media studies 2009-2011

Since doing the preliminary task, we have improved on all aspects of filming and editing. On our film opening, we took into consideration the mistakes we made in the preliminary exercise such as head room and steadiness of the camera. We haven’t included all of the preliminary tasks in our film opening simply because some of them were not needed and wouldn’t of fit in with the filming and structure. We have mainly used mid and long shots throughout the film but have included an over the shoulder shot when one of the characters is speaking to the other. We didn’t manage to include shot reverse shot because there wasn’t an ideal place in our film to put it and there wasn’t a full conversation. We also didn’t include match on action because there wasn’t an object that needed to be passed over to someone else. Further on in the film, match on action may have been used if the knife needed to be passed to someone. When filming, we were very aware not to break the 180 degree rule, if we did, the shots would look strange and would lose a sense of continuity. If the film was to be continuted, all of the preliminary tasks would have been used.

 - Camera & microphone to film.

 - Tripod to place the camera on.

 - Computer to blog our work.

 - Large editing computers to edit our film.

 Programmes that we used to make our film:

1) Photoshop

This allowed us to create such media as our logo.

2) Abobe Premiere

This is the software we use to bring our film to life. The editing software was pretty straight forward to use and a lot of fun once our final piece was such a blessing to watch.

3) Google

To get photographs from, of typical teenagers for audience, and flower for logo.

4) Youtube.com

We used this to upload our preliminary exercise, to get critical feedback, and also we uploaded our final film so it would be easy to access reguardless of which computer we were using.

5) Audacity

This was used to make our sound track longer than antisipated. Also to make some of our sound effects more distinguished.

6) Media Blogs

Last but not least, our media blogs allowed us to update frequently, and write a sort of step by step guide to making a successful film.

The Title of the Film:

With our film we have tried as hard as possible to fit the forms and conventions of a real film for the opening off ours. Starting with the title of our film, we researched other opening sequences too see the style of the titles, the order they appeared and what names and jobs were most important to be in the sequence. After we had researched these, we fitted our chosen titles in to the 2 minute long film opening, so that the title ‘Disturbia’ would appear at the right time. We also made sure that we had the key titles in such as ‘directed by’ and ‘editor’. We decided the film title by the genre of the short sequence. As it was a horror film with a cliff hanger we wanted the title to have an effect on the audience, too give them a sense off terror, and uncertainty off the film. Real famous films, always makes the title unique and one to remember, this is so the audience wont forget it and will be attracted to watch the film. I think ‘Disturbia’ ticks all these boxes as it’s unique and explains the film in one short word which makes it effective.

Setting/Location:

We then decided on setting and location. For the title sequence we want somewhere spooky and extreme to then later contrast with the family home in the beginning of the film. Location is very important in the conventions of a real film. It explains most off the story line to the audience and adds a heavy genre onto the film. For the title sequence we chose Target Woods as it had trees and a river with a gloomy effect. It fit the film story line well, as it gave it a tense feeling and added to the uncertainty of the story. In contrast we then chose a warm feeling family home, on a hot sunny day too show a calm and safety feeling. Which at the beginning the audience is meant to feel this, but with the touch of worrying music you can soon make the audience hold on too their seats.

Costumes and Props:

We needed to then decide on costumes and props. This was essential tot the genre of the film. The opening credits we need bottle, covers, bags and other misused items to make the place look abandoned. These props would then worry the viewer wondering what had happened before hand. This was the reaction we needed for the next part of the sequence. In the second half, all we needed were a couple bags and the kitchen knife that the character ‘Lucy’ puts into her bag. This is again to represent the horror of which is about to happen, makes the audience have a need to carry on watching the film, almost gives the same feel as what a cliff hanger would.

Camerawork and Editing:

The camera work and editing was very important to hit the forms and conventions of a real film. We needed to make sure that the aspects of camera angles and the methods used were chosen carefully, as it needed an edgy effect, to give the film suspense and to make the audience almost feel nervous. The first technique we used was hand held camera. I think that this worked very well as it gave it a very abstract view on the dull scary woods and the happy exited teenage girls. The camera jumps constantly which makes you think what could happen next and it could make the audience jump in anticipation, but at the same time the hand held camera gives a different message when the girls are jumping round having fun and giggling. It shows excitement, happiness, hyper normal giggling girlie girls. This camera work is meant to show the past and the future. The past of happiness and loudness, then flick to the future, where it is deserted, scary, cold looking and dead.

Title, Font and Style:

We firstly designed the production label ‘Pink Rose Productions’. From this we wanted to make the rest of the titles to fit the same theme off pink so that they would match. We also needed the titles to have a certain style to fit the genre off the film. So to give it that edginess we chose a font that gave it the feel off threat and horror. After this we also added more effects to the the style of the titles such as shadowing them and spreading the letters further apart, which I personally thought gave it a uncertainty and contrast to the colour off the titles, which then related back to the theme we picked for the opening sequence (uncertainty of what was about to happen and cliff hangers). The actually title of the film ‘Disturbia’ fitted the same theme (style and font) as the rest of the titles apart from making it bolder and stand out more to the audience due to its importance in the film. The final aspect we needed to consider was the names off each title. As I have written about before, our group took out time to research into other opening sequences so see the style and layout of other titles. Which in the end really helped us decided on our sequence.

Story and how the opening sets it up:

The story line off our short sequence runs along the lines off a group off teenage girls all go on a camping trip, but it all goes wrong. We imagined the film to continue with one by one the girls going missing, leaving with a couple a girls too put the pieces together. Lucy the main character is the one who would have murdered them and would have been caught by those who were left. I believe the opening sequence does a very good job off setting the scene for this genre. It sets the scene and gives the audience a little too think about due to Lucy picking up the knife and acting very edgy to the other characters.

Genre and how the opening suggests it:

The chosen genre off our film is horror. I believe the opening sequence shows this of very well. The music plays a very good part to this as it has a horror theme and is very jumpy music. This type of music is used in many horrors which also makes the audience familiar to the theme of the film. We also used careful editing such as the slow motion to enhanced the look on Lucy’s face off worry and guilt, and the black and white, old movie effect on the title sequence. I think a couple of the references made by the actors make the audience wonder what is going to happen next.

How characters are introduced:

All characters are introduced by the title sequence from the mixture of past and present. When the film officially starts all characters are introduced by walking into the frame. The three girls at the beginning particularly. Lucy the main character opens the door to her friend but also it seems the way the camera is positioned, the audience is in the set and she is opening the door to them too.

Special Effects:

The only special effects we used, were the ones which are mentioned above. The old fashion film and black and white effects in the title sequence and the slow motion at the end to enhance the facial expression off the character. This is all to prove the genre and make it easier for the audience to understand the theme and what is about to happen.

Similarites between Lucy and Effy

The main simirality they share is the emotional, secretive charactor displayed in any situation the two come across. The girls seem like they each have a split personality which could be looked at as being two faced, this could be due to a uncertainty that for some reason the girls are unstable due to previous experiences. The scene in our short opening where Lucy is revealing the knife, displays a sense of a dark nature hidden within a sweet image. This is similar to when Effy drops the vase in ‘Skins’. Each off them show that they are not taking into consideration anyone else’s feelings. The audiece might feel uncomfortable towards the charactors they each display, but also may feel sorry for them as they seem to be lonely and depressed.

Differences between Lucy and Effy

In our film Lucy seems alot more subtle in her own defence whereas Effy does in Skins seems alot more abrupt, we can see through Effy’s charactor that she doesnt care what other people may percieve her as, which again differs to Lucy’s charactor. Also Effy uses alot more dramatic body language and expressions such as violence and ignorance, this could be down to the fact that she is obviously depressed.

 The type of audience for our film, would possibly be based on who enjoys watching horror/thriller films. The type of music our typical audience member would listen to would probabily be what ever would be current in the charts. They would probabily shop at shops like Topshop/Topman, River Island and other similar high street shops. There favourite TV programmes would perhaps be reality TV like Big Brother, The Hills, or other programmes like Hollyoaks and Skins. Our film and other horrors are types of films are sometimes seen as an escape route from everyday life. Our film is quite gental for a horror/ thriller so could probabily be watched by any age of audience. Our genre, however, would mostly be suitable for males, as they are less affected or phased by blood, gore and whatever else the film may involve. Our male would most likely have such interests as; computer/ xbox games, girls, parties and other typical activities teenagers have. The fact that our film isn’t too scary, i would give it a possible certificate of 15.

We chose to use these locations to film because they fit really well with our theme and narrative. The first location, in the woods, creates the eerie atmosphere which we wanted.  The other location is going to be used as a contrast, on a sunny day, because it is a normal, everyday setting which is a clear comparison to the previous location. This also creates an enigma code.

Characters

Lucy

Beth

Kadie

Nicola

(Eerie Music)

            (Abstract combination off girls having fun)

Lucy- Are you excited about tomorrow?

Beth- I’m very excited!

                (Giggling from all girls)

Lucy- I’m scared!

                (More giggling)

Lucy- Ooh, don’t even talk to me about it.

Beth- I think you two need to get your act together.

Nicola- I’m so excited about camping.

Beth- Bye.

Lucy- Bye.

Kadie- Bye.

Lucy- See you later.

                (Giggling as entering the scene)

Beth- I hope she’s ready!

Kadie- I know, she best be on time.

                (Knock, Knock, Knock at the door)

Beth- Everyone’s meeting us in 10 minutes, Come on Lucy!

                (Knocking loudly on the door)

              (Nicola and Beth walk out off frame)

Beth- Come on Nicola let’s go and wait in the car.

                (Knife noise)

                (Non – Diegetic music begins)

Kadie- Finally!

Lucy- I’m sorry, I’ll be two minutes alright? Just carry this for me please…

                (Walks out off frame)

Lucy- Hang on ill be two minutes just getting my bags

Kadie- Are you ready?

Lucy- Yeah!

Kadie- Right lets go.

               (Both characters walk out off frame)

              (Non – Diegetic music fades in and out)

 ‘Danyves enterprises , lTD presents’ , ‘a BMBC production’ is again placed at the beginning of the the sequence. After this a few actors names appear and then it flicks straight to the title ‘mirage’, then very simualar to ’se7en’ more actors names appear.

After this the middle part of the opening titles are the basics like ‘production designer’ following with ‘original music by’, ‘edited by’, ’special make-up effects’, ‘associate producer’, ‘director of photography’, ’screenplay by’.

Then after a brief pause ‘produced by’ and ‘directed by’ follow on behind.

The style of this sequence is very clever as there is just a black background with simple white writing fading in and out like ‘dolls’ but there are short pauses with a image of a car, which make even the opening sequence tense. I think this is very clever, again preparing the audience for what is to come, like ’se7en’.

‘New line cinema presents’, ‘an arnold kopelson production’ and ‘ a film by david fincher’ are once again at the beginning of the sequence, but strangely  there is an odd put together after would. It begins with a couple of actors names then straight away flicks to the film title ’seven’, but then oddly there are more actors names after.

After the beginning sequence there are the same old not as important titles in the middle ‘casting by’, ‘music by’, ‘costumes designed by’, ‘edited by’, ‘production designed by’, ‘director of photography’, ‘co producers’, ‘ co-executive producers’, ‘ executive producers’.

‘written by’, ‘produced by’ and ‘directed by’ are then put at the end, most important, and have most interest from the viewer.

The style of the sequence is very sketchy, and jigsaw puzzle like. The only negative of the style is that the writing is very hard to read unless you were willing to pause the film and re-read. Also i have noticed that in the background of the titles there are images which almost prepares the viewer of what is to come. It defiantly shows the genre very well with the dark gloomy colors and the echoey music in the background.

  Like most films this 1987 film dolls starts with ‘Empire pictures present’ leading on to ’A charles band production’ and then following with the title ‘dolls’. These are a key asset to be put at the beginning of an opening sequence.

Shortly following on after is ’starring’ with an individual list of names of actors appearing.

‘casting director’, ‘costume designer’, ‘dolls effects’, ’special make up effects created by’, ‘production designer’, ‘executive in charge of production’, ‘associate producer’, ’editor’, ‘music supervision’, ‘music by and additional music by’, ‘director of photography’, ‘executive producer’ then gradually follow on behind. These titles are the less important, so are always more likely to be put either in the middle of right at the end. This is because the viewer is going to be less interested, and would much prefer to know who the actors are of the director.

Normally right at the end there will be a sequence of ‘written by’, ‘produced by’ and ‘directed by’. These are always the most important and are always the audiences favorite to know.

The appearance the the title sequence is very simple, and the list just appears one by one with a simple fade in fade out, white writing on a

The opening sequence of Sorority Row begins with a ‘fade into shot’ of all the characters having some drinks and having a laugh, in medium shot. It then flicks to a one shot of one of the main characters, then flicks straight back to the establishing shot. A number of two shots and one shot’s are then used as the conversation flows. The suspense builds up as the girls seem to be planning something. They raise their glasses; take a drink, and then the storyline seems to take place. The range of shots don’t seem to differ much, they alternate from one shot, to, two shot, to wide shot of the girls.

 The opening sequence of True Blood begins with very fast panning shots from the bottom of the screen, changing quickly but the panning flows from one shot to the next. Along with each shot a name of a person involved with the production of the film flashes up. More panning shots are used which are unusually incorporated with quick flashing shots of busy events, e.g. a festival like place and a fight at a race. Suddenly the theme of a porn-like situation shows as a comparison to the earlier images of violence and murder. The ranges of shots are all completely different but seem to all portray the same uncomfortable feeling for the audience. Close-ups are used to show worried expressions on small children’s faces, along with an extreme close-up of a child eating a tomato (which could be seen as a vampire child drinking blood). All of these shots trick the audience into thinking bad things are happening the entire time, but in reality nothing bad is actually happening. There are also a few zooms used, one zooms into a dead rat then zooms back out into a high angle shot. The mixture of sexual happenings and death related situations works really well together to make people wonder what is really going on, this is good, as it makes the audience want to know what’s going to happen next.

The opening sequence of, episode 8 ‘Gobblers End’ Skins, begins with a panning shot of the sign of the forest which then pans on to the actors distributing from the car with worried expressions on their face. Also ‘Effy’, one of the main characters is in the centre of the shot once it has panned. This gives a negative vibe to the audience and also gives us the impression that she’s going to be a big part to the storyline in this particular episode. A wide shot is then used as the characters are walking towards their campsite destination. The camera seems to be hidden in the trees to give the illusion that they’re not alone. It then slowly pans as they are walking, then flicks to a two shot where the dialogue begins. A tracking shot is used to follow the characters as they are walking. This then leads to a three shot, with the third character in front of the two boys earlier shown, this shows the audience that the camera wasn’t acting like a person in this particular shot. It carries on tracking for a while when they all begin to talk, then an over-the-shoulder shot is used when one character stops to get his point across. This then shows the other characters entering in the background, unaware of what the three boys were talking about previously.

Firstly we looked at the opening sequence of ‘Skins’. It started with a panning shot of the woods which gave the establishing shot the right atmosphere and genre. I like how it made the setting look intense and the charactors look mysterious. It makes the audience automatically wonder whats going to happen. So gives the genre a horror/murder mystery theme. For our inspiration we have taken the skeleton of this storyline and made it into our own. We liked the beginning sequence of the panning shot and the intenceness. We like some angles of the shots (close ups of some charactors, establishing shot). And last of all we liked the style of acting, to show the worried and scared state.

We then looked at the opening sequence of ‘True Blood’. For the opening sequence there was a flicking of different images such as dead animals, children playing on swings. The editing used here was very effective as they used methods such as black and white, sepia and old style film. This was only the opening sequence with credits but it seemed to tell and show the whole story line in a few seconds. I found this really effective and decided for the opening credits we would use a similer style.

So overall we decided that we are going to use the style of both ‘Skins’ and ‘True Blood’ to make our opening sequence as effective and intense as possible.

Ideas for destination: Osmotherly Woods, a random field, deserted village.

Setting the scene: Sunset/dark, Evening time/ early morning, tents, bbq, fire, pajamas, sleeping bags etc.

Things we need (Props): Tents, sleeping bags, matches, fags, empty booze bottles, junk food etc.

Storyline: A group of youths having a campout but things go mysteriously wrong for one girl. She invites herself along, which no one is really pleased about, and begins making the well awaited trip hell for the other teenagers. Will they get their revenge or will she live to tell the tale?

Actors: Mixture of sexes, naughty misbehaving teenagers.

The toolbox contains some common tools used to edit clips. These are:

- Selection tool (The default tool, used to select clips in the timeline)

- Track select tool (Selects all clips on a track from a chosen point, or selects multiple tracks)

- Ripple edit tool (Adjusts an edit point and moves other clips in the timeline to compensate)

- Rolling edit tool (Adjusts an edits points between two clips without affecting the rest of the timeline)

- Rate stretch tool (Changes the duration of a clip while changing the speed at the same time to compensate.

- Razor tool (Cuts a clip or mulptiple clips into two)

- Slip tool (Moves a clip’s in and out points by the same amount at the same time. The rest of thee timeline is not affected.

- Slide tool (Moves a clip back and forth in the timeline)

- Pen tool (Create control points)

- Hand tool (Drag the timeline view left and right)

- Zoom tool (Click in the timeline to magnify the view or drag and select a rectangular area to zoom into)

The workspace is divided into five different panels. These are:

- The project panel - where you store all the elements needed to create your finished video. It can contain video clips, audio clips, graphics and titles. When importing new items, they automatically go to the project panel.

- The monitor panel - where you view video clips and the result of your edits. The left screen is the source moniter, which allows you to preview and adjust your clips before adding to timeline. The right screen is the program moniter which shows you the active timeline.

- The info panel - which shows information about the selected item.

- The timeline panel - where you arrange the elements of your video into the order you want which creates a sequence of clips that play from left to right. When you have items in the timeline you can adjust edit points, create multiple layers of video and audio and add effects. 

- The tools panel - where you can select various editing tools to use in the timeline.

Premiere works by importing video from a source such as a video tape onto your hard drive, then allowing you to create new edited versions which you can export back to tape, disc or other medium. Premiere can produce high quality video as it is a powerful editing tool. It is also easy to use with its clean interface.

Premiere can -

- Import video, audio and graphics in a wide variety of formats.

- Edit, manipulate and arrange these elements in a visual timeline.

- Add effects, filters, titles, etc.

- Export your edited video in a variety of formats, including video tape recordings, DV, DVD, and common Internet video formats.

It can perform all common editing techniques and is suitable for most situation but unfortunately premiere can’t do -

- The built-in title maker is fine for most titles but is not particularly advanced.

- Premiere has some good audio mixing and effects features, but serious sound editing will need a specialist sound application.

- The range of transitions and special effects is only average by professional standards.

Video editing is the process of manipulating and rearranging video shots to create a new work. Many people mistake editing to be all post-production work, however, it is mainly just -

- Rearranging, adding and removing sections of video clips and audio clips.

- Applying colour correction or filters

- Creating transitions between clips.

Before actually editing your work, you need to decide what your goals are. The main tasks are removing unwanted footage, choosing best footage, create a flow, add effects or alter the mood an style.

You can have different methods of editing which include-

- Film splicing (not technically video editing but film editing by cutting the films and rearranging them)

- Tape to tape (linear)

- Digital/computer (non-linear)

Microphones are thought to be the most critical part of the audio chain and need careful attention when they are used. People often make the mistake of asuming setting up the microphone is easy when it isn’t and choosing the incorrect microphone. A good quality microphone is the key for excellent audio.

There are several different types of microphones, each suited for different purposes and choosing the correct one is very important. Things to consider -

• Directionality
• Frequency Response
• Impedance
• Handling Noise

It is best to try the different microphones first, to show which one creates the sound you are wanting.

The most important part of microphone placement is distance. This usually means putting the microphone as close as possible to the subject without introducing unwanted effects. The audio becoming bassy, distorted and popping would usually mean the microphone is too close. Using more than one microphone can also cause problems with phasing or cancellation such as in an interview. You need to be wary of this.

Microphones can cause many problems if they are not mounted or held properly. They should always be positioned correctly so it won’t fall over, get wet, shielded from unwanted noise and cables safe. You can use stands, clamps, clothing clips and head sets to mount microphones, however, some are more suited than others.

You must never blow into a microphone or tap the head. Also, if the performance of a mic deteriorates over time, it will possibly have to have the diaphragm cleaned.

Audio Monitoring & Metering

Audio metering is the visual display used to monitor audio levels. There are two common types of meter which are used to measure audio levels:

• VU meter (volume unit) – used to measure the loudness of an audio signal. It is developed to represent the way the human ear hears the volume.
• PPM meter (peak program) – Similar to a VU meter but is faster, which makes it easier to measure. Useful for when pops and distortion exist.

Both types of meter are available in various forms including stand-alone units, components in larger systems, and software applications. Whatever the type of meter, two characteristics are important:

• The scale
• The ballistics

In every film or program a different range of camera shots are used to frame the subject, charcters and emotion that require specific attention. This includes:

Extreme Wide Shot (EWS) – Filming a very large area, subject isn’t visible because its so far away. Used mainly as an establihing shot.

Very Wide Shot (VWS) – Subject is visible but from very far away. Shows the surroundings.

Wide Shot (WS) – The subject takes up the entire frame.

Mid Shot (MS) – Shows some part of the subject in more detail.

Medium Close Up (MCU) – Half way between a mid shot and a close up.

Close Up (CU) – A particular part of the subject takes up the space of the frame.

Extreme Close Up (ECU) – Shows part of the subject in extreme detail.

Cutaway (CA) – A shot of something other than the current action.

Cut In – Shows some part of the subject in detail.

Two Shot – A shot of two people, similar to mid shot.

Over The Shoulder Shot (OSS) – Looking from behind the person at the subject.

Noddy Shot – Usually of an interviewer reacting to the subject.

Point Of View Shot (POV) – Shows a view from the subjects perspective.

Weather Shot – Subject is weather, usually sky. Can be other.

Most cameras now have automatic settings but to get the best results you should set the camera up manually. the most common features that need to be set are:

Zoom-This is where the view is moved closer or further away from the subject of the shot. Zoom should be used in moderation whilst shooting because it is hard to control the camera and looks unprofessional. The zoom can be used by the zoom ring or the zoom lever.

Iris-This controls the amount of light entering the lens. The more you open the iris the brighter the shot becomes.

Focus-Auto focus should never be used for video cameras. Professional cameras usually have a focus ring at the front of the lens.

White balance-This function controls the colour. To get a true white reference, point the camera at something white (matt) and press the “white balance” button, White balances should be done regularly, especially if the lighting changes.

 Audio-Most cameras come with built in microphones which are fine but you could get better results with and external microphone that might be more suited to the type of work you are producing. You have to be careful that you are on the correct level of audio and trying to keep the background noise to a minimum.

Shutter-The main advantage of a shutter is to make single shots look sharper but can make motion look jerky. Using the shutter isn’t completely necessary for a beginner.

Effects-Most cameras have built in effects such as mix and strobe. Effects should only be used after a lot of experimentation because they can appear tacky and unprofessional.

A number of different steps need to be completed before actually filming. This a very important part of the development of producing a film or program. The first step is to make a storyboard of the ideas and concepts of the film, after this a recce report has to be produced. This is when you go to the chosen location which you plan to film and take still images of the surroundings. The third stage is casting, where you find the right actors and actresses for each role, followed by the scripts and dialogue. After all of this the shooting of the script is done.

Storyboards are used in the planning of a film. They are usually a sequence of small drawings and some dialogue and captions to plan each shot. Storyboarding is an important part of making a film as it allows the director to visually see the different ideas and shots before the actually production. Also, storyboards allow the director to edit and change any part of the scenes before they are made.

Wordpress is known for it’s popularity mainly because it is very easy to use. The application gives you the opportunity to manage and make edits to your posts, comments, users and more. Once you have first logged on, you will be shown a birds eye view of the wordpress that is a quick way to see new additions to your blog, such as posts and comments. This is called the dashboard. Another common application to wordpress is writing posts. In the top left corner is the tab ‘write,’ you will automatically be taken to the ‘write a post’ section but there is also a choice of writing a page which just allows you to write a longer article. The first thing you will be presented with is the title box which you would usually add the subject of the post, after that is the main text box area. There are other processes that run alongside writing a post but aren’t compulsary to publish the post. Some of these are selecting a category to make it easier for visitors to find your post, these are created in the manage section, setting whether you want comments added to your post, setting a password if your post is more private and many more. These are set further down the page. You can decide whether you would like a visual post or a code post which is available to change above the main content area. You can also upload images to add to your post underneath the tagging section, this is very easy to do. You can access published posts in the manage tab at the top of the screen, where you can edit and delete the posts.