(Presentation)

Our presentation

This is our presentation for our opening to our film, in this we will be talking about our film. We will include information on our initial ideas, what we liked, our strengths and what obstacles we found. In the second part of the video we were given feedback from others that are also taking the course in our class. The feedback included camera shots, sound, editing and more in both positive and negative ways where we could improve them.

From the feedback we were given we were surprised with what the audience had to say about our film. For example, they said that the music worked well with the characters actions in the short film which surprised us because we thought that the music was too loud in certain parts of the film which drown out other sounds in the scene. We were also surprised when the audience said that they enjoyed the sound effects towards the end of the film, we were surprised because we believed that the sound effects weren't realistic enough to go into the film.

From the feedback given we were also surprised when the audience said that we needed to improve on our camera work because in certain scenes they said that the camera was shaky which we partially agreed on with the audience. However, most of our scenes were filmed using a tripod which helped steady the camera. The audience also said that some of the long shots dragged on too long during the film which we didn't agree with because we did it to create tension.

(Evaluation 9)

Directors Commentary

In this video is our opening two minuets of our film with some directors commentary. The commentary will include what we liked about the film and what we enjoyed about our media project.

(Evaluation 8)

What targets will you set yourself for G324 next year?

For next year we will set our selves some targets that will need to be completed for our second year of the course. Our first target for next year will be to create an trailer for the film that we did for the first year, we will need to make sure that the trailer is detailed and gives the audience information about the film and the characters in it. To make progress next year we will need to make sure that throughout the process of making our media trailer we would have to have a stronger structure and to make sure that we don't need to go back and re-film certain parts that we missed out or just needed to be re-filmed.

Some things that we will need to do differently from last year is that we would need to make sure that when we film a certain scene the audio needs to be much clearer so the audience can hear it with out having to turn the volume to the highest. This means that when we use speech in a trailer we need to speak up louder so the camera can pick up our voices. We could also use a better camera when filming our trailer because the one that we used wasn't the best at picking up sound which mean't in some scenes it became really difficult to hear the characters speaking, this means that if we use a better camera it will improve both the audio and quality of the trailer.

To improve our film making for our next production we will make our music more realistic because we want the tension to become more realistic so the audience can become more engaged into the film/trailer. We will also improve our camera composition because we want to use more camera shots and angles within our film making because we want to improve our camera techniques. Mise-en-scene could also be improved because the area where we first filmed kept being interrupted by dog walkers and trains going past, we will try to find a better filming location that is secluded from other people, our costumes could also be improved because in our short film the antagonists costume wasn't really dressed well because he was dressed too casually to fit into the role of a bad guy. Lastly editing could be improved during the next year by adding some special effects that will make the film more interesting for the audience to watch.

(Evaluation 7)

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learn't in the progression from it to full product?

Shot types- In our preliminary task we used different shot types for example we used a medium shot of the character walking down the corridor which allowed you to see the characters full appearance, we also used close ups of when the characters were talking to each other, this allowed us to show the characters facial expressions. In our full product of our opening two minuets we also used different camera shots like the over the shoulder shot which was used when the main antagonist was walking towards the main protagonist, we decided to use this camera shot because it allowed us to show the facial expressions of the character who is just about to be attacked. We also used a POV shot (Point of view shot) which allowed us to show the audience what the character is seeing, which is used when the antagonist is punching the protagonist at the end of the film.

Editing terms and techniques- In our preliminary task and full product we used different editing terms and techniques, for example we used the 180 degree rule, match on action, shot reverse shot, cutting and fading. We used all of these terms and techniques because we wanted to make both our preliminary task and full product to the best it could possibly be and to develop and improve our editing skills.

180 degree rule- In our preliminary task we used the 180 degree rule which was used when both of characters were talking to each other leading to the camera changing to each person. We used this because it allows the audience to have a greater sense of location in the scene and this would create less confusion for the audience. In our full product we used the 180 degree rule when filming most of the film, we did this because we didn't want to confuse the audience when filming because if we didn't use the 180 degree rule it would make the film look scruffy and untidy.  

Match on action- In our preliminary task we used match on action which is an editing technique used for continuity editing, this creates a visual bridge for the audience which draws the viewers attention away from the slight cutting issues. We used this when we used a close up of one characters hand opening a door and then cut to him walking through the door on the other side, this shows that the scene continues into a different room with out any big cuts. In our full product we used match on action when we used a fade to black just after the main protagonist hides behind a tree and link to back to the antagonist who is on the floor.

Shot/reverse shot- In our preliminary task we used shot reverse shot, we used this when the characters where talking to each other in the room. We used this with the 180 degree rule because we wanted to retain continuity by not distorting the audiences sense of location with the characters. In our full product we used shot reverse shot during the film especially during the first minuet when we had both characters meeting each other with fast paced editing and music.

(Evaluation 6)

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of contrasting this product?

In this image above it shows you what equipment we used to film the film and programs that we used to edit and upload the film.

Editing program and techniques

To edit our film we used a program called Adobe Premiere Elements 10, we decided to use this program because we found it easy to use and work with. On the program we used editing techniques like cutting, fading in, fading out, transitions and special effects. For example at 5 seconds into the film we used an editing technique called a transition which allowed us to change the original colour of the image and have it fade into another colour, we decide to use this editing technique because it made the production company look professional and effective to the audience. We also used fade ins/outs and the cutting tools through out the remainder of the film to make the scenes run more smooths with out having any large cuts from scene to scene. For example we used the fade in and out tool at 45 seconds into the film, we decide to use it hear because it linked the two scenes together with out making it look messy and unprofessional. We also used a special effect on our production company at 0 seconds, we decided to make it glow around the text which made it standout and look more appealing.

Equipment

To film our opening two minuets we used a camera that we obtained from our school and also a tripod. We used the tripod to make the camera more stable instead of holding it with our hands because it will reduce the sway of the camera. We didn't re-record any sounds to make them more audible, instead we decided to source sounds from a website.

Programs

We used programs called Adobe Premiere Elements 10, YouTube and Blogger. We used Adobe Premiere Elements 10 to put together the clips that we recorded and to edit the scenes together, this helped us put together and build our film. We also used YouTube during the making of the film because any video's that we made we uploaded it to the platform for people to see. The last program we used was Blogger, we frequently used Blogger because we needed to post any work that we did to the site, this meant people were able to follow what we were doing when we updated our blog.

(Evaluation 5)

How did you attract/address your audience?

This is our annotated opening scene to our film, in this opening of our film we will be talking about our genre conventions, the use of music, similarities to other movies and our unique selling point or our opening to the film.

(Evaluation 4)

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience is aimed for teenagers over the ages of 15 because our film contains

Action thriller films tend to be slightly more popular with a male audience and we think that our opening would have appealed for the following reasons:

Empathising with characters:

Our opening scene gives the main protagonist prevalence through out the scene because it allows the audience to empathise with the main protagonist. We also have lots of close ups of the main protagonist which also makes the audience empathise with the character.

Escapism:

When the protagonist first escapes the antagonist the audience question if he is going to manage to truly escape from the antagonist. This makes the audience forget about their real life problems and concentrate on what is going on in the film. 

Entertainment:

Our opening scene is entertaining because there is a chase scene which leads up to a fight scene at the end, the film is also entertaining because the film has lots of action in it which will draw the audience in. The music in the film is also entertaining because it builds up tension in the audience.