Group Post: Final Editing, Deadline Day

• On our final day of editing we have tweaked the final pieces of our project. Today we have edited our titles and imputed the text in the correct order including The Production Company, Editor, Starring and The Director.

• We changed the order of our hanging shots towards the end of our clip as it will be more effective and anchor our sound to our visuals.

• We reviewed our Premiere timeline cosely going through removing the gaps of space between clips and adding in transitions between each shot

Group Post: Editing Titles and Typeface (Font)

Today in Premier we looked through the fonts for the last time, as still we're undecided for which to use. In order to pick one the one which would have the best response from the audience, we did a survey and made a tally.

We finalised the fonts to these four.

 

 

We decided this would be our font as it mirrored our theme and would look best on screen.

Group Post: Editing Titles and Typeface (Font)

From audience feedback, research and looking at similar title sequences to ours we decided to re-access our choices of font that will be used for our titles.

• Blackadder ITC
• Bleeding Cowboys
• Carbon Type
• Chiller
• Decibel
• DiMurphic
• Dragonfly MF
• Elephant
• Felix Titling
• Home Remedy
• Jellyka - Saint Andrews Queen
• Mistral
• Papyrus

Today we used Papyrus as our chosen font and placed it in black shots to show the titles due to our cutting rate being to fast for titles to be shown on.

Group Post: Editing with Effects

Today we used the four point garbage mat effect on the cage shot to ensure that the two shots connect seemlessly to one another. As well we have finished our non-digetic sound and have edited it so it anchors the visuals. Tomorrow we hope to move onto the titles.

Group Post: Planning Feedback - March

Some excellent work on the blog boys and your production seems to be progressing well. This template is much better and shows your posts off. You have some missing work on the blog, for example I can't find feedback on the pitch or any results and evaluation of audience research. Please ensure you get these posts done. You also need to post regular updates on your progress including detailed posts on editing techniques you are carrying out and an evaluation of your progress so far. Remember to comment on each others posts too.

Group Post: Rough Cut

After a week of editing with the final footage and soundtracks we were set a task deadline being the 15th of March, the group had to create a rough cut. 
We have only ordered our shots and are yet to entirely edit, with transitions and effects. Also we need to add in the soundtrack and the radio broadcast, hopefully we are going to sound mix which should create tension. Finally after the feedback we will definitely change the shots around, and see what the focus group prefer.

The link to the rough cut:

Group Post: Rough Cut Feedback

Yesterday our rough cut was presented in front of a focus group, we got both positives and negatives.

Positives:

• Good use of establishing shots.
• High cutting rate is effective.
• Visuals anchored well with sound.
• An effective variety of shots.
• Great location.

Negatives:

• Improve the presence of the girl in the cage.
• Edit soundtrack so that cruscendo is mirrored in visuals.
• Less writing and establishing shots with more action.
• Move some shots around to create more tension and anxiety.

TH: Institutional Context

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Jackson, 2012)

• The Hobbit is a prequel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and it definitely mirrors themes of the other films; an example being the music. This is an important factor as Peter Jackson's creation became a worldwide success gaining a huge following. Therefore even a small notion such as the soundtrack will be very important and it gives The Hobbit the same feel as the other films.
• Peter Jackson directed and produced the film, he also did the same roles in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Jackson used majorly the same crew and cameras he used in the LOTR series to mirror them and recreate Middle Earth with the same look. Another way in which Jackson was used to benefit the film was marketing, as Jackson used another film he was producing 'The Adventures of Tintin' and put the trailer of the film at the films premiere.
• Warner Bro's distributed the film, and utilised their subsidiaries to promote through synergy, for example TV channels to promote the film.
• Another marketing technique was on 8 October 2012, Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown announced that for the week of the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the capital of New Zealand would be renamed the "Middle of Middle-earth".

TH: Media Audiences

• The target audience for this film would be males aged between 15-25, as it is an action comedy with elements of both. For example in the opening scene we can see a car chase often used in action films, however throughout light-hearted jokes are used.
• The probable reading for the film would be an action however due to the stars (e.g Will Ferrell) it could also be a comedy as throughout the action there is humour accompanying it.
• Another way in which the audience could see this film is as a joke, with a constant of sarcasm and irony the audience may find it hard to believe. With shot, reverse shots showing reactions it seems as if each character is to start laughing.
• I think this is meant to be representing the lives of most US policemen and how they are not always fighting the crime on the streets, however there is some irony in the way the 'cops' go about solving the puzzle. This is because the whole film is exaggerated to make it exciting for the audience.

TH: Film Language

• In this clip it shows the average young adult seeking for work experience in hope of greater things. We can tell that this is not the protagonists preferred job as he is dressed in a sluggish outfit and driving a low value car to emphasize the lengths you have to go for a job at that age.
• Therefore I would say that in this clip this is a metaphor for all youths and that they're are trying to always have a fun and exciting experience even when the circumstances aren't great.
• The mise en scene is very clever as it shows of his clothes and car as well as his chilled back attitude (especially to driving), all of this is shown off by a high cutting rate and a mixture of both close ups and long shots.
• Also sound is being used to emphasize the laid back approach, as there is no dialogue and just a rock tune (playing through the radio), sound mixing is done with the engine of the car to create verisimilitude.

JT: Institutional Context

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/die-another-day/

Die Another Day

• Pierce Brosnan plays James Bond in this film. This important as James Bond is a globally iconic film star and Brosnan the traditional British actor fits the part well, he is also very well known for his previous parts he played as Bond in multiple films.

• Die Another Day was produced by Eon Productions Studio which is well known for the production of the James Bond series. It is a subsidiary of Danjaq LLC, the holding company responsible for the copyright and trademarks to the Bond characters and elements on screen. Therefore is an Industrial film.

• MGM and Eon Productions granted Mattel the license to sell a line of Barbie dolls based around the franchise. Mattel announced that the Bond Barbies will be at her "stylish best", clad in evening dress and red shawl.

• Revlon also collaborated with the makers of Die Another Day to create a cosmetics line based round the character Jinx. The limited edition 007 Colour Collection was launched on 7 November 2002 to coincide with the film's release.

• Ford Motor Company released a "special edition" Thunderbird in 2003. The 11th generation Thunderbird appeared briefly during the film's Iceland scenes, driven by Jinx when she arrived at the Ice Palace.

• Institutional context is clearly evident in the production values of this film opening as there are many advanced CGI and special effects used in the credits which at the time the film was made are very high value production methods. For example the effect of the women appearing to be on fire and another being ice and dripping is very advanced production values.

JT: Media Audiences

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/zombieland/

Zombieland

• The target audience for this film would be teenagers to adults I would guess at 16-30 age group. As it is rated 15 film, is very gory although also includes a lot of humour.
• The probable reading of this text is an entertaining light hearted zombie film, including lots of action and controversial humour. Zombieland defiantly isn't as dark as other zombie horror films and is relate able.
• A possible way the audience might read the text is an adrenaline fuelled film that makes you jump, with a lot of gore and inappropriate killing. This could be the view of an audience member who does not often watch horror films and is not a big fan of them.
• Representing British teenagers I think it is a very entertaining film as it manages to mix the genre of horror and comedy together which are regarded as at the opposite ends of the movie spectrum to each other. It is good as it is different and not as emotional or gloomy as most horror films.

JT: Film Language

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/silent-hill-revelation-3d/

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

• The opening looks like it is set in some sort of hospital or home; however it is unclear which keeps the audience interested as they are keen to find out the location of the opening. Also some of the stills used include horror related props like knives, blood splatters and syringes.

• The shots are always of stills however there is movement of the camera that comes from different angles and close ups to display the action that is going on in the scene. The camera often drags out from the focus of the scene to give an overlook of the scene. The movement also conveys distortion as it is never clear what is being shown in the clip. Furthermore it is shot in a film noir style (black and white) given a horror feel; the low key lighting gives a dark mellow effect.

• Fairly heavy rock, emotional music is used in the clip and anchors the images effectively because it mirrors the dramatic scenes that are being shown. Although still unsure of the story line the audience has been thrown right into the thick of the plot and the music connotes this.

• No dialogue is given by the characters in the opening shot as they are all freeze frames. However the nonverbal language displays anger and conflict through the use of the props and the actions they are doing while in the frozen position like holding another character or a knife.

• Until the final shot all the scenes are freeze frames but then there is movement in the character, swiping a weapon in front of the camera which then reveals a close up of its face, showing that it is some sort of creature not human. 

RS: Institutional Context

Quantum of Solace (Forster 2008)

• The film is part of the James Bond franchise and so incorporates many famous actors which increases the profiles of the movie and encourages more people to watch it.
• Eon productions produced the film and it was distributed by Columbia Pictures making it an industrial film.
• When marketing James bond films product placement contributes a huge amount. Companies such as Aston martin, Alpha Romeo, Land Rover, Ford, Heineken Pilsener, Smirnoff, Omega SA, Virgin Atlantic Airways and Sony Ericsson were all present in the film and so helped market the film.
• Coca Cola rebranded Coke Zero as Zero 7 and held a competition setting tasks for customers to complete in which they could potentially win $1,000,000 and a trip to a top secret location.
• The institutional context is evident to the production values of the opening due to the many explosions and crashes that are present. Due to the opening being a car chase involving a number of expensive fast cars the many shots that were captured had to be filmed expertly with the help of high value equipment.

RS: Media Audiences

The Last Exorcism 2 (Gass-Donnelly 2013)

• The target audience is 15-25 male for a horror film such as this.
• The audience for a horror film wishes for adrenaline through fear. They wish to scared from what they see or made to be scared by its relation to reality.
• I see the text as a genre of film that is very specialised. It attracts only the audience that is interested in it and is not a film that people will watch simply because they have heard from a friend it is good.
• This is a film that will be watched with friends in which the aim to be scared. It is not a film that someone watches to see the bankable stars or the use of a high budget. This film is not a tent-pole movie and does not have any bankable stars or directors so will not attract the 4 quadrant audience.
• Due to my age and gender I fit into the target audience, however due to my background horror films is not something that appeals to me. My background is fun and enjoyable and so I like to watch action and comedy films. 

RS: Film Language

The Dictator (Charles 2012)

• Mise en scene in clip shows real life clips of political leaders in the year 2012. It shows the seriousness of politics internationally and what things effect people every day.
• This is then used in a comical way by introducing the main character played by Sacha Baron Cohen who plays a stereotypical power hungry dictator of modern day. 
• He is dressed in bright white uniform covered in gold suggesting his obsession with looking important and making others know he is powerful and rich.
• Due to the camera shots being framed as if it was a news report the camera angles used are informative rather than dramatic and interesting.
• The news report shots are accompanied by narration from a news reporter who explains the actions taking place in the shots.
• From the dialogue in opening scene we learn that the main character General Aladeen is an unknown dictator from Wadiya (a fictional country). We learn about his power, wealth and that he does what he likes.
• The director Larry Charles also shows us a cut away shot of an everyday problem that the dictator General Aladeen has caused with is comical laws. 

Group Post: Editing with all Footage

We now have all of our footage and have started editing all the shots together. Intially we were worried that the audience will find it hard to understand. However we have decided that in order to create tension and enigma we must add unanswered questions in the title sequence. As this is setting up the story and leaves the audience wanting more...

Group Post: The Hanging

 

To do the hanging for our video have have researched ideas and found this video very useful. Overall we intend to use the harness technique but also incoperate other close up shots of feet, safely and in a contolled environment.

Group Post: Tomorrows Filming

Tomorrow (Saturday 8th March) we will be filming to get the last footage. We had decided we needed more action and that will be done tomorrow, here is a brief summary of the shots we are hoping to take.

·         Tilt Shot of girl (victim) hanging

·        Long Shot of girl (victim) hanging

·        Radio Shot of it turning on and off.

·        Close Up Shot, distorted shot of the victim being strangled.

·        Tracking Shot of Dragging.

·        POV Shot of Dragging.

·        Close Up Of Setting Up Rope.

·        Tracking Shot Of Carrying the Rope.

·        Cage Shot’s (3)

·         POV In- Cage

·         POV Murderer throwing sheet over the victim

Props:

Radio

Rope

Sack/ Bag

Chainsaw

Cloth

Candles

Hanging Equipment

Gloves

Coat

Batteries

Umbrella

 

• Record Ambient sound of the woods and screaming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Group Post: Call Sheet

Group Post: Risk Assessment

Group Post: Animatic

Purpose for Animatic

• For the task we had to draw up a detailed storyboard of our title sequence shot by shot.
• We then filmed the storyboard with movement to show what the actual shots will consist of.
• We then added the clips and a soundtrack to premier and created a version of a title sequence

What we learned


• This task was done to give us an idea of how long our clip will last.
• We realised that our clip would look better if the cutting rate was high so for our next shoot we will need to film more fillers.
• It was also used to help us identify any shots that may be missing.
• It also helped us realise that our idea needed more action.

Group Post: Editing with Soundtracks

We have now started editing, however we still haven't got all of our footage. But we have decided to add some soundtracks to the film we have so far. Jacques Thornton has linked the sounds we're hoping to use, as well as this we have finished our 'Radio Broadcast' and this was done by our teacher Miss Johnson. We hope to sound mix the soundtrack and the radio broadcast which would hopefully create realism, tension and gives the audience information which would be key for the plot.

Group Post: Soundtrack & Sound Effects

Media soundtracks and Sound Effects 

These are the clips and the links that we may use in our media production regarding sound, we obviously won't need to use them all as we will only need one backing track, the others are other layers of sound eg sound effects like radio tuning.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFqHyCoypfM Woman screaming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnxar6WH3sk Time Splitters Hotel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzBq5faeoKY Radio Tuning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7U7dA2rQ78 Radio Static

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3PJjdcL6cQ Wind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogMk8u8v-Gw Dead Space

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1vjTJTRn48 Haunted Sky

Group Post: First Editing & Group Update

Today as a group we started the editing our actual film. It seems we are yet to have all the footage we need, this is predominantly because the character who is playing the victim has been busy. However we have set the date to be the saturday coming up which is the 9th of March. As well as this we have finished our Animatic, and it will be posted on the blog shortly. Today also we have updated the Radio Script and that will be posted and plan on recording that soon.

Group Post: Title Ideas

• As our film is about a psychopath killer we wanted to make the title obviously with reference to the topic of our film. We used a thesaurus to find adjectives for words like psychopath.
• Here are a few of our ideas -
• Paranoia - A mental condition characterized by delusions of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically elaborated into an organized system. It may be an aspect of chronic personality disorder, of drug abuse, or of a serious condition such as schizophrenia in which the person loses touch with reality
• Neurosis - A relatively mild mental illness that is not caused by organic disease, involving symptoms of stress (depression, anxiety, obsessive behaviour, hypochondria) but not a radical loss of touch with reality. Compare with psychosis
• Compulsion - The action or state of forcing or being forced to do something; constraint

• At the moment as a group we are undecided on the title of our film but we have limited our choices down to either 'Neurosis' or 'Compulsion'. The title is not a priority at the moment and will be decided at a later date.

Group Post: Feedback from the Pitch (Including Audience Research results)

• The purpose of our pitch for us was to set out our ideas clearly and portray them to our teacher and our peer assessors, to gain “the green light” which said we could go ahead with the production of our 2 minute horror film opening and feedback on how we could improve our idea and possible difficulties we may come across in our project.

• From our Audience research we realised that it would be more effective for our group to use a young female as the victim in our film, as it was heavily preferred than the idea of either myself, Rob sister playing the victim.   

• Furthermore we have also discussed effects ideas with Mr. Fiveash which seem realistically possible to do with the cage idea.

• One difficulty we will inevitably come across is the problem with hanging the victim. To do this we intend to use harnesses under the arm and will not be visible to the camera , it will be safe and should work very effectively.

• Overall we were given "the green light" to film and haven't had to change a lot from our original idea to fit audience feedback or comments from peers, which to us was good as we are happy with our idea, location, props and storyline.

Group Post: Idea Update

Premier Effects Ideas

Name: Echo

After watching the TWGSB Oscars  (27/02/13) we had an idea of incorporating an effect into our horror clip, during our cage scene, which can be found on our storyboard. The plan is to have a child inside the cage trapped as a prisoner to our psychopathy killer, and when flashes to the child we will use the effect "echo" to show that the child has been trying to escape and is in great distress

Coldplay - Up In Flames (00.25 start of the effect) 

Group Post: Difficulties

Due to unavailability of our group we will have to cancel our next shoot on the 2nd or march and discuss and confirm the new date for a next shoot where we will be filming some of A grade shots which involve our murder victim.

Group Post: Conventions of Film Noir

Task-
What techniques are used in the film Noir?

Why do you think they were used?

· Use of low key lighting which contrasts light/dark images and dramatic shadows. This creates an eerie atmosphere and fits well with the genre.

· Low angles shots with a wide angle lens portray status and the surrounding area.

· Lighting is used effectively by partially covering characters faces implying they wish to be unknown or keeping their identity hidden from the audience.

· The use of crime and other similar lines of action grabs the audience’s attention whilst and leaves them with anticipation for what is going to happen next.

· The use of mirrors creates confusion for the audience therefore maintaining their attention.

Group Post: Radio Script

The Radio script for our film, there will only be ambient sound at the very beginning. After that there will be non-diegetic sound, this will be a sound mix of a soundtrack and a radio broadcast. This blog is the script for the radio broadcast.

"The following broadcast may be disturbing to some listeners: A harrowing news story that has shocked the nation has regrettably intensified further as another suicide has occurred in the county of Kent, bringing the total to an upsetting 8 in the last 6 weeks. The most recent suicide victim is a 14 year old girl who has not been identified as of yet, more details on the tragedy will be released soon…  Past suicide victims Sarah Jones, Rachel King, Emily Johnson, Katie Smith, Jessica  McArthur, Jasmine Taylor, and  Angelina Jackson. The first suicide of the tragic pattern was Angelina Jackson the waitress, who was found in a forest just off the M25 with nothing but a note declaring her depression. However after an intense look into Ms Jackson’s medical records there was no evidence of this, the 18 year old had just been accepted to Guildford school of acting and appeared to have a successful career in Music Theatre... As the list of fatalities is increasing so rapidly, police are now looking into other causes. The intense amount of self-infliction that the suicide victims have given themselves has led police to believe that there could be an entirely different cause... One theory is that the police have developed is  the concept of a serial killer/ a mass murderer however at this stage is just a theory and further information on this will be announced with further notice."

At the elipsis we will have a fuzz in and a fuzz out out as if the radio broadcast is being shortened and we as the audience will only hear the most important information. Creating tension and giving information that would create a story.

Also we are yet to find our broadcaster, however we want a female woman as the news reporter and a male as the host. The male won't be in it for long he will only say "The following broadcast may be disturbing to some listeners.."