IVE FINISHED BLOGGING!!!
Friday, 8 April 2011
Evaluation Question 8
Q8) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?
From viewing both the preliminary tasks and the final edits. You can highlight a considerable difference in the way they have been finalised. Firstly the most obvious difference is the time difference - We had a period of two weeks to complete our preliminary whereas with on our final edit (Violet) we had an series of months to work on our project. This can be reflected by the difference in editing, sound, camera and mise en scene;
Firstly, the mise en scene is not appalling however there are a lot of flaws that are now noticeable looking back on our clips. Despite being good improvisation for the moment, the yellow tape in the classroom is not realistic in the slightest way. To increase the efficiency of these clips I would put the yellow tape outside of the classroom. Another flaw is that (this is where teamwork matters - and will be mentioned further down) Charlene is supposed to be a police officer which does not show as she is dressed like no form of authority. Of course this is not nothing serious as it was only our preliminary however if this could be reshot I would suggest that she wore some more convincing clothes. One of the most disappointing feats of our preliminary is that Erika was not present when filming so I had to play two characters at once - the future improvements highlight themselves. I would assure that all of my group members were present next time to reduce the cons of our preliminary. Finally the blood in the clip is mediocre and nearly not convincing as none of it touched areas we were forbidden of getting dirty like clothes and the school carpet, so we had to place paper on the ground and pour blood onto it which led to it looking very silly.
As seen in these screenshots of our final edit you can note a considerable difference in the mise en scene. Firstly continuing from the last point above - the blood is far more convincing as we had more time to organise how we will use the blood. Ironically in the preliminary we were able to use fake blood whereas on the final edit we had to use food colouring which just accentuates the fact that an increase in time to plan can have major results on the final piece as the blood makeup looks far better than the preliminary. The attire also looked far more professional as many blogs have gone over - we purchased an exact outfit to use rather than improvising. Also like i mentioned before I refrained from cutting my hair which just shows that we dedicated far more time to it than the preliminary. As shown in the camera shots the locale is far more conventional for a psychological/supernatural thriller which further accentuates the point that timing is key!
The sound in our preliminary is something I did not like from the start. The sound accompanying me into the crime scene was fine until it was followed by an atrocious orchestral sound that just abolishes the mood of the preliminary. Further more the sound of the gunshots (which I thought was the only good thing about the sound) were not in sync with camera shots of the dead body illustrating poor editing and finally there was a really irritating sound of a ticking clock playing whilst dialogue was being passed which was more dominant making it look like a clown show as I played two characters and on top of that you can barley hear what I was saying. Violet on the other hand was a totally different story. Well composed music that fitted immaculately with what was going on. Like previously mentioned the chilly sound that accompanied the film worked really well as it made the creepiness stand out. Also, Poppy took the time to use intriguing samples to add onto the chilling feel such as a creaking chair and the sound of Erika saying "you did this" which just personally touches the audience and down to the final point again - timing and planning makes a huge difference with the final outcome.
Camera shots to be fair were not as bad as one would expect in a preliminary. We did replicate most of the shots in our final edit with a little more energy. As shown with the camera shots above. Two very similar shots use the feet and different angles to create different feels. With the preliminary shots, we feel as though we are ground level with the dead body which I would not change as it is effective. The final edit shot of the feet connoted a totally different feel, a paranormal being sitting before you as the background is so dark and the white dress stands out through the editing. The one flaw to the preliminary camera work was when Detective Moyles was entering the classroom and rather than using the tripod we used it freely as we were running short of time and was rushing which can and has just been justified- as we were running out of time. Another point adding to the highly mentioned TIME AND PLANNING!!!
The most important part of our final edit with out a doubt is the editing. The preliminary, we looked at the most simplistic features on Final Cut Pro such as using the razor tool to do light editing on specific clips in the form of the alternating the speed and simply making sure the clips flowed. This is the section were there is a huge difference in the preliminary and final edit. Firstly, nearly every shot underwent alterations from changing the hue to the speed to adding effects such as 'matte' which made the clips seem black and white as pictured above in the reminiscent stalking scenes. As we had far more time to complete the final edits we were able to experiment with a lot more features even on other software other that FCP such as Soundtrack Pro and Livetype Pro, where we imported our own taste of group 12 into the software and did not rely on the default set sounds and fonts. A notable feat to our opening credits and what we were remembered amongst groups was the fact that our credits changed colours to the violet by using cross dissolve and alternating the colour to the violet everyone saw which is my second favourite feature to our final edit. The first being the dadada effect where we used the razor tool to cut the clips into small millisecond segments and placing them next to each other and shortening them as they went along to make it end in a dramatic summary. Another feature we was complimented on as heard on the video in group 6...
Overall, not even having to be mentioned the main difference in the two is the massive increase in the time we had to develop and plan our final edit which is reflected from the two. With no further adieu here is the preliminary and our final edit;
Camera shots to be fair were not as bad as one would expect in a preliminary. We did replicate most of the shots in our final edit with a little more energy. As shown with the camera shots above. Two very similar shots use the feet and different angles to create different feels. With the preliminary shots, we feel as though we are ground level with the dead body which I would not change as it is effective. The final edit shot of the feet connoted a totally different feel, a paranormal being sitting before you as the background is so dark and the white dress stands out through the editing. The one flaw to the preliminary camera work was when Detective Moyles was entering the classroom and rather than using the tripod we used it freely as we were running short of time and was rushing which can and has just been justified- as we were running out of time. Another point adding to the highly mentioned TIME AND PLANNING!!!
The most important part of our final edit with out a doubt is the editing. The preliminary, we looked at the most simplistic features on Final Cut Pro such as using the razor tool to do light editing on specific clips in the form of the alternating the speed and simply making sure the clips flowed. This is the section were there is a huge difference in the preliminary and final edit. Firstly, nearly every shot underwent alterations from changing the hue to the speed to adding effects such as 'matte' which made the clips seem black and white as pictured above in the reminiscent stalking scenes. As we had far more time to complete the final edits we were able to experiment with a lot more features even on other software other that FCP such as Soundtrack Pro and Livetype Pro, where we imported our own taste of group 12 into the software and did not rely on the default set sounds and fonts. A notable feat to our opening credits and what we were remembered amongst groups was the fact that our credits changed colours to the violet by using cross dissolve and alternating the colour to the violet everyone saw which is my second favourite feature to our final edit. The first being the dadada effect where we used the razor tool to cut the clips into small millisecond segments and placing them next to each other and shortening them as they went along to make it end in a dramatic summary. Another feature we was complimented on as heard on the video in group 6...
Overall, not even having to be mentioned the main difference in the two is the massive increase in the time we had to develop and plan our final edit which is reflected from the two. With no further adieu here is the preliminary and our final edit;
Evaluation Question 7
Q7) What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Over this media course we have learned a number of significant skills to operate a variety of hardware and software. illustrated below;
This video displays me uploading Violet onto Handbrake. Showing how to change the file from the Final Cut Format to an MP4 format
This video shows how to use Handbrake - In this case it was used to change the format of the screen recording above into a suitable format;
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Evaluation Question 6
Q6) Audience feedback and comment
From the response we received from the audience when viewing Violet in The Screen On The Green, I'd like to believe that we accomplished the goals we set to achieve such as gaining a visceral reaction from the audience which I can gladly say was achieved when Violet used false plateau to entice the audiences attention and appearing when least expected. The applause we received reflected the time and effort we put into making the thriller so we as a group were really pleased with the outcome. Despite this not being our initial target audience we gained positive feedback from the Media teachers outside of the cinema one even saying 'My personal favourite' so in theory our target audience enjoyed our thriller and people outside the target audience such as students enjoyed it, a much better outcome we could have expected.
With no further adieu here is some class feedback after watching the finished product;
Here is some clips of feedback;
The wordle below illustrates the most commonly used words in describing Violet - received by peers;
Finally as previously mentioned from blog 4&5. Here is the audience feedback from our film violet that I posted on Facebook yesterday. As illustrated we received a lot of feedback in a course of a couple of hours
Evaluation - Question 8
The prelim in my eyes was more of a learning experience then a test of quality. Since then we have broadened our skills so much by experimenting with the technology. As we became more confident, we realised that we can do almost anything with the equipment given to us.
We have developed stylised editing since first doing the prelim and have learnt how to construct different things together. The jump cuts look so effective due to making them black and white, negative and embossing two clips over each other; all things we never knew how to do at the start of the course.
We have also learnt to take attention to detail with things like the mise en scene as it really did make a difference to the outcome of the opening. She looks scary, but we can still see an innocence in her. With the use of a simple dress, we have mastered the art of representation.
We have considered the location and how it will effect the film. I turned out to be very effective as some of the feedback complimented the eerie woods.
The sound used in the prelim was pretty simple, but we have made it more interesting by adding sound effects, like the broken chair and the forest sounds. We have showed that we can work with different.
All in all i think the work we have done looks not only more professional but more aesthetically pleasing. Through editing, we have taken seemingly boring clips and turned them into interesting and scary pieces. I personally think our work has developed from the basic setting an camera shots to unique angles and effective editing.
We have developed stylised editing since first doing the prelim and have learnt how to construct different things together. The jump cuts look so effective due to making them black and white, negative and embossing two clips over each other; all things we never knew how to do at the start of the course.
We have also learnt to take attention to detail with things like the mise en scene as it really did make a difference to the outcome of the opening. She looks scary, but we can still see an innocence in her. With the use of a simple dress, we have mastered the art of representation.
We have considered the location and how it will effect the film. I turned out to be very effective as some of the feedback complimented the eerie woods.
The sound used in the prelim was pretty simple, but we have made it more interesting by adding sound effects, like the broken chair and the forest sounds. We have showed that we can work with different.
All in all i think the work we have done looks not only more professional but more aesthetically pleasing. Through editing, we have taken seemingly boring clips and turned them into interesting and scary pieces. I personally think our work has developed from the basic setting an camera shots to unique angles and effective editing.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Question 7
What have you learnt about technologies?
Throughout the whole process we have learnt to use different technologies as we go along.
The JVC cameras.
(Livetype, soundtrack pro & final cut pro): This is where all of the clips are created into an opening. Each programme let us do a different thing to construct the film together. For example, create titles, sound and actually edit all of the clips together. We did run into oa few problems, but our teachers and the technicians at he college were very helpful.
Digital and Flick camera's.
This very website that allows us to share our ideas and catch up on work we may have missed. It is so much more interesting then writing essays on paper, and it allows us to post videos and pictures.
Throughout the whole process we have learnt to use different technologies as we go along.
The JVC cameras.The camera's that let us create the actual film aswell as the prelim. The cameras helped us achieve a proffesional quality film. They can be complicated to use, we had a lesson prepping us with how to use them.
Memory Cards.
They were essential in holding all our film work. They slot into the cameras and directly into the Apple Macs. Without them, we couldnt't store all of the work so far.
Video Drive.
Simila to the Memory cards, it stores all of our filmw work, bnut also, all of the editing, sounds and finished woirk we have constructed together,
Video Drive.
Simila to the Memory cards, it stores all of our filmw work, bnut also, all of the editing, sounds and finished woirk we have constructed together,
Macs.
This is where we did all of the editing, aswell as using quicktime and other sodftwares. There were two types of macs, one with a splitscreen and one Apple mac.
This is where we did all of the editing, aswell as using quicktime and other sodftwares. There were two types of macs, one with a splitscreen and one Apple mac.
SOFTWARE
(Livetype, soundtrack pro & final cut pro): This is where all of the clips are created into an opening. Each programme let us do a different thing to construct the film together. For example, create titles, sound and actually edit all of the clips together. We did run into oa few problems, but our teachers and the technicians at he college were very helpful.
Quicktime player.
Allows us to making screen recordings to show how we've worked.
Allows us to making screen recordings to show how we've worked.
Allowed us to record what we've done over the eyear, and record people's reactions to our film in a quicjk and easy way.
Blogger. 
Question 6 - Audience feedback - Cinema Experience
The next lesson after watching our films at the cinema, I went round to other AS media students to see what they thought of the film.
Class Feedback
Just some feedback from the class, the people who watched it first after it had finished :)
Evaluation Question 4 & 5
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? How will you attract/address your audience?
As our film is only at student level I doubt we would get the recognition our hearts desired for the distribution of our media product. However we live in the age of a technological boom so the power of the internet will contribute highly to advertisement. The favoured website of streaming videos is the ever popular www.youtube.com where users can create an account and upload videos of their own and gain feedback using the 'like' and 'dislike' buttons located next to the video as well as the comment section where haters tend to hate but to be fair, negative feedback is always good as they express their opinions on what they want to be improved.
Here is another media students work that has been uploaded to youtube. Their one is interesting as it has a high amount of views (103,464 views) consisting of a ton of feed back from the like/dislike bar and the comments section;
Another popular website I will look to advertise on is www.facebook.com. Another popular website amongst people, the highest populated social networking website to date. Very simply you can create an account and express your feelings as a status, post pictures and videos, take polls etc. Like youtube this consists of the whole 'Like' to the 'Comment box' allowing the user to display their opinions. Facebook has major benefits as you can click the 'share' button and it will post it on your wall for your own friends to see increasing the chances of it going viral and then catching the eyes of the "top dogs" in the media industry who can take action and offer you a career in that field like the controversial pop singers Justin Beiber and Rebecca Black.
Here is a screen shot illustrating what I have mentioned in the paragraph above. Here you see that I have uploded Violet onto Facebook and have already began receiving feedback in the form of likes and comments. Luckily it's all positive feedback!
www.vimeo.com is very similar to Youtube only far more professional as there are very strict copyright laws opposed on the website. Also it is classified as a semi-professional website. The users who posted the movie would have been the actual creator or have a relation to them in this case our college has uploaded ours for other Vimeo members to view our work. Please note Mr/Ms examiner the password is 'student'
As our film is only at student level I doubt we would get the recognition our hearts desired for the distribution of our media product. However we live in the age of a technological boom so the power of the internet will contribute highly to advertisement. The favoured website of streaming videos is the ever popular www.youtube.com where users can create an account and upload videos of their own and gain feedback using the 'like' and 'dislike' buttons located next to the video as well as the comment section where haters tend to hate but to be fair, negative feedback is always good as they express their opinions on what they want to be improved.
Here is another media students work that has been uploaded to youtube. Their one is interesting as it has a high amount of views (103,464 views) consisting of a ton of feed back from the like/dislike bar and the comments section;
'Nice work. It was really suspenseful. I hope you expand on this because it is very cool.'
www.vimeo.com is very similar to Youtube only far more professional as there are very strict copyright laws opposed on the website. Also it is classified as a semi-professional website. The users who posted the movie would have been the actual creator or have a relation to them in this case our college has uploaded ours for other Vimeo members to view our work. Please note Mr/Ms examiner the password is 'student'
Another website that'll participate in assisting with the market campaign of Violet is www.firstlightonline.co.uk. This organisation is lottery funded and aims for young people to reach their optimum level through contributing with the project so they will be more lenient rather than the high profiled production companies;
The obvious website that'll be assisting in the marketing campaign is the website I am using now to type this... Blogger :). As illustrated by all of my previous content users can comment on your blog posts and you can hyperlink your blog to other websites to get views. The downside to Blogger is that it is not the most visited site in the world and I do not think it is the popular with my target audience of young adults upwards, this also goes for Myspace.com and Bebo (which are old news in the social networking sites) none the less I will still make accounts on all social networking websites to increase chances of having my film being viewed.
We can not forget the good ol' ways of advertising such as verbal communication which gets the job done - tell a friend to tell a friend. Also I would hope for the local newspapers to assist with the advertising as the borough will benefit from it also from gaining recognition and gaining more tourists from doing so.
Unfortunately as we have produced a thriller opening at student level we would not be able to display our film to the public at a popular cinema such as Vue or Cineworld, however local and more discrete cinemas will more then likely be glad to show it as it would bring in a revenue. In our case we viewed all of our As thriller openings at the cinema Screen On The Green, located near to our college.
As we are not backed by a huge media production company like Avatar was, we are being assisted by our college City and Islington who have a low budget in comparison to the huge media production companies. In this being said, our thrillers will be distributed onto 200 DVDs to be shared amongst the students. IF things were to go my way, I'd hope for the thriller openings to be distributed onto a Blu Ray disc as they are becoming ever popular and technology is fluctuating so in time DVDs will be a thing of the past like VCR's.
We can not forget the good ol' ways of advertising such as verbal communication which gets the job done - tell a friend to tell a friend. Also I would hope for the local newspapers to assist with the advertising as the borough will benefit from it also from gaining recognition and gaining more tourists from doing so.
Evaluation Question 3
3) Who would be the audience for your media product?
Seeing as our media product is a Psychological thriller the expected audience wishing to view it should be female young adults upwards. With this being said, here is a fictitious character profile illustrating the ideal target audience;
Name: Susan Gerald
D.O.B: 22/08/1988
Nationality: British
Susan Gerald is a self motivated young adult who has recently joined the visual effects company Double Negative as her childhood hobbies included drawing and manipulating images on her computer using the basic software MS Paint she has recently graduated from a graphic related course in Hertfordshire and has moved to the big city London . She has recently came out of her debt issues so she has recently been able to afford a small car. She has a huge interest in thrillers, in particular Psychological thrillers as she enjoys films that strain the mind with paranormal accounts however she does not enjoy predictable cliche thrillers as they are to "typical". Instead she prefers ones that completely challenge stereotypes and are totally unpredictable.
Susan Gerald has always been really up to date with the latest attire and music so she enjoys shopping even when not necessary. Her favourite shops include the typical "high street retailers" such as H&M, Topshop and Bershka however having high taste she appreciates luxury goods from Gucci and Versace. She enjoys listening to all types of music and is a dedicated buyer off ITunes.
GoAnimate.com: Group 12 animatic by NMillzzz
Name: Susan Gerald
D.O.B: 22/08/1988
Nationality: British
Susan Gerald is a self motivated young adult who has recently joined the visual effects company Double Negative as her childhood hobbies included drawing and manipulating images on her computer using the basic software MS Paint she has recently graduated from a graphic related course in Hertfordshire and has moved to the big city London . She has recently came out of her debt issues so she has recently been able to afford a small car. She has a huge interest in thrillers, in particular Psychological thrillers as she enjoys films that strain the mind with paranormal accounts however she does not enjoy predictable cliche thrillers as they are to "typical". Instead she prefers ones that completely challenge stereotypes and are totally unpredictable.
Susan Gerald has always been really up to date with the latest attire and music so she enjoys shopping even when not necessary. Her favourite shops include the typical "high street retailers" such as H&M, Topshop and Bershka however having high taste she appreciates luxury goods from Gucci and Versace. She enjoys listening to all types of music and is a dedicated buyer off ITunes.
Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Evaluation Question 2
2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Social groups play a huge part in many films. It is the difference between creating a stereotypical predictable character and unpredictable that challenges the stereotypes. In Violet the main villainous character is represented as a stereotypical obsessed man who cannot stand the fact that the woman he loves does not love him which leads to the woman meeting her demise to a psychologically disturbed man. As shown in the image of the disturbed man in The Grudge 2 . We wished to gain the same reminiscent disturbing feel as it so we tried to replicate some of the mise en scene to The Grudge. As illustrated, in most psychological thrillers the villain is a grown man in his late thirties upwards, in our thriller we have decided to directly challenge it with a young teen playing the psychologically disturbed character. Although we did harness some of the stereotypical traits of the villainous male such as the attire - rather than being a stereotypical teenager that wears hoodies and caps we chose to attire our character in a neat shirt that pushes the expected age group a few years higher as a sense of maturity is usually connoted with this simple item. Also we chose to refrain from the main male character from cutting his hair in doing the shots of the "day it happened" to show he is a bit off key and stressed like the father in The Grudge. We also chose to make the reminiscent scenes black and white to accentuate the bleak emotions he is feeling. As the images show the scenes take place very similarly with the Dad in the Grudge catching glimpse of the diary containing a love affair his wife is undergoing and the shot from Violet showing the man looking through the images of Violet.
With our second character Violet we decided to go with the stereotypical female victim that is very innocent and caring. Stereotypically the character is played by a Blonde white girl that connotes promiscuity and daftness however we chose to challenge it with a brunette girl that represents knowledge and far more awareness as reflected in the horror movie Scream where the Blonde girl is the first to perish and the Brunette is the only one to survive. This has been flipped in our film violet with our brunette being dead from the beginning of our film similarly like the brunette girl in Ghost Ship. We chose to highlight the innocence and purity of our character through a traditional white dress .
With our second character Violet we decided to go with the stereotypical female victim that is very innocent and caring. Stereotypically the character is played by a Blonde white girl that connotes promiscuity and daftness however we chose to challenge it with a brunette girl that represents knowledge and far more awareness as reflected in the horror movie Scream where the Blonde girl is the first to perish and the Brunette is the only one to survive. This has been flipped in our film violet with our brunette being dead from the beginning of our film similarly like the brunette girl in Ghost Ship. We chose to highlight the innocence and purity of our character through a traditional white dress .
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Evaluation Question 1
1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
A) Seeing as our primary stimulus title sequence was from the psychological Thriller Se7en the viewer will note a huge amount of intertextuality from its discrete title sequence which consists of a vast amount of close up "in your face" shots that will really startle the viewer and hopefully gain a visceral reaction such as when Violet is being dragged into the bath room with a birds eye view shot revealing the blood on her white dress. Notably, we also used a blank screen title sequence as used in Se7en allowing the viewer to pay their full attention to the cast and crew of the film. The mood and tone has been replicated to mirror Se7en's mood - very uncomfortable and bizarre. As illustrated by the screen grabs below;
B) Another Se7en inspired trait was to use transparency in our clips for the viewer to view two shots at once. Connoting a significant relation and adding to the obscenity of the clips. It also allowed clips to flow into each other more effectively and less rigid as well as to make the character seem like they are at two places at once with a jittery effect;
C) As mentioned on my blog, The Exorcist played a part in constructing the possessed, desolated look. We looked at it for inspiration to use white clothing to connote the purity and innocence of a character but to also show that she is not a normal girl. Highly accentuated by the editing which made the locale seem far darker than it actually was and making the dress really "glow" making Violet stand out;
D) Psycho's highly cliche drain scene has been replicated in our movie title sequence. Possibly the most intertextual scene in history startles the viewer as they feel they are most vulnerable. We hoped to gain this same effect with our Violet drain scene;
E) The blood dripping down hand shot was inspired by the gory opening title sequence of the film Ghost ship. Where we see a wire slice through people leaving blood dripping down the victims. Similarly illustrated in Violet;
A) Seeing as our primary stimulus title sequence was from the psychological Thriller Se7en the viewer will note a huge amount of intertextuality from its discrete title sequence which consists of a vast amount of close up "in your face" shots that will really startle the viewer and hopefully gain a visceral reaction such as when Violet is being dragged into the bath room with a birds eye view shot revealing the blood on her white dress. Notably, we also used a blank screen title sequence as used in Se7en allowing the viewer to pay their full attention to the cast and crew of the film. The mood and tone has been replicated to mirror Se7en's mood - very uncomfortable and bizarre. As illustrated by the screen grabs below;
B) Another Se7en inspired trait was to use transparency in our clips for the viewer to view two shots at once. Connoting a significant relation and adding to the obscenity of the clips. It also allowed clips to flow into each other more effectively and less rigid as well as to make the character seem like they are at two places at once with a jittery effect;
C) As mentioned on my blog, The Exorcist played a part in constructing the possessed, desolated look. We looked at it for inspiration to use white clothing to connote the purity and innocence of a character but to also show that she is not a normal girl. Highly accentuated by the editing which made the locale seem far darker than it actually was and making the dress really "glow" making Violet stand out;
Evaluation 6 - Audience Feedback
This was a writted review by a girl in another AS media class as she didn't want to be recored! Enjoy!
"Your film was actually one of my favourites out of the entire thrillers!!
The location you used was perfect for the story. The storyline was very, very interesting and clear. The costume of the dead girl was so believable.
I especially enjoyed the close ups and the eerie movement up the stairs. The shots used were varied and they fitted in with the whole atmosphere.
The soundtrack was high pitched but it had an eerie and creepy vibe.
Personally, I dislike the whole concept of ghosts etc. However, this opening had me gripped from start to end!!
Overall I thought the film was unbelievably amazing!"
The location you used was perfect for the story. The storyline was very, very interesting and clear. The costume of the dead girl was so believable.
I especially enjoyed the close ups and the eerie movement up the stairs. The shots used were varied and they fitted in with the whole atmosphere.
The soundtrack was high pitched but it had an eerie and creepy vibe.
Personally, I dislike the whole concept of ghosts etc. However, this opening had me gripped from start to end!!
Overall I thought the film was unbelievably amazing!"
EVALUATION
8) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?
Task: Export some short clips from your preliminary task and compare them with come clips from your final production to demonstrate how you and your skills have progressed.
When I re watched our prelim, I straight away saw how developed we are with our computer skills as well as editing and music choice. One of the most important things that I have learnt, throughout making short films and clips, is that timing is EVERYTHING. And the one thing that I saw whilst watching this prelim is that the timing of the film and sound are out of place with each other.
In our film however- the sound/ music in it was very crucial as the sound itself should set the mood of the entire title sequence. Because of the way our film was edited, the films music is very important and so we couldn't risk being lazy when editing the sound effects and music.
EDITING:
Out of everything that we have learned to do throughout the progress of the film making, we have improved the most in editing. As we look back at the Prelim film, the editing is a bit of a mess! As well as the timing of the shots are not in sync with the captures of the clips.
Where as in our final edit of the 'Violet' title sequence, the timing is as good as we could have gotten it. I think this is most likely because by this time, we had already used the final cut pro a dozen times as well as the soundtrack pro in past projects.
As I have mentioned above, in the Violet sequence, timing is crucial! Especially when it comes to thriller openings that are supernatural. Which is what our title sequence genre is. A supernatural thriller. The sound effects and the music itself is very important in the Violet title sequence due to the music being nearly 'in charge' of creating a haunting effect to the clips.
MISE EN SCENE:
In the prelim, we did the filming during class and we were not prepared for the 'wardrobe' of the filming and so we had to deal with what we had in school. Luckily, Mary and Rebbecca had fake blood in the school and so we would have the blood for the 'victim' on the floor (below- colored image). Where as when we were filming the final Violet project, we had pre bought the dress (below- black and white image), made the fake blood and chosen the destinations of filming before hand. Which really helped us when filming because unlike filming the Prelim, we were organized as well as prepared for each clip and take that we were going to do- where as because of the absence of a student in our group- we had to improvise part of the film in the end of the prelim which was not helpful during the comparative research for our jelly baby prelim cut. As well as just more work that shouldn't have been necessary if it were not for the students absence.
In making the sound- we were inspired by music box sounds- which when played and editing correctly can sound very creepy and haunting. And so we editing around our sounds with a young girls voice, singing a long with the music box to create a haunting and ghostly effect.
In the prelim clip's- the actors voices were very hard to hear, which we did not re shoot in the prelim. This made it hard for the audience to hear what the actors were saying. Where as in 'Violet', we pre recorded Erika's voice to then edit it in as a voice over in the film when you hear "You did this" It is said by Erika Early on in the editing progress.
Over all EXPERIENCE,
And the TECHNIQUES I HAVE LEARNED.
Over all-
Reflecting from our preliminary to our final edit, it is safe to say that time and planning play a huge part in making a film. My organizational skills have accelerated to a person who likes to be on time as well as knowing that, leaving things to the last minute is not the best idea when in media studies- you should be really creative. And creativity cannot be rushed!!!
Not only have my organizational skills extended, but my awareness of the technology such as camera skills and the positions of the camera that can be done.
Out of everything- I have enjoyed editing the most as it is something that I have done outside of class to help me with my blogs- such as my media bogs that you can watch on youtube.
Task: Export some short clips from your preliminary task and compare them with come clips from your final production to demonstrate how you and your skills have progressed.
In our film however- the sound/ music in it was very crucial as the sound itself should set the mood of the entire title sequence. Because of the way our film was edited, the films music is very important and so we couldn't risk being lazy when editing the sound effects and music.
EDITING:
Out of everything that we have learned to do throughout the progress of the film making, we have improved the most in editing. As we look back at the Prelim film, the editing is a bit of a mess! As well as the timing of the shots are not in sync with the captures of the clips.
Where as in our final edit of the 'Violet' title sequence, the timing is as good as we could have gotten it. I think this is most likely because by this time, we had already used the final cut pro a dozen times as well as the soundtrack pro in past projects.
As I have mentioned above, in the Violet sequence, timing is crucial! Especially when it comes to thriller openings that are supernatural. Which is what our title sequence genre is. A supernatural thriller. The sound effects and the music itself is very important in the Violet title sequence due to the music being nearly 'in charge' of creating a haunting effect to the clips.
The mise en scene, the door on the right Was specifically chosen to be filmed because of the stained glass windows and old 'look' to it. And the door on the left, Has that yellow wire which helps the audience understand that its a crime scene.
MISE EN SCENE:
In the prelim, we did the filming during class and we were not prepared for the 'wardrobe' of the filming and so we had to deal with what we had in school. Luckily, Mary and Rebbecca had fake blood in the school and so we would have the blood for the 'victim' on the floor (below- colored image). Where as when we were filming the final Violet project, we had pre bought the dress (below- black and white image), made the fake blood and chosen the destinations of filming before hand. Which really helped us when filming because unlike filming the Prelim, we were organized as well as prepared for each clip and take that we were going to do- where as because of the absence of a student in our group- we had to improvise part of the film in the end of the prelim which was not helpful during the comparative research for our jelly baby prelim cut. As well as just more work that shouldn't have been necessary if it were not for the students absence.
EDITING IN FINAL CUT PRO:
Whilst editing the prelim clips, we did not do any effects or techniques. I think this is because we weren't comfortable to go 'out there' just yet because of the fear of it ending up looking bad and not what we were aiming for in the final prelim. And so what we thought would be simple enough is to use the camera angle skills to improve the film itself. And so instead of effects- which are used throughout the Violet film, we based our skills on angles and lighting to get us through to a good mark and review other than going over board with loads of effects on our first attempt of film editing.
And so, when we were editing the Violet sequence, we had researched a lot on other titles sequences that had different effects as well as editing techniques. Such as the title opening SEVEN, this was one of the main inspirations for out title sequence as it was something that us as a group loved to have in in our title sequence.
EDITING IN SOUNDTRACK PRO:
Throughout the section of editing in soundtrack pro- in the Prelim, it was our first ever attempt to edit the sounds and music and create the timing of it to create a potent film. As you can tell from the link above that links to the prelim clip, the timing wasn't our best.
In the beginning of the film- there are violins that create a sort of tense effect that possibly suggests something intense is going to happen later on in the clip- which does happen, as soon as the actor walks over to the victims body- the sound changes to a ambiance effect. Even though I liked this bit of the sound- after the gun shot sounds, there is an irritating 'ticking' sound that carries on for the rest of the film. Not only is it not fitting- but it also drowns out the actors voices.
This was probably done because of the 'rush' when making the soundtrack as we didn't have enough time to edit our film in class- due to us spending all of our time on filming. And so we had to edit our prelim during lunch breaks- which didn't give us enough time till the deadline of the prelim clip.
This is the reason why our film's soundtrack sounds halfheartedly done.
On the Violet project however, we all individually worked really hard to create the project sound effects- I did my fair share by creating the backgrounf sounds that you hear in the final edit.
In making the sound- we were inspired by music box sounds- which when played and editing correctly can sound very creepy and haunting. And so we editing around our sounds with a young girls voice, singing a long with the music box to create a haunting and ghostly effect.
In the prelim clip's- the actors voices were very hard to hear, which we did not re shoot in the prelim. This made it hard for the audience to hear what the actors were saying. Where as in 'Violet', we pre recorded Erika's voice to then edit it in as a voice over in the film when you hear "You did this" It is said by Erika Early on in the editing progress.
Over all EXPERIENCE,
And the TECHNIQUES I HAVE LEARNED.
Over all-
Reflecting from our preliminary to our final edit, it is safe to say that time and planning play a huge part in making a film. My organizational skills have accelerated to a person who likes to be on time as well as knowing that, leaving things to the last minute is not the best idea when in media studies- you should be really creative. And creativity cannot be rushed!!!
Not only have my organizational skills extended, but my awareness of the technology such as camera skills and the positions of the camera that can be done.
Out of everything- I have enjoyed editing the most as it is something that I have done outside of class to help me with my blogs- such as my media bogs that you can watch on youtube.
EVALUATION
7) What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product? (Hint: the best responses will explore how the technologies worked together in the creation product)
Task: Either: Make an animatic movie (using found still images or still screen grabs) with a voice over about your own journey through the maze of technology you have encountered on the course (Eg: from using google and youtube to research movies, the JVC digital tapeless cameras, FCP to edit and create animatics, livetype, soundtrack Pro- and how they can be imported into FCP, blogger)
Or: Screen grab stills from the various programs or websites you have used and explain how they have worked together in the creation of your sequence.
Task: Either: Make an animatic movie (using found still images or still screen grabs) with a voice over about your own journey through the maze of technology you have encountered on the course (Eg: from using google and youtube to research movies, the JVC digital tapeless cameras, FCP to edit and create animatics, livetype, soundtrack Pro- and how they can be imported into FCP, blogger)
Or: Screen grab stills from the various programs or websites you have used and explain how they have worked together in the creation of your sequence.
During my time researching, planning and filming I have learnt a lot about all sort of technologies from the construction of my final project.
Blogger- Write posts, embed videos, upload images. This is used to store all our research for thrillers. We were able to change post's accordingly, track changes and keep in touch with our group members.
Final Cut Pro, Live type, Sound Track Pro, Quick Time, Hand break were all used together in order to complete a really good film.
We used the JVC cameras to actually record our footage. They were professional cameras with high quality footage that enabled us to make our films look as nice as possible.
My over all experience in this subject has been very informative and has given me more confidence in editing films as well as directing. Its given me the chance to explore and taste the experience of what its like to work in the media industry.
EVALUATION
6) Audience feedback and comments.
Task: Interview audiences that have viewed your title sequence and film their reaction/ view on it.
Task: Interview audiences that have viewed your title sequence and film their reaction/ view on it.
The audience that responded on our film was not actually the target audience that we would have had. Due to it being limited to people in my class at the time, who volunteered to be in the interview. Our actual target audience are the ages between 18 and 40.
EVALUATION
4&5) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? How will you attract/ address your audience?
Task: Find an example of some student work on the internet that has had quite a large number of hits and embed it into your blog. Discuss how the internet has been used to launch this movie to a wider audience, then explain how you have followed a similar model yourself. (Context- this response would be realistic about a student film release. our film, for example, is a low budget student video which will be released over the internet on Vimeo, embedded onto a blog and may find its way onto youtube. It has an independent, low budget production company (id you!) It will get a cinematic screening and shared screenings amongst your peers and maybe your family. It will get a DVD release of 200 copies. The internet could be used to further distribute and market your movie should you wish, and potentially reach global audience.)
As part of our evaluation, we have to think about how to advertise and distribute our films. It is very important that we make realistic choices aout where and how we would begin to advertise our title sequence film. As this is one of the most cruical parts of making a film- we have to be realistic about our student film release becasue its only a low budget film. Even though we have decent equipmment and editing facilities, the advertisement is half of the budget because of people wanting to get their film noticed by all different types of audiences. As our film company thatr invested in it- we chose to create a film compnay- calling it 'The Old Mill Productions' as well as 'Candi studios'. We chose to use these companies because if it were a well known company such as; 20th century FOX, audiences would expect a high budgeted film with great effects etc.
Our student film will be released onto our blogger (Group 12), Vimeo as well as have 200 DVD copies being released to the students. It may also find its way to Youtube later on from the blogger website. Our group are attemping to possibly upload it to facebook and twitter later on to get more veiwers on our film as well as to help us to understand what sort of audiences would like to watch it more. As it is still a low budget film- I am going to have to interveiw people at the screening of the film at the cinema release on the 5th of April.
From what we have studied so far on the audiences, our aimed audiences vary between the ages of 18 to 40, 70% of them being female. And so since that age group already spends a lot of time on popluar networking sites, it will be easy to advertise our film to the right veiwers.
Task: Find an example of some student work on the internet that has had quite a large number of hits and embed it into your blog. Discuss how the internet has been used to launch this movie to a wider audience, then explain how you have followed a similar model yourself. (Context- this response would be realistic about a student film release. our film, for example, is a low budget student video which will be released over the internet on Vimeo, embedded onto a blog and may find its way onto youtube. It has an independent, low budget production company (id you!) It will get a cinematic screening and shared screenings amongst your peers and maybe your family. It will get a DVD release of 200 copies. The internet could be used to further distribute and market your movie should you wish, and potentially reach global audience.)
As part of our evaluation, we have to think about how to advertise and distribute our films. It is very important that we make realistic choices aout where and how we would begin to advertise our title sequence film. As this is one of the most cruical parts of making a film- we have to be realistic about our student film release becasue its only a low budget film. Even though we have decent equipmment and editing facilities, the advertisement is half of the budget because of people wanting to get their film noticed by all different types of audiences. As our film company thatr invested in it- we chose to create a film compnay- calling it 'The Old Mill Productions' as well as 'Candi studios'. We chose to use these companies because if it were a well known company such as; 20th century FOX, audiences would expect a high budgeted film with great effects etc.
Our student film will be released onto our blogger (Group 12), Vimeo as well as have 200 DVD copies being released to the students. It may also find its way to Youtube later on from the blogger website. Our group are attemping to possibly upload it to facebook and twitter later on to get more veiwers on our film as well as to help us to understand what sort of audiences would like to watch it more. As it is still a low budget film- I am going to have to interveiw people at the screening of the film at the cinema release on the 5th of April.
From what we have studied so far on the audiences, our aimed audiences vary between the ages of 18 to 40, 70% of them being female. And so since that age group already spends a lot of time on popluar networking sites, it will be easy to advertise our film to the right veiwers.
Twitter and facebook that are famous sites that are used by millions of people every day. This would be a great place to start uploading our videos to and then analyse how many veiws and comments we get a week.
Nathan Millar kindly uploaded the title sequence on facebook and so we will evaluate the feedback as more comments come by. So far- here is the feedback;
This is a trailer from youtube. It has 23,630 hits and was uploaded in 2009. The internet has made this video have a lot of views through the "liked" button which then shows the videos on other peoples "liked" pages which is like a free advertisement on youtube for your own videos. Because the more likes you get, the more pages your video will be shown different pages.
The comments on videos also encourage other people to watch it, with people seeing how many positive feedbacks are there, it encourages others to share them with their friends etc.
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