Media evaluation: Acticity 7

Looking back at your Preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

I have learned a lot about many new techniques from what I did in my Preliminary task. Firstly I have learned how to use many different uses of using the camera. In particular, the use of camera angles I have used in this task. In my preliminary task, I only used one angle which was a high angle shot that shows the drug dealers feat as he walks up the steps. However in my main task I used, low angle shots and high angle shots in multiple areas and used them at more extreme angles instead of it having it a soft angle. So I have vastly improved in my filming with camera angles.

Extreme high angle shot

Main film intro (top) Preliminary task (bottom)

 

 

 

 

 

Extreme low angle shot

 

 

Another key feature that I've learned to use as well is the 180 degree rule which I didn't use in my Preliminary task. I really had to look into how I could make this shot work in my main film since I had no experience at using this technique. However when I did use it, it worked very well in my shot. The only time I did use it was at the climax of my intro when Harry is about to get attacked. In this clip a bird flies away and harry looks back over his shoulder to see what it is. The first part of the shot was a low angle shot of him looking into the bush and after he turned around, the shot looks over his shoulder behind him looking around at the scene. This was a very effective shot in my scene also because it had a change of lighting within it and made the 180 degree comparison more effective in the build up of the scene. Here is some pictures of this shot from my main intro.

 

 

My 180 degree rule shot







 



I have also perfected the use of the use of shot and reverse shots. This was mainly used when the characters were exchanging their dialog within the scene. For this I again used my new learning concept of the 180 degree rule. Here I used this technique to almost give a vantage point of the characters when they exchange their dialog so the audience is in the scene and makes it more effective. This technique was also unused in the Preliminary task to the detail I used in my film, so learning about it was also very vital. Eventually I found that the effect worked well and had again adapted the shot well for the dialog of the characters in the scene, and using this important shot in a professional way.

My use of the shot-reverse shot in my intro

Shot reverse shots in my preliminary task


Lastly I improved my editing skills of my final product. In my preliminary task I had a slight use of inexperience in film editing so by learning how to do a little at the start was ideal. However as I completed my main film, as I started to edit I began to learn more about the specific tools I needed to use in my intro to make it effective. Eventually after much trail and error with these tools I finally managed to perfect the overall editing of my intro to make the transitions between shots and sounds more smoother. Overall my intro looks more professional and less silly errors that I have failed to notice on so it looks like it is a professional piece.


To finish, I think my overall progress over this course has really changed my use of skills for filming. I know what shots I can use to make the intro more effective and how I can use the different techniques to mould them into my selected genre within my intro. So these are skills I will remember from when I next do a film intro when asked to and look back from what I did simply from my Preliminary task to my professional and successful intro that I have just completed and I have really learned more about filming than I have ever had before now.

Thank you for viewing my blog!

Media evaluation: Activity 6

What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing your product?

I have learned about using many different technologies when creating my film product. Here are some of the key examples of what I learned throughout.

I have learned a small amount of using my camera. I have learned how to add its anti shaking effect when filming shots and zooming the shot at just the right depth. I have used my camera a lot for filming before but this was completely new for me and it was good to use it in this way. I also learned about how I can improve the shot detail within the camera to change the effects of all the shots so it gives it an enhancing and effective effect when the audience views the scene. I am much more confident about using my camera and will use it a lot more in the near future.











My Camera which I used for my filming









Another thing I have learned to do is getting sound files to add into my film for effect or soundtracks. For this I have used my everyday home Laptop and  a website that just downloads them into a sound file after converting them to which I could save on a memory stick and import them into my film. This was vital to making my intro as effective as possible because if I couldn't get the sounds I needed the intro would be a complete failure. I have also used my home Laptop to update my blog, which is also a new thing that I have used. I have learned how to use Blogger as well, which has helped me a lot to update information of my project and keep a good record of everything I have done so people can see how I have used it. I have also learned how to use some of the features on blogger, like importing Pictures and Videos onto my blog posts so people can view them and see my visual examples.










My Laptop that I used for my blog and sound effect research











Lastly I have learned how to use the apple mac's and the systems on it, to make my final production intro. The systems I have used on the mac's include the following, IMovie, IPhoto and ITunes for all the things I need. Firstly I used I movie to import all my film footage and edit them al together, which I knew very little about during my preliminary task. However over time of editing I learned how to trim shots, lower the sound in the shot and add transitions between the scenes. I am now incredibly confident to where I was at using Photoshop and editing all my footage on my own. I have also learned how to import pictures onto the mac using IPhoto, using my memory stick. This time though unlike IMovie, where I had some experience, with this system I was very unsure about what I had to do in order to put the pictures into I movie. Eventually I saved the pictures I needed into IPhoto and was able to add them into the film and make them into a key part at the start of my film which I was struggling to achieve. Finally I learned how to important my sound files onto the mac through ITunes. Again ,like IPhoto, I had very little experience of how to use it so I had to take a lot of time learning how to use it. Eventually after some period of time I finally Important all the sounds into the system and added them into the film as files. However I also remembered how to add simple files from IMovie itself into the intro so again, it was another new skill that I have learned.




The mac which I used to edit my film intro into its final form.

 

 

 

 

My Memory stick which I used to transfer my items across

Now with this section completed I will move onto Activity 7, the final part of my evaluation of my media product.

 

 

Media evaluation: Activity 5

How did you attract/ address your audience?

In my intro I used a large mix of other films to get inspiration for each event that happens within the scene so I had to carefully plan out each section that happens within the intro to give it the right effect at just the right time to get it perfectly.

For genre conventions, I used very much the simple ones to build up all my suspense and fear within the audience. This are present in the shots when both the characters walk towards the hedge were the creature is hiding in. This is inspired to that of many films when something suspicious might be hiding in for example to that of Cloverfeild (2008). In this shot I used the bushes as a hiding spot for my creature and then when the characters get close enough they get attacked by the monster in its hiding area. This technique was similarly used in Cloverfeild when the creature is attacked and was believed to be killed after it falls and is shrouded in smoke. After a brief silent pause with only the characters voices being heard, the creature jumps out at them, with a loud and terrifying roar to make the audience feel fear when they see it coming. This technique really captures the horror genre and believed that was essential to use it in my film.

For sound uses, I used horror movies again as a clear inspiration for their uses.  One clear example is when the creature is hiding in the hedge and the first scientist is looking around. I had no  diegetic music within this scene, that would have diffused away the terror sensation. The only sound effects I had were 2 growling sounds that were edited to fit perfectly within the scene so they weren't too loud nor where they too quiet within the scene. This was again taken from another horror film Predator, were occasionally the camera views perfectly what the predator sees in his eyes. However despite them being similar there is one key difference between them. The predator's view is shown an infer-red colour format, whilst mine is just plane colour vision, to avoid confusion about what they are supposed to be looking at in this scene which is very crucial. Music in for my sound was also important for my scenes, n particular when Alex walks towards the hedge were the creature is hiding in. His line is given in non-diegetic fashion, but after the twig can be heard snapping, the dark sinister music starts to play and sets the impression that something bad is going to happen to him. This change in sound then is key indicator about the changing tone of the scene, from one which was peaceful, calm and normal to a new one that has uncertainty, danger and potential terror as well.


Lastly a key link between my film and this one are with some of the shots I used.  Perhaps the most evident of this is shown at the very end of film, when the creature attacks Harry at the end. This is a key thing that happens in nearly all Alien/monster films, is that only a small part of the creature is actually seen within the shot. This technique is vey effective because it adds further mystery and intrigue about what this creature looks like and what it has that's such a great harm to humans. It happens whenever the creatures appear on screen and each time only a small part of it will be shown, e.g. Alien when it appears only very close up shots are shown of its features and its outline is broken up by hiding in the dark or being shrouded by smoke. This can even happen with the biggest monsters such as that In Cloverfeild also, and predator when the creature has its Invisibility cloak on. So this is arguably the most important thing I had to feature within my intro and why it has become very successful to be in this genre.

Here are some examples of this technique.



























Now I will move onto activity 6.

Media evaluation: Activity 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?


I think my film would be suitable for a teenage audience for a number of reasons with this film I have made and here is why.







This teenage boy would be one of the main people who would go and see this film for a number of reasons. Firstly I think that people of this age will enjoy my film for a number of reasons. Firstly they would enjoy the number of scares within the film as it very jumpy and tense, which is what my audience like to see. Also because it has a slightly darker theme than usual so it allows them to get adapted into the events of the film and not get drawn away by it.




Their tastes are also important as well for them to see my film. My audience will be interested in a very limited amount of things. For shopping they will be either for clothes, games and phones. Their main hobbies would be partying socialising with friends and watching scary films which is what mine specifically is which targets them perfectly, so they will immediately spark interest in seeing it being advertised. Typical TV shows will be foul mouthed comedy and gory reality shows like the walking dead. So again it all fits into the dark gothic theme which my films support meaning it will have a lasting effect on them and potentially get them to buy the films on DVD or download them.


All of these will have a positive impact on the audience and raise further investment as they are watching a very new and fitting type of film genre that they do actually enjoy among the many that are thrown at them and will make key investment from a  generation that is tricky to attract, as they may not watch other films that the company produces. So overall it not only helps the film producers but also helps the main company as a whole, getting investment and raising interest in this specific audience range and making it have a positive effect among them.


Now I will move onto Activity 5.

Media evalutaion: Activity 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?


For this activity I am looking into which media institution might be interested into my kind of film and why. So I will need to look into my script to use references why I believe my script will be distributed to an institution.

From my script I had to pick key sections that a distributer would be interested in. In this case the key features from my intro that I believed are well looked for in my genre are the following: the freaky tree, Climatic jump scare, reading the Necronomicon pages and the POV of the creature from the hedge. These features I think will really stand out to the film distributers because it really captures what the theme and genre of my film is about and why it would be so successful to be distributed by production companies. The reasons why theses shots are successful are for the following reasons.

Firstly most of these shots are very tense and they build up a lot suspense in each scene so it makes it work very effectively. In particular these work with, the Freaky looking tree and the climax of the intro with the final jump-scare used at the end which often happens in these scenes. Another key reason is that it doesn't show the creatures appearance throughout the intro so it can make it more thrilling for the audience guessing what this terrifying creature is going to look like. My final key feature of my script is to ensure that the characters are firmly introduced and recognised so the audience can grow and develop a slight bond between themselves and the characters which is what my film would primarily want to achieve. This is all important because these are the key things that film distributors will look for when they prepare to potentially invest in the film and these are the key links to which they try to promote for them to ensure that it successfully gets promoted and released to make investment.

My Script

The key production company could be from a number of different companies because Sci-Fi horror is generally a really adaptable type of genre. These are big companies that provide money to the film institution that wants to invest in this film. I think my main film production companies that could invest in my film could be from Lionsgate, a specialised horror film production company or from the larger one such as 20th Centaury Fox. This is because 20th Centaury Fox has a very good History with Sci-fi horror films such as Alien (19790 being a huge box office success and runs to a similar genre to that of my film, But also they may like to adapt this new type of story plot and potentially make a huge box office success about it and have successful sales Whilst Lionsgate would like the idea coz it is a genre that they specialise in and they may like the slight blend of Sci-fi also added into this genre of film. And also because its a slightly darker film which is what they specialise in, so they would know how to successfully distribute a film like this one. 

The film can also be distributed through Entertainment film distributers because it has a very successful history and marketing big films and by linking it in with 20th Centaury as it would really take sales off and become a real success. With Lionsgate it may also work because it also has made some huge success in the box office so again it would maximise my film really becoming well known and public.

My main film Distributor Entertainment.

Lionsgate Film Production company

20th Century fox

For my film intro I have arranged each of key things that star in my film in a special order. Firstly I put the production company first and links it in with the horror theme to really catch out that tis production company does mean business.  Next I will put the cast down to recognise their talent when the characters come on screen in order of most importance within the film. Then when the credits are finished then I will put the order of the crew from least important to most important by the end of the intro before the name of the film comes on to show the production companies who has directed this film and that they specialise in this genre to further improve companies sales in the future with other successful films.

Institutionally my Film follows a similar path to that of Alien or Predator. These films are also both distributed by 20th century fox and both have similar horror Sci-fi theme so they both have gone through very similar processes. Both were reviewed and the marketed into their distributing companies and then made their appearance to the production company to review the film and see how it looked before going ahead and releasing the film into cinema when it was completed. This will be easy to follow as both these films and my film have very similar techniques within them so it distributing my film along the lines of this one will be very easy to achieve.

Now I will move on to activity 4.

AS Media evaluation: Activity 2

How does your media product represent particular media groups?

In my intro my main character, Doctor Straton is a character who holds some other key traits from the lead characters in some films related back to my chosen genre. In this case I will be comparing the character Ripley with Dr Straton in my film. here are some similarities and differences between my two chosen characters.

 

Similarities

Perhaps the one key similarity between my two characters is that they both share a powerful sense of curiosity when it comes to peculiar things or situations. They both ideally like to solve the problem or find out more about it, which is what ideally this type of character is focused on to do. By following this kind of pattern it easily keeps my characters inline with the rest of my story and clearly links it back to other uses of this genre. Another key similarity is that they are both rather ordinary people and that they don't over exaggerate themselves and make themselves look like they would cause so much damage and be reckless about it, but keep a cool calm head and plan out their sequence of events before they get into the action, which is another direct link with Sraton to Ripley and pretty much all Protagonists in all Sci-Fi films. Lastly the other key similarity between the two characters is their personality. They may seem quite harsh and mean to others when they around them but in a situation when someone is in distress they will risk their lives to try and help them and their softer side will come out, which is really what these two characters also share between them.


Differences

However despite showing the key similarity for the main character in this type of film they actually hold many key differences among one another. Firstly it comes to their gender, even though Straton is male character, he doesn't really hold the typical stereotypes for the person he should be. When he is in a very uneasy or freaky spot he can get spooked easily and make himself appear weak and venerable almost to that we Stereotypically refer to almost a female character. Ripley is also a key example of this, because even though she is a female character, she almost acts in that of the male stereotype. She is not scared easily and does not back down from a fight without putting up one, so she hold key things that Doctor Straton does not have and also implies that he may not be able to survive in this situation due to his key weakness in unable to face or challenge to that danger.


With the two characters compared  I am now able to complete activity 3.

Coursework evaluation: activity 1

Why does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of of real media productions?


Now that my main filming was completed I could start on my evaluation of my film.

For my intro I decided to feature it like a build up for the rest of the film that would follow afterwards to get people interested into what this film is about and potentially what is going to happen next in the films main story. For this is decided to build up the tension in the scene about the 2 men hunting the creature and get overpowered and taken by it. Prompting further mystery about what they are up against and how they will be able to defeat it.

Here are some shots from my film intro:

For my intro I decided to use the style of intro that jumps straight into the story and leaves twists and plots about what will happen next within the film and that what I truly wanted to capture in my intro.  In my first frame I wanted to make sure that person walking toward the house does not get his face seen in shot, to add mystery and suspense about who this character is and what potential like he'll have in the main story line of my film. The low shot in this scene as well was added to show were he was going and makes him be viewed walking into shot and up towards the house to speculate that another key person or group are linked in with the story. This shot in a way is an establishing shot but in a very particular fashion. Based on this establishing shot, from the film Skyfall, it shows an object in a specific amount of detail in the scene in this case the house. However their differences with this technique in closer detail. Firstly the shot is filmed at a fairly low angle to give it a more impressive appearance in the scene and also that the character is also walking into the scene from the side, this gives speculation about who this character is and why he has a link in with this story.

In the second shot when Dr Straton (Harry) is looking at the extract from the satanic inscription I used an over the shoulder shot to show what he is seeing. This is also implies that what they're fighting against is potentially inhuman and raises questions whether they'll be able to survive against it or not. I used inspiration for this shot to when a person is looking at a inscription, object and writing that could potentially signal some danger to the person in shot hinting that they may be in great danger by looking into the page. This scene was similarly used to one of that from Saw (the only film I could find that uses a shot like this similar to mine. It shows the guy looking at the X-rays which is really what my shot was about. However instead of filming the shot of him looking at the paper, I wanted to enhance the audiences involvement into the film and have them look over the characters shoulder to see what he is seeing and how it can capture their attention at this startling piece of transcription.

 

In my next shot when the two men are about to leave in search for the creature I show them walking out of the house to signify that they are determined to find whatever this thing may be. This shot was used to help make the transition of when they are about to go out and search for the creature in the area were they believed its in, allowing a smooth transition from the build up scene into the main one itself were the action starts to unfold, again following the suspenseful build up with in the scenes. Again this was inspired by horror films to keep the events slow since the characters are not in real danger of being attacked or taken by something in the scene. This shot was very hard to base on with the two characters walking into the scene together from a particular film of my genre. I used the basis of a two shot similar to this still taken from the lone ranger. In this scene the 2 characters are perfectly both in shot, just like the two characters on my scene. However the only major difference is that the characters are moving around a bit when they walk into shot and then out of shot, so it also features panning and pivoting techniques as well.

The fourth shot is that of Harry and Alex preparing to split up and search for the creature. This shot was designed almost as a breather for the audience before they get back into the action of the film and are able to get a clearer understanding off the scene around it. It  also is great setting ready for the next transition shot of the two characters exchanging dialog before breaking up so it also gets a good feeling for all of the characters in the scene, before the action starts to kick off again. this shot was inspired by that shown in the hunger games. Despite being completely different from my selected genre, it shows some good potential to build up tension in the scene. Firstly the two characters are perfectly in shot together and they can easily exchange their dialog in the
 scene without having to move the camera around too much.

















The fifth shot I used for my intro was when the creature stares at Alex through a nearby bush not far away from him. I used this shot from the film Predator were it shows the POV of the creature looking at the victim without them ever realising it is their in the scene with them. This shot was used to build curiosity and suspicion about what this creature wants with these people and why it wants to kill them . This use of camera work is one of the most important and inspirational uses of shot used in my media film. The only major difference between my shot and the predator shot is that it is not shown in thermal vision because it will have copy-writed the original idea and would have made the over all results not that good.






The sixth shot of when Alex ducks down when he hears the creature in the hedge implies that he is venerable and at risk by getting low down onto the ground and peering first head first into the hedge. It fills audience with suspicion and questions about why this person is getting down low to look into this rather edgy looking hedge that may be hiding something. This shot was similarly used in that of the film Splice (2010), when the scientist is looking down low to see this unusual creature. It adds a brilliant effect of uncertainty into the shot about what is going to happen next. I made mine even more tense by not seeing the creature he is trying to look for that links in back with the horror film convention.

The seventh shot when Harry looks at the freaky looking tree is another direct link into the horror genre. This us used to help express to the audience the fear he is experience in the scene and helps capture the audiences emotions and attention as he stares into such an intimidating and rather scary situation he's in. It also aims to catalyse the fear in the audience that something big is building up and that this characters will be apart of it when it happens. This shot in particular was inspired by the horror film, Poltergeist  which also uses this similar effect. With the girl looking at the unnatural static TV it implies that something is not right and that something dark is going to happen in the scenes to come, increasing the fear in the audience, just as I wanted to do with my audience.






The eighth shot when Harry walks to the bush is really were the climatic scene is about to take place. This is a build-up for the final climax to create the ultimate scare about what they are really facing, and how powerful it against a normal human. The shot is a tension builder ready for the final scare in the intro and again links it back into the horror genre. The panning shot is used to slowly move him from were he is standing over to the area where the creature is hiding in ready to make its decisive strike. This shot was inspired to that of the Ring. In this shot she is staring into the TV, were the potentially danger could be and implies that something could lash out at her any second. This was a technique that I wanted to use in my shot for this scene when Harry walks towards the hedge which proved to work, and by panning it across as he walks towards it adds further tension into the scene.
















The final shot that I used was the climatic jump scare of my intro where the creature attacks Harry from its hiding place in the hedge. This is the final shot that is designed to really surprise the audience of the potential thrill that this film can bring when they watch it  after seeing the intro before the title rolls onto the screen ready for the rest of this dramatic story to unfold. This final shot is greatly inspired by that of Alien Vs Predator, where an alien makes a dramatic unsuspected entrance onto the scene that gives the audience a good scare and implies to them that this creature is harmful and potentially a dangerous threat to all the characters. Another key inspiration of this shot is the fact that the in the picture the Alien is only showing a small amount of detail, in this case only its mouth and face otherwise its completely blacked out and can't be seen in full detail. This was also used in my shot, in this case only the hand of the creature is seen which also added a really good, use of a horror technique.

(If picture is unseen click on image or click on the link below for the image)

http://cinema.theiapolis.com/movie-0D4D/aliens-vs-predator-requiem/gallery/aliens-vs-predator-requiem-1095926~1.html#image

So with activity 1 completed my next activities will be completed on the following posts.