Digital Technology
-We used a
Canon camera to film our AS opening two minutes as it has a higher quality than
other video cameras. The make was an EOS 500D.
-The
software that we used to edit our film was Adobe Premier Elements 10.
-The
equipment that we used was: A Canon EOS 500D camera and a Miranda 500 tripod.
-The cons to
using Premier Elements 10 were that if you didn’t get the right settings, it
was slow and rendered very slowly. One of the pros was that it was easy to edit
the film due to the way it was laid out. You could drag and drop a clip in to
your film with no hassle. The pros and cons of having a high quality camera was
that, obviously, the quality was going to be crisp and clear but the sound
isn’t as great because the microphone was built in to the camera and we had to
re-record shots because the shots had to be manually focused which proved
difficult. Getting the lighting levels right on the camera also proved
difficult as we had to change between the camera settings and video settings of
the camera.
-The
technology of the camera and Premier Elements 10 was what was used to create
our film. The camera to film the opening two minutes and Premier Elements 10 to
edit the opening.
-Only using
one camera to film constricted us a little because we had to move the camera is
we wanted another angle of a shot. If we had another camera, we could have
gotten more angles of the same shot without having to re-film a scene with the
same camera at a different angle.
-We have
developed these skills in our A2 by using two cameras to film as some of our
group went to different countries to film so they could film some there whilst
the people in England could film other shots. We used the same camera for our
A2 but we used a different lens to capture different shots like having a 150mm
lens to capture longer shots and a 50mm lens to capture closer shots.
Creativity
-To first of
all research what genre we wanted to do, we used YouTube to watch trailers and
openings of different films which is where we decided that we were going to do
a horror opening two minutes. After we had chosen out genre, we proceeded to
look at more openings to horror films like: The Exorcist and Ouija, which is a
similar film to ours. We decided to make a film about a group of friends that
go to a haunted/abandoned house to play with a Ouija board. To come up with our
ideas, we wrote all of the ideas we had down on to a piece of paper and slowly
narrowed them down to just one idea. We used the same technique to choose the
name of the film.
-Our ideas
came from looking at different horror movies but we also had ideas in our heads
before we looked at the movies on YouTube.
-To share
our ideas with each other, we sat around and wrote all of our ideas down and
discussed why we should do an idea and if we should include it.
-We changed
the ideas of our film quite a few times due to location problems. First of all,
the morgue we were going to go to was closed for renovation so we couldn’t go
there. Another abandoned house we were going to go to was begin demolished and
the last place we looked at was hard to get to so we ended up filming in
someone’s house which did look abandoned and quite sinister.
-We used
Adobe Premier Elements 10 to edit the film so the shots combine together and
run smoothly with each other. We also used Premier Elements to make sure that
the dialogue of the clips was louder than the music whenever it needed to be.
The credits were also added using Premier Elements. We used Photoshop to make
the opening logos for our film: IFM, and
Triptic Films which was a black and white image before it fades in to a
coloured animated shot of the candles.
-the
stylistic techniques that we used to appeal the audience were the use of a
yellow lighting which was created by the candles. This gives a sinister
feeling.
-Our
preferred outcome of our production was a two minute opening featuring a
realistic group of friends who try out a Ouija board.
-This
outcome was achieved through the angles that we used. They were all landscape,
showing the cinematic view, and the shots ranged from close shots to long
shots.
-For A2 we
have developed these skills in a further range of more complicated shots and
angles of our characters. We have also developed our use of credits as they
look a lot better in our A2 production.
Research and planning/ Post-Production:
How
did they inform your thinking about your media production?
The
audience informed us of what they expect to see in action film. We conducted
audience research through the use of a questionnaire which was hugely helpful
in allowing us to get a full understanding of what to include in our opening
scene. They informed us on what sort of action films were favoured and what
they particularly looked for in an action film. They also allowed us to make
assumptions on what characters to include in our production and what role
certain types of actors should play e.g. a male hero. They also enabled us to
get a sense for how important music is to any production and highlighted the
necessity for music as a main feature of our production.
How
did you record all that research?
We
recorded the research through a questionnaire where we asked a select few
people, who were fairly different in terms of background, ethnicity ect. This
allowed for the results to be more generalizable to the population as we can
assume that the participants were representative of our target audience. We
used a mixture of open and closed questions to receive more detail on some of
the answers we deemed particularly important. All the results were recorded and
placed on our Bloggers which were then further analysed for any sort of pattern
or trend we could use in our AS production.
What
primary research was undertaken?
Questionnaires
were our main source of primary data as they gave us the best insight into what
sort of films people in our generation watched and what they expect in them. We
also ensured that we got significant information from other groups in the class
as they allowed us to compare the preliminary production plans so that we could
ensure particular focus was placed on conventions in our opening scene.
What
secondary research was undertaken?
We
also used some secondary data. Mainly on the internet, we researched what
general features you could expect to see in an action movie and what sort of
scenes we could place depending on the rating of our opening scene. The
internet also gave some rough ideas on how we could implement a chase and fight
scene with the relevant tutorials for fight scenes being researched to make
ours seem as realistic as possible. We also looked at various opening scenes to
movies which allowed us to generalise what we could see in them. We put focus
on the action movie genre as a whole and looked at what conventions were
highlighted in the opening scenes of movies like the Dark Knight for example.
How
did it inform the production?
The
data informed us on what we needed to include the make our trailer standout as
an action film and enabled us to figure out what to include if we wanted to
emphasise the qualities to the audience. The tutorials allowed us to implement
a fight scene with relative ease as it gave us a rough idea on what to include.
It gave us an insight into how fight scenes work, especially when involving a 2
vs 1 situation.
What
is the effectiveness of these kinds of research?
These
types of research allow in depth qualitative data to be gathered relatively
quickly. The data was easy to analyse in terms of looking for patterns or
trends in our questionnaire. We could look through the details gathered in the
questionnaire and base our scenes in the opening scene on what the audience
suggests is conventional in an opening scene of an action film. Or we could
base the opening scene on what conventions we see in actual films which could
make ours seem more professional.
How
effectively were storyboards/shot lists/script followed?
We
originally created a storyboard for our production which was very basic in
terms of details but allowed us to work on it. We roughly followed the
storyboard for most of the shots as we generally agreed on what to include in
the opening scene and in what order. The storyboard was developed slightly as
we went along as we changed the emphasis on a fight and chase scene together to
doing them separately and so had to change a few as we go along. The script was
pretty lacklustre in terms of what was on it as we didn’t particularly want
that much dialogue. So we focused on what the music would entail and what shots
were used for our opening scene. We discussed shot ideas as a group and then
attempted to incorporate them accordingly in an order which made the storyline
of the opening scene develop. We also decided to include a range of shots in
our production which we thought would be effective. This included high and low
angle shots during the fight scene, a dolly shot in the chase scene and a two
shot in the beginning to highlight the two main protagonists of the opening
scene. Most of the shots selected were chosen because of their supposed
relevance to our scene and we attempted to showcase them in our conventions.
How
have you developed these skills at A2?
In
terms of gathering data for our production we ensured we got two questionnaires
in our A2 production. We got one specifically for the action genre and one for
the thriller genre as our film during the preliminary stages had conventions
form both genres. This allowed us to develop an understanding of both genres in
terms of what they include, whilst ensuring we can look at similarities the two
share. We managed to get more of an idea of what characters we should
incorporate and what is generally included in both which we could place in our
trailer. The storyboard was developed further to a great extent as well. It
featured the individual shots we were going to have, including the type of shot
e.g. establishing shot of London. The storyboard allowed us to develop the
story more but was ultimately changed along with production much like the AS
production as our plot developed and changed as we went along.
In
what ways have your productions used or developed conventions from real media
products?
The AS
production brought about significant conventions in the entirety of the opening
scene. The chase scene incorporated a wide range of shots which were filmed at
a relatively quick pace to add dramatic tension. The dolly shot highlights the
two main characters in the chase scene and adds specific emphasis on them. You
can typically see this in action movies as the protagonist usually gets
prevalence in the shots in a chase scene whilst the main antagonist shares a
similar light. Other character in productions are used more sparingly as they
are not essential into the plot of the movie. The fight scene also gives such
prevalence as the main characters are fighting against the antagonist. In
action movies you can generally see a lot of two shots in such fight scenes as
the two protagonists’ friendship is often highlighted. The fight scenes are
generally important in the development of an action movie and so we ensured
that it played a major role in oir AS production.
In
what ways have your products challenged or played with conventions?
In
some ways our AS production challenged conventions of an action movie. The main
area it did this was the use of characters as we included two protagonists to
battle one antagonist. You could also suggest that conventions were challenged
with the use of a pov shot from the antagonist as you don’t normally see their
view but we thought this would be a good way of highlighting to the audience
that the main characters were being watched, which could add tension.
Is
your work generic or experimental, or both?
Our
work was highly experimental as we often changed the plot of the story
throughout production as we found some elements difficult to film. We did try
and stick to generic conventions but also wanted to place some emphasis on
something not conventional to make our film standout. The film did include some
stereotypical attributes of an action film such as the chase and fight scene
but also includes elements of a thriller film, in terms of the enigmas left
behind by for example not explaining the antagonists motives. We weren’t set on
one idea for the plot of our film so we tried to incorporate what we liked from
each idea into the finished product and so different elements provided
different themes to the storyline.
Have
you developed a style?
In
terms of styling, I don’t think we have developed a particular style. We tended
to mould and change ideas depending on what we thought was necessary for our
chosen genre. So the styling would likely change dramatically if we were doing
a horror film for example. This would include the type of shots, the characters
introduced and the main features of the opening scene.
Have
you been influenced by the work of specific directors etc?
In
terms of directors, if anyone influenced the AS production it would probably be
attributed to Christopher Nolan’s opening to the Dark Knight. Its use of
enigmas and tension allowed for a very interesting opening scene as we were
always kept guessing. In our AS production we wanted to ensure the antagonists
identity remain a mystery to the audience as it gives them more incentive to
think on his motives for the killing in our opening scene.
How
have you developed these skills at A2?
In
terms of conventions, our A2 production adheres more to the elements you’d
expect to see in an action movie. We did this mainly through the prevalence of
guns in our trailer, something which we lacked extensively in the opening
scene. The guns helped highlight who was the hero and villain and showcases the
action qualities of the film to the audience. We also used more recognisable
locations in A2 as with action films, location is a necessity in engaging the
audience. The use of a voiceover allowed for the plot to be explored in greater
detail and introduces the character and their role with significant ease,
something which wasn’t obvious in our AS production. We still followed a highly
experimental style of filming as we tend to engage ideas when we’re on set,
whilst the styling remained adaptive depending on what we were filming. Action
shots were more focused and quicker paced compared to shots in which dialogue
was present, which is noticeable in action movies to a great extent.
Using conventions from real media texts:
In what ways
does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
Frame 1 - The title of the film. The title conforms to
the conventions of an action movie trailer as its bold styling and sharp font
standout against the black background. The titles were then animated to
incorporate the bullet holes at a set time to highlight the action qualities of
the film to the audience. We also ensured that the titles were placed at the
end of the trailer as we thought that this would be most effective in enticing
the audience to watch the film.
Frame 2 -
Costumes and props. The costumes and props of our characters are present in the
frame. We ensured the protagonist was normally in smart attire, including a
suit and the jumper getup shown. We wanted his character to contrast the more
casual styling of the antagonist so the audience assume who plays what
character straight away. This is conventional in action thrillers as the hero
is normally dressed formally as they represent the authority in the film e.g.
James Bond films.
Frame 3 -
Setting/location. We incorporated many noticeable locations in our trailer
including London, Dubai and Iceland. We wanted to make the trailer seem high
budget and professional and this is often seen in action films as the exotic
locations are normally where the action ensues. London was the main feature in
the early stages of the trailer as its recognisable and allows the audience to
relate the film to others in the genre.
Frame 4 -
Camerawork and editing. The shot selected helps showcase the camerawork as we
ensured that both the protagonist and antagonist were given prevalence through
the camera angles used. In the shot we used a low angle shot to emphasise the power
the antagonist holds in the trailer, something which is often associated in
action movies. We also edited the scene with a flash and fade effect as its
accompanied with a non-diagetic gun shot sound which adds effect to the scene.
Frame 5 -
Title font and style. The font style of our movie is bold and stands out to the
audience, it catches their attention and allows us to purvey the actor credits
and the mention of previous films to the audience to immerse them more in the
trailer. Action movie titles are generally bold as they are made to capture the
audiences attention and so influence them to watch the film.
Frame 6 -
Story and how the trailer sets it up. The story is mainly setup by the use of a
narration. The dialogue is accompanied by a couple of prolonged shots of the
protagonist which highlights his role in the film. The voiceover eventually
changes into dialogue between the protagonist and his supposed boss in the
organisation which you generally see in the action spy movies. The voiceover as
dialogue is often seen in action movie trailers as it explains the story to the
audience to a greater effect.
Frame 7 -
Genre and how the trailer suggests it. The trailer constantly includes shots of
our characters with guns, the traditional weapon in often seen in action
movies. The protagonist has the pistol which is typical of the hero in spy
films as its ease of use and accessibility is unrivaled. The antagonist sports
a rifle as he represents a direct contrast to our protagonist and this
highlights his power in our film. Action films normally induce scenes with the
guns as it adheres to conventions
Frame 8 -
How characters are introduced. The characters were generally introduced
alongside the actor credits or at the very beginning of our trailer for the
main protagonist and antagonist, the characters were highlighted in some shots
beforehand as to adhere to the conventions you expect to see in an action film.
The characters were generally portrayed within their respective roles e.g.
antagonist shooting someone. Action movies are typical in this approach as the
characters are introduced during the beginning normally and their roles are
expanded on as the trailer continues.
Frame 9 -
Special effects. The effects were largely practical and not incorporated in the
editing phase, the effects we did induce were largely around the fade between
shots and the flash which is integrated along with the gun shots. We did
lighten some of the scenes as they were too dark, we wanted to ensure the
action was easy to see and effective in immersing the audience. This is
generally conventional in action movies as a lot of the effects are placed
practically to make it seem more realistic to the audience, with the Fast and
the Furious franchise in particular.
