Thursday 2 May 2013
Thursday 21 March 2013
question 7
Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt from it to the final product?
Since making my preliminary task i think i have improved in all areas of the film making process through theoretical and practical work. Our preliminary task required that we create a short scene that included a match-on-action shot and shot-reverse-shot without breaking the 180 degree rule.This taught us the complete basics of how to use a camera and how to create scenes with it.
As well as this we also created a short film entitled "The Package" which we designed and filmed ourselves. This gave us a flavour of what film making was like and it also allowed us to test out editing for the first time using Final Cut Pro X. It was these base skills that i developed and furthered through practical work that lead me to create my final piece.
For my piece I decided to work on my own as i felt that nobody wanted to create the same style of piece that i did. This meant that I was involved in every aspect of making my film from planning to construction.
In terms of planning I learnt a great deal; previously for our preliminary task and the short film task called "The Package" we had done minimal planning other than an extremely basic, rough and brief story board. When planning my film i learnt to make a detailed and clear storyboard that displayed camera movements, the framing of the shot and also denoted any sound effects or movement withing the shot. As well as this i learnt how to create a 'shot-list' which told me the type of shot, the content of the shot, the type of cut between shots and the actors on screen during the scene.
These were exceedingly helpful in the filming of my piece as it allowed me to work efficiently on location, organize my actors effectively, get the footage i needed and, most importantly, produce a high standard of work.
After all the planning had taken place the next area that i moved on to was the filming. I feel that I have improved a huge amount from my preliminary task when comparing it to my final piece; for a start the camerawork in my thriller opening is vastly more developed than in my preliminary task. In my opening i used a variety of different shots to create certain moods and to give my piece a certain style. One thing that i feel i used effectively and to a great extent was the use of manual focus. I wanted to use manual focus because it gives footage a unique quality that makes it appear very professional. It also distinguishes itself from the highly stylised hollywood definition of an"action-thriller" which often look like the frames have been meticulously crafted piece by piece, creating a more slick film. This is not want i wanted to achieve when filming and so i used this technique. I did not use manual focus in every shot as i did not want to limit the type of shots i could achieve but it was an integral part in making my film look the way it does.
I also learnt to use camera levels and angles effectively to shift the balance of power between characters, thus building a more interesting scene.As my filming was outside i found trying to attain certain shot compositions, in particular closed, very difficult as i was not able to control the general public moving in and out of my shot. This was one limitation that was not easy to overcome however i overcame this by making that anything moving in and out of shot was in the background away from the main focus of the scene. I feel that i have developed my skills in camerawork ten-fold since my preliminary task.
In terms of using Final Cut Pro X, i have feel that i have become reasonably adept in the skill of editing. For my preliminary task the only editing that took place was cutting the length of clips and putting them together. This was not the case for my final piece as i used a number of different techniques when editing. The first is the titles that appear during my opening; this was the first time that i had attempted using titles in any media piece and i had to make sure that the font, the way they entered and left the scene and finally the placement of the titles in the scene. I think that i pulled this off very well as they are clear but don't detract from the story on screen.
A second element of my film that i utilised was the use of sound. This was an extremely complex aspect of my film as i used multiple types of sound; I included some copyright free music that built tension and gave the piece a creepy feeling, i used a voiceover to explain the backstory of why the main character was out for revenge and in the scenes that required ambiance i took recordings of the surroundings and looped them so that there was diegetic sound in the scene and it wasn't silent. I also used the directional microphone to record dialogue which i then synced to the video footage and also added effects on the narrative, such as a bass amplifier to make the voice more masculine.
Overall i think i have developed my skills as a film maker and editor to a great extent. I feel the area that i progressed most in was sound as i had minimal knowledge of how it worked and how i was able to manipulate it. I also progressed on the editing and camerawork side of the task and i thoroughly enjoyed making my film. I am happy with my title sequence and it really displays the amount i have learnt since the preliminary task.
Since making my preliminary task i think i have improved in all areas of the film making process through theoretical and practical work. Our preliminary task required that we create a short scene that included a match-on-action shot and shot-reverse-shot without breaking the 180 degree rule.This taught us the complete basics of how to use a camera and how to create scenes with it.
As well as this we also created a short film entitled "The Package" which we designed and filmed ourselves. This gave us a flavour of what film making was like and it also allowed us to test out editing for the first time using Final Cut Pro X. It was these base skills that i developed and furthered through practical work that lead me to create my final piece.
For my piece I decided to work on my own as i felt that nobody wanted to create the same style of piece that i did. This meant that I was involved in every aspect of making my film from planning to construction.
In terms of planning I learnt a great deal; previously for our preliminary task and the short film task called "The Package" we had done minimal planning other than an extremely basic, rough and brief story board. When planning my film i learnt to make a detailed and clear storyboard that displayed camera movements, the framing of the shot and also denoted any sound effects or movement withing the shot. As well as this i learnt how to create a 'shot-list' which told me the type of shot, the content of the shot, the type of cut between shots and the actors on screen during the scene.
These were exceedingly helpful in the filming of my piece as it allowed me to work efficiently on location, organize my actors effectively, get the footage i needed and, most importantly, produce a high standard of work.
After all the planning had taken place the next area that i moved on to was the filming. I feel that I have improved a huge amount from my preliminary task when comparing it to my final piece; for a start the camerawork in my thriller opening is vastly more developed than in my preliminary task. In my opening i used a variety of different shots to create certain moods and to give my piece a certain style. One thing that i feel i used effectively and to a great extent was the use of manual focus. I wanted to use manual focus because it gives footage a unique quality that makes it appear very professional. It also distinguishes itself from the highly stylised hollywood definition of an"action-thriller" which often look like the frames have been meticulously crafted piece by piece, creating a more slick film. This is not want i wanted to achieve when filming and so i used this technique. I did not use manual focus in every shot as i did not want to limit the type of shots i could achieve but it was an integral part in making my film look the way it does.
I also learnt to use camera levels and angles effectively to shift the balance of power between characters, thus building a more interesting scene.As my filming was outside i found trying to attain certain shot compositions, in particular closed, very difficult as i was not able to control the general public moving in and out of my shot. This was one limitation that was not easy to overcome however i overcame this by making that anything moving in and out of shot was in the background away from the main focus of the scene. I feel that i have developed my skills in camerawork ten-fold since my preliminary task.
In terms of using Final Cut Pro X, i have feel that i have become reasonably adept in the skill of editing. For my preliminary task the only editing that took place was cutting the length of clips and putting them together. This was not the case for my final piece as i used a number of different techniques when editing. The first is the titles that appear during my opening; this was the first time that i had attempted using titles in any media piece and i had to make sure that the font, the way they entered and left the scene and finally the placement of the titles in the scene. I think that i pulled this off very well as they are clear but don't detract from the story on screen.
A second element of my film that i utilised was the use of sound. This was an extremely complex aspect of my film as i used multiple types of sound; I included some copyright free music that built tension and gave the piece a creepy feeling, i used a voiceover to explain the backstory of why the main character was out for revenge and in the scenes that required ambiance i took recordings of the surroundings and looped them so that there was diegetic sound in the scene and it wasn't silent. I also used the directional microphone to record dialogue which i then synced to the video footage and also added effects on the narrative, such as a bass amplifier to make the voice more masculine.
Overall i think i have developed my skills as a film maker and editor to a great extent. I feel the area that i progressed most in was sound as i had minimal knowledge of how it worked and how i was able to manipulate it. I also progressed on the editing and camerawork side of the task and i thoroughly enjoyed making my film. I am happy with my title sequence and it really displays the amount i have learnt since the preliminary task.
Tuesday 19 March 2013
Evaluation Question 5
How do you attract/ address your audience?
I looked at a number of techniques to attract and address the audience that i wanted for my film. I did not want an extremely niche audience as that severely limits the number of people who may want to watch my film (e.g. making a film specifically for those going through marriage difficulties-teenagers would most likely not want to see this thus the audience is greatly limited).
I classified my film as a 15 due to some of the key themes that are present in the film. One major part of the film is the violence in it which appears glorified by the main character as he seeks vengeance and retribution. I felt that this attracted a teen and young adult audience as many teenagers in our society today feel a lot of pressures as they grow up; There may be times where they get angry but can't express it. I wanted the teen and young adult audience to use my film as a form of escapism as they get lost in the story of vigilante justice and they can pretend to be some being of great power for a little while. Through this escapism the teen and young adult audience can use my film as a stress release that will ultimately leave them thrilled and satisfied. So the glorification of violence was one way in which i addressed my audience however i had to be careful that i wasn't emphasizing mindless beatings, i had to make sure that i made the purpose of the violence clear which i think i achieved.
Another way in which i attracted my audience was through the location and setting. When looking at my questionnaire the main cinemas that my sample audience visited were either art house cinemas (ie Clapham Picture House or Brixton Ritzy) or multiplex cinemas (such as the Odeon). This gave some insight to where i wanted to set my film and ultimately i chose the slightly rough and ready areas of South West London. I chose this location because of the great gritty and realistic feel of the surroundings; there is nothing out of the ordinary in terms of location which meant that it was more relatable to by the audience. This added another element of 'thrill' and tension as in my film the main character is approached by muggers which would allow the audience to infer that crime is rife in urban environments and they may not be so safe after all.
So far the audience that i have addressed and attracted are those of age 15-25 possibly 30. The range of this audience is reasonably limited to those who enjoy thrillers, so i wanted one more aspect of my film that would hopefully attract somebody who may not enjoy thrillers but would be willing to see my piece as it interests them in some way. I think one way that i did this was through the voice over; you learn that the backstory for the vengeance was because his daughter was killed this implies that the main character could actually be reasonably old, possibly even middle aged, which would attract an older audience.
I also did not clarify the gender and age of the main character in my 2 minute opening which allows the rest of the film to be open to interpretation. The main character could be a woman or a mercenary for somebody and may not be the main character at all. Through this technique i think i broadened my audience rather than lessened it.
I looked at a number of techniques to attract and address the audience that i wanted for my film. I did not want an extremely niche audience as that severely limits the number of people who may want to watch my film (e.g. making a film specifically for those going through marriage difficulties-teenagers would most likely not want to see this thus the audience is greatly limited).
I classified my film as a 15 due to some of the key themes that are present in the film. One major part of the film is the violence in it which appears glorified by the main character as he seeks vengeance and retribution. I felt that this attracted a teen and young adult audience as many teenagers in our society today feel a lot of pressures as they grow up; There may be times where they get angry but can't express it. I wanted the teen and young adult audience to use my film as a form of escapism as they get lost in the story of vigilante justice and they can pretend to be some being of great power for a little while. Through this escapism the teen and young adult audience can use my film as a stress release that will ultimately leave them thrilled and satisfied. So the glorification of violence was one way in which i addressed my audience however i had to be careful that i wasn't emphasizing mindless beatings, i had to make sure that i made the purpose of the violence clear which i think i achieved.
Another way in which i attracted my audience was through the location and setting. When looking at my questionnaire the main cinemas that my sample audience visited were either art house cinemas (ie Clapham Picture House or Brixton Ritzy) or multiplex cinemas (such as the Odeon). This gave some insight to where i wanted to set my film and ultimately i chose the slightly rough and ready areas of South West London. I chose this location because of the great gritty and realistic feel of the surroundings; there is nothing out of the ordinary in terms of location which meant that it was more relatable to by the audience. This added another element of 'thrill' and tension as in my film the main character is approached by muggers which would allow the audience to infer that crime is rife in urban environments and they may not be so safe after all.
So far the audience that i have addressed and attracted are those of age 15-25 possibly 30. The range of this audience is reasonably limited to those who enjoy thrillers, so i wanted one more aspect of my film that would hopefully attract somebody who may not enjoy thrillers but would be willing to see my piece as it interests them in some way. I think one way that i did this was through the voice over; you learn that the backstory for the vengeance was because his daughter was killed this implies that the main character could actually be reasonably old, possibly even middle aged, which would attract an older audience.
I also did not clarify the gender and age of the main character in my 2 minute opening which allows the rest of the film to be open to interpretation. The main character could be a woman or a mercenary for somebody and may not be the main character at all. Through this technique i think i broadened my audience rather than lessened it.
Monday 18 March 2013
evaluation 4
Who would be the audience for your film?
When looking at my film there are a few conventions and themes that would suggest that my film is not for the younger generation.
In a previous piece of work i defined what criteria a 15 film must have which included:
When looking at my film there are a few conventions and themes that would suggest that my film is not for the younger generation.
In a previous piece of work i defined what criteria a 15 film must have which included:
- strong violence
- frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
- portrayals of sexual activity
- strong verbal references to sex
- sexual nudity
- brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
- discriminatory language or behaviour
- drug taking
Later on there is another scene of violence where two youths, who approach the main character with intent to steal his wallet, are struck down and the film ends with the main character raising his fist and bringing it down very fast. Just before it hits the mugger, the film cuts to the title.
There are also instances of strong language being used within my two minute opening which allows the audience to imply that this will be a recurring theme within the piece. It also gives some insight into what the film may be like; the frequency of swearing may also be linked to the amount of nudity/ drug use/ racism or discrimination and portayals of sexuality.
It is for these reasons that i have decided to classify my film as a '15'. I also think that these attributes that i have applied to my film, are appealing to people of the ages 15-30. I feel that people of these ages will watch my film as a way to escape from reality and immerse themselves in a tale of violence, loss and revenge. Seeing as there is so much violence displayed in the media today, especially through the rise of First person shooter games (Call of Duty), i thought that i would apply this to my film in order to appeal to my target audience.
I feel that my audience will be inclined to watch my film for a few reasons. The first is the genre itself, thriller is a very popular genre among the younger generation. This was shown through my questionnaire as those who viewed my film were pretty much all of the ages 17+ and of the 14 people who took part, 10 ticked the box thriller as a genre they liked.
Another thing that supports the idea that 15-30 year olds are my audience is the criticisms of my film itself; in fact there is a distinct lack of criticism, many said they felt that it didn't need to be changed/ improved however in my opinion the voiceover is too cliché.
Oddly enough many about 7 of the 10 females ticked the thriller box in terms of genre they liked, and all the males ticked thriller. I was surprised by this as i thought among the females that thriller may be a genre that is unappealing, however this is evidently contradicted by my questionnaire results. I can now broaden my audience from mainly males aged 15-30 to males and females aged 15-30.
Oddly enough many about 7 of the 10 females ticked the thriller box in terms of genre they liked, and all the males ticked thriller. I was surprised by this as i thought among the females that thriller may be a genre that is unappealing, however this is evidently contradicted by my questionnaire results. I can now broaden my audience from mainly males aged 15-30 to males and females aged 15-30.
Sunday 17 March 2013
Evaluation question 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your film and why?
In terms of media institutions looking to distribute my film i would hope that my film is distributed by Film 4, TriStar Pictures and Sony pictures entertainment. I have chosen each of these distrubutors for a
number of reasons:
I have chosen Film4 because they tend to release more up and coming, indie/ documentary style films. I think this relates to my piece well as i wanted to stick to the story of a classic revenge thriller with a modern twist, however i didn't want it to be too stylised like most Hollywood thrillers. For example one thriller released by Film4 was Shifty, an interesting thriller that follows the story of a drug dealer. Film4 tend to release films that are similar to 'Shifty' in that they often have slightly controversial or unique story lines which is why i feel my film is suited to a distributor like Film4 as it has an original concept and has an indie feel about the film as it has a low budget. If the budget was to be extended i would aim to try and keep the gritty nature of the film so that it doesnt contrast with the urban environment however i would try to sharpen and stylise certain characters in it such as the main protagonist could be slightly exaggerated in his power.
I have chosen TriStar pictures as they are a distibution company that released the film District 9. Although the film had a relatively high budget the style of filming was unique in that it started as a documentary and then migrated to a constant story of the main character. I feel that my films style of filming is (especially later on in my film) similar to 'District 9' which is why i think company like TriStar Pictures would distribute my film. This would be the ultimate goal as initially this film would not have an american audience. However through distributors such as Film4 and Film London, as my film gains notoriety i would hope that it is recognised as a well made piece of film that would attract a diverse audience that is not exclusive to the UK.
Although my film might start out in small arthouse cinemas, with a possible american company backing, a larger budget could be allowed and the film could be produced on a new scale, allowing the extending of storyline, characters and action, making the film far more thrilling and exciting to watch.
In terms of media institutions looking to distribute my film i would hope that my film is distributed by Film 4, TriStar Pictures and Sony pictures entertainment. I have chosen each of these distrubutors for anumber of reasons:
I have chosen Film4 because they tend to release more up and coming, indie/ documentary style films. I think this relates to my piece well as i wanted to stick to the story of a classic revenge thriller with a modern twist, however i didn't want it to be too stylised like most Hollywood thrillers. For example one thriller released by Film4 was Shifty, an interesting thriller that follows the story of a drug dealer. Film4 tend to release films that are similar to 'Shifty' in that they often have slightly controversial or unique story lines which is why i feel my film is suited to a distributor like Film4 as it has an original concept and has an indie feel about the film as it has a low budget. If the budget was to be extended i would aim to try and keep the gritty nature of the film so that it doesnt contrast with the urban environment however i would try to sharpen and stylise certain characters in it such as the main protagonist could be slightly exaggerated in his power.
I have chosen TriStar pictures as they are a distibution company that released the film District 9. Although the film had a relatively high budget the style of filming was unique in that it started as a documentary and then migrated to a constant story of the main character. I feel that my films style of filming is (especially later on in my film) similar to 'District 9' which is why i think company like TriStar Pictures would distribute my film. This would be the ultimate goal as initially this film would not have an american audience. However through distributors such as Film4 and Film London, as my film gains notoriety i would hope that it is recognised as a well made piece of film that would attract a diverse audience that is not exclusive to the UK.
Although my film might start out in small arthouse cinemas, with a possible american company backing, a larger budget could be allowed and the film could be produced on a new scale, allowing the extending of storyline, characters and action, making the film far more thrilling and exciting to watch.
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