AS Media Coursework

AS Media Studies Evaluation

2009-05-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

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Final Piece Class Evaluation

2009-04-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

As a class we, once again evaluated our openings group by group. I am extremely pleased as our teacher has given us an A grade (provisional) because camera work was excellent, editing was generally good and we worked in a good location with good choices regarding mise-en-scene. As a group we circled the classroom leaving 3 significant positive and negative points on an A3 sheet of paper, in full ours were as follows:

+good tilt shot

-last 10 seconds wasent as smooth, in terms of editing

+ good POV shot

+ music was alot better and much more engaging

+ pace of editing with music and narrative worked really well , editing was generally really good.

- narrative was a little slow and not engaging

+ effective tilt

+ smooth transitions (editing)

+ good variety of shots, kept audience engaged

+ good choice of location

- font of titles could of been better

+ steady camera work

In addition to this, the points that could be improved are the last 10 seconds could be improved, narrative was a little slow and un engaging and font titles could have been better. For even more peer assesment i set up a facebook group as it is easy to access and can reach a wide range of people (the target audience) the link is: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=73724238731&ref=nf

an example of a facebook comment:

Furthermore, as an individual i feel that i have improved greatly within organisation, camera and in some aspects editing. These factors will help me within A2.

final editing and filming

2009-04-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

Today and yesterday we finalised our opening, we took into account the pointers that our teacher gave us and improved accordingly. In addition, the editing went well with all of us contributing and picking up flash skills, to make our titles- this overall makes the final piece look more effective and professional.

Now we just need to get a peer evaluation, target audience evaluation (via. facebook) and find out our grades, both as a group and as an individual. Furthermore, we changed our backing track to something more sinister and matched it more to what is happening on screen. I am pleased overall with the work we have created, and hope that the peer/ teacher evaluation goes well.

Questions relating to evaluation- first ideas

2009-03-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
At the moment, our media product both uses and challenges forms and conventions of real media products:
Sound: is fairly upbeat, however we may change the song to create more tension, in addition to this more diagetic sound is needed to build narrative.
Editing:Could be drastically improved, at the moment the quality is poor, when we are finished it will use the forms and conventions of a real thriller, as the pace will gradually build up- very slowly.
Camera: We have used and developed forms and conventions so far, this is because we begin, after the establishing shot with a close up of the protagonsists feet, then build up slowly until his identity is revealed.
Mise en Scene: Uses the forms and conventions as both the characters are dressed in dark colours- suits. Furthermore, the setting re-enforces the narrative- in a well-off high street, with props being typical of an action thriller eg. briefcase.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our media product, because of setting and character represents young seemingly wealthy males (agents). No particular social group is being re-presented.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Maybe Columbia, this is because they already distribute films such as James Bond which is similar in narrative to our thriller genre action/thriller.

Who would be the audience for your media product?
Seeing as our thriller is rated 15, the audience would be 15 and over. Anyone under 15 may not understand our thriller or find it upsetting.

How did you attract/address your audience?
Through the quick pace and narrative, mise en scene, character and setting.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
How to use apple macs.
Premier Pro.
Camera.
Sound- uploading.
How media firms re-present their ideas/ opinions.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
How to use Premier Pro to a higher standard, how camera angles can tell a story, how to use mise en scene, sound and editing to a higher standard also. Furthermore is have learnt that communication and organisation are key whilst working in a group.

update

2009-03-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

During today's lesson we are going to be planning how to improve our opening by making a timetable. This way we will be more organized, overcoming any problems that may occur and get our opening done to a high standard. In addition to this, we also need to film the two other shots we need to improve our grade.

I am improving my skills, both within camera and editing, this is usefull because they are skills i will need in A2 and perhaps in the future.

19/3/09 more alterations needed

2009-03-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today, as groups we watched over our opening wiht our teacher in order to recieve feedback as how to improve our footage. These are the pointers we recieved:

1. The titles are too big- they need to be more subtle.
2. An establishing shot is needed, with the cafe in view, a slow pan would also help to build tension.
3. Get rid of the mid shot/close up of sehb, instead just get the brief case and torso in shot.
4. Hold the shot of sehb sitting down- tension.
5. Slow the pace down.
6. Do not cut before the character leaves the screen- hold the shot.
7. Cut straight into Andy at the fence watching Sehb escape- editing.
8. More emotional reactions.
9. Instead of loads use just one good shot of Andy running off screen- cut to Sehb walking through the entrance of the train station.
10. Finish with Sehb on the train, get a shot of Andys reaction, last shot will be the train pulling away.

In addition, we also watched thriller openings as a class and were shown how to effectively build tension and suspence through slow pace of editing, close ups and music matching the narrative. I found this usefull as i was shown exactly how to improve the coursework.

Final Rough Cut Class Evaluation

2009-03-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Today we watched everyones final rough cuts as a class. In turn, each opening was shown and each group recieved feedback from both our teacher and each other, furthermore we ranked the openings in order from best to worse, my order went as follows:
1. Money
2.Next/Reflections
3.Disturbance
4.Tracker

We have 2 weeks to improve our openings and start evaluating, to improve our grade we have to make sure our characters show more emotion, match sound to on screen action and use better editing skills.

Progress update

2009-03-15T06:34:00.001-07:00

All filming has been completed, now editing just needs to be done to a high standard in order to get the best grade possible. Communication as a group has improved also. Soon another class evaluation will be done to get feedback for how the opening could be improved and critisisms.

I hope that within our next piece of editing i will get alot more involved and improve my knowledge and skill.

Next Scheduled Filming

2009-03-10T04:41:00.000-07:00

The next scheduled filming is on the 11th March, again in Gerrards Cross. We will shoot many more shots that we need and therefore improving our 2 minute opening. Tomorrow i will blog how the film shoot went and the improvements we made.

Filming 4th March in Gerrards Cross

2009-03-05T01:01:00.000-08:00

On the 4th March the filming in Gerrards Cross went well. The director was present so i feel that more could be done, however only 3 out of the 4 group members were present. The actors performed well and we took our media teachers pointers into account whilst filming to make it the best that we possibly can. In an hour and a half we got a quarter of filming needed, we will arrange to do more filming soon.

Today, on the 5th March Charlotte will upload the footage, and start editing.

Progress made- 3rd March & first rough cut clip

2009-03-03T03:49:00.000-08:00

We edited and showed our filming so far to our media teacher. In addition to this, we need much more filming (we only have a minute at the moment). Also, the establishing shot needs to be longer to introduce the setting properly, the main character needs a stronger sense of narrative whilst receiving the phone call telling him to run, more sounds dialogue is needed, a more subtle introduction of the other character (the 'tracker'), we need to show more obviously that time has passed to increase the sense of realism, the camera needs to tell more of a story, we need to make the editing less jumpy, the location needs to be slightly altered, reduce jumping back and forth between characters, show andy perhaps making a call, have a stronger sense of dual narrative and most importantly camera work needs to be vastly improved.

Furthermore, we have set a date for further filming- 4th March. Three of our group members will be present and the two actors, we are going to be working on improving these points and our coursework.

I have found the order in which the opening titles will be shown and have taken them into account with the other group members, at a later date we will attend an after school class to improve our knowledge of photoshop and other programmes to make our titles on.

First rough cut clip:

Filming- 8th February

2009-02-09T09:32:00.001-08:00

We filmed in Gerrards Cross, to re-shoot our opening, as work was lost. However, i feel that this filming was more successful as we had more actors to work with and more knowledge of what to do. In addition to this, the new actors were Andrew Johnson and Sebh Hundal, they both did well, and the group was happy with the overall result. Tomorrow, we will upload the footage to out assigned mac for editing and continue with our progress. The only shots left now are any that fellow members of the group are not happy with- that need to be re-shot to meet everybodys standards. Organisation is still a problem, but i feel that it is getting better over time. Additionally, tomorrow our edited piece will be shown to our teacher to recieve any feedback or possible alterations that must be done to get the best possible grade.

Thriller update- 5th february

2009-02-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

We have decided to re-film the opening on the 8th february. In addition to this, we have got some more actors- Sehb Hundal, Andrew Johnson and possibly others. We are meeting conventions but with our own twist on things. So far we have not met all deadlines but are working on better communications and sticking to plans.

25th January- Filming in Gerrards Cross

2009-01-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

Overall, filming went fairly well. Even though two members of our group did not show up alongside the 'Trackers'. However, Helen and i still managed to get a number of shots including the lead role (Jacob Grimshaw- a drama student at CCC). The weather was fairly wet and windy but luckily Gerrards Cross (GX) was fairly empty so filming without including pedestrians was straightforward. Filming outside Costa Coffee was possible as my fellow team member Helen went in and asked if it was possible to film outside, the manager said it was fine as long as we did not include customers- i felt this was significant as it gave us insight into what filming was like for real films. Now we need to keep these shots safe until the other shots are completed- hopefully as a group. I am happy with the shots and the progress made.

Update- animation evaluation and filming

2009-01-24T09:59:00.000-08:00

Even though we finished our animation late- due to group difficulties i still believe that we did well. The problems we faced as a group were the lack of co-operation and different ideas and beliefs of what the opening should include, however near the end of production we sorted the problems out and overall created a piece that suited every ones views. The lack of co-operation taught me that in the future we should have more structure and organisation as a group and listen to every ones ideas.

After showing the animatic we received possible changes to be made:

1. We missed the 'Directed By' text in the opening.
2. An 'Establishing Shot' needs to be included.
3. Edit the dialogue to not give too mush away too soon.
4. Include an 'Establishing Shot' of the train leaving at the end of the opening.
5. More diagetic sound in the animatic e.g. footsteps.

In addition to this, we created a 'shooting schedule' to make sure we know exactly when we are filming and editing. However, as most of our filming is to be done outside- in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire the weather plays a significant role in when we film.

We have also chosen actors to play the main character (we have not chosen a name yet) and the 'Trackers' to be following him through Gerrards Cross. All the actors are Drama students so we can have the most professional effect within our opening.

Furthermore, my progress has also improved further- sketching out scenes/storyboarding- in order to reach the high quality expected. However, once again my editing skills could be improved further.

shooting deadline, name of thriller & possible song

2009-01-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

What the shot list needs to include:

Date

Time

How long each shot lasts (duration)

Location

Who will be there (roles, actors)

Props/Equipment

Shots by number

Additional notes e.g. weather, changes...

Friday 30th January- initial footage deadline

27th February- no more filming

27th March- Finished film, evaluation, shown presentation of opening.

FILM NAME: We have decided to name the thriller 'Tracker' this is because it suits the narrative- a male agent getting tracked and escaping (during the opening). However, the name choice may change as, in my opinion it does not wholly suit the 'thriller' genre- it needs to be darker. But as a group we decided on 'Tracker'.

SONG CHOICE: The song 'sinnerman' by Nina Simone will accompany out thriller opening. Ryan Carroll will get in touch with the record label and ask for permission to use the song as it fits perfectly with our opening.

location shot number 3

2008-12-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

LOCATION: Gerrards Cross high street

location shot number 2

2008-12-18T10:17:00.001-08:00

LOCATION: Gerrards Cross, Odeon

would need to ask permission before filming.

location shot number 1

2008-12-18T10:09:00.001-08:00

LOCATION: Gerrards Cross High Street

thriller-changes update 1

2008-12-16T03:55:00.000-08:00

We have decided to change our shot list as the old shot list was more typical of a the action genre. To prevent this we have cut down the introduction and added more text/images typical of a thriller.

Our basic outline/storyline will be kept the same but more technical and no chase.

Thriller Opening Planning

2008-12-14T03:54:00.000-08:00

As a group we have decided to create a action/thriller, the thriller will feature a chase between the protagonist and the 'villains'. However, this particular genre is difficult to create and may be changed slightly later on. The name of the thriller (at the moment) is 'Tracker' but like many other things may be changed as these are only early plans.

Furthermore, the music that is going to accompany our opening is 'Sinnerman' by Nina Simone.

BBFC info

2008-11-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

THE WEBSITE

WHAT A '15' FILM IS ALLOWED TO CONTAIN

i think it would be a good a idea to categorise our thriller as a 15, the link above contains the boundaries within this rating.

practise continuity task

2008-11-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

For the practise continuity task, as a group we had to film a conversation between two people, the actors for this particular piece was Helen and Ryan, Charlotte and i filmed. For our thriller opening we will definetly use actors (drama students) to make the 2 minute piece much more effective and professional. Overall, i think the task went extremely well, the filming was easy to get the hang of but editing is still something i find quite difficult. I will try and improve this. To improve in the future, we could introduce more entertaining dialogue and use better camera angles to represent what we want to. Furthermore, mise en scene could be greatly improve as for the final piece it plays a huge role in representation of character, setting etc..

continuity task evaluation

2008-11-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

For our final continuity task we had to film a sequence which includes a conversation between two people. The desicion of what content the film held was left to us as a group. We decided to include an argument within a couple- which is typical of the drama genre in particular.

In my opinion, the continuity task went well. My group got a level 3 which i was pleased with. However, the sequence could have speeded up in places (editing), POV shots could of been used in places to connect the audience further with the piece, the location could definetly of been improved- verisimilitude, audio improved (linked to location), microphone distortion corrected- actors where being too loud and too quiet and better lighting could have been used in the opening shot, to establish setting.

My personal progress has slightly improved, particularly within camera work. However my editing skills could still be vastly improved in order to reach the standards expected.

Our continuity task:

Conclusion- what to expect within the opening of a thriller

2008-11-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

The opening of a thriller esrablishes tone and narrative within the first 2 minutes.

The colour scheme is usually black, red and white- good and evil.

Camera angles usually focus on the characters within close ups- make a connection with the audience.

Music is usually slow and sinister, to create a sense of tension.

Text used, ususally simplistic- not to distract the audience from what is happening on-screen.

Overall a mature effect- target audience.

Fifth Analysis- Seven

2008-11-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

Film Title: Seven
Director: David Fincher

Technique
Effect (analysis)

Camera – distance, angle, movement…

A variety of close-ups
Audience get to see things in detail.

Editing – speed, style…

Fast paced, straight cuts.
Sense of high realism, creates tension, harder to figure out what is going on, sense of narrative.

Sound – effects, musical score…

Like a heartbeat at beginning, slow paced and sinister.
More tension created, ominous tone.

Mise-en-scene – props, costume, setting, lighting, colour…

A lot of black, white and red used. A book that the protagonist is making almost like a ‘bible’, coloring over peoples eyes in black. Low-key lighting. Newspaper cuttings, needles, skinning own finger with razor blade, photographs, black ink pen crossing out words such as ‘transsexual’, sewing pages together. Never get to see protagonists face, seems to be shadowy.
Black: evil, dark.
White: purity. God-like (narrative)
Red: evil, blood, love, passion (protagonist believes in what he is doing)
Coloring over people’s eyes shows he is taking away their identity, easier to murder them. Maybe taking away what he feels he has lost.
Crossing out words like ‘transsexual’ shows that he is strongly against it. Doesn’t think it should exist.
Never getting to see face creates fear of what he could look like.
Making his ‘bible’ suggests religion, what he believes in, what the world should be like.
Razor blade on finger- makes audience shocked and uncomfortable, taking away his own identity?Also not seeing face makes the audience want to see it- curiosity.

Special Effects – CGI, animation…

None, apart frpm text.
Mature audience.

Titles – font, color, placement, over black / over clip…

Over clip, creepy text (horror), white in color, the text seems to be moving (shadowy), clip seems to move like in older films (projector)
Moving text creates a ‘shaky’ atmosphere, the ‘projector’ theme makes the audience feel uneasy, adds to tension. Creepy font links with narrative. The fact that the text is over the clip links the two together, makes it harder for the audience to actually focus what is on screen- adds tension again.

Fourth Analysis- Psycho

2008-11-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Film Title: Psycho
Director: Hitchcock

Technique
Effect (analysis)

Camera – distance, angle, movement…

Ends with a long shot view of a city, black and white.
Sets location.

Editing – speed, style…

Fast paced.
Tension (builds)

Sound – effects, musical score…

Fast paced music.
Tension (builds).

Special Effects – CGI, animation…

Grey lines across background, screen starts with a grey background, then turns black.
What starts off as innocent (dull) turns dark quickly (narrative).

Titles – font, color, placement, over black / over clip…

Black background, white font, text goes across screen and up-down.
White and black: purity and evil
Text movement: shaky

Third Analysis- Daredevil

2008-11-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

DAREDEVIL OPENING
(Only analyzed the titles)

Film Title: Daredevil
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Title Designer: Imaginary forces

Technique
Effect (analysis)

Camera – distance, angle, movement…

Pans over a cartoon-like city, birds eye view over the city extreme high angle, swift gliding movements, tilting
Background to film: comic book, gliding movements describes how the ‘daredevil’ moves

Editing – speed, style…

Fairly slow, fade out.
Creates a sort of ‘in-human’ theme to it, graceful

Sound – effects, musical score…

Non diagetic, slow paced, fits with scene.
Background music is calm, but builds tension.

Mise-en-scene – props, costume, setting, lighting, colour…

Starts with ‘comic book’ and marvel logo, religion is present with first bit of film, character introduced- setting church
Shows the importance of religion to main character, even if he lives without it, he tries to do the right thing.

Special Effects – CGI, animation…

Text is animated, seems to be made out of lights, city zooms out when text appears, text seems to move/blur.
Main character is blind, introduction of how he sees things.

Titles – font, color, placement, over black / over clip…

Screen goes black with text over it in white, text moves side to side, ‘daredevil’ is in red, with a red and white background to it.
Black: evil, darkness.
Red: devil, love, passion.
White: purity, heavenly.
All come together.

Second analysis- Sin City

2008-11-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

Film Title: Sin City
Director: Frank Miller
Title Designer:

Technique
Effect (analysis)

Camera – distance, angle, movement…

Close ups, slow zooming, tilts, long shots birds eye view, zooms out and around setting- NY?
Help audience to connect with characters, birds eye view of dramatic scene- audience take it all in.

Editing – speed, style…

Slow editing, straight cuts
Show emotion, more connection within characters- what is going on.

Sound – effects, musical score…

Overhead voice, diagetic sound of wind
Informing the audience of what is going on, how the characters are feeling (emotions)

Mise-en-scene – props, costume, setting, lighting, colour…

Color is only black, white and red. Costume smart, elegant. Dark lighting, rain.
Black- sinister, evil, dark.
Red- love, passion, romance.
(connotes)
rain- links with how the characters are feeling.

Special Effects – CGI, animation…

Pausing of scene- cartoons used in place of actors., editing is very long in these places.
‘comic book’ theme links to how the film came about, long editing- connection.

Titles – font, color, placement, over black / over clip…

No titles within opening sequence, focus is only on characters
Rare within a thriller, only characters shown.

First Analysis- Panic Room

2008-11-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Film Title: Panic Room
Director: David Fincher
Title Designer: ‘The Picture Mill’

Technique
Effect (Analysis)

Camera – distance, angle, movement…

Establishing shot of New York long shot, Birds eye, long shots are used over NY, panning around and over text (titles), also seems to tilt over (up and down text) Low angles used to contrast with birds-eye views, near the end of the opening sequence more low angles used.
Establishes setting of thriller, birds eye shots could suggest that to the ‘villains’ within the thriller normal people are nothing, the tilting over the text gives a shaky effect, low angles looking up contrast heavily with the birds eye views, adding to the ‘shaky’ effect on the audience, further giving hints on what to expect within the text.

Editing – speed, style…

Straight cuts, cuts are quick, however the camera seems to pause on each scene.
This gives a tension building effect to the audience, the pause on each scene shows significance, quick cuts- fast paced, builds on ‘shaky’ effect.

Sound – effects, musical score…

Non diegetic slow music at beginning of opening sequence, speeds up near the end, diegetic sounds of NY, sounds such as ambulances stand out- set a tone for narrative and setting.
The ambient sounds of NY add to the realism (narrative and setting) the crescendo near the end of the opening sequence re-enforces the idea that near the end of the film something extremely dramatic will happen within the thriller.

Mise-en-scene – props, costume, setting, lighting, colour...

‘Face your fears’ flashes across one of the screens (billboards) (1:06). Setting is New York City, Low key lighting, colors are quite dull/ plain.
Billboards show images such as a happy couple (suggesting narrative) setting is typical of NY, yellow cabs etc.
The use of the phrase ‘face your fears’ hints at someone within the text suffering something they fear the most but overcoming it. The low-key lighting is sinister. Dull colors make the text stand out, the audience focuses on that rather than the setting, Billboard images contrast with content of film- happy couples. Yellow cabs are typical of NYC.

Special Effects – CGI, animation…

None, apart from text (actors, director etc.)
Makes the opening sequence, overall more mature- target audience. Text stands out- is the only and main focus. Text seems almost ‘see through’ opaque. Perhaps suggesting the intentions of characters within the text.

Titles – font, color, placement, over black / over clip…

Font color: almost see through (white) placed over clip (images of New York), font is simplistic, easy to read, similar to ‘times new roman’
Easy to read, mature font, placed over images of NY, connecting the two.
Color suggests characters intentions (see through), purity.

Directors of thrillers (examples)

2008-11-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

Alfred Hitchcock:

IMDB PROFILE

Examples of thrillers created by Hitchcock:

THE BIRDS (1963)

PSYCHO (1960)

Lyne:

IMDB PROFILE

Example of a thriller created by Lyne:

FATAL ATT RACTION (1987)

Steven Spielberg

IMDB PROFILE

Examples of thriler created by Speilberg:

THE COLOUR PURPLE (1985)

Research into thrillers

2008-11-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

Thrillers, what to expect:

A set of key characteristics
Intense excitement
Anxiety
Tension
Anticipation
Suspense

Thrillers are often hybrids:

Suspense thrillers
Action thrillers/ adventure thrillers
Sci-fi thrillers
Crime-caper thrillers
Western thrillers
Film-noir thrillers
Romantic comedy thrillers
Horror thrillers

Characters include:

Convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassins, down-on-their-luck losers, innocent victims (often on the run), prison inmates, menaced women, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and escaped cons, fugitives, private eyes, drifters, duplicitous individuals, people involved in twisted relationships, world-weary men and women, psycho-fiends, and more. The themes of thrillers frequently include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder.

http://learning.chalfonts.bucks.sch.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=6912

First Animatic- Practise Task

2008-10-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

The first task i was set consisted of:

1. Creating a storyboard
2.Uploading the images onto the apple mac's
3.Creating an animatic with use of sound and effects (eg. panning)

Firstly, i found the task fairly difficult but once i learnt how to use the Apple Mac's media software effectively it was a straightforward task. My particular role within the task was creating the storyboard (including timings and effects). Afterwards, i contributed towards uploading the images and creating the animatic- however, i could have helped more.

In my opinion, the storyboard could be improved with:

1. Better drawings
2.More time spent as a group working on it

But, altogether i think it was a good first try at making an animatic.

(the animatic will be uploaded soon, alongside more critisisms)