Prelim task
My brief for my preliminary task was to demonstrate an understanding of continuity editing, this meant filming a sequence whereby a character walks through a door and sits opposite another character, and exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. I would need to highlight my understanding of media language by filming a match on action shot, shot reverse shot, and not break the 180 degree rule.
In my group we decided that I was going to do the camera work whilst Renecia and Maliek was going to do the acting. Below is my storyboard of the prelim task.
We decided that the prelim was going to be about a police interviewing a murderer. We also decided to have interrogation (the music name) in the background so that it created tension for the audience. Also, it was decided that the music was going to last until the police (Dr Allen) started to interview the murderer (Kemp).
Story board
The storyboard shows that the first shot of our prelim task is going to be of Dr Allen walking through the corridor to the room. This is going to be a long shot and the music in the background is going to be hip/hop rock beat to create tension.
The storyboard shows that the next shot in our prelim task is going to be a close up of Dr Allen opening the door. The music in this shot will be the same as before but it will begin to fade out.
The 3rd shot in our prelim task is going to be a close up of Kemper looking at the door and also a pan from Dr Allen walking towards Kemper. The music will be the same as before but this time it will fade out a little bit more.
The 4th shot is going to be a shot/reverse shot and 180 degree shot. There will be no music in this shot as it will just be Dr Allen interviewing Kemper.
The last shot is going to be of Kemper saying that he 'wants his lawyer'. The camera will zoom in on Kempers face and also fade out.
The storyboard shows that the next shot in our prelim task is going to be a close up of Dr Allen opening the door. The music in this shot will be the same as before but it will begin to fade out.
The 3rd shot in our prelim task is going to be a close up of Kemper looking at the door and also a pan from Dr Allen walking towards Kemper. The music will be the same as before but this time it will fade out a little bit more.
The 4th shot is going to be a shot/reverse shot and 180 degree shot. There will be no music in this shot as it will just be Dr Allen interviewing Kemper.
The last shot is going to be of Kemper saying that he 'wants his lawyer'. The camera will zoom in on Kempers face and also fade out.
What my group did well
In my group, we did the sound bridge to cover up the jump cut back to the door. When Renecia was talking and Maliek was looking back, it made it clear that she was already interrogating him. Also the fact that we used a title at the beginning and the credits at the end worked well because due to the fact that the title of the film is 'Guilty or not' it shows that the genre is action and thriller. The music in the background shows that it is fitting to the scene as it sounds sophisticated but also mysterious.
How to improve our prelim task
In order to improve it we need to focus on the spacing. For example, behind both Renecia and Maliek there is a lot of space behind them. In order for us to improve this, we need to put the camera closer to where the characters are in order to not get a lot of space behind both of the characters. We also need to improve the match on action in this scene of the door closing. For example to improve this, we need to show Renecia walking towards the door.
Style/ iconograhy, word cloud & mood board
In my group we decided that I was going to do the style/iconography, Renecia was going to do the word cloud and Maliek was going to do the mood board. For the style/iconography I searched different types of films that link to our genre. I then found pictures that I thought showed our genre clearly. For example, I mainly selected pictures that showed the main characters wearing dull colours. I also selected mainly pictures from scenes that had a natural lighting in the background.
The colours in the word cloud links to our genre of action/thriller as the fact that most of the colours are dull colours gives a mysterious feeling. Also, the words in the word cloud links to our genre as some of the words are names of films that are action/thriller films such as the film 'Taken' and 'Spectre.'
Studio logo analysis
The studio logo of this one looks like it links to our genre of action/thriller. The colour of the title gives a mysterious feeling and that is one thing that we are trying to show through our logo and production name.
This studio logo also links to what we are trying to show through our logo because one of the films they have produced is the Dark Knight and this is an action/thriller film. Also the logo is simple as there is not a lot going on. The production name is in a normal font size whereas the abbreviation of the production name is in bold.
This company also links to our genre as one of the films that they have produced is 'The Bourne Ultimatum' The name of production is in bold whereas the background of the logo is also simple.
BBFC Research
This shows that the age rating for our genre is 15 years or over. This is because the amount of violence that action and thriller usually contains and the adult themes. Also, they are also rated as 18 or over as they are usually violent. If a someone watches an action thriller film under the age of 12 they should be accompanied with an adult.
Title analysis
Our production name: Maleficent Beauty Production
Our film name: Guilty or not
Logo Analysis
I designed the logo using Photoshop. We all came up with ideas for what the logo should look like by coming up with ideas of how our logo is going to clearly show a link to our genre. We decided that we would have a red sky and a blue sky as the background to create a feeling that nothing is what it seems to be. Also, we decided on the main image being of a rose with blood dripping down to create tension as it suggests that something that is usually seen as a nice thing can also cause bad consequences. Also the shape of the blood shows that the way it is cut is rigid. This was used to create tension. We decided to use a dark blue and a dark red in our logo because it shows that it links to our genre as creates a dark atmosphere.
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Our Plot
For our plot for the film guilty or not, we decided that our plot was going to be about a girl who goes missing after going to her mothers workplace. She gets a message from the kidnapper who says that if she wants to see her child again that she has to do everything that the kidnapper says. If she makes one mistake then the child would be sent back dead.
Our Pitch
This is a link of our presentation on prezi:
http://prezi.com/k2nr5sjkycjp/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
We decided to use prezi so that our pitch enganged with the audience and to try and make it creative. We decided to just mainly have pictures in our prezi presentation and to have notes on what to say so that we could express our ideas more clearly. Also, when people were asking questions we were able to answer them clearly by referring to our notes and the images.
What went well with our pitch: The pitch went well because we showed clearly what our genre is by showing our inspirations from other films such as taken 3 and we showed good awareness of audience and BBFC research. Also, we used prezzie to try and get audience engagement.
How we could we improve it: We could change focus more on the location and mise-en-scene to improve where it is going to be filmed and to improve the overall outcome of the logo. We also need to focus on the casting age.
What were my responsibilities and how well did I complete this task?
All of our contribution in the presentation did shine out as we all contributed to the pitch and explained this when we was presenting. However, to make it even more clear what I could of spoke about directing and how I would direct the film and how this links to what we are trying to show in our film. My responsibility in the pitch was creating the logo, helping come up with our production name and adding all the information onto Prezi. I completed all the task that I needed to do. However I had to make a few last changes to the presentation such as removing some information so that there wast too much information and adding pictures instead so that it was more engaging.
Do I feel like I understand our chosen genre fully?
I do feel like I understand our chosen genre fully as we have watched opening sequences from other films such as taken so that we understand what type of things our genre needs to have such as what type of sounds in our film we need to have. This is so that in our film opening sequence it is clear what genre our film is.
What are the next three tasks we need to work on as a group?
The next three tasks that we need to work on as a group is a storyboard, director researcher and health and safety awarness.
Script
This is the first script that we came up with. However we decided that we could improve it further by using the correct format for the script and addding in information about the characters in the beginning of our script and transitions of the camera.
This is the final script that we came up with. We decided to put the person who is going to speak in bold and in capital letters above what they are going to say so that it is easier to see who is saying what. Also, we added in information about the characters in the beginning of the script.
Our dream cast
Name of actress: Viola Davis
Films she has been in: Suicide squad, the help, fences
Information about her: In 2001, she won a Tony Award for best actress. She is also one of the 10 African-American actresses to be nominated for best actress. Viola Davis is the first black actress to win an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series.
Why she is our dream cast: She would be good to play Detective Allen as her detective skills are very strong and shocking at times.
Films she has been in: Suicide squad, the help, fences
Information about her: In 2001, she won a Tony Award for best actress. She is also one of the 10 African-American actresses to be nominated for best actress. Viola Davis is the first black actress to win an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series.
Why she is our dream cast: She would be good to play Detective Allen as her detective skills are very strong and shocking at times.
Name of actress: Framke Janssen
Films she has been in: x-men, the wolverine, taken
Information about her: She was offered the lead female role in terminator 3 but turned it down. She originally was cast for star trek in 1993 and she was to continue her role as 'Kamala.' However she turned down her role as she wanted to be open for other film work in the future.
Why she is our dream cast: Framke is our dream cast because she played Dr Jean Grey in X-men. This means that she is suitable as the role of the detective. When playing Dr Jean Grey in X-men, she showed telepathic and telekinetic (the production of motions in objects without contact or other physical means) abilities.
Films she has been in: x-men, the wolverine, taken
Information about her: She was offered the lead female role in terminator 3 but turned it down. She originally was cast for star trek in 1993 and she was to continue her role as 'Kamala.' However she turned down her role as she wanted to be open for other film work in the future.
Why she is our dream cast: Framke is our dream cast because she played Dr Jean Grey in X-men. This means that she is suitable as the role of the detective. When playing Dr Jean Grey in X-men, she showed telepathic and telekinetic (the production of motions in objects without contact or other physical means) abilities.
Name of actor: Jared Leto
Films he has been in: Suicide squad (2016), Mr. Nobody (2009), fight club(1999)
Information about him: He began acting in 2000's in the film Panic Room (2002). He is also the lead vocalist main songwriter for the band thirty seconds to mars. He had a five year break from acting but returned in 2013 with the film Dallas Buyers Club.
Why he is our dream cast: He will good for playing Mr Kemper because his master mind skills will make it more realistic and it will make the audience feel like they are experiencing it as well.
Films he has been in: Suicide squad (2016), Mr. Nobody (2009), fight club(1999)
Information about him: He began acting in 2000's in the film Panic Room (2002). He is also the lead vocalist main songwriter for the band thirty seconds to mars. He had a five year break from acting but returned in 2013 with the film Dallas Buyers Club.
Why he is our dream cast: He will good for playing Mr Kemper because his master mind skills will make it more realistic and it will make the audience feel like they are experiencing it as well.
Name of actress: Amandla Stenberg
Films she has been in: the hunger games (2012)
Information about her: She is also a musician. She sang on the film Rio 2 in 2014. She has got two leading roles in two different films this year which are everything, everything and where hands touch.
Why is she our dream cast: She is also suitable as the role of the detective in our film because she shows powerful skills in hunger games.
Films she has been in: the hunger games (2012)
Information about her: She is also a musician. She sang on the film Rio 2 in 2014. She has got two leading roles in two different films this year which are everything, everything and where hands touch.
Why is she our dream cast: She is also suitable as the role of the detective in our film because she shows powerful skills in hunger games.
Location ideas
Location idea 1: Media classroom
This will be a good location to film our film as it gives us a lot of space to film. For example Dr Allen can be tied up in the middle of the class room and we can also show the pan of the door opening.
Location idea 2: Hoxton
This will be a good location to film our film as it gives us a lot of space to film. For example Dr Allen can be tied up in the middle of the class room and we can also show the pan of the door opening.
Location idea 2: Hoxton
This will be a good place to film our opening sequence of our film because it will be good for the scene when she is acting like she is acting like she has been beaten up. This is because Hoxton is a big area and so it will give us a lot of space to film this part.
Location idea 3: Down Park
Down park would also be good for the scene when she is pretending that she has been beaten up. This is because it be quiet. The location of this scene will look better when it is dark outside. This is because it would be more quiet at this time and it will make it more realistic.
Shot list & camera skills
We are going to pan the camera from the girl opening to the door to the girl who is tied up. This is to create tension as the audience will know that the girl is in danger. The camera will need to zoom in on the character who is tied up. This is so that we can see their reaction to what is going on. There needs to be an extreme close up of Kemper. This is so that the audience can see how evil he is as they will be able to see his facial expressions.
Sound
There will be screaming in the background to add tension to what is happening in the opening sequence. Instrumental music will fade in until it eventually fades out when there is a knock on the door. The music will be in the background to add tension as it will give the audience a feeling that something is going to happen. The music fades out when there is a knock on the door to show that it is when the main action is going to take place.
Health and Safety
For this task, we needed to focus on health and safety. Below shows a table of all the risks that there are in our film and how we can prevent them. The table also shows whether it is a low risk or a high risk and whether any property may be damaged in the location we are going to film our film.
Foley Practice
In today's lesson, we looked at the role of the Foley artist and were able to understand their process in the film making process. Our key question from the lesson was 'How important was Foley to filmmakers?'
From my research, I have discovered the following:
- Foley, the process of creating incidental sounds is the film that completes a film by adding sound that you never really listen to.
- Foley artisits add sounds that make the experience more real for the audience.
Who was Jack Foley?
Jack Foley was the developer of many sound effect techniques that are used in film making. He started in the action motion business in the silent picture era. He became interested in little theatre and he wrote articles in the local newspaper when he moved to Bishop with his family. Foley also sold a number of scripts to universals which was produced.
Sound Research
Sound idea 1: Suspense music-seeking the truth. I think that the music will be a good idea to have in the background when they have realised that the secret killer has killed another person. This is because it will make the audience engaged in what is happening as it will make them feel like they are part of the journey.
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Sound idea 2: This soundtrack will be good when the girl is running away after finding the message saying 'remember me the Silent Killer.' This is to make the audience on their feet and to make the audience feel like they are on the journey to. The music will make the audience feel this way has it is very fast. However, I think that this music would be more suitable for horror rather than action thriller. |
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Sound Idea 3: This music in the background would also be good for the scene when the girl is running away from after looking at the message. This is because the music is very fast so it will make the audience aware that the character is scared from something. |
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Our final soundtracks: For our opening sequence, we decided to have two soundtracks in the back to create an atmosphere. For example we decided on having music in the background when the camera zooms into the girls playing with the puzzle. This is to make the audience feel uncomfortable. The music in the background in this scene will be 'canon' by Johann Pachelbel. The next sound that we are going to have in the background will be 'suspenseful background music-Brink- action instrumental intense dramatic film movie soundtrack.' This will be playing in the background once the voice over starts. This is to make it clear that this is where the main action is going to take place. Below is the link of Both of the musics that we are going to have in our opening of our film.
Vlog about our workFor this task, we had to do a Vlog about what we are going to do in our film. We used information from our pitch to help us come up with questions. This was so that there was no confusion when doing talking about our film and how this links to what we have done so far in our blog.
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Storyboard: Guilty or Not
The storyboard shows key shots for the film. The first scene that is going to happen in our opening of our film is Fiona is going to be running away from the silent killer. There is going to be a flashback after this scene.
Credit list ideas
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Credit idea 1:The credits in the film is from the film taken. The credits are simple and in a small font style. The credits come up when the scenes is in the background. This shows that it is trying to create tension as the background is very dark. Also whist the credits are coming up the transitions of the scene that is going on is very slow. This immediately shows the audience that the film is an action, thriller film. We can use this in our film by putting the credits on whilst showing the 'detective' running away from the 'Silent killer.'
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Credit list idea 2: The credits for Inception are very different from the film taken. They are more transitions. For example the some of the actors names go moves to the side whilst some moves up and in some of the actors name they zoom in on the name. In the credits for this film they are no scene going, instead there is just a red background. The movement of the credits and the background shows that the film is an action film. We can use this in our film by changing the font colour to red whilst the background is black. We could also enter the credits into the film when the detective is screaming in the background.
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Credit list 3: The credits for Captain America have a white and bold font. There are a lot of transitions in this opening credit. Also next to the credits there are a animation of the characters in the scene. We could use this in our film by having a silhouette of the characters next to the actors names.
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Improvement of police investigation scene
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We looked at some police investigation rooms on YouTube to give us an understanding of what we need to do to make this scene more realistic. When comparing these scenes to our first draft, it is clear that we need to improve our Mise-en-scene.Also in this police investigation scene, they have very dark lighting. In our re- shoot, can use dark lighting in this scene to create tension. We can also improve mise-en-scene in our re-shoot. For example, we can have pictures of clues of what we are trying to investigate to make it look like a real investigation scene. This is to improve the standard of our film in order to make it look more like a real opening of a film.
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Mise-en-scene improvement ideas
In order to improve the scene that we are going to re-shoot, we have decided to do a moodboard of all the props and the costumes that we could use to make it more realistic. For example, in our first draft we didn't think of props and costumes in much detail as the people in the scene there was wearing casual clothes rather than clothes that you would expect to see in a police investigation.In our re-shoot, we need to focus on the props and costumes in more detail to make it look like a real police investigation scene.
Camera Shots
These are some of the shots that we can use in our re-shoot.
Font ideas
Font idea 1: The font style for this film is simple as there is not much going on. The colour of blue suggests that it is an action thriller film as blue has connotations with action. Also, blue has connotations with loyalty, trust and heaven. This suggests that blue might have been used for the font colour because they might suggests that the film has to do with lost in trust or loyalty. We could use this in our film by having a grey background as this has connotations with lost which could link to the 'Silent Killer' and we could use dark blue as this shows that there is a loss of trust in our film as nobody knows who the 'Silent Killer' is.
- Font idea 2: The font style for this films shows more clearly that it is an action film. This is because of the effect of the blue. Also the colour black has connotations with death, depression and lost whereas the colour blue has connotations with trust and loyalty. This suggests that there might be a lost of trust in the film and that there might be a death in the film. We could use this in our film by keeping the same background colour as our film is about the crimes that the 'Silent Killer' has done. We could also use blue in the film by showing that the characters might have a lost of trust as they are unsure of who the 'Silent Killer' is. Under the name of our film, we could also have a smaller image of the rose with blood dripping down to give the audience more of a understanding of our genre.
Font idea 3: The font style for this film is simple as there is only two colours. White has connotations with safety whereas black has connotations with power, death, evil and mystery. We can use this in our film by using white to show that nowhere is safe and we can also use black in the background to show that there is power in our film and that the Secret Killer is an evil character.
Reflection on preparing for our reshoot
For our re-shoot, we was supposed to film it immediately after getting our feedback on our blog and our rough cut. We decided that we was going to film the next day but due to the fact that we didn't book the camera the day before, it meant that we couldn't film on the day that we was supposed to. This means that it has pushed us back on filming the re-shoot and means that we now have less time to film and edit the re-shoot. To improve this, we need to immediately book the camera so that we can film our re-shoot straight away and so that we have enough time to edit it to improve our grades.
Reflection on re-shoot ( 1)
We filmed the scene that we had to re-shoot. This time we used the board room in school so that it looked more like a police investigation scene. We used the board (which had pictures of the people that the Silent Killer had already murdered) so that to make the scene more realistic. The feedback that we got was that it is an improvement of our rough cut but due to the fact that there is only one shot, it means that the scene is very long. This means that we need to re-shoot that scene again but this time having more shots in the scene.
Which filmed inspired us?
Some films that inspired us is taken 3. This is because it has the transitions that we wanted to use. However, we needed to make sure that our film was realistic so we also had to look for other films for inspiration.