Wednesday 15 April 2009
Wednesday 8 April 2009
Evaluation - Sophie Spear
Our project was to produce an opening sequence for a movie. We joined a group and worked together to do this. My group consisted of myself, Joe Holden and Natalie Ainsworth. As a group we tended to share tasks rather than appoint each other particular roles. I myself did a lot of the filming/photography and costume design whilst Natalie did the directing and editing and Joe came up with the initial script and did the acting with his twin Alex Holden. We also had Helen Keegan acting as the female character in the sequence
The genre we chose to produce was action/war. To create this genre effectively we chose suitable clothing that would be seen in other war movies. We found out what these particular outfits consisted of by doing research on the internet. The next step we took was to sketch out a few initial designs for outfits. It was vital to do this to help create a sense of realism.
There are many things that are found in war/action movies such as; weapons, armies etc. If we did this piece of coursework again, I think I would perhaps try to choose a different genre that would be easier to achieve on such a low budget and with lack of filming equipment
I also think our opening sequence has most of the conventions that are typically found in an opening sequence of a movie. These conventions are;
• Introduce main characters
• Raise enigmas
• Set the scene/location
Our audience feedback showed that 95% of people who were shown the movie understood the genre of the movie.
The social groups we have represented in our piece of coursework are men and women. Firstly the vast difference between the two is the costume we chose for both genders. The male characters wore very typical ‘gritty army’ outfits such as black boots, combat pants and black gloves. In contrast to this, the female actress was dressed in more feminine clothes such as a scarf, white vest and a khaki army jacket. I think these choices fit in with the stereotypes of male/females in the media. As we dressed the men darker and not particularly conscious over what they were wearing, whilst the female was dressed in a more visually pleasing and thought about outfit.
However, I think we did offer an alternative representation of women. Women are shown to be the weaker sex in the media. In contrast to this the female in our sequence is the only surviving person from her troop in the war – that has happened prior to the movie. I think this gives the sequence. a unique approach and sets it apart from most within the same genres which have been previously produced. It may also increase the amount of viewers that the movie receives, as women may want to go and see the movie because they are being shown in a positive way in our sequence.
I think Film Four would distribute our opening sequence. Film Four is a free digital television channel in the UK. I think Film Four would distribute our particular product because it doesn’t focus on broadcasting blockbusters. Instead it shows independent, British mo
vies, which is what we aimed to achieve. A recent example of a movie that Film Four have distributed is the 8 Oscar award winning Slumdog Millionaire.
The genre we chose to produce was action/war. To create this genre effectively we chose suitable clothing that would be seen in other war movies. We found out what these particular outfits consisted of by doing research on the internet. The next step we took was to sketch out a few initial designs for outfits. It was vital to do this to help create a sense of realism.
There are many things that are found in war/action movies such as; weapons, armies etc. If we did this piece of coursework again, I think I would perhaps try to choose a different genre that would be easier to achieve on such a low budget and with lack of filming equipment
I also think our opening sequence has most of the conventions that are typically found in an opening sequence of a movie. These conventions are;
• Introduce main characters
• Raise enigmas
• Set the scene/location
Our audience feedback showed that 95% of people who were shown the movie understood the genre of the movie.
The social groups we have represented in our piece of coursework are men and women. Firstly the vast difference between the two is the costume we chose for both genders. The male characters wore very typical ‘gritty army’ outfits such as black boots, combat pants and black gloves. In contrast to this, the female actress was dressed in more feminine clothes such as a scarf, white vest and a khaki army jacket. I think these choices fit in with the stereotypes of male/females in the media. As we dressed the men darker and not particularly conscious over what they were wearing, whilst the female was dressed in a more visually pleasing and thought about outfit.
However, I think we did offer an alternative representation of women. Women are shown to be the weaker sex in the media. In contrast to this the female in our sequence is the only surviving person from her troop in the war – that has happened prior to the movie. I think this gives the sequence. a unique approach and sets it apart from most within the same genres which have been previously produced. It may also increase the amount of viewers that the movie receives, as women may want to go and see the movie because they are being shown in a positive way in our sequence.
I think Film Four would distribute our opening sequence. Film Four is a free digital television channel in the UK. I think Film Four would distribute our particular product because it doesn’t focus on broadcasting blockbusters. Instead it shows independent, British mo
vies, which is what we aimed to achieve. A recent example of a movie that Film Four have distributed is the 8 Oscar award winning Slumdog Millionaire.I think our audience would consist of a variety of people. Firstly I think that males would watch the movie more than females, however because there is the added essense of the woman being the main role then women may also go to see the movie. A example of this happening was with the blockbuster G.I. JANE(1997) starring Demi Moore. I think the age range of viewers would be 16-25. As I believe that the movie would be too advanced to capture young children's attention for the duration of the movie but also it may be too much action for the older generation to enjoy.
However it could go out of these catergories mentioned as people may have a special interest in war/action movies and would then go and see the movie. With the catergories I've predicted, it is a good audience with a wide range and would be great for the product financially.
Having looked at our audience feedback I think that the movie would be a hit with the age range I predicted as the ages of the people who completed the feedback were 17 - 18 and 80% of the people commented that they would go and see the movie.
We tried to attract the audience in many ways,firstly chronologically. We wanted to capture the peoples attention quickly so we placed flashbacks in the sequence to give background information. The flashbacks shows that the soldiers had died in a war. We wanted to show clearly which clip
s were flashbacks to avoid confusion. After much deliberation we decided to put the flashbacks in greyscale.
s were flashbacks to avoid confusion. After much deliberation we decided to put the flashbacks in greyscale.Also we didnt want to give too much of the storyline away with the opening sequence as we wanted people to be interest and wanting to watch further. Having recieved the audience feedback quite alot of the answers to the questions were positive e.g ' Do you understand what is happening in the sequence?' But some answers suggested that people may have needed a little bit more time to understand what the film was trying to portray.
We also used voice overs throughout the sequence. We did this as we thought it would help the audience understanding what has previously happened but also what is to come.
I think the composition of the shots are much more interesting than those in our preliminary task. I think this was because over the period of time we were preparing for our project and throughout the project we gained a indepth understanding of the equipment and technology we were using. For example we have tried to include more extreme close up shots as they are 
very interesting visually. As well as this there is an added transition that gives the video greater quality and authenicity. One particular transition we used was dissolve. When the female is walking down the hill, we used this rather than the full footage to show time passing. In our preliminary task we didn't include any transitions such as fade out, we simply had shot to shot.
very interesting visually. As well as this there is an added transition that gives the video greater quality and authenicity. One particular transition we used was dissolve. When the female is walking down the hill, we used this rather than the full footage to show time passing. In our preliminary task we didn't include any transitions such as fade out, we simply had shot to shot.We also began with a panning shot of the landscape where we had been filming. We chose to use this at the beginning, as setting your location is one of the conventions that we needed
to include. I think the location also helped give the video a much more realistic feel rather filming in college as we did in the preliminary task.
to include. I think the location also helped give the video a much more realistic feel rather filming in college as we did in the preliminary task.Overall I am happy with the final piece of our coursework. I like how we have used flash backs and many transitions in our sequence. Also I think it was a good idea to film in several places and collage these together rather than just filming a continuous scene. However, if I did this piece of coursework again I would plan easier plot as the one we chose was quite ambitious and hard to create. Also I would perhaps chose a different genre as the war/action genre is difficult to achieve on a low budget and a short amount of time.
Although, with the resources we had I think we did very well and produced a close article and did this together as a group.
evaluation - Natalie Ainsworth
EVALUATION
Our project was to create an opening sequence of a film which has to be two minutes long. In my group I worked along side Sophie Spear and Joe Holden to produce our clip. Sophie was in charge of costume design and director of photography. Joe wrote the script. Between us we managed to pick the music that best suit’s the clip. I was the director and the editor. Between us we managed to finish the project but not without a few misunderstandings due to the narrative. We were all happy with the out come and the end.
Our groups clip is a good example of an opening sequence, not only because we set up enigmas but we also set up the genre and established the main characters with in the first two minutes. Our clips genre is war/action.
This lets the audience know what they are watching and weather it is right for them, and also by setting up enigmas with in the first few minutes it draws the audience in and gets them wanting to know more and therefore they carry on watching.
Our project relates to male and female characters, and also that of the military.
We have shown them differently by their costumes, the female is wearing a bit of colour were as the males are in full black. This makes the female stand out above the males, the audience are aware of this and therefore create enigma. Also we have used typical male and female characters but turned them around so that it is the female who is the main character and no the male. For this we have used black and white affect to show that the males are the flashbacks.
Instead of it being stereotyped by the male always being the lead, in our group we turned it around so that it would have a different twist to it and create even more enigmas for the audience.
Our audience feed back shows that 95% could tell what genre it was and who the main character was.
We want are film to be British and therefore we would go with Film 4. Film 4 has had a few big hits in the past year or two for example, How to lose friends and alienate people, and also a big hit within the past few months is Slumdog millionaire. Even though these films aren’t to the same genre we feel that this company will be able to get our film across to the right audience and attract them in.
Our groups media project target audiences 16-35. It is more popular with the younger audiences because they enjoy war films with action and also with a bit romance. Also the younger audience are more likely to go to the cinema then the older age groups.
Because are clip is war and action with romance it appeals to males who want to go and see action packed films, and also females who wants to go and see a romance. For example other films with female heroes are, Sarah Connor from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and also Ellen Ripley from Alien (1979).
In our groups opening sequence the narrative is that the women who you see walking though fields by herself has lost someone close to her and therefore she has flash back. As she is walking she remembers those she has lost. The two males are fighting in a war which is based not to far in the future.
Within this sequence we use fast paste editing with fast paste music in order to pull the younger audiences in, . also we show extreme close ups so that the audience knows that the characters have emotions and therefore relate to them.
When the female is walking that is in the presents, but as she walks she has flashbacks which are made to stand out by being in black and white. The narrative is in chronological order but with flash backs showing the past. By setting up flash backs it draws the audience in because not only are they asking them self’s about the lonely female in the fields but also they are asking about the two males the flashbacks who appear to be fighting in a war. Because of the way the enigmas are set up it allows the audience to have more room to come up with what is going to happen.
The use of the female and male roles is typical but the way we used the female as the main character may cause a stir. Also the use of past and present is a big part in the film along with life and death.
We have used voiceover’s in our clip because we couldn’t of got the same effect as we did by using voiceovers. They are used though out the clip and lets the audience gain an understanding of what is going on, and also empathise with the main character.
The way in which are group built up suspense was by the music. It firsts stars off as just wind but then the music kicks in making the past quicken. Then half way thought there is a sting when the action really kicks in but then dies away back to the music which then fades out back in to the wind.
Our sequence shows that males and females are both equal and that it doesn’t mater that a female is a main character and an action film. Also it shows that war is harsh and that a lot of people are killed in them no mater what they have or which war they are fighting you can still get killed.
While filming we used media language by using natural lighting. We used stings for when the action kicked in. We have non diegetic music and also voiceovers. While editing we added a dissolve when it shows the female walking down the field at the beginning of the clip. Instead of watching the whole of the footage of her walking down we used a dissolve transition to show time passing. Also we have a lot of countryside in the shots as it is set in the future.
I have learnt though out this project how to improve my research skills. Also I have learnt just in this project how to edit and add in music. By using blogger.com I have learnt how to handle documenting what we have done and how we have done it. Not only this but I have received better skills at working in a group.
Looking back on my preliminary task I think that I have learnt every thing completely better and was able to connect the skills to direct and edit our clip. With our preliminary task the editing was jumpy and improper but with the opening clip it has turned out great.
In the opening clip we are able to establish the characters unlike the task, and also we were able to use better shots for example out in the open instead of on a corridor. We were able to add voiceovers and music to the opening clip but with the task we had to use what we were able to get.
Conclusion
Our overall clip turned put great. Although we had arguments over the fact of the narrative and the characters. By the end of the project we all had learnt how to get on better as a team and were are all happy with the outcome. Between us we were able to bring out skills together to create a great clip.
Natalie Ainsworth
Our project was to create an opening sequence of a film which has to be two minutes long. In my group I worked along side Sophie Spear and Joe Holden to produce our clip. Sophie was in charge of costume design and director of photography. Joe wrote the script. Between us we managed to pick the music that best suit’s the clip. I was the director and the editor. Between us we managed to finish the project but not without a few misunderstandings due to the narrative. We were all happy with the out come and the end.
Our groups clip is a good example of an opening sequence, not only because we set up enigmas but we also set up the genre and established the main characters with in the first two minutes. Our clips genre is war/action.
This lets the audience know what they are watching and weather it is right for them, and also by setting up enigmas with in the first few minutes it draws the audience in and gets them wanting to know more and therefore they carry on watching.
Our project relates to male and female characters, and also that of the military.
We have shown them differently by their costumes, the female is wearing a bit of colour were as the males are in full black. This makes the female stand out above the males, the audience are aware of this and therefore create enigma. Also we have used typical male and female characters but turned them around so that it is the female who is the main character and no the male. For this we have used black and white affect to show that the males are the flashbacks.
Instead of it being stereotyped by the male always being the lead, in our group we turned it around so that it would have a different twist to it and create even more enigmas for the audience.
Our audience feed back shows that 95% could tell what genre it was and who the main character was.
We want are film to be British and therefore we would go with Film 4. Film 4 has had a few big hits in the past year or two for example, How to lose friends and alienate people, and also a big hit within the past few months is Slumdog millionaire. Even though these films aren’t to the same genre we feel that this company will be able to get our film across to the right audience and attract them in.
Our groups media project target audiences 16-35. It is more popular with the younger audiences because they enjoy war films with action and also with a bit romance. Also the younger audience are more likely to go to the cinema then the older age groups.
Because are clip is war and action with romance it appeals to males who want to go and see action packed films, and also females who wants to go and see a romance. For example other films with female heroes are, Sarah Connor from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and also Ellen Ripley from Alien (1979).
In our groups opening sequence the narrative is that the women who you see walking though fields by herself has lost someone close to her and therefore she has flash back. As she is walking she remembers those she has lost. The two males are fighting in a war which is based not to far in the future.
Within this sequence we use fast paste editing with fast paste music in order to pull the younger audiences in, . also we show extreme close ups so that the audience knows that the characters have emotions and therefore relate to them.
When the female is walking that is in the presents, but as she walks she has flashbacks which are made to stand out by being in black and white. The narrative is in chronological order but with flash backs showing the past. By setting up flash backs it draws the audience in because not only are they asking them self’s about the lonely female in the fields but also they are asking about the two males the flashbacks who appear to be fighting in a war. Because of the way the enigmas are set up it allows the audience to have more room to come up with what is going to happen.
The use of the female and male roles is typical but the way we used the female as the main character may cause a stir. Also the use of past and present is a big part in the film along with life and death.
We have used voiceover’s in our clip because we couldn’t of got the same effect as we did by using voiceovers. They are used though out the clip and lets the audience gain an understanding of what is going on, and also empathise with the main character.
The way in which are group built up suspense was by the music. It firsts stars off as just wind but then the music kicks in making the past quicken. Then half way thought there is a sting when the action really kicks in but then dies away back to the music which then fades out back in to the wind.
Our sequence shows that males and females are both equal and that it doesn’t mater that a female is a main character and an action film. Also it shows that war is harsh and that a lot of people are killed in them no mater what they have or which war they are fighting you can still get killed.
While filming we used media language by using natural lighting. We used stings for when the action kicked in. We have non diegetic music and also voiceovers. While editing we added a dissolve when it shows the female walking down the field at the beginning of the clip. Instead of watching the whole of the footage of her walking down we used a dissolve transition to show time passing. Also we have a lot of countryside in the shots as it is set in the future.
I have learnt though out this project how to improve my research skills. Also I have learnt just in this project how to edit and add in music. By using blogger.com I have learnt how to handle documenting what we have done and how we have done it. Not only this but I have received better skills at working in a group.
Looking back on my preliminary task I think that I have learnt every thing completely better and was able to connect the skills to direct and edit our clip. With our preliminary task the editing was jumpy and improper but with the opening clip it has turned out great.
In the opening clip we are able to establish the characters unlike the task, and also we were able to use better shots for example out in the open instead of on a corridor. We were able to add voiceovers and music to the opening clip but with the task we had to use what we were able to get.
Conclusion
Our overall clip turned put great. Although we had arguments over the fact of the narrative and the characters. By the end of the project we all had learnt how to get on better as a team and were are all happy with the outcome. Between us we were able to bring out skills together to create a great clip.
Natalie Ainsworth
Thursday 5 February 2009
Monday 19 January 2009
Day 12!
We have now finished our editing and are currently going into the studio to record the voice overs for the cast. When we have completed this, we will then add those sounds clips into the opening sequence. One of the final stages that we have to complete is to add some sort of effect on the flashback scenes in order for people to be able to seperate the current times and flashbacks.
Sophie
Thursday 15 January 2009
Day 11!
So far we have nearly finished editing our clip and we have managed to add music to the clip which ties it all together.
We have added the titles in and all we need to do now is make the flashbacks look aged and make then stand out to tell the audience that the flashbacks are important.
Natalie
Monday 5 January 2009
music
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/
http://derekaudette.ottawaarts.com/music.php
http://www.newmelodies.com/
These are three of the music sites that we have been looking at(as well as CD's at college) that have copy right free music.
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