.

Costume designer

The costume designer is responsible for all the clothing and costumes worn be all the actors that appear on scream. They are also responsible for designing, planning, and organizing the construction of the garments down to the fabric, colours and sizes. The costume designer works closely with the director to understand and interpret 'character' and counsels with the productions designer to achieve an overall tone of the film. In large productions, the costume designer will usually have one or more assistants to costume design.

Shots list

shots list
Tracking shot- To follow character running through the forest. These shots are where the camera itself moves forwards, backwards or sideways. You can use a forward tracking shot to move through a space or to show what a character in the film is seeing (a point of view shot). Tracking out (backwards) can reveal more of a scene.
Mid shot-Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.
Close up-A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame. This also allows us to view a specific characters emotions closely
Over the shoulder shot-Looking from behind a person at the subject.
Point of view shot- Shows a view from the subject's perspective.
Tracking shot- Shot that follows the subjects movements in the scene closely behind them.

Different typography used in movie titles
The first 15 seconds of a movie is the most important because you have to try and get the audience right away. This can be difficult when the first 15 seconds is the opening consisting of titles. A good appetising and appealing title is important for the popularity of the production company and the ability to keep the audience interested.

Film titles can be great fun. In them we see the bond between the art of film making and graphic design — and perhaps visual culture as a whole. They have always served a greater purpose than themselves: to move the overarching story forward.

A nice attractive font can make an entire difference on a film, bringing it from an amateur level to professional. But be careful, what you might think is cool could be ridiculed by others, so make sure to seek a professional designers’ help with this.
A good title will give your film some credibility and life to begin with. Viewers recognize these efforts and even though they might not say anything about it, they do engage to it. The title sequence usually sets the tone for the rest of the film, so if some quality work is put into the title, the same effort will usually follow in the film

There is no need to go to Hollywood levels to create a good title sequence, most of the time just choosing the right typography and color with a nice background would be enough to leave people hooked. A simple fade in or even a mask wipe can work wonders, just get your speed right, you want it to look natural with the visuals and especially music playing during the titles.

There are certain fonts to avoid when designing your title to prevent a catastrophe from the beginning. Default fonts like Times New Roman, Courier and Comic Sans need to absolutely be avoided. Other fonts like Inkburrow seems to be everyone’s favorite

Keeping it simple is the easiest solution and perhaps the best solution for certain types of films. But short films are means for artists to show off and they usually do no less with the titles, in fact it’s an opportunity to show off a different skill set in graphic design and video editing, and they tempt to go a little crazy with them.

One thing to keep in mind throughout editing is to treat your film like a brand. Your title sequence should match your film’s style and feel, as it usually sets up the mood for the movie. Choose a suitable theme and style from your first posters, and try to maintain the look into you opening title sequence, and throughout the film up to the rolling credits.

Produce a risk assessment

• In the attic make sure to wear foot wear at all time in case there are sharp objects on the floor.
• When filming in the dark make sure you know where you are standing isn't dangerous or could cause you to fall.
• When filming near or street make sure you are away from the road as you could get hit by a car. Stay in a group and if it is at night make sure to film it in lit areas.
• If filming in an alley way make sure their are no pot holes etc. This can be avoided by assessing the ground before filming, wearing correct footwear.
• If filming in a hallway make possible risks could be space issues. This can be avoided by clearing the area before filming
• Filming in the bathroom has dangers such as electrical equipment around water, this can be avoided by emptying the bath/sink and tightening the taps
• Filming in a kitchen has risks such as; the sink in which the risk that electrical equipment is around water this can be avoided by emptying out the sink and tightening the tap, The cutlery could be very dangerous so make sure they are in a safe place and  the cooker could be a risk to be safe make sure it is off.
• If filming in a bedroom make sure there are not any space issues as this could be a potential risk and the clutter could be a risk therefore tidying the area before hand should be mandatory.
• If filming in the back garden possible risks could be poor lighting to prevent this make sure cast and crew have good lighting and visibility. Also the long grass/trees could be hazard to prevent this make sure the area is tidy before filming

construct a 40 word idea. Include products that have influenced your choice/plus why?

Products that have influenced my choices in making my movie opening was the opening scene of 'Se7en' I wanted to make a movie opening under the genre of a crime thriller and this was a perfect guidline. It included a lot of codes and conventions of a crime drama and the opening scene was very well constructed and gripping. The mysteriousness of it caught my eye and I wanted to emulate a similar style in my piece but making sure it was still very original. Another product in which influenced me was the opening scene 'Lord of war' the simple yet effective speech Nicolas Cage gave at the beginning was very appetising and I wanted to include this in my work.

Planning, roles, actors, costumes, location

Planning
We are going to film each scene in chronological order to make it easier for us to see how far we have got and it will be easier to upload and sort out. Another advantage of this would be that it is easier to watch all of the scenes we have so far and judge whether it is good or not. Also it allows us to film at each location one at a time so there is no need to return.

Costumes
all of the actors will be wearing normal clothes because it suits the genre of the film and gives a sense of reality to the film.

Roles
Emily is the director
Jordan is the main character
Jake is the camera man

Actors 
Jordan payne is the main character who finds the magical book in the attic in which he gets cursed from the book when he initially finds it.
Ammati Ben-Israel is the character in the running scene which is a scene from the past. The person running because of the book and he was the last one who had it 50 years ago and now Jordan finds it.
He is good to use an actor because he is an athlete and partakes in long distance running seriously. This is useful because it means we can get a good scene of him running fast which is effective because it shows the true power of the magical book.

Logo

For the name of our logo we were torn between three names, we decided to include it in our questionnaire to decide which one we would use because we couldn't decide, eventually we let the the results of the questionnaire determine the name of our production company and from the name derived the logo to fit the name of the company.

It was important that we used the most popular name because it means that was the best or most appealing and this will help with popularity.
we agreed on the name hydra as it received good feedback. 

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

1.      

What would  you expect to see in an action thriller movie? ( tick more than one if you need too)

Murder

Physical stunts

Chases

Fights

Battles

Races

2.What builds suspense in an opening scene?

 

3.How long should an opening scene last?

 4. What characters would you expect to see in an opening scene?

What logo name do you prefer?

Avesta films     Shazzzam productions       Hydra film    

 Your suggestion

What music would you expect for an opening of an action thriller?

Fast paced              Slow and building up suspense                   No music

What is your favourite opening scene of a movie with the genre – thriller or action?