Main Task - Film

Here is our final media product, hope you enjoy!

Main Task - Rough Cut of Film

Here is the link to our AS Media Studies video, I was in charge of editing, Imogen: filming and Katie: sound.

This is only the rough cut of our task:

Editing - So Far...

After numerous attempts I have not succeeded in using a similar style and effect to Taken 3's opening sequence, because we didn't film many arch shots or follow shots during film day. Also we want to portray continuity with the video and having distorted effects may confuse the audience.

Editing - So Far...

During this session I changed the colour balance for the clips to graphic match with the previous ones of Tom when it was dark because it had a orange and black colour scheme.

Editing - So Far...

During this session I added the distribution company logo, Film4, onto the media product and experimented with different fonts, colours and sizes. 

As you can see below I was experimenting with our title for the media product, I really liked this font however the conventions of it may cause the audience to feel that the product is a spy-thriller which is wrong and may confuse them.

Editing - So Far...

Whilst editing this scene I tried to edit onto the beat to create a more atmospheric video, as well as putting this into the conventions for a opening sequence for a film.

Editing - So Far...

I have started to edit the main task, here is a screenshot of the project so far:

As you can see I've experimented with video transitions mainly 'Dip to black' because it matches the dark colour scheme of the footage, I haven't put any audio to the project yet because I'm focusing on putting the footage in chronological order. 

Main Task - Editing Style

This morning I watched 'Taken 3' and really enjoyed the editing effects within the opening sequence. It showed light flares along with jumpy, quick editing that used arch, pan and zoom shots. The shots also changed to the beat of the music giving it a very synchronised look but this contrasted with the jumpiness of the footage. I feel that if we used a similar effect in our opening sequence then it could show how distorted the world is for our protagonist. 

If we were to use a similar effect we would need to go out and film extra footage for me to experiment and work with but I think it wouldn't take long as before, which was just over 2 hours, because it would be very quick shots (about 2-5 seconds long). However I could also use the extra footage from the film day.

Here is the opening sequence to Taken 3:

Main Task - Time Lapses

To understand and see what the time lapses would look like I filmed a practice one in my spare time to investigate and explore the different techniques.

Main Task - New Storyboard

After looking over the shots we took we decided to rearrange the storyboard and add some new shots also to the timeline.

Main Task - Script for Narration

This is the script for the narration that will be overlaid on the opening sequence, we chose to have narration to create tension also narration is a common convention of opening sequences in films.

After thought we decided to not add narration onto our final product because the enigmas created would lose their effect of gaining the audiences attention and holding it, if the questions that are asked by the viewer are immediately answered.

Main Task - Filming

On the 3/01/16 myself, Imogen and Tom (actor for the protagonist character) went into Ottery St. Mary film. We started filming at 4:00pm so that we could set the sequence in the early morning. We finished filming for the day at 6:15pm. To combat the night fall we worked backwards so we filmed the ending first so that the footage flows with the time of day and the lighting. 

Imogen managed to shoot most of the sequence however we still need to film the time-lapse of the sun rising and cars going past. Also the indoor scene where families are being given a leaflet that tells them the date of his funeral. She may possibly take footage of clocks to show the early time in the morning. 

Since the location is so nearby we can reshoot some scenes if necessary, for example the lighting is too dark that editing can't fix it because we were filming in complete darkness at one point or someone has walked into shot because we were shooting in public. However Imogen managed to shoot a lot of footage so that I have plenty to experiment with, meaning that I can cut out bad aspects of the footage. 

After watching some of the footage back there were some nice light flares coming from the lamp posts I may try to edit in more light flares so it is more atmospheric.

Here's some behind the scenes photos:

Main Task - Risk Assessment

When filming it is very important to make sure that all of the crew are safe so I created a risk assessment to be aware of those risks.

Risks:

Roads - Because we are filming by the road there is the possibility of us getting hit by a car or our equipment getting broken. We can combat this by being aware of our surroundings and staying away from the curb.

The river - We could fall in the river because we are filming so close to it, we all have a mobile phone and we have a two first aid people in the group in case.

Temperature - We need to make sure that Tom has some warm clothing to wear in-between shots.

Breaking equipment - Make sure the camera is correctly attached to the tripod and wear the camera strap as much as possible.

Main Task - Locations

For our main task, as a group we decided that for location we should film in Ottery St. Mary, which is a town nearby that has a bridge, alleys and suitable streets for us to film. This was key because they are a core part of our opening sequence, since the protagonist will be walking through the streets and will end up standing at a bridge. 

To scout locations in the town which would be great to spotlight in our opening sequence I took photos that we could look back on when preparing to film. 

These are the locations in Ottery St. Mary, I also took them with the thought they could be potential shots:

This is the bridge where we would film the last shots for the sequence. We could have a pan shot from the water to side of the bridge:

This is an alley where he could walk into frame and walk away from the camera. This shot would be very atmospheric if the lighting was slightly darker:

 

We could have him walking through the church graveyard, this would be an emotional shot to have whilst the overdub narration would be talking about death. 

Whilst he is walking we could have him walk past the river, here we could have some low angles with him walking out of shot. With these different angles I could edit them to flow as they cut to the different shots as they follow him walking.

Here's another angle however this would break the 180 degree rule if we used both shots: 

Here's an alley which could be used however the bright signs ruin the atmosphere of the shot:

To start the sequence we could have a pan down from this lamp post where the protagonist is walking past. 

Main Task - Costumes

In our sequence we are having Tom Godfrey (the protagonist) wear blue pajamas so that it shows that he has just gotten out of bed, also signifying that it is the morning again. Having him wear pajamas can symbolize that he has lost hope and doesn't care for his reputation, since wearing pajamas stereo-typically represents a slob or a lazy person e.g. doesn't care for their appearance. Also having him wearing blue denotes his innocence because the colour can signify purity and clarity, this can emphasize that he has reached his clarity of committing suicide.

 

These are screenshots of Tom's costume from our media product.

As well as Tom's character dressing darkly, I wore a black leather jacket with a black top and a black floral skirt. This is to represent mourning and the skirt can symbolize the flowers given on the day of a funeral, and to denote a new life for myself without him because flowers represent life and new beginnings.

Main Task - Storyboard

Here is the storyboard for our opening sequence, we will most likely differ from it because of lighting and availability of areas but we will try to stick with our original plan:

Main Task - Ident

One of the main parts of the opening sequence for a film is the logo for the production company. I created this logo on Adobe Photoshop where I drew the outline with a stylus on the Apple Mac using a drawing program. I then used the mouse to colour in and do the final touches of the piece. We decided to name our company 'Fat Pig Productions' because it is unique and catchy.

Main Task - Audience Profile

This is my audience profile for our media product. 

This is Lucy, she is a 17 year old student who is studying English Literature, Media Studies, French and Photography. She is from a middle class family who works as a sales assistant in a local clothing boutique and is taking lessons for her driving test. Since she has a job she takes the public bus into the city so that she can socialise with her friends and go to the cinema to watch films. Lucy's favourite films to watch are dramas, foreign films and documentaries, such as Amy, Boyhood and The Circle but she also likes to watch more popular films like The Avengers, The Hunger Games series and the Harry Potter series. Her favourite films tend to have an intelligent story lines that inform the viewer about political and social issues. She particularly liked Star Wars: The Force Awakens for having a strong female lead and that they addressed the way women are portrayed in film as being weak and are in need of being continuously saved.

The audience  profile is important because we can understand the genre and type of films that our audience has and how we can address and attract them. We decided that our audience would mainly be teenagers who enjoy drama films which they may relate to and therefore its important to make our opening suspenseful and emotive.

Main Task - Genre

For our Main Task we decided that we should film our opening sequence  to do a British drama I decided to look online to see what the most popular British dramas, some of the most popular are:

Trainspotting
This film is directed by Danny Boyle and is based on Irvine Walsh's novel, it tracks the adventures of several young men in Edinburgh who are trying to get out of unemployment, aimless relationships and drug addiction.
The film's production company is Channel 4 or now known as Film4 this is a British film company. It is distributed by Miramax, Fox Searchlight Pictures and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. The film also stars several actors and actresses who are from the United Kingdom.









This is England
The protagonist, Shaun, who lost his father in the Falklands War, earns the respect of skinheads when he stands up to their teasing. He becomes part of their gang however trouble arises when Combo, an ex-convict returns. The gang divides and Shaun sides with Combo. The director is Shane Meadows and is distributed by StudioCanal UK and IFC Films and the production company is Warp Films.













12 Years a Slave
The film 12 Years a Slave is directed by Steve McQueen and follows the life of Solomon Northup, who is a free black man from upstate New York before the Civil War, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subject to horrid conditions for 12 years, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon's life forever. The production company is Plan B Entertainment and Summit Entertainment with it distributed by Channel 4, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Summit Entertainment, Icon Productions and Entertainment One. 








Typical qualities of a drama is that it is a narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than comedic focusing on in-depth development of realistic characters who must deal with realistic emotional struggles. Dramatic themes tend to be people dealing with problems like alcoholism, child abuse, coming of age, drug addiction, emotion, hope, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, sexuality, poverty, class divisions and characters in conflict with themselves, others or society. Dramas sometimes have a tragedy and concern the survival of a crisis, like the death of a family member.

Some of these qualities are part of our Main Task so I would consider our task to fall under the drama genre with a British production company.

Main Task - Moodboard

This is our moodboard, it shows how we want our film to look and what we have taken inspiration from.