Blog Finished

Blog Finished

This is quite exciting; I have finished my AS blog. This year has flown over and I have learnt so much. I hope you enjoy my opening sequence as much as I enjoyed creating it. 

Thank you.

Catch (Repost)

Catch (Repost)

Here is my opening sequence, enjoy!

Catch - Spelling Corrected from Zoe Crick on Vimeo.

Evaluation - Question Six

Question Six

6. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Progression From Preliminary Task

If I was to complete my final task again I would make a few changes. Things such as:

Camera Work:

• I would avoid using zoom within my open sequence as I think that it reduced the professionalism of my piece as it is not a usual form or convention of a films opening sequence.
• Shaky camera work - I wanted to give the opening sequence more of a natural feel by not always using the tripod so that it was more like the human eye. Although I believe this worked well when capturing the two boys play football before the chase scene, I do not think it was as successful elsewhere.
• I would be more careful when filming because on the first day of filming I lost a lot of footage as I thought I'd pressed record but had not. This wasted a lot of time and it was very frustrating for myself and also for my lovely actors.
• I would add more close ups to capture the emotion.
• I would use better quality footage of the two sinister males meeting at the beginning as they were not taking it seriously and giggling when delivering the lines.
• I would not use the image of the two girls, I would have liked to have used a mock up CCTV type footage of the girls here instead.

Timing/Scheduling:

• I would like to try to film over one day rather than separate days as the weather is more likely to be the same (you never know in England though). This would prevent any major continuity issues.

Sound:

• I would have like to included some diegetic sound during the chase scene. For example, heavy breathing as they run, the sound of their feet hitting the ground as they run. This would give my opening sequence more depth.

Editing:

• I would make the lead up to the chase ever so slightly shorter. It was suggested to me by a peer that it may last just a little bit too long.

Evaluation - Question Five

Question 5

5. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? 

I learnt from using these technologies to create my opening sequence 'Catch'.

Technologies

Camera: Cannon - HD Shooting - better quality footage which made my opening sequence look more professional.

Blog: I used blogger to log my progress from the beginning of the year. Also for the planning stage of my final video my blog was the place where all information I found was conducted and compiled into one place. For example, I used my blog to post my production schedule so that I stuck to my time frame.

Presentation & Exhibition of Catch

Presentation & Exhibition of Catch

This is my presentation and exhibition to the class of my media production Catch. This allowed for the group and I to view Catch on the big screen for the first tome and also allowed for feedback and questions to be given from the class.



Presentation & Exhibition of 'Catch' 

Here is my presentation:

Evaluation - Question Three and Four

Evaluation - Question 3

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My opening sequence is to a film called 'Catch'. Catch is about a worldwide epidemic which has cause no babies to be born on earth since 2013. The film is set 10 years in the future. Couples are becoming desperate to start their own family after years of research as to why this problem has occurred no resolution or reason why has been found. Couples have begun employing corporations to abduct lower class children off the streets to provide people with a 'family' the film follows two young girls as they try to escape their impending fate as two mysterious men turn up in their area.

The genre of my media product is Sci-fi. Science fictions main  target audience is men aged 35 - 45. I capture the attention of this demographic through the dark subject matter, tension music and the sinister men in suits in the chase scene. One reason I used two young girls is because men would be able to relate them to their own children and the love and the way they want to protect their children. Another method I used was something a lot of horror films use which is to use young women as the 'victims' as men have the urge to protect women which is part of their biology, therefore using women in danger makes the opening sequence quite scary for men and gets their hearts beating fast with anticipation. With this product I tried to tap into a secondary target audience of teenagers. I did this by casting two young girls to play the lead roles. Teenagers would feel like they could connect with the characters which would add a thrilling element to the film making it hard for the audience to stop watching as they will be urging the two girls to get away.

The highest specific age range is 40-45 year olds. This is my primary target audience for Catch as it is the age which people are most likely to be into sci-fi. This table does not inlcude statistics about people below 18 or above the ages of 65. As the 'other age' is the highest statistic it suggests there is a very high demand for sci-fi and fantacy for the younger generation. It is unlikely that there is a high demand for sci-fi above the age of 65 as up until that point the numbers decreased significantly.

This is why I have chosen to include a secondary target audience of teenagers between the ages of 12-17.

The age rating on my film would be a 12. This is so that I do not seclude any audience members which would be interested in this style of film. This would mean that fans of The Hunger Games which was a film I was inspired by would be able to watch Catch. A lower age rating usually makes a film more successful as it will make more money as the audience is not limited to a larger extent.

My main target audience was men aged 30 - 45. This demographic enjoy adrenaline based films which have more of a complex story line than films such as action film which would be preferred by a younger demographic. After conducting some research I found out a bit more about what Sci-fi lovers are likely to be into.  

The highest percentage was 'readers' which was 19%; this probably has a connection with the fact that a lot of sci-fi and fantacy films are based on books. Here are examples of the post successful sci-fi films based on books:

I believe that catch would attract the primary target audience of middle aged me through the use of the genre and storyline of Catch. Sci-fi is a very popular genre for that demographic and the complexity would get them interested in the product. The opening sequence is very dark, all the footage is in black and white which connotes danger, mystery and death. The only footage which is not in black and white is the footage of the riots - this was to give it a documentary style feel to make it feel more realistic to the audience. Obviously footage the footage of the riots is quite scary, there are a lot a explosions, sirens and riot police which puts the audience on edge from the outset which is exciting to the target audience. The darkness of it would appeal to an older more sophisticated audience in the same way that bright colours would attract a younger audience.

Catch would attract teenage boys through the use of using two young attractive girls. This would initally draw them in but as when they are watching the opening sequence they would be on the edge of their seets because the girls are in danger and it is in male's biology to want to protect females so watching two young girls in danger would be scary/thrilling for them to watch.

Catch would attract teenage girls as they would be able to feel like they can connect with the young female lead characters. I think that teenagers enjoy sci-fi films/ distopian films as it is scary and interesting to watch a film and think 'What if this happened in real life' and it is exciting to them to think about what it would be like if this was to happen in their future. This is appealing to this demographic and would attract them to Catch. 

I did not present working class people in a negative way so each of the classes would be attracted to watch Catch. 



Evaluation - Question Two

Question 2 

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

Here is a voice over of me talking about what kind of media intition would distribute Catch:

Evaluation - Question One B

Evaluation - Question One B (Representation)

When planning for my opening sequence of Catch I wanted to really get a good idea of common stereotypes of the working class used in professional media products both film and also TV Drama. My intention was to look out for the use of mise en scene and iconography in order to make it completely obvious to my target audience what class the characters are and also to get the point across so the audience know whether the representation is good, bad or ambiguous.

Slumdog Millionaire is set and filmed in India. India has an enormous amount of poverty over 780 million people in India do not have access to sanitation; almost two thirds of the population. The film captures the amount of poverty by using high angle shots continuously zooming out for miles to see how vast the slums in India. Mise en scene is applied throughout, for example the clothing worn by the boys involved in the chase scene are very scruffy, the audience is aware that these characters are from a poor background. The clothes that they are wearing do not fit well just suggests that they are probably handed down to them from older relatives. They are dirty, ripped and are in bad condition it is apparent that in the world they live in clothing and appearance is not a priority. 

In The Hunger Games’ opening sequence the first characters you see are dressed smartly in suits with their hair slicked back. This indicates to the audience that the two characters are wealthy and from a high class. This idea is backed up as it then cuts to a very poor location which contrasts the classes putting emphasis on the difference between them in terms of appearance. I applied this method when directing my opening sequence for Catch. I used two men in suits meeting in a dark and dingy location, the next scene is the working class children in the park. I did this so it was obvious who was richer and had the higher level of authority over the working class as they control society. Also the opening sequence for Trainspotting shows two men in suits chasing two working class men. This makes it obvious that the two characters are poor.

To represent just how poor the characters are and the awful conditions that they are surrounded by which has become the norm for them. I took the inspiration about the not so child friendly location from The Hunger Games. There are piles of rubbish and inhabitable properties which are what the children would live and play in. Just like in District 12 there is nothing modern about the area as there is no money around to renew it. This is why I chose to use this particular location to shoot my opening sequence. The area suggests that their up bringing was dangerous and no place for a child. The smiles on their faces signify that they are oblivious to this as it is all they have ever known. 

I also wanted to represent the sisterly love between the two characters. I was inspired by The Hunger Games to show the strong relationship between the two characters. Often in poor families the older siblings have to take care of the younger children as the parents don’t have the time for them as the parents work long hours doing manual labour jobs and expect the children to get on, look after themselves and stay out of the way. As the parents have to work the children are left to their own devices which makes them vulnerable and easy targets. The eldest character tries to protect the younger girl and keep her from trouble. 

I also looked at Trainspotting for inspiration in terms of representation of working class people. Although the characters in Trainspotting would be classed as the underclass it is pretty similar due to the lack of money. The film follows a group of heroine addicts who are living on the dole and spend all money on drugs. This leaves the flat’s looking scruffy and inhabitable.

I took inspiration from Trainspotting when capturing this scene. I chose to include football within my sequence as it is something that brings the working class community together. Working class men often meet up to play five-aside football in their local area as well as congregating to the local pub on match days to watch ‘their team’ play. I wanted to represent working class males within my opening sequence well so I uncluded two young boys kicking a ball backwards and forwards to each other.

Evaluation - Question One A

Question One A

1. How does your media product:

a) Use, develop or challenge form and conventions of real media products?

I made a video on movie maker explaining how I used/challenged forms and conventions of real media products:

Forms and Conventions

Directors Interview

Directors Interview

About two weeks ago I was interviewed by Mr. Earl about my last project - Catch. I was asked questions based on the evaluation task. I was quite talking infront of a camera and I have a quiety voice so the audio is pretty quiet.

Anyway here is my directors interview.

Directors Interview

Riot Footage

Riot Footage

I have decided to remove the scene with the nurse from the begining of my opening sequence. The idea worked a lot better in my head than it actually did when I filmed and edited it together. I have now chosen to use footage from riots that I found on YouTube to use as a mock up recation to the possibility of the human race eventually dying out. I plan to edit short and snappy bits of footage of explosions and riot police battling crouds of people. This will put the auidence on edge and will add a documentary feel to the begining of my sequence. This will make Catch seem realistic which is important for the sci-fi genre as it makes people think 'what if' and that is thrilling for the audience.

Here are some images taken from the footage I am editing into my opening sequence:

Catch - Final Cut (Spelling Mistake Corrected)

Catch - Final Cut (Spelling Mistake Corrected)

Catch - Spelling Corrected from Zoe Crick on Vimeo.

Catch - Final Cut

Catch - Final Cut
 

Catch Final Cut from Zoe Crick on Vimeo.

 

Here is the final cut of my opening sequence for Catch. Sorry for the wait but the extra few days were vital in order to make sure that it was complete to a high standard and not rushed. I hope you enjoy it.

Uploading Solution

Uploading Solution

 

 

As I could not upload my opening sequence onto Vimeo or Blogger last night I asked Sir if he knew what went wrong and it was due to some dodgey advice while exporting my video. The format was wrong but I have exported it in the correct format now and I will be able to upload the video tonight.

Catch - Failure to Upload

Catch - Failure to Upload

I finished editing my opening sequence today and tried up loading the video onto Vimeo but the file was too large so I then attempted to upload the video straight into blogger but the message below appeared. I am not sure what to do about this issue and I will try to upload it from school at lunch time.

Plan of Evaluation

Plan of Evaluation

 

Today we were given the questions we must base our evaluation  of our opening sequence on.

 

The 6 key questions were:

 

1. How does your media product:

a) Use, develop or challenge form and conventions of real media products?

b) Represent particular social social groups? 

 

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

 

3. Who would be the audience for your media product?

 

4. How did you attract/address your audience?

 

5. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? 

 

6. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

For the first question I plan to create a video discussing how my opening sequence both developed inspiration from existing professional films that I researched when I was planning my opening sequence. Also I would show how my opening sequence also challenges real media product in terms of the types of shots that I included and also the audio, for example not including diegetic sound in my main chase scene.

For question 1 b) I will create a PowerPoint on how I have represented working class people within my opening sequence. For example, it is ambiguous. Also looking at the importance of location in terms of using mise en scene for effect.

For number 2 I will add an audio clip over the top of my opening sequence and pause it where necessary to make valid points about the kind of media institution would distribute my media (Film4) and where it is pause explain why my film would work well with Film4 as its distributor.

Question 3 and 4 I will combine together to discuss who the target audience of my opening sequence is and what I did to make this obvious to attract young men to watch and be interested in my film.

Question 5 I will demo each technology used in creating Catch in the form of a video. Video me using the camera, showing how I used different shots and why I have used it, for example high angle shot to show the characters vulnerability. Filming Charlotte using the editing software showing how to add special effects etc.

For number 6 I will create a aduio clip discussing how I have improved. Picking out mistakes that I made when Amy and I created our preliminary task 'Just Another Boyband'. For example there was some slight continuity issues and at one point I broke the 180 degree rule. I will be able to explain how I learned from the mistakes I made and how it was important that I made them so that I could improve and not make the mistakes in Catch. 

Opening Titles Incomplete

Opening Titles Incomplete

As there are multiple finishing touches that need to be made to my opening titles such as getting the footage of the riots edited and cut together more tightly, issues with audio and just getting timing right. This meant that I was not comfortable with posting my opening sequence currently not to the highest standard that I could make it, I agreed with Mr. Earl to complete and publish my final cut either on Monday or Tuesday.

Another Change in Titles

Another Change in Titles 

To make sure the titles on my opening sequence are as professional as they could be I realised there should be a reduced amount of titles and to do this I decided to put two of the actors names per title. I spent the past lesson sorting this issue out.

This is an example of how one turned out:

This also shortened the length of the opening sequence which helped me meet the guidelines better.

I also put the filmmaker titles at the end of the sequence rather than at the starts so that the directors title was the last credit to appear.

I took out the famous actors names and just included people who actually took part in acting for my opening sequence but I kept in the various famous filmmaker names.

Additional Scene

Additional Scene

Today I filmed an additional scene for the opening sequence of catch. It was suggested to me by my teacher that I add a scene into Catch at the beginning with a little insight to what is going on with the mysterious men. The scene sees two men meeting in a dark room and one of the men who kidnaps the children is handed a file with information about the two girls. 

This was not easy to film as the boys were messing around and would not take it seriously which was rather frustrating. It look about an hour to shoot around 15 seconds of footage. The room was behind the stage at school and it was very dark and I was assisted by my friend Daniel who held up torches on our phones for lighting. It actually had quite a nice effect. 

Here are some screenshots from the footage I got today:

Filming Tomorrow

Filming Tomorrow

I have organised to meet with a member of Catch's cast Niall and a new cast member tomorrow after sixth form to film a new scene for the beinning of the opening sequence. I want to capture the two sinister men as they prepare to kidnap children. Niall recieve a file with images and information about the next victims. It should be interesting and it will hopefully further improve my opening sequence as it makes it more clear that these men are the 'bad guys'. Looking forward to shooting again.

Titles - Famous Names

Titles - Famous Names

Included in my opening sequence will be a mixture of the actors who actually appear in my footage (aka my friends and family) and a mixture of famous film makers. 

Here are the famous names I included and why:

The font of the titles is Malgun Pro. Each titles appears white and then fades to a deep, blood red. Each title lasts exactly 5 seconds.

The First Title:

I chose to use Anthony Dod Mantle's name within my titles for my opening sequence. This is because he is famous for his cinematography in films such as Slumdog Millionaire, Last King of Scotland, 28 Days Later and 127 Hours to name a few. As I looked at Slumdog Millionaire for inspiration when it came to creating my opening sequence and focusing a lot on how the camera moved and the shots used it made sense to give a 'credit' to Anthony Dod Mantle.

The Second Title:

Another film that I looked at for inspiration was Trainspotting. When researching about Trainspotting I looked at the editor of the film, Mashiro Hirakubo. The film is iconic for its editing and the use of freeze-frames. This is why I chose to 'credit' Masahiro Hirakubo. Other films that he is known for are The Beach Eragon and The Duchess.

The Third Title:

Christian Colson is best known for being the producer of Slumdog Millionaire which lead him to receive awards such as  the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for best picture. That is why I included his name in my titles.

The Fourth Title:

Simon Beaufoy was the screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire. Obviously I took a lot of inspiration from that film so I put his name to my film.

Z.L.C Productions Ident

Z.L.C Productions Ident

 

 

 

After coming up with my production company 'Z.L.C Productions' a studio ident was required to be included in my opening sequence. I looked online at other production companies studio idents.

 

These are the idents that you recognise at the start of films. The most recognisable would be:

 

 

For my studio ident I wanted something simple. I decided that I would like to include a generic film reel.

 

 

Here is the ident for 'Z.L.C Productions'. I think it works really well and I was really pleased and excited to use it in my opening sequence. I particularly like the beam of light that pans across the ident because it really brings something relatively simple to life and makes the ident look professional and of a high standard.

 

 



Title Timings

Title Timings

In my rough cut one issue was that some titles in my opening sequence ran on longer than others. A lack of continuity is off putting and makes the sequence look unprofessional.

To ensure each title was exactly 5 seconds long I used a title which was 5 seconds and used that as a guide to cut each of the other titles where the same. I did this because it would make my opening sequence a lot more professional.

Title Alterations

Title Alterations

One of the things that was suggested that I alter was the font style. This was so that the text appeared to be more Sci-Fi and more serious.

So today I changed the font of each title in my opening sequence to 'Malgun Gothic' as this font seemed more appropriate because the style of font was much sharper rather than curly.

Here are some examples of the font for different titles at different points in the opening sequence. I actually think this font works a lot better with the sequence because it is more simple and sharp.

Z.L.C. Productions

Z.L.C. Productions

Coming up with a name for my production company was actually quite difficult. I spent a while staring into space trying to think of a name. I even tried using a random word generator online for inspiration but no words appealed to me. I then realised I was over thinking it and deciced to go with something simple. 'Z.L.C. Productions' I chose to use my initals because it was simple and personal to me. Although it is simple I personally think it works well.

I wish to create a 'Z.L.C  Productions' ident but I am not too sure of how to do so. I will hopefully be able to create a smart and proffessional ident with the help of Mr. Earl once we are back to sixth form after half term.

Catch - Rough Cut (With music added by Mr. Earl)

Catch - Rough Cut (With music added by Mr. Earl)

After uploading my rough cut onto Vimeo and onto my blog there are a few things that I am going to improve. One was the audio. The high pitched noice doesn't work throughout the entirety of the openin sequence and I plan to cut it down and only use it in small sections because that way it would be more effective in building tension. Adding additional music would improve the titles because it guides the audience as to whats happening in that scene and will build tension where needed.

Catch - Rough Cut (With music added by Mr. Earl)

The link above shows an example of how effective additional music would be. I plan to include this for my final cut because it sounds a lot better and really improves the overall opening sequence by adding tension.

Film 4

Film 4

Film4 was started in 1982 as Film4 Productions, a film production company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation and has been responsible for backing a large number of films made in the United Kingdom, and around the world. The company's first production was Walter, directed by Stephen Frears, which was released in 1982. 

Film 4 Production Film's

I have chosen to use Film 4 as my distributor/production company. I have decided to use Film 4 because it produces inspiring British Films such as Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire which are two of the films that I looked to for inspiration when it came to creating my own opening sequence. For example I looked at the way that the chase scene with the children in the opening sequence of Slumdog Millionaire was shot and applied that to my own video in hope that my own video would have the same impact as Slumdog Millionaire does through the use of low and high angle shots etc. When taking inspiration from Trainspotting I also took inspiration from the shots used within the opening sequence. For example the shot of the feet panning up.

Another reason I chose to use Film 4 was because the films they produce aren't high budget Hollywood blockbusters they focus on more realistic and believable stories. The films are more relatable to British people as Film 4 films focus a lot on regional identity and how that location and the people there are represented.

My opening sequence is set in Gateshead and focuses on working class children. So I thought that it would be appropriate to chose Film 4 as this is the type of film that they would be likely to make.