Taxi Driver -
In this particular extract, the titles that are used are very minimalistic, the extract starts of with a black screen, then, by using a fade, the first titles appear. this is how we have decided to show our own titles, the only difference is that our titles are in the dead space around our characters.
the main title for this extract is only revealed as the Taxi drives of, it is like a wipe.
this is a good effect and has worked well for this film, i do not feel that it would have worked very well for our film because it would have drawn the audience away from what was happening in the main focus of the frame.
Die Hard -
This extract is quite similar to the 'Taxi Driver' titles i the way that they both begin with black backgrounds and then the titles appear on the black background. the only difference is that this piece shows the titles on the actual moving picture.
the titles are faded on and off the screen. they are also shown in the establishing shot which can mean that the suspense has been taken away, however, in this particular extract, there is no suspense. i also noticed that the main title is shown much later that all of the other subtitles.
Terminator 2 -
In this extract we see the same idea as the first two extracts, there is a set soundtrack, the titles are faded on and off the screen. the main difference in this particular extract is the fact that the titles are not place in a specific place so as to not draw the attention of the audience away from the main focus of the scene. these titles are positioned in the middle of the screen, i noticed that this is not a big deal because they have but the titles on a moving image that is meant to be a moving background, this particular imigary is not the main focus of these few scenes.
Terminator 2 Title Sequence
Thursday 31 March 2011
Wednesday 30 March 2011
Draft Evaluation-Brendan
1. Conventions
The definition of 'Thirller' is 'A novel, play or movie with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage.
I feel that our product has kept to the brief because of the 9 slides that i have chosen
I feel that they all show the different ways in which we have portrayed our product as a thriller.
Shot 1 - This is a canted over the shoulder shot and has been used to place the main character into a setting and also to change the perspective of the character and the scene.
we have used a dark filter to make the setting seem dark and sad, this helps the mood and atmosphere of the product to be more like we had first pictured it.
Shot 2 - This shot was used as another way to put the character into a vulnerable state.
by putting her at the edge of a cliff she is seen as weak and dependent.
This shot is a bit lighter than the first one which means that there is a slight change in mood but there is still a slight shock for the fact that the female character is on top of a cliff.
Shot 3 - This shot was used to show the shear height of the cliff, by seeing the head over the edge it makes the audiences hearts race and it also gets them guessing.
The filter used on this shot was also a dark one, we have also increased the contrast so everything is sharp and vivid.
This increases the focus on the characters and keeps the tension.
Shot 4 - This shot is a very dark and silhouetted shot, it has been used to focus mainly on the beauty of the sunset and as a possible hint as to what might happen.
Shot 5 - This is a very key shot that we have used because it shows an extreme close up which is used in many great thriller films such as 'Psycho' where there is an extreme close up of the woman's mouth as she screams.
The reason why this is such an important shot is because this is the moment where the heartbeat gets louder and where we hint that the girl has jumped.
Shot 6 - This shot is the main link between the two different scenes.
It is used to symbolise the female character jumping off the edge of the cliff.
I feel that it is a very powerful shot because even though you can't see anything, there is a sound match that links the two shots together.
Shot 7 - This is a good establishing shot in this next scene because it keeps the second character hidden while it also shows exactly what they are doing.
There is also a dramatic change in setting, this is to show what happens after the female character jumps.
The colours are also very dull and dark, this is to keep the feeling of secrecy and tension following throughout the whole piece.
Shot 8 - This shot is very interesting because it is a worms-eye-view and also very canted
These techniques have been used to confuse the audience will they are still kept in the dark from knowing the truth about the male character.
By using dark filters and effect we have managed to keep the face of the unknown character hidden, this helps with building the enigma and tension.
Shot 9 - This last shot is part of a zooming out shot, this has been used to put the character in their surroundings and give a Little bit of information about the character and what is happening while still being able to keep the identity of the character unknown.
2. Representations
Who Is Being Represented In your Product?
In our product we have only really represented 2 social groups and they are male and female.
we can see our female character in the first half of our product looking very vulnerable and also quite needy.
these are both seen as very feminine characteristics.
we can see our male character performing a very active and masculine task such as digging.
this portrays our male character as being very independent.
How are they Represented?
We have represented our two social groups in quite a traditional way.
The female is see as being vulnerable which is seen as a very feminine characteristic.
We see this in the way that her facial expressions are less than enthusiastic and also because she is considering taking her own life.
The male character is portraying very masculine characteristics such as strong and work orientated.
This is seen by the digging done by the male character.
He is seen working hard to dig a hole and because this is done by a male we have kept to the traditional stereotypes.
The camera has been shot at low angles in the first half of the product, this is not to show a position of power but more to show the height of the cliff.
We have also used high angles when shooting, but this has also just been for effect.
We have not focused on positions of power because the only two characters that are shown are completely separate.
These are seen as negative representations in the way that they are very stereotypical.
A more controversial representation would have been if we had shown the male character as vulnerable and the female character as active and masculine.
Why have they been represented like this?
We have represented these two characters in very traditional stereotypes.
We have done this because we think that it will be easy for the audience to see and possibly relate to them as being vulnerable or strong.
I think that this means that our target audience will respond well to our product.
Who is the target audience?
In our product there are two main characters, one male, one female, and they are of the same age.
This is shown in costume worn by both characters.
they are both dressed in modern costume, an example of this is the Hoodie worn by the female character and the trainers of the Male character.
3. Distribution
Because our film is of British origin i believe that our film should be distributed by a British distribution company
This would probably be by Buena Vista International who have distributed films such as 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' and 'Signs'
Another distributor we might look at would be Ace Distributors Ltd.
this would be a less known distribution company and would probably not improve our films audience range.
4. Target Audience
We decided to aim our product at an audience that could relate to the issues that are raised in our product.
this meant aiming it at teenagers, our age range was from 15-18
I think that there was an even focus on male and female audiences.
This helped us to be able not to focus on one particular character too much
It also meant that we would have a bigger target audience.
5. Audience Feedback
I think that our chosen audience will enjoy our film because there are many themes and scenarios that they can relate to.
I also feel that there is a distinctive advantage because of the ages of the characters
By using an age range that is relatively related to our audience we felt that there would be a connection that would possibly draw in our audiences.
I have attempted to ask for audience feedback but unfortunately I was unable because there was not enough publicity.
I posted our video on Facebook as well as youtube and the only comments that were reasonable were mainly aimed at the digging
The camerawork used was very dramatic and we felt that it would help the audience to understand the tension and suspense that we were trying to build.
The costumes that were used were modern day and also related to our audience, this was one of the ways we tried to draw the audience in.
the lighting was used to emphasise certain elements that were key to the particular scenes such as the shot of the hand on the spade.
6. Technology
7. What I Have Learnt
I feel that our product has kept to the brief because of the 9 slides that i have chosen
I feel that they all show the different ways in which we have portrayed our product as a thriller.
Shot 1 - This is a canted over the shoulder shot and has been used to place the main character into a setting and also to change the perspective of the character and the scene.
we have used a dark filter to make the setting seem dark and sad, this helps the mood and atmosphere of the product to be more like we had first pictured it.
Shot 2 - This shot was used as another way to put the character into a vulnerable state.
by putting her at the edge of a cliff she is seen as weak and dependent.
This shot is a bit lighter than the first one which means that there is a slight change in mood but there is still a slight shock for the fact that the female character is on top of a cliff.
Shot 3 - This shot was used to show the shear height of the cliff, by seeing the head over the edge it makes the audiences hearts race and it also gets them guessing.
The filter used on this shot was also a dark one, we have also increased the contrast so everything is sharp and vivid.
This increases the focus on the characters and keeps the tension.
Shot 4 - This shot is a very dark and silhouetted shot, it has been used to focus mainly on the beauty of the sunset and as a possible hint as to what might happen.
Shot 5 - This is a very key shot that we have used because it shows an extreme close up which is used in many great thriller films such as 'Psycho' where there is an extreme close up of the woman's mouth as she screams.
The reason why this is such an important shot is because this is the moment where the heartbeat gets louder and where we hint that the girl has jumped.
Shot 6 - This shot is the main link between the two different scenes.
It is used to symbolise the female character jumping off the edge of the cliff.
I feel that it is a very powerful shot because even though you can't see anything, there is a sound match that links the two shots together.
Shot 7 - This is a good establishing shot in this next scene because it keeps the second character hidden while it also shows exactly what they are doing.
There is also a dramatic change in setting, this is to show what happens after the female character jumps.
The colours are also very dull and dark, this is to keep the feeling of secrecy and tension following throughout the whole piece.
Shot 8 - This shot is very interesting because it is a worms-eye-view and also very canted
These techniques have been used to confuse the audience will they are still kept in the dark from knowing the truth about the male character.
By using dark filters and effect we have managed to keep the face of the unknown character hidden, this helps with building the enigma and tension.
Shot 9 - This last shot is part of a zooming out shot, this has been used to put the character in their surroundings and give a Little bit of information about the character and what is happening while still being able to keep the identity of the character unknown.
2. Representations
Who Is Being Represented In your Product?
In our product we have only really represented 2 social groups and they are male and female.
we can see our female character in the first half of our product looking very vulnerable and also quite needy.
these are both seen as very feminine characteristics.
this portrays our male character as being very independent.
How are they Represented?
We have represented our two social groups in quite a traditional way.
The female is see as being vulnerable which is seen as a very feminine characteristic.
We see this in the way that her facial expressions are less than enthusiastic and also because she is considering taking her own life.
The male character is portraying very masculine characteristics such as strong and work orientated.
This is seen by the digging done by the male character.
He is seen working hard to dig a hole and because this is done by a male we have kept to the traditional stereotypes.
The camera has been shot at low angles in the first half of the product, this is not to show a position of power but more to show the height of the cliff.
We have also used high angles when shooting, but this has also just been for effect.
We have not focused on positions of power because the only two characters that are shown are completely separate.
These are seen as negative representations in the way that they are very stereotypical.
A more controversial representation would have been if we had shown the male character as vulnerable and the female character as active and masculine.
Why have they been represented like this?
We have represented these two characters in very traditional stereotypes.
We have done this because we think that it will be easy for the audience to see and possibly relate to them as being vulnerable or strong.
I think that this means that our target audience will respond well to our product.
Who is the target audience?
In our product there are two main characters, one male, one female, and they are of the same age.
This is shown in costume worn by both characters.
they are both dressed in modern costume, an example of this is the Hoodie worn by the female character and the trainers of the Male character.
3. Distribution
Because our film is of British origin i believe that our film should be distributed by a British distribution company
This would probably be by Buena Vista International who have distributed films such as 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' and 'Signs'
Another distributor we might look at would be Ace Distributors Ltd.
this would be a less known distribution company and would probably not improve our films audience range.
4. Target Audience
We decided to aim our product at an audience that could relate to the issues that are raised in our product.
this meant aiming it at teenagers, our age range was from 15-18
I think that there was an even focus on male and female audiences.
This helped us to be able not to focus on one particular character too much
It also meant that we would have a bigger target audience.
5. Audience Feedback
I think that our chosen audience will enjoy our film because there are many themes and scenarios that they can relate to.
I also feel that there is a distinctive advantage because of the ages of the characters
By using an age range that is relatively related to our audience we felt that there would be a connection that would possibly draw in our audiences.
I have attempted to ask for audience feedback but unfortunately I was unable because there was not enough publicity.
I posted our video on Facebook as well as youtube and the only comments that were reasonable were mainly aimed at the digging
The camerawork used was very dramatic and we felt that it would help the audience to understand the tension and suspense that we were trying to build.
The costumes that were used were modern day and also related to our audience, this was one of the ways we tried to draw the audience in.
the lighting was used to emphasise certain elements that were key to the particular scenes such as the shot of the hand on the spade.
6. Technology
7. What I Have Learnt
Sunday 27 March 2011
Titles...
On Friday we completed the Titles and started on the sound. we chose to do the titles in a simple font, we chose Arial. The transiting for all of the titles we used were fades, this keeps the flow of the piece and keeps it simple. we placed all of the titles in the 'dead-space' around the main focus of the shots.
After this was finished, we started on the sounds, mainly the Foley sounds such as creating the ocean waves and the digging scene. this was proven difficult as we progressed from the waves on to the digging, not only was there not enough choice but also, there were certain points where we lost the timing.
We are going to be working hard during our free time and breaks to finish this piece.
After this was finished, we started on the sounds, mainly the Foley sounds such as creating the ocean waves and the digging scene. this was proven difficult as we progressed from the waves on to the digging, not only was there not enough choice but also, there were certain points where we lost the timing.
We are going to be working hard during our free time and breaks to finish this piece.
Friday 25 March 2011
The Voice over bullying
Today, Naomi and Laura on garage band edited the voice over of the chanting of the bullys in the female's head. We added the echo to give the impression that the voices are reapetedly going through her head.
25h March
At lunch today, we are continuing editing our piece. We plan to use our double period to also carry on editing, hopefully we will be able to get onto sound editing by the end of our first double.
Friday 18 March 2011
Title For our Film
I have found out how to add our titles too the film so we shall be doing that as soon as all of the filming and transitions are done.
Thursday 17 March 2011
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Group Meeting 16/03/11
We discuss re filming our digging because after looking at the previous footage we thought the digging didn't fit in with the mood we wanted to create due to it not being sincer. We all came to the decision to re film the digging scene next Wednesday the 23rd.
We also sorted out some deadlines within the group to ensure things aren't rushed towards the end of the deadline:
All footage put together with transistion and titles done by 25th
All the sound done by the 31st
We also sorted out some deadlines within the group to ensure things aren't rushed towards the end of the deadline:
All footage put together with transistion and titles done by 25th
All the sound done by the 31st
15th March filming
We went to Peacehaven to do some filming on the cliff again as we thought we needed to re film some shots. When we first got their the weather was cloudy and wasn't looking to promising for our filming so we used the portable lights to get the sun set affect that we previously had when we filmed before. However, the sun eventualy came out which gave the same affect as the last lighting did, so we managed to think of a way to do the jumping scene. We did a extreme close up of her face concentrating on her eyes, we used the sun as the key light then we used portable light as a fill light at 505 intensity then we used the 3rd and final light as a back light and 15% intensity (3 point lighting system)
Friday 11 March 2011
Naomi playing the soundtrack
Our soundtrack is based on Hometown Glory - Adele which due to copyright, we could not use. Alternatively, I played my own version of the beginning. I used Garage Band to record it from my piano. We wanted to use a real piano instead of a key board as the sound is more intense and fits well with the situation of our film opening. I recorded it live to add to the realism of our thriller
Monday 7 March 2011
The problems we faced during filming on the 2nd March
Lighting.
- As we were filming at sunset, the light became darker as the sun set, making our scenes feel like a lot of time has passed, which we don't want to show as we want the audience to know why she has come to this certain place and not to decide when she is there. To solve this problem, we are going on the 8th March to film at sunset again, where we can try and get the remainding scenes done at the right light levels. We have chosen this day because checking the BBC weather forecast, the weather is sunny and cloudless in Peacehaven, like the 2nd March.
- Playing the girl commiting suicide, for the crying scene i found it very difficult to start crying randomly on camera. One of the reasons why i found this very difficult was that i felt embarrassed to start crying on film and what i would like, with the clip of the attempt in becoming myself laughing and pulling weird faces. A way to try and do this is that we are thinking instead of having show tears, to show instead my face in my hands to show she is very upset. This will not look as effective as the crying however, but it will show the audience she is upset.
- When we got to the Peacehaven cliffs, we found no very small cliffs that would be good to show the girl's jump without being very hazardous. Instead, in lesson we have come up with a plan that will show the camera being placed at a point of view shot, being zoomed out from the ground which we will rewind to show that she has jumped.
Friday 4 March 2011
TODAY WE ARE EDITING
Today we have decided to edit the first part of our film. We are doing this so we can see the overall feel of our film. We are doing the beginning scene of the girls suicide. We managed to get the majority done, but however we are discussing how to do to the jump preventing any injuries that could be caused.
Wednesday 2 March 2011
WE'RE FILMING!!!
Today we are going to film down in Peacehaven, unfortunately James is not available to help us film but because we are already behind we are going to have to go ahead with it anyway.
We are getting there via train, bus and car. We are going to get to Peacehaven for about 4 o'clock so we can set up the equipment and have time to practice the scene before the light disappears.
We are getting there via train, bus and car. We are going to get to Peacehaven for about 4 o'clock so we can set up the equipment and have time to practice the scene before the light disappears.
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