How did you use media technologies in the construction, research and planning and evaluation stages?
Well I already knew what I wanted to do so I mostly used the internet such as Youtube and Wikipedia to research various specific ideas and the best way to them. I made a powerpoint of my overall idea to help keep it all together. For the actual construction I used a handheld camera to film and a microphone to pick up sound better. I then used Adobe Premiere to edit the whole thing together before uploading to Youtube. To Evaluate my film, I just used my blog here.
How did you use media forms to come up with something new and orginal?
I am a huge fan of Fantasy so I already knew a lot about Media Forms. Mostly I took scenes from Fantasy movies that I liked and tweaked them slightly to make them my own.
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I took what I learned from my first video and applied it to my Opening Two Minutes. Particularly paying attention to sound cause that was a big complaint. But like my first video, I used special effects and had costumes and make up and all that. So I think the combination was quite good. Especially considering that stories could be internlinked.
What have you learned from your Audience Feedback?
Be very careful with sound and make sure to have clear footage so people understand what's going on.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
As I said above, this is a Fantasy movie so I took loads of elements from Fantasy movies. But at the same time I changed them such as the supposed main characters dying at the end of the two minutes. Or rather than in most films which start with a normal opening (kid going to highschool etc.) I start with a very drammatic opening where things are clearly not normal (except for the girl in red with colourful umbrella).
Monday 20 September 2010
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Evaluation Task 7- Progress
Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?
Prelimniary Task:
Opening Two Minutes:
Comparing the two films I have done this Year, I believe I have learned a lot and my Opening Two minutes is very evident of this. The transistions are a lot smoother, the sound fades in and out and doesn't jump (at least by my fault). The only thing I think remained the same was my camera skills. While its not as noticeable due to my editing, I still don't have a steady filming hand.
One big change I noted was the fact editing has improved immensely. Its a lot tighter and smoother than my other one. I decided to play with more editing transitions that brought really fruitful results. Then I learned how to control the transitions providing me the means to hide get the most of my shots. The one scene, actually, when my sister "slashes" the camera it suddenly cuts... that was an accident but I actually feel it works.
Unfortunately, due to Youtube, the sound of my main task has been botched up. I did have it fading smoothly in and out. Not much I can do about that unfortunately.
Other than that, I still think it came out great.
Prelimniary Task:
Opening Two Minutes:
Comparing the two films I have done this Year, I believe I have learned a lot and my Opening Two minutes is very evident of this. The transistions are a lot smoother, the sound fades in and out and doesn't jump (at least by my fault). The only thing I think remained the same was my camera skills. While its not as noticeable due to my editing, I still don't have a steady filming hand.
One big change I noted was the fact editing has improved immensely. Its a lot tighter and smoother than my other one. I decided to play with more editing transitions that brought really fruitful results. Then I learned how to control the transitions providing me the means to hide get the most of my shots. The one scene, actually, when my sister "slashes" the camera it suddenly cuts... that was an accident but I actually feel it works.
Unfortunately, due to Youtube, the sound of my main task has been botched up. I did have it fading smoothly in and out. Not much I can do about that unfortunately.
Other than that, I still think it came out great.
Saturday 27 March 2010
Evaluation Task 6: Technology
What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Figure 1- Camcorder
Figure 2- Tripod
I have learned a lot about technologies from this project. Not only from the physical equipment but the programs as well. Especially in editing on Adobe. From my first project to now, I have gained a lot of knowledge and patience with the program. Like how to use transitions and effects efficiently. The biggest thing also was learning the Adobe's help website is very useful. But I think I learned more from the more experienced Year 13's who showed me how to do certain effects such as the red, black and white shot.
Figure 1- Camcorder
Figure 2- Tripod
I have learned a lot about technologies from this project. Not only from the physical equipment but the programs as well. Especially in editing on Adobe. From my first project to now, I have gained a lot of knowledge and patience with the program. Like how to use transitions and effects efficiently. The biggest thing also was learning the Adobe's help website is very useful. But I think I learned more from the more experienced Year 13's who showed me how to do certain effects such as the red, black and white shot.
Thursday 18 March 2010
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Evaluation Task 4: Audience
Who would be the audience for your media product?
This is a group of a Cosplayers from the game Soul Caliber (Fantasy fighting game) that I got off the internet. This would be my general target audience. 15-25 year olds. The group I fall into. Anime loving, Japanese obsessed teenager who's idea of fun is dressing up as video game characters and going to Conventions with thousands of others similar to I. A modern, Fantasy loving teen. In my head and in my storyboard, its an anime style story. I believe they'd watch it based on this factor especially if they loved films like the Matrix, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.
This is a group of a Cosplayers from the game Soul Caliber (Fantasy fighting game) that I got off the internet. This would be my general target audience. 15-25 year olds. The group I fall into. Anime loving, Japanese obsessed teenager who's idea of fun is dressing up as video game characters and going to Conventions with thousands of others similar to I. A modern, Fantasy loving teen. In my head and in my storyboard, its an anime style story. I believe they'd watch it based on this factor especially if they loved films like the Matrix, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.
Tuesday 16 March 2010
Evaluation Task 3: Commentary
Script:
1. The idea of a distributor and who that might be and why.
For my film, New Line Cinemas would be my ideal distributor. They deal with a lot of well known fantasy and horror films such as Lord of the Rings, Blade and Friday the 13th.
2. What does a production company do?
A production company handles the paper work; contracting, site locating and funding of films. They play a very key role in the film process.
3. Discussion of your production company name and logo and the role of such companies
My production company is “A Banko Productions”. It’s just the initial of my first full name and my last name. Basically my company gathered all the props and actors together as well as securing filming times and places.
4. Where the money might have come from for a film such as yours
Since being an American Distribution Company, I probably would have got the money from one of the big American Film Power Houses like Universal or Paramount or even New Line it’s self.
5. Why the various people are named in the titles- which jobs appear in titles and in what order and how have you reflected this?
The titles that appear in my film are the ones related to the opening two minutes; so all the actors who appear then you hear the music and sound. The titles appear in order of appearance. I am the director followed by the first actor who appears on screen which is my sister. It helps establish who the people are right from the get-go.
6. What your film is similar to 'institutionally' (name some films which would be released in a similar way)
I believe, really, any fantasy film. I based my opening around the opening of Eragon where the one woman is being chased by the villain and to save the egg she sends it away to a random passer-by hunting in the woods. Another film similar to the release of mine would be Tim Burton’s 9; another fantasy epic about 9 rag dolls.
Monday 15 March 2010
Evaluation Task 2: Representation
I felt that my main character and Arwen from Lord of the Rings share a lot of similarties as well as a few differences. They both are Princesses who know how to fight and aren't afraid to get dirty. I actually based "Princess Hope's design off Arwen's white dress that she wears in the film a lot. A couple of differences between the two are that well one's a human while the other's an elf. Duh. But Hope is not as graceful as Arwen. All of her shots, she's running hard while in the LoTR films, Arwen always looks graceful on camera no matter what she's doing.
Sunday 14 March 2010
Evaluation Task 1: Conventions
The Title:
Setting/Location:
Costume/ Props:
Camera Work/ Editing:
Font:
Character Introductions:
Special Effects:
My opening was based off the movie, Eragon (Directed by Stefen Markus Fangmeier) so it shares a couple of similarties to it. Such as a girl running through a forest being chased by a mysterious enemy while another character is simulatoneously followed. At the time, a couple of things that are different include the girl being chased ends up dying and the scene ends unpredictably. Everyone sort of makes up in their head that Vivian (the second girl) will somehow find the sword and beat the villian but the very end when she dies reveals otherwise leaving a huge plot open that anything could happen.
I think the costumes and weaponry reaveals its a Fantasy. If nothing, else a strange period drama. It could also be down to the blood that could define it as a horror. I left that up to the audience but my chosen genre is Fantasy.
Saturday 13 March 2010
Evaluation Feedback
Youtube Comments:
savioursephiroth1 (Simon):
That was very interesting and good to watch ^_^ The camera movement throughout the whole two minutes made everything quite exciting, and got across the whole imminent danger that was pressent for the character. If I saw this in the cinema, I would definitely stay to watch it, terrific work ^_^
Crystalumina (Rana):
That looked really interesting =3. I liked how it really started out and how you captured the whole mood easily ^ ^. The camera movement was really good too =3 although the sound might have been better but overall it was made out nice and I liked it ^ ^
Punkness93 (Elena):
Very interesting. ^^ The camera shots you have are very nice, a little shaky but nothing too bad. :)
I would just work on evening out the sound a little more and perhaps something to keep the camera steady. Other wise, very nice job. :D
LaurenTheCookieLover (Lauren):
It intrigued me, so yeah, I would stay in the cinema. :D
Looks epic, btw~
Class Feedback:
On the whole, the results are very positive. The only problem is that these are my friends that I asked to watch. The comments could be biased though they present some negatives which pleased me. The class reviews were postive as well so I am really happy with the result!
savioursephiroth1 (Simon):
That was very interesting and good to watch ^_^ The camera movement throughout the whole two minutes made everything quite exciting, and got across the whole imminent danger that was pressent for the character. If I saw this in the cinema, I would definitely stay to watch it, terrific work ^_^
Crystalumina (Rana):
That looked really interesting =3. I liked how it really started out and how you captured the whole mood easily ^ ^. The camera movement was really good too =3 although the sound might have been better but overall it was made out nice and I liked it ^ ^
Punkness93 (Elena):
Very interesting. ^^ The camera shots you have are very nice, a little shaky but nothing too bad. :)
I would just work on evening out the sound a little more and perhaps something to keep the camera steady. Other wise, very nice job. :D
LaurenTheCookieLover (Lauren):
It intrigued me, so yeah, I would stay in the cinema. :D
Looks epic, btw~
Class Feedback:
On the whole, the results are very positive. The only problem is that these are my friends that I asked to watch. The comments could be biased though they present some negatives which pleased me. The class reviews were postive as well so I am really happy with the result!
Wednesday 10 March 2010
Tuesday 23 February 2010
Filming Diary
YAY I'M DONE!!!
Yesterday, Monday, Febuary 22nd, I finished filming all the scenes for my movie! It went well. I had to rush a little due to the cold (again) but this time, I believe the clips came out great! Surprisingly the quality was a lot better.
Yesterday, Monday, Febuary 22nd, I finished filming all the scenes for my movie! It went well. I had to rush a little due to the cold (again) but this time, I believe the clips came out great! Surprisingly the quality was a lot better.
Sunday 7 February 2010
Idea!
Well watching through the footage I have thus far...I really don't like how my sister's lines came out. But I don't want to put in another voice because she did amazing expressions. So I came up with something better.
When she speaks, her screen cuts to black with what she says written in a scratchy text. Meanwhile, some of the titles will scroll across. This is taken from a video game cinematic opening actually. Before the opening song, it has the main character reading a line which sets up the whole game basically (played by Haley Joel Osment) and Kingdom Hearts 1 does this also (which is where the idea came from) for a character who is not supposed to be revealed till the second game.
At 9 minutes in is my main inspiration. When the scene cuts and the text shakes in a very creepy fashion.
Something like that for my own film. I hope it works. Should be good if it does...
When she speaks, her screen cuts to black with what she says written in a scratchy text. Meanwhile, some of the titles will scroll across. This is taken from a video game cinematic opening actually. Before the opening song, it has the main character reading a line which sets up the whole game basically (played by Haley Joel Osment) and Kingdom Hearts 1 does this also (which is where the idea came from) for a character who is not supposed to be revealed till the second game.
At 9 minutes in is my main inspiration. When the scene cuts and the text shakes in a very creepy fashion.
Something like that for my own film. I hope it works. Should be good if it does...
Wednesday 3 February 2010
Avatar Research
For the exam segement of our Media course, we had to research Avatar (2009 James Cameron film).
I went on the Pearl&Dean website and found these stats on its audience.
Sunday 31 January 2010
Filming Log
So today I got half of my film done!
Now unfortunately, as I stated a few posts ago it was very, very cold. My sister ended up cutting the dress really small and sleeveless and she froze. So we had to really hustle and unfortunately that meant only two takes maximum each shot and a couple of shots were cut to save time in the cold weather.
Another problem we had was a couple of chavs walked through our shots and were very rude while we were trying to film.
Other than that, watching the playback, the shots came out pretty good. The only big problem is...its too cold to do remakes. My sister refuses to do it again so I really need to be careful not to screw anything up in editing and be clever with effects to hide things or make things look better. A movie is only as good as its editing.
Now unfortunately, as I stated a few posts ago it was very, very cold. My sister ended up cutting the dress really small and sleeveless and she froze. So we had to really hustle and unfortunately that meant only two takes maximum each shot and a couple of shots were cut to save time in the cold weather.
Another problem we had was a couple of chavs walked through our shots and were very rude while we were trying to film.
Other than that, watching the playback, the shots came out pretty good. The only big problem is...its too cold to do remakes. My sister refuses to do it again so I really need to be careful not to screw anything up in editing and be clever with effects to hide things or make things look better. A movie is only as good as its editing.
Friday 29 January 2010
Filming
Woo! So Sunday January the 31st; my sister, Alec and I shall begin filming! We'll get started about 9 a.m. Sunrise doesn't look possible I mean its 7:30 in the morning. That's a bit of a stretch to get everyone up. 9 will be just fine!
Prop Pictures
Alright, this is the first katana to be used. This is Prince's Lupus's katana. Now... this isn't the actual picture from the one at my home. Its from the internet. But it gives you a higher quality idea. The one I have is a little smaller and with dragons carved into the sheath.
This is one of the Moon Blades. This is the actual white katana I have just again from the internet. Its white sheath is a symbol of light and hope whereas the other blade is of darkness and anger. Should be good!
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Other Blogs Research
The first blog I looked at is Year 13 Sophie's Blog at: http://sophie329959blog.blogspot.com/
Being Year 13 she is making a teaser trailer but is pretty much doing the same process we are for our opening two minutes. One thing I really like that she did was she tested different fonts which I'm considering doing myself...(as shown below)
She doesn't have that many posts (only about fifty) but they're packed full of detail. Just from a brief glance at her posts, she's making a teen romantic drama so she looked at stuff like Skins and Twilight.
Then I looked at Year 13 Josh's blog: http://darkemodouche.blogspot.com/ who provided a bit of contrast since he's doing a horror/gangster type film. He's done a lot of research into this genre and the one thing I really like about his blog is the polls along the side. Even though only one person voted it still provides a little more audience particpation.
Monday 25 January 2010
Actor Pictures Vivian
So this is Vivian, the other girl of my opening sequence. I chose Vivian beacause 1. she offered and 2. she fit the description of a normal teen but she doesn't look like a Barbie so it adds some uniqueness to her. She is the decoy of the plot. Everyone will automatically assume that she'll get the sword and pull off a Terminator (being chased around by somebody from the past). I'm a little more creative than that.
Actor Pictures- Prince Lupus
This is my Prince Lupus, Alec Mills. I chose Alec after my acting auditions was a flop. I took my teacher's advice and went to the head of our Drama department and she recommended Alec for the part. I also so know Alec is quite good at acting. I've seen him in several plans and can't wait to see how he'll do playing a Villian.
Now as you can see, he's wearing a white shirt. Come the actual filming, I requested he wear a black shirt rather than white. Also, I'll be giving him a hooded cape to go under the jacket which from far away would look as though his coat was extended but also gives him a menacing hood. I don't have to do too much to his skin tone but I will darken the eyes a bit. Actually with his side burns and beard, it'll make his face even darker beneath the hood.
Wednesday 20 January 2010
Time Management
Today, my class lucked out to get two hours of Media Studies. Now as you can see, most of my planning work is done except the Actors/Costume/Props pictures. Today I'll be working towards getting those done. In class I'll be finishing off the costumes and then hopefully getting pictures!
I have a few tricks planned. Such as the stab in Vivian's back. She gave me a small coat type thing that she didn't care about and I'm allowed to cut up. I'll have to cut it up now so I'll have to be clever with the camera to avoid the audience seeing the bloodstain on her back. Anyways, in shot 36 where we see Vivian lying on her side showing the stab wound in her back, I don't really want to ruin Vivian's clothing under the coat. Or leave it so it looks weird. So, I'm going to cut the stab wound in the back and then sewing a white beneath of cloth behind it. I'll paint it red and voila! we have a stab wound that only ruins one article of clothing!
I'll be finishing off the dress today too. That's just cutting up the bottom and stuff. I thought of a cool idea for my sister's boots. Since we couldn't find anything she wouldn't mind getting ruined, I'll either make up a pair from an old pair of boots I have or use Wellies. She's wearing a long white dress, so it'll be difficult to see the boots.... Hmm...where are our Wellies?
I have a few tricks planned. Such as the stab in Vivian's back. She gave me a small coat type thing that she didn't care about and I'm allowed to cut up. I'll have to cut it up now so I'll have to be clever with the camera to avoid the audience seeing the bloodstain on her back. Anyways, in shot 36 where we see Vivian lying on her side showing the stab wound in her back, I don't really want to ruin Vivian's clothing under the coat. Or leave it so it looks weird. So, I'm going to cut the stab wound in the back and then sewing a white beneath of cloth behind it. I'll paint it red and voila! we have a stab wound that only ruins one article of clothing!
I'll be finishing off the dress today too. That's just cutting up the bottom and stuff. I thought of a cool idea for my sister's boots. Since we couldn't find anything she wouldn't mind getting ruined, I'll either make up a pair from an old pair of boots I have or use Wellies. She's wearing a long white dress, so it'll be difficult to see the boots.... Hmm...where are our Wellies?
Tuesday 19 January 2010
Audience Profiling
A bit of audience profiling now after my Facebook quiz to actually find out if my target audience is correct. Using the site www.pearlanddean.com I'll research similar films and see what the main age group is.
Alice in Wonderland (2010, Tim Burton):
This is a very dark sequel to the orginal Disney animated classic. Its funny, the story is actually quite similar to the plot of Moon Blade.
They are predicting a majority of the audience (22%) will be people aged 15-24. The next big age group is 35-44 (20%). So quite an older audience. They predict more girls will be viewing than boys. This could be because of Johnny Depp starring. *laughs*
9 (2009, Tim Burton)
A post-war film about 9 rag dolls who are created to save the human race. A very dark, on your edge seat.
Like Alice in Wonderland, this film had produmently 15-24 year old views. But this time it had an audience of 80% boys and 20% girls.
Alice in Wonderland (2010, Tim Burton):
This is a very dark sequel to the orginal Disney animated classic. Its funny, the story is actually quite similar to the plot of Moon Blade.
They are predicting a majority of the audience (22%) will be people aged 15-24. The next big age group is 35-44 (20%). So quite an older audience. They predict more girls will be viewing than boys. This could be because of Johnny Depp starring. *laughs*
9 (2009, Tim Burton)
A post-war film about 9 rag dolls who are created to save the human race. A very dark, on your edge seat.
Like Alice in Wonderland, this film had produmently 15-24 year old views. But this time it had an audience of 80% boys and 20% girls.
Sound Test Attempt 2
Well it appears no class is going to be in here today so I'm goingt try again with Vivian in recording her dialogue into the computer. This will enable me to sound cut. However, I won't do this with my sister and Alec (villian) because it'll sound more authentic if they're running and you can't quite hear them. However, come the final product and it doesn't sound that great then I'll go back and have them throw their voices in.
Friday 15 January 2010
Sound Test
Today, to get a bit a head, I decided to record some of Vivian's speaking bits. Mainly her blood curdling scream. However, before we did this I played with the microphone. At the same time, a noisy Year 9 class came in to pratice their oral exams. Our class room became extremely loud and the test was difficult. It showed me one thing.
No matter how good of a microphone you got, the room you're in has to be deadly silent for it to record right. A Year 9 class behind you is not ideal. I think I'll wait till after school.
No matter how good of a microphone you got, the room you're in has to be deadly silent for it to record right. A Year 9 class behind you is not ideal. I think I'll wait till after school.
Monday 11 January 2010
Time Management Entry
Alright we're coming down to the wire. Ten weeks to go before the deadline! Our teacher would like us to start filming by this weekend.
I just got really one major thing to do which is pictures of my actors, props and costumes. That will all happen in one big swoop. I'll try and get all the pictures up by the weekend and hopefully start filming next week!
Now as you've probably read from a lot of other people, we've had a huge snow fall. This, does not effect me. Actually, I was really hoping to film in the snow cause it'll add quite a cool effect to everything. The only big downfall is if I have to go back and refilm something. The snow may be gone or there'll be tracks where its supposed to be clear. So I'll spend a little more time filming. But that said, snow=cold. My actors are going to freeze. Maybe I'll get lucky and things will warm up but I doubt it.
We'll just see. If worst comes to worst and things aren't working out, I'll fall upon my last resort and film at school.
I just got really one major thing to do which is pictures of my actors, props and costumes. That will all happen in one big swoop. I'll try and get all the pictures up by the weekend and hopefully start filming next week!
Now as you've probably read from a lot of other people, we've had a huge snow fall. This, does not effect me. Actually, I was really hoping to film in the snow cause it'll add quite a cool effect to everything. The only big downfall is if I have to go back and refilm something. The snow may be gone or there'll be tracks where its supposed to be clear. So I'll spend a little more time filming. But that said, snow=cold. My actors are going to freeze. Maybe I'll get lucky and things will warm up but I doubt it.
We'll just see. If worst comes to worst and things aren't working out, I'll fall upon my last resort and film at school.
Script
Well I've written the story thousands of times so I'll just type up what the actors say despite the fact that a normal script is a very detailed with where the camera is and stuff and where the actors move to. I'll just give a brief description of where the actors are and that'll be it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Princess Hope is running with the camera, when she turns her head before she trips-
Prince Lupus: You're mine!
Princess Hope: *trips*
On the bridge after Princess Hope runs past the camera-
Prince Lupus: Get back here by order of the King!
Princess Hope: *stops and turns her head* YOU'LL NEVER BE KING! *jumps to attack*
When the Princess arrives at the Portal-
Princess Hope: *raises her sword to her and whispers* Activate...
Prince Lupus: DON'T YOU DARE!
Princess Hope: *whips her head around before throwing the sword into the portal*
Prince Lupus: *in the background* NO!
Princess Hope: *falls back then looks up at Prince Lupus* You lose...
Sword lands in front of Vivian-
Vivian: What the hell?! *runs up to it before suddenly looking up and gasping then screaming*
Prince Lupus: *raises sword* Foolish girl... I win. MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Very, very basic script but I don't have that much dialogue. Its more left up to the audience what's happening with a bit of narrative. Hopefully the audience will get she's running away from him. She's the heroine and he's the villian and Vivian is just the decoy. Awesomesauce.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Princess Hope is running with the camera, when she turns her head before she trips-
Prince Lupus: You're mine!
Princess Hope: *trips*
On the bridge after Princess Hope runs past the camera-
Prince Lupus: Get back here by order of the King!
Princess Hope: *stops and turns her head* YOU'LL NEVER BE KING! *jumps to attack*
When the Princess arrives at the Portal-
Princess Hope: *raises her sword to her and whispers* Activate...
Prince Lupus: DON'T YOU DARE!
Princess Hope: *whips her head around before throwing the sword into the portal*
Prince Lupus: *in the background* NO!
Princess Hope: *falls back then looks up at Prince Lupus* You lose...
Sword lands in front of Vivian-
Vivian: What the hell?! *runs up to it before suddenly looking up and gasping then screaming*
Prince Lupus: *raises sword* Foolish girl... I win. MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Very, very basic script but I don't have that much dialogue. Its more left up to the audience what's happening with a bit of narrative. Hopefully the audience will get she's running away from him. She's the heroine and he's the villian and Vivian is just the decoy. Awesomesauce.
Checklist Update
Its been a few weeks now and I've covered most of my check list. This is just the tick list. Bold/italics is what's done.
1. Mind Map Ideas
2. Power-Point of Idea
3. Film Treatment
4. Story Board of Opening Scene
5. Photos of Location(s)
6. Photos of Costume(s)
7. Photos of Actor(s)
8. Photos of Prop(s)
9. Questionnaire (Facebook)
10. Research Other Blogs
11. Research Openings of Genre
12. Research Music (YouTube, FreePlayMusic etc.)
13. Write-Up Script
14. Note Down Shot Types
15. Upload Practice Shots (Optional)
Now then, that's 10/15 done. The actors, costumes and props is very easy and I should have that up very soon. The script I will do in my next post so that's why its ticked off. I'll also upload the Powerpoint. Its done just not uploaded yet. As for the fifteenth one, I don't think its too nessercery to do so. Plus I don't have the time due to weather. If I film bits now and the weather changes dramatically come the actual film it'll look odd. So yeah techincally only four to go! Woo!
1. Mind Map Ideas
2. Power-Point of Idea
3. Film Treatment
4. Story Board of Opening Scene
5. Photos of Location(s)
6. Photos of Costume(s)
7. Photos of Actor(s)
8. Photos of Prop(s)
9. Questionnaire (Facebook)
10. Research Other Blogs
11. Research Openings of Genre
12. Research Music (YouTube, FreePlayMusic etc.)
13. Write-Up Script
14. Note Down Shot Types
15. Upload Practice Shots (Optional)
Now then, that's 10/15 done. The actors, costumes and props is very easy and I should have that up very soon. The script I will do in my next post so that's why its ticked off. I'll also upload the Powerpoint. Its done just not uploaded yet. As for the fifteenth one, I don't think its too nessercery to do so. Plus I don't have the time due to weather. If I film bits now and the weather changes dramatically come the actual film it'll look odd. So yeah techincally only four to go! Woo!
Tuesday 5 January 2010
Locational Photo's- Problems
I found one huge problem with the field. As I stated in my Delays post, its been raining a lot. And with rain, comes floods. The two photos below show some of the flooded areas of the field which might cause complications if it get's worse.
Watching the weather, its only supposed to get colder. Image two is a deep puddle covered by ice. Any colder and we might have to worry about ice hazards. When I was walking around, the ground was hard. Actually, this is good because it'll make filming easier for the still shots and the tripod to stay put. So we'll just see. Hopefully the weather stays good. I think it'd be really awesome to film in snow! That would add some cool effects. Maybe I could even go back to filming in the evening since snow glows blue under the moon!
Watching the weather, its only supposed to get colder. Image two is a deep puddle covered by ice. Any colder and we might have to worry about ice hazards. When I was walking around, the ground was hard. Actually, this is good because it'll make filming easier for the still shots and the tripod to stay put. So we'll just see. Hopefully the weather stays good. I think it'd be really awesome to film in snow! That would add some cool effects. Maybe I could even go back to filming in the evening since snow glows blue under the moon!
Sunday 3 January 2010
Locational Photos- Possible Variations
Now as I stated in my last blog post, the one scene I wanted to shoot is no longer possible. So as I was walking along I came across this cool bridge and thought that might be something cool to film. Have the brief fight scene take place on the bridge. It would work just as the scene where she burst through the trees worked. She come around the left bush and then shortly after Prince Lupus appears behind and says his line.
This was a cool spot. I doubt I'll use it but I just posted it in the event that maybe I get a cooler idea.
Like the arch, I found this hill when exploring. It's actually better than the one I was thinking of orginally. The first shot above is of the path my sister would run along followed by where'd she'd trip. I think I'll use this instead of the orginal.
Saturday 2 January 2010
Locational Pictures- Storyboard
Alright well I did it. I managed to get down to the field to take some pictures of my main location. Now I took a lot of pictures for different things so I'm breaking them up in small posts. This first post is the locational shots I drew in the Storyboard.
These are the top of the field that I'll be filming at. This isn't actually featured in the storyboard but its here to give you an idea of what this area looks like on a whole.
This is the first pan shot basically or the establishing shot of the field. As you can see in the second picture there is a bit of rubbish so I know I'll have to think about cleaning up a bit. As for the fence, I can't really do anything about that but I'm pretty sure it won't take anyway away from the shot. I might whack some titles over it to hide if its really a problem.
This is the fork in the road where Princess Hope slides and then runs towards the camera. Okay, so the tree isn't actually there but you can see that the path does split.
Jumping ahead a bit, unfortunately my original spot for this scene to be shot grew over so the pictures above are other possible entrances that my sister could burst through. None look nearly as impressive as that first which made me reconsider a different idea which I have posted in the next post.
Here are different field shots where potentially the battle between Prince Lupus and Princess Hope takes place. The second shot with the horses in the background I won't have to worry about. Since being a fantasy film, it wouldn't be unnatural to see horses.
And finally, the arch. After hours of searching, I found my portal! Woo! I think its quite good too.
These are the top of the field that I'll be filming at. This isn't actually featured in the storyboard but its here to give you an idea of what this area looks like on a whole.
This is the first pan shot basically or the establishing shot of the field. As you can see in the second picture there is a bit of rubbish so I know I'll have to think about cleaning up a bit. As for the fence, I can't really do anything about that but I'm pretty sure it won't take anyway away from the shot. I might whack some titles over it to hide if its really a problem.
This is the fork in the road where Princess Hope slides and then runs towards the camera. Okay, so the tree isn't actually there but you can see that the path does split.
Jumping ahead a bit, unfortunately my original spot for this scene to be shot grew over so the pictures above are other possible entrances that my sister could burst through. None look nearly as impressive as that first which made me reconsider a different idea which I have posted in the next post.
Here are different field shots where potentially the battle between Prince Lupus and Princess Hope takes place. The second shot with the horses in the background I won't have to worry about. Since being a fantasy film, it wouldn't be unnatural to see horses.
And finally, the arch. After hours of searching, I found my portal! Woo! I think its quite good too.
Thursday 31 December 2009
Delays
Well unfortunately the weather (as always) turned out worse than expected so it was nearly impossible for me to even attempt to go down to the field to take pictures. This presents a rather large dilemma. Mud is one thing but what if it rains the whole time of our filming slot? Sure there's no point worrying about "What if's" but its something to consider.
Out door locations are very dependent on weather. If it appears the weather won't change during our time to film, I may have to consider an indoor set such as the school. Hopefully things get better. Tomorrow, I'll try my hardest to get pictures though according to my weather map, it doesn't look so.
Out door locations are very dependent on weather. If it appears the weather won't change during our time to film, I may have to consider an indoor set such as the school. Hopefully things get better. Tomorrow, I'll try my hardest to get pictures though according to my weather map, it doesn't look so.
Monday 28 December 2009
Time Management
Tomorrow (Tuesday the 29th) is calling for rain later in the afternoon so I'll be getting up early to get some pictures of the filming site. I'll be taking pictures about 6:30 a.m until about 10 a.m.
Hopefully, the rains will stay off. If it does rain I'll just wait till early Wednesday morning.
Hopefully, the rains will stay off. If it does rain I'll just wait till early Wednesday morning.
Facebook Questionaire
So after posting my storyboard on Youtube, I designed a Questionaire on Facebook to recieve some feedback from my friends.
1. What genre do you believe this is?
2. What did you think?
3. Is there anything you feel it needs?
4. How old are you?
5. What gender are you? (I'll be scared if you put, I don't know)
6. Would you go to see this?
7. What certificate would you give this film just from the storyboard?
8. What is your favorite genre of film?
9. Who's your favorite director?
10. What do you think of the type of music I have selected?
The results were quite postive. A lot of good feedback. I asked 20 of my friends aged between 14-22. Though this being Facebook, only 9 got back to me. However, this was still good and gave me very clear results.
For number one, most said fantasy/sci-fi/horror. This is good because this means, just from the storyboard, they were able to determine genre which means I kept to the conventions.
For number two and three, a lot of people said the narration wasn't clear. However, this was just a storyboard and I forgot to put what the heck was happening in it. Also, the intro isn't meant to be too clear till the end.
Question four, my friends were ranged between 14-22. I purposely chose these people because they're my targetted audience.
Question five actually landed roughly equal with five boys and four girls.
Most people for question six announced yes though I believe this is just for the sake of knowing me. Once again, most of them stated they needed more narration.
The Age Certificate was quite uniamous. 7 out of 9 said said PG-13 (or 12) while the other two were quite unsure.
Number eight and nine were just general questions just to see what people would answer. Since I have such a varied mixture of friends, as predicted, they all came out different ranging from Fantasy to Rom-Com's.
Number 10 involved their thoughts on music. This was rather positive saying it added to the scene well and made it more excitement which was very pleasing to hear.
1. What genre do you believe this is?
2. What did you think?
3. Is there anything you feel it needs?
4. How old are you?
5. What gender are you? (I'll be scared if you put, I don't know)
6. Would you go to see this?
7. What certificate would you give this film just from the storyboard?
8. What is your favorite genre of film?
9. Who's your favorite director?
10. What do you think of the type of music I have selected?
The results were quite postive. A lot of good feedback. I asked 20 of my friends aged between 14-22. Though this being Facebook, only 9 got back to me. However, this was still good and gave me very clear results.
For number one, most said fantasy/sci-fi/horror. This is good because this means, just from the storyboard, they were able to determine genre which means I kept to the conventions.
For number two and three, a lot of people said the narration wasn't clear. However, this was just a storyboard and I forgot to put what the heck was happening in it. Also, the intro isn't meant to be too clear till the end.
Question four, my friends were ranged between 14-22. I purposely chose these people because they're my targetted audience.
Question five actually landed roughly equal with five boys and four girls.
Most people for question six announced yes though I believe this is just for the sake of knowing me. Once again, most of them stated they needed more narration.
The Age Certificate was quite uniamous. 7 out of 9 said said PG-13 (or 12) while the other two were quite unsure.
Number eight and nine were just general questions just to see what people would answer. Since I have such a varied mixture of friends, as predicted, they all came out different ranging from Fantasy to Rom-Com's.
Number 10 involved their thoughts on music. This was rather positive saying it added to the scene well and made it more excitement which was very pleasing to hear.
Wednesday 23 December 2009
Storyboard Animatic
So yeah, it totaled 1:50 with all the shots cut at the time. Even without most of the title screens, this gives me a great idea about how the film's gonna play out. The music is Def Con by Globus. This is not the song I am going to use (cause its copyrighted)but its the song type I wanna use. Fast pace that get's you sitting on the edge of your seat. I was going to add voices but then I realized I didn't have the computer program to do so properly.
Enjoy!
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Shot List
Shot 1: Establishing shot- Pan of Fields
Shot 2: Close up- Princess Hope's feet
Shot 3: Long, wide shot- Princess sliding at fork in the road
Shot 4: Mid shot- Princess running towards camera
Shot 5: Worm's view- Princess jumping over camera
Shot 6: Worm's view- Villain (Prince Lupus) jumping over camera
Shot 7: Mid shot, slight low angle- Side view of Vivian
Shot 8: Long shot- Front, full view of Vivian before panning around to behind a tree
Shot 9: Mid shot- Side view of Princess running
Shot 10: POV, handheld- Princess's view of path in front of her then she turns her head back causing her to fall
Shot 11: Wide Shot, Still- Princess rolling down the hill
Shot 12: Close up- Princess's face as she hits the ground
Shot 13: Low angle canted- Vivian walking under a bridge
Shot 14: Wide, long angle- Wall of trees as Princess bursts through followed closely by Prince
Shot 15: Cut to Mid Shot- Prince Lupus shouting
Shot 16: Cut to Mid Shot- Princess Hope replying
Shot 17: Long shot, side view- Princess Hope suddenly turning around, swinging the sword
Shot 18: Mid shot, front view- Princess Hope jumping and raising the sword above her head
Shot 19: Close up- Blade slicing inches in front of the camera
Shot 20: Extreme close up- Prince Lupus's bloodied hand with Princess Hope running off into the distance. Soon as she disappears, Prince's hand moves
Shot 21: Mid shot, back view, handheld- Back of Princess's head as she's running away
Shot 22: Long, wide shot, side view- Princess running through forest
Shot 23: Mid shot, front view- Princess running up to camera then panting
Shot 24: Mid shot, 3/4 behind view- Princess looking up at two trees forming an arch
Shot 25: Extreme Close up- Princess's mouth breathing the word, "Activate" and raising the sword to her forehead
Shot 26: Mid shot, side view- Princess standing still with her eyes shut until she hears Prince Lupus behind her
Shot 27: Mid shot, 2/4 view- Princess throwing blade into the activated portal
Shot 28: Mid shot, front view- Princess shielding her eyes with her arms from intense light
Shot 29: Long shot, side view- Princess flying backwards
Shot 30: Mid shot, bird's eye view- Looking down at Princess lying, exhausted on the ground with a smile on her face
Shot 31: POV- Looking up at Prince Lupus from Princess's POV with scowl on his expression
Shot 32: Cut back to Princess, same shot- Princess laughs
Shot 33: Black screen with the words and Princess saying, "You lose" followed by blade stab
Shot 34: Close up- Blade in grab with Vivian in the distance then she runs up to it remaining focussed on her feet
Shot 35: Mid shot, side view- Vivian suddenly looking up and gasping before cutting to a black screen with her scream
Shot 36: Mid shot, back view- Vivian lying dead with a stab through her back and Prince Lupus standing over her
Shot 37: Mid shot- Prince Lupus's torso with his mouth and focuss on the bloodied blade in his hands
Shot 38: Close up- Prince Lupus's mouth as he speaks
Ends with a fading black screen as he laughs evilly.
Shot 2: Close up- Princess Hope's feet
Shot 3: Long, wide shot- Princess sliding at fork in the road
Shot 4: Mid shot- Princess running towards camera
Shot 5: Worm's view- Princess jumping over camera
Shot 6: Worm's view- Villain (Prince Lupus) jumping over camera
Shot 7: Mid shot, slight low angle- Side view of Vivian
Shot 8: Long shot- Front, full view of Vivian before panning around to behind a tree
Shot 9: Mid shot- Side view of Princess running
Shot 10: POV, handheld- Princess's view of path in front of her then she turns her head back causing her to fall
Shot 11: Wide Shot, Still- Princess rolling down the hill
Shot 12: Close up- Princess's face as she hits the ground
Shot 13: Low angle canted- Vivian walking under a bridge
Shot 14: Wide, long angle- Wall of trees as Princess bursts through followed closely by Prince
Shot 15: Cut to Mid Shot- Prince Lupus shouting
Shot 16: Cut to Mid Shot- Princess Hope replying
Shot 17: Long shot, side view- Princess Hope suddenly turning around, swinging the sword
Shot 18: Mid shot, front view- Princess Hope jumping and raising the sword above her head
Shot 19: Close up- Blade slicing inches in front of the camera
Shot 20: Extreme close up- Prince Lupus's bloodied hand with Princess Hope running off into the distance. Soon as she disappears, Prince's hand moves
Shot 21: Mid shot, back view, handheld- Back of Princess's head as she's running away
Shot 22: Long, wide shot, side view- Princess running through forest
Shot 23: Mid shot, front view- Princess running up to camera then panting
Shot 24: Mid shot, 3/4 behind view- Princess looking up at two trees forming an arch
Shot 25: Extreme Close up- Princess's mouth breathing the word, "Activate" and raising the sword to her forehead
Shot 26: Mid shot, side view- Princess standing still with her eyes shut until she hears Prince Lupus behind her
Shot 27: Mid shot, 2/4 view- Princess throwing blade into the activated portal
Shot 28: Mid shot, front view- Princess shielding her eyes with her arms from intense light
Shot 29: Long shot, side view- Princess flying backwards
Shot 30: Mid shot, bird's eye view- Looking down at Princess lying, exhausted on the ground with a smile on her face
Shot 31: POV- Looking up at Prince Lupus from Princess's POV with scowl on his expression
Shot 32: Cut back to Princess, same shot- Princess laughs
Shot 33: Black screen with the words and Princess saying, "You lose" followed by blade stab
Shot 34: Close up- Blade in grab with Vivian in the distance then she runs up to it remaining focussed on her feet
Shot 35: Mid shot, side view- Vivian suddenly looking up and gasping before cutting to a black screen with her scream
Shot 36: Mid shot, back view- Vivian lying dead with a stab through her back and Prince Lupus standing over her
Shot 37: Mid shot- Prince Lupus's torso with his mouth and focuss on the bloodied blade in his hands
Shot 38: Close up- Prince Lupus's mouth as he speaks
Ends with a fading black screen as he laughs evilly.
Wednesday 9 December 2009
Film Treatment- Opening 2 minutes
The opening begins with the two production companies followed by the title on black screens. After the title sequence ends, the screen flashes white and the scene suddenly appears behind a dark tree give contrast very similar to Terminator 2 opening. The camera immediately begins to pan left revealing a large field with trees behind it; the establishing shot. It is early morning and there is a strange uneasiness. All is quiet save some asyncronous sounds of crows. We hear wings fluttering by and suddenly the shot changes to a close up of a girl's feet running past the camera and the fast paced music slowly fades in. We cut to a long shot of the girl sliding to a stop at a fork in the road then running towards the camera.
Just before she hits, the camera shot changes again to a worm's eye view where the girl leaps over- followed a few seconds later by my villain, Prince Lupus, jumping over. The moment he passes, the scene cuts to a black screen with the Director's name, producer's name and editor's name in white (my name). That fades to a completely new scene of a young girl walking past the camera from the side view. She is smiling with a phone in her hand playing music and a bag in her arm. There is a surrean almost unreal calm in this peaceful location. There is no non-digetci music playing over giving the audience a sense, something bad's going to happen. We cut to a long shot of her walking towards the camera but slowly start to pan right behind a tree fading into the next title sequence listing the first actor. The title sequence fades back to a close up of the girl's face from a side view. I'll be running beside her giving the camera a shaky feel. Her breathing is really emphasized with the dark music playing over it but just lightly. It cuts again to a black screen with the second actor's name then back to the chase. This time the camera is in her hand giving us a POV shot. Her breathing is even harder and louder. She suddenly trips when attempting to look back and then we cut to a wide shot of her rolling down a hill. The camera then cuts to a close up of her face as she hits the ground with a loud thud. The third actors title screen comes up, this time listing all the final actors.
As you can see, editing is speeding up trying to get the audience's hearts racing. But just as tension is built, we cut back to a low angle on Vivian beginning to walk under a bridge. The shot fades into another black title screen listing the music producer. Unlike the previous times, the next shot cuts suddenly to a wall of trees and then Princess Hope bursting through now clutching the sword in her hand. She is covered in mud (from her fall) save her face which still radiates somewhat. Prince Lupus marches out behind her then shouts, "GET BACK HERE BY THE ORDER OF THE KING!!!"
Princess Hope briefly turns her head to look back at Prince Lupus and shouts, "YOU'LL NEVER BE KING!!!"
With that we cut to a long shot of her whirling around. She goes to jump then we cut to a front mid-shot, high angle view of her jumping towars Prince Lupus with the Moonblade above her head. She slashes down just inches in front of the camera. The scene fades to a black title screen of the Screenplay Director, Script Writer and Casting Director (me). It fades to a close-up shot of the villian's hand with blood splatter. In the distance we can just see Princess Hope running away. As she disappears out of sight, the villian's hand moves.
All sound cuts leaving the sound of her breathing and a faint heart beat as we cut to a mid-shot of the back of her head with a hand held camera. It cuts to a long, wide shot of a forest with her running through some trees. It cuts to her running up to the camera then bending over and panting heavily. The camera spins around to a 3/4 long shot from behind of her standing up and staring at two trees that form sort of an oval shape. It cuts to a close-up of her mouth as she raises the sword to her lips and breathes the word, "Activate."
We cut to a mid shot of her resting her head against the sword as a faint whirring. Suddenly Prince Lupus shouts, "DON'T YOU DARE!" causing her to turn her head. Ignoring him she turns back around and flings the sword into the portal. We cut to a mid-shot front view of her covering her eyes with her arms as a bright light suddenly shines on her face. She suddenly goes flying backwards and we cut to a match-on-action shot of the same fall from the side at a slightly longer angle. We then cut to a mid-shot of her hitting the ground and looking up at the sky. There is an expression of relief on her face. This scene is slowed down and a sad piano piece plays gently hinting she's about to die. She laughs as we cut to a mid shot of Prince Lupus leaning over with a scowl on his face. We cut to another black screen where the words, "You lose" appear with her reading them. We then hear a blade stabbing down and the black screen fades to the final scene with Vivian walking towards the sword. She screams, "What the hell?!" Then runs up to the blade that has just suddenly appear however the shot just remains on the bottom of the sword. We cut to a close-up, side view of her head suddenly snapping up and she gasping.
The screen cuts to black where we hear a blood curdling scream from Vivian then we cut back to a mid-shot of her lying dead on the ground with a stab wound in her back and Prince Lupus standing over her with the sword in hand. The camera rolls over her then slowly rises up his body to the bloody sword in his hand and just a smile on his face. It cuts to a close-up of his mouth with him smiling and saying, "Foolish girl... such a pitfal attempt. Like I said, I am the new ruler of this world. None...will stop me."
The screen cuts to black as an evil laughter echoes over.
Just before she hits, the camera shot changes again to a worm's eye view where the girl leaps over- followed a few seconds later by my villain, Prince Lupus, jumping over. The moment he passes, the scene cuts to a black screen with the Director's name, producer's name and editor's name in white (my name). That fades to a completely new scene of a young girl walking past the camera from the side view. She is smiling with a phone in her hand playing music and a bag in her arm. There is a surrean almost unreal calm in this peaceful location. There is no non-digetci music playing over giving the audience a sense, something bad's going to happen. We cut to a long shot of her walking towards the camera but slowly start to pan right behind a tree fading into the next title sequence listing the first actor. The title sequence fades back to a close up of the girl's face from a side view. I'll be running beside her giving the camera a shaky feel. Her breathing is really emphasized with the dark music playing over it but just lightly. It cuts again to a black screen with the second actor's name then back to the chase. This time the camera is in her hand giving us a POV shot. Her breathing is even harder and louder. She suddenly trips when attempting to look back and then we cut to a wide shot of her rolling down a hill. The camera then cuts to a close up of her face as she hits the ground with a loud thud. The third actors title screen comes up, this time listing all the final actors.
As you can see, editing is speeding up trying to get the audience's hearts racing. But just as tension is built, we cut back to a low angle on Vivian beginning to walk under a bridge. The shot fades into another black title screen listing the music producer. Unlike the previous times, the next shot cuts suddenly to a wall of trees and then Princess Hope bursting through now clutching the sword in her hand. She is covered in mud (from her fall) save her face which still radiates somewhat. Prince Lupus marches out behind her then shouts, "GET BACK HERE BY THE ORDER OF THE KING!!!"
Princess Hope briefly turns her head to look back at Prince Lupus and shouts, "YOU'LL NEVER BE KING!!!"
With that we cut to a long shot of her whirling around. She goes to jump then we cut to a front mid-shot, high angle view of her jumping towars Prince Lupus with the Moonblade above her head. She slashes down just inches in front of the camera. The scene fades to a black title screen of the Screenplay Director, Script Writer and Casting Director (me). It fades to a close-up shot of the villian's hand with blood splatter. In the distance we can just see Princess Hope running away. As she disappears out of sight, the villian's hand moves.
All sound cuts leaving the sound of her breathing and a faint heart beat as we cut to a mid-shot of the back of her head with a hand held camera. It cuts to a long, wide shot of a forest with her running through some trees. It cuts to her running up to the camera then bending over and panting heavily. The camera spins around to a 3/4 long shot from behind of her standing up and staring at two trees that form sort of an oval shape. It cuts to a close-up of her mouth as she raises the sword to her lips and breathes the word, "Activate."
We cut to a mid shot of her resting her head against the sword as a faint whirring. Suddenly Prince Lupus shouts, "DON'T YOU DARE!" causing her to turn her head. Ignoring him she turns back around and flings the sword into the portal. We cut to a mid-shot front view of her covering her eyes with her arms as a bright light suddenly shines on her face. She suddenly goes flying backwards and we cut to a match-on-action shot of the same fall from the side at a slightly longer angle. We then cut to a mid-shot of her hitting the ground and looking up at the sky. There is an expression of relief on her face. This scene is slowed down and a sad piano piece plays gently hinting she's about to die. She laughs as we cut to a mid shot of Prince Lupus leaning over with a scowl on his face. We cut to another black screen where the words, "You lose" appear with her reading them. We then hear a blade stabbing down and the black screen fades to the final scene with Vivian walking towards the sword. She screams, "What the hell?!" Then runs up to the blade that has just suddenly appear however the shot just remains on the bottom of the sword. We cut to a close-up, side view of her head suddenly snapping up and she gasping.
The screen cuts to black where we hear a blood curdling scream from Vivian then we cut back to a mid-shot of her lying dead on the ground with a stab wound in her back and Prince Lupus standing over her with the sword in hand. The camera rolls over her then slowly rises up his body to the bloody sword in his hand and just a smile on his face. It cuts to a close-up of his mouth with him smiling and saying, "Foolish girl... such a pitfal attempt. Like I said, I am the new ruler of this world. None...will stop me."
The screen cuts to black as an evil laughter echoes over.
Tuesday 8 December 2009
Terminator 2: Judgement Day- Opening Analysis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcisPdJVNl8
The opening of Terminator 2 is a really good opening. It was quite slow but effective. It opens with a high angle Establishing shot of heavy trafic down a street. This gives no indication to what city it is but it gives us a clear indication of time (90's, modern) and setting because most congested streets are located in and around cities. It cuts to a mid-shot of people crossing the busy street- still no indication of setting. This is setting up a norm. That these people are living normal lives without even thinking twice about suddenly being burned to death. There is quite ominous sad music playing over top. Sound is the most effective piece of this opening. We know just from the music, this scene isn't going to last.
The scene cuts to children playing in a playground and in particular a girl swining on a swing. The camera follows the girl then it begins to slow. The sound and movements slow. The girl's laughter suddenly becomes unsettling. There is something oddly scary about a young girl's laughter that is really chilling. Steadily the music builds into a creshendo which builds tension and the screen is fading to white until it suddenly immediately cuts into what looks like a skeleton sitting in a car. There is a sudden contrast in everything; light, sound and mise-en-scene. Its night time, there is no longer any sound save a light wind blowing a piece of metal around and everything and everyone is burned. We're only like 25 seconds in an already just from this the plot is realized. It is also here the city is revealed but no real evidence (since its destroyed) to if it really is Los Angeles. A very clever low-budget trick. The camera slowly pans up fading the camera shot from a close-up to a long/wide shot of the full devastion. It then smoothly cuts to another close-up pan of remains of the playground we saw earlier with skulls lining the ground.
This is a complete parallel to what we saw 15 seconds ago. It opens with congestion, here it opens with the same congested street with dead bodies. You get the idea. Linda Hamilton's voice then comes over the scene to narrate what happens. We learn why we're staring at scenes of devastion. This really sets up the whole story. The Director mixes light non-digectic sound with a non-digectic narration as well as Digectic sounds playing in the background. A really effective piece that really sets up location and story. As she finishes her narration, the camera zooms into a single skull in the dirt and stays for a second allowing time for the audience to lean and try to figure out what they're looking for then WHAM suddenly a large metal foot comes down and crushes the skull causing everyone to jump.
Silence is a very good tension builder. Silence is very unsettling because we live in a world where hearing nothing is nearly impossible and when we do, its quite scary. For a whole minute we watch an epic battle scene between man and machine but the camera remains simple. At the two minute marker (the length of our films) we have the plot but its not till 2:30 that Linda Hamilton finishes her narration; giving us a summary of the first film then a little taste of this one: "The second (Terminator) was sent to attack John himself when he was just a boy..."
Now our films can only be a maxium of 2:10 however, the time between 1 minute and 2 minutes was just battle scenes. The narration took thirty seconds so it could be very easy to do something similar in our own films. Maybe not recreate a battle scene like that but just the camera work, mise-en-scene, sound and lighting. All of it was relatively simple. James Cameron usually only used close-ups, long/wide shots and mid shots. That's pretty much it.
A little note on titles; the titles always appeared in the middle of the scene in white. It started with the Production companies followed by the director's name and producers. Very simple but effective again. You could see it but it didn't take anything away from the scene behind it.
Also the editing is quite interesting. As the clip goes on it picks up pace. Shots become shorter and it cuts faster near the end.
All in all, a very good piece.
The opening of Terminator 2 is a really good opening. It was quite slow but effective. It opens with a high angle Establishing shot of heavy trafic down a street. This gives no indication to what city it is but it gives us a clear indication of time (90's, modern) and setting because most congested streets are located in and around cities. It cuts to a mid-shot of people crossing the busy street- still no indication of setting. This is setting up a norm. That these people are living normal lives without even thinking twice about suddenly being burned to death. There is quite ominous sad music playing over top. Sound is the most effective piece of this opening. We know just from the music, this scene isn't going to last.
The scene cuts to children playing in a playground and in particular a girl swining on a swing. The camera follows the girl then it begins to slow. The sound and movements slow. The girl's laughter suddenly becomes unsettling. There is something oddly scary about a young girl's laughter that is really chilling. Steadily the music builds into a creshendo which builds tension and the screen is fading to white until it suddenly immediately cuts into what looks like a skeleton sitting in a car. There is a sudden contrast in everything; light, sound and mise-en-scene. Its night time, there is no longer any sound save a light wind blowing a piece of metal around and everything and everyone is burned. We're only like 25 seconds in an already just from this the plot is realized. It is also here the city is revealed but no real evidence (since its destroyed) to if it really is Los Angeles. A very clever low-budget trick. The camera slowly pans up fading the camera shot from a close-up to a long/wide shot of the full devastion. It then smoothly cuts to another close-up pan of remains of the playground we saw earlier with skulls lining the ground.
This is a complete parallel to what we saw 15 seconds ago. It opens with congestion, here it opens with the same congested street with dead bodies. You get the idea. Linda Hamilton's voice then comes over the scene to narrate what happens. We learn why we're staring at scenes of devastion. This really sets up the whole story. The Director mixes light non-digectic sound with a non-digectic narration as well as Digectic sounds playing in the background. A really effective piece that really sets up location and story. As she finishes her narration, the camera zooms into a single skull in the dirt and stays for a second allowing time for the audience to lean and try to figure out what they're looking for then WHAM suddenly a large metal foot comes down and crushes the skull causing everyone to jump.
Silence is a very good tension builder. Silence is very unsettling because we live in a world where hearing nothing is nearly impossible and when we do, its quite scary. For a whole minute we watch an epic battle scene between man and machine but the camera remains simple. At the two minute marker (the length of our films) we have the plot but its not till 2:30 that Linda Hamilton finishes her narration; giving us a summary of the first film then a little taste of this one: "The second (Terminator) was sent to attack John himself when he was just a boy..."
Now our films can only be a maxium of 2:10 however, the time between 1 minute and 2 minutes was just battle scenes. The narration took thirty seconds so it could be very easy to do something similar in our own films. Maybe not recreate a battle scene like that but just the camera work, mise-en-scene, sound and lighting. All of it was relatively simple. James Cameron usually only used close-ups, long/wide shots and mid shots. That's pretty much it.
A little note on titles; the titles always appeared in the middle of the scene in white. It started with the Production companies followed by the director's name and producers. Very simple but effective again. You could see it but it didn't take anything away from the scene behind it.
Also the editing is quite interesting. As the clip goes on it picks up pace. Shots become shorter and it cuts faster near the end.
All in all, a very good piece.
Friday 4 December 2009
Music Research
Now, as I stated in my soon-to-be-uploaded slide show, I plan to add in music afterwards cause its a lot easier to see how the scene looks before deciding what would fit rather than the other way around.
However, I do have the scene in my head so here are some possible ideas. These songs are copyrighted so I can't use them but they'll give an idea of what I'm after.
Def Con- Immediate Music
Another idea is something someone made for a villain from the Sonic the Hedgehog series (ignore the video) but the song is creepy but has a nice beat behind it.
However, I do have the scene in my head so here are some possible ideas. These songs are copyrighted so I can't use them but they'll give an idea of what I'm after.
Def Con- Immediate Music
Another idea is something someone made for a villain from the Sonic the Hedgehog series (ignore the video) but the song is creepy but has a nice beat behind it.
Blog Evaluation 1
Alright so a few before filming, my teacher requested we evaluate our blogs at this current stage ad give it a current mark as if it were the exam board (yikes!)
As you've probably seen up to this stage, there isn't too- much to erm mark. However, this gives me a good idea what needs to be done and I do know what must be done.
Here's where this blog is setting at now:
1. There is basic research into similar products and a potential target audience (well I do know my target audience...just gotta show it)- Level 2
~I am going to be improving this relatively soon. More research into fantasy films and pitch my idea to my target audience and have them vote.
2. There is Proficent organization of Actors, Location, Costumes or Props- Level 3
~I have my actors, I have my location and I have my props. Costume is just the last detail needed though my sister and I have started working on her dress. Its almost completely. I'll be getting in contact with my villain to organize his costume (yes its a he). Pictures will provided within the next couple of weeks.
3. There is basic work on shotlists, layouts, scripting or storyboarding- Level 2
~In other words, I've written about it but its still on paper. I am planning by next week to have all that stuff uploaded.
4. There is a good level of care in the presentation of the research and planning- High 3/Low 4
~I will upload then my powerpoint of ideas and what my class thought of it.
5. Time management is good- Level 3
~ I have everything planned on a schedule that will allow things to go wrong before I run out of time. These films are do in May and if I can get the whole film done (including editing) by March which leaves me April to do Evaluations or final work.
So yeah, on average, a high level 2/low level 3 thus far.
As you've probably seen up to this stage, there isn't too- much to erm mark. However, this gives me a good idea what needs to be done and I do know what must be done.
Here's where this blog is setting at now:
1. There is basic research into similar products and a potential target audience (well I do know my target audience...just gotta show it)- Level 2
~I am going to be improving this relatively soon. More research into fantasy films and pitch my idea to my target audience and have them vote.
2. There is Proficent organization of Actors, Location, Costumes or Props- Level 3
~I have my actors, I have my location and I have my props. Costume is just the last detail needed though my sister and I have started working on her dress. Its almost completely. I'll be getting in contact with my villain to organize his costume (yes its a he). Pictures will provided within the next couple of weeks.
3. There is basic work on shotlists, layouts, scripting or storyboarding- Level 2
~In other words, I've written about it but its still on paper. I am planning by next week to have all that stuff uploaded.
4. There is a good level of care in the presentation of the research and planning- High 3/Low 4
~I will upload then my powerpoint of ideas and what my class thought of it.
5. Time management is good- Level 3
~ I have everything planned on a schedule that will allow things to go wrong before I run out of time. These films are do in May and if I can get the whole film done (including editing) by March which leaves me April to do Evaluations or final work.
So yeah, on average, a high level 2/low level 3 thus far.
Friday 27 November 2009
Locational Research and Cast
Both, have turned out complete failures. After following the advice of my teacher, I attempted to hold auditions for the role of my villain. However, none turned up so I'll change my strategy slightly and ask the drama teacher at my school to recommend people.
And the location? Filming at night, even with the moon, you can't see a thing. I attempted to take some pictures (even with flash) and you couldn't see anyone. So, I'll look to early morning changing the story ever so slightly that my actors are running early morning as they have been running all night (thus introducing the idea they're exhausted). I'll go down to location early morning sometime to find what time slot would be best. I'm really hoping to get a nice thick layer of fog on the ground. That'd be a cool effect.
I'll then post pictures of the Location and the finished costume (which my sister and I have fashioned together)
And the location? Filming at night, even with the moon, you can't see a thing. I attempted to take some pictures (even with flash) and you couldn't see anyone. So, I'll look to early morning changing the story ever so slightly that my actors are running early morning as they have been running all night (thus introducing the idea they're exhausted). I'll go down to location early morning sometime to find what time slot would be best. I'm really hoping to get a nice thick layer of fog on the ground. That'd be a cool effect.
I'll then post pictures of the Location and the finished costume (which my sister and I have fashioned together)
Wednesday 25 November 2009
Film Treatment- Story
Here is my entire plot synopsis. Enjoy!
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The film opens with a young princess is on the run with her mother’s recently forged 10th and final powerful Moon Blade with a man by the name of Lupus Darkening (Jezebel Pandora if a girl) chasing her for it. He is the current Prince of the land waiting his father’s approaching death to rule the people with his ideals; he knows best and those that do not agree are killed. Lupus seeks the ten swords in order to maintain his strong rule. Unlike most films, a wielder is not chosen. Its power works for anyone who knows how to use a sword. After a long and enduring chase and many battles with the protectors of the Moon Blade, Lupus is finally closing the distance between him and his final prize. However Princess Hope is not one to give up. In a final attempt to keep the sword away from Lupus, Hope throws the blade into a time portal to the Modern World (today); one that only opens when it has to.
In anger of losing the sword, Prince Lupus kills the young Princess then arrives to the Modern World by other means; Dark Magic. There, just before a young modern day girl named, Vivian picks up the sword, she is killed and Prince Lupus picks up the final sword then seals off all time portals to prevent anyone from going back and changing history.
~Ten Years Later~
The world is complete and utter chaos. King Lupus was not only using the 10 Moon Blades to defend his throne but also his Dark Magic. He poisoned the lands into an uninhabitable wasteland where the only way people survive is by working in his large castle. That is where our story picks up. A young servant boy named
Tuesday 24 November 2009
Institutional Research
New Line Cinemas would be the perfect film production company to sponsor my film. In the past they have produced films such as Lord of the Rings and the Butterfly Effect and Inkheart as well as many famous horror films like Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th. from this people would know that my film would fall in the Dark Fantasy genre especially from the clip I have chosen when is from the film "Final Destination" but follows the theme of moon. I'll just edit out the sound.
Wednesday 18 November 2009
My Idea Slideshow
This is my powerpoint for my film idea. Its very detailed and I did a lot of research for it. Enjoy!
A lot of people just said, "Be careful not to go too over the top that it looks really bad." Other than that, they liked it!
Film Idea
View more presentations from Tina.
A lot of people just said, "Be careful not to go too over the top that it looks really bad." Other than that, they liked it!
Monday 9 November 2009
Research and Planning "To-Do" List
1. Mind Map Ideas
2. Power-Point of Idea
3. Film Treatment
4. Story Board of Opening Scene
5. Photos of Location(s)
6. Photos of Costume(s)
7. Photos of Actor(s)
8. Photos of Prop(s)
9. Questionnaire (Facebook)
10. Research Other Blogs
11. Research Openings of Genre
12. Research Music (YouTube, FreePlayMusic etc.)
13. Write-Up Script
14. Note Down Shot Types
15. Upload Practice Shots (Optional)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So yeah, seems like a lot but doesn't sound too horrible.
2. Power-Point of Idea
3. Film Treatment
4. Story Board of Opening Scene
5. Photos of Location(s)
6. Photos of Costume(s)
7. Photos of Actor(s)
8. Photos of Prop(s)
9. Questionnaire (Facebook)
10. Research Other Blogs
11. Research Openings of Genre
12. Research Music (YouTube, FreePlayMusic etc.)
13. Write-Up Script
14. Note Down Shot Types
15. Upload Practice Shots (Optional)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So yeah, seems like a lot but doesn't sound too horrible.
Thursday 5 November 2009
Preliminary Conversation Task Evaluation
"What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?"
There are several things I learned through this Preliminary Task. Many of which through trial and error. But first, a brief evaluation of my video.
I used a lot of different types of shots but my main two were high and low angle mid-shots. This was to show the power (or lack of power) to the characters. Watching my video carefully, I actually kept the 180 degree rule and pushed it to its limits without actually ever crossing it. Sound I believe was the strongest part of my video. Only twice did the sound cut out weird causing to drop the audience. But you could hear every line and all the key sound effects such as the door slowly creeking open (which was actually the door sound not one added in later) and the foot steps. The foot steps, I got lucky with. I found a foot steps sound clip on the internet for some non-digetic sound but played with the next scene it didn't quite feet cause their was a definate sound change. The computerized sound effect actually matched perfectly with the steps of my villain. Editing, I struggled with a bit. There are lots of points when things seem out of place or broken. I need to work on that for my final piece. That was the weakness of the piece.
This task showed me several things. One, I was learned a lot more about Adobe. Its quite difficult to get used to but it does provide good results. The key to Adobe is patiences. Take things slow and don't rush. Rushing leads to mistakes or things being cut out (as I found). Also, I learned its okay to play with effects. In fact, I encourage it. The effects helped change the entire mood of my piece and also changed the setting. Save a few chairs and teacher's footsteps, you wouldn't think it a school.
The other main technology I learned about was the actual camera it's self. Like Adobe, the camera just requires a bit of patiences. Its not high quality major movie standard but its still quite good. Just be creative! Don't be afraid to lay on the dirty floor or stand on high things. Oh and don't touch the zoom button. It is a lot easier just to run up to someone (as I did) then edited out all sound or replace it. Plus it adds a nice effect that things are frantic.
There are several things I learned through this Preliminary Task. Many of which through trial and error. But first, a brief evaluation of my video.
I used a lot of different types of shots but my main two were high and low angle mid-shots. This was to show the power (or lack of power) to the characters. Watching my video carefully, I actually kept the 180 degree rule and pushed it to its limits without actually ever crossing it. Sound I believe was the strongest part of my video. Only twice did the sound cut out weird causing to drop the audience. But you could hear every line and all the key sound effects such as the door slowly creeking open (which was actually the door sound not one added in later) and the foot steps. The foot steps, I got lucky with. I found a foot steps sound clip on the internet for some non-digetic sound but played with the next scene it didn't quite feet cause their was a definate sound change. The computerized sound effect actually matched perfectly with the steps of my villain. Editing, I struggled with a bit. There are lots of points when things seem out of place or broken. I need to work on that for my final piece. That was the weakness of the piece.
This task showed me several things. One, I was learned a lot more about Adobe. Its quite difficult to get used to but it does provide good results. The key to Adobe is patiences. Take things slow and don't rush. Rushing leads to mistakes or things being cut out (as I found). Also, I learned its okay to play with effects. In fact, I encourage it. The effects helped change the entire mood of my piece and also changed the setting. Save a few chairs and teacher's footsteps, you wouldn't think it a school.
The other main technology I learned about was the actual camera it's self. Like Adobe, the camera just requires a bit of patiences. Its not high quality major movie standard but its still quite good. Just be creative! Don't be afraid to lay on the dirty floor or stand on high things. Oh and don't touch the zoom button. It is a lot easier just to run up to someone (as I did) then edited out all sound or replace it. Plus it adds a nice effect that things are frantic.
Tuesday 3 November 2009
Preliminary Task- Conversation Piece
After much annoyance, I finally uploaded my Preliminary Task! I hope you enjoy it! I thought it came out quite well.
Tuesday 13 October 2009
Research- Two Romances and a Gansta Flick
So, in class today we watched three openings. The first two were from the Romantic Comedies of Notting Hill then Definitely, Maybe. Then followed by the completely opposite, Goodfellas.
To start off with, Notting Hill:
The film is a Romantic comedy. This is shown in several ways. It starts off with slow, close-up images of the female main character Anne Scotts (Julia Roberts). The camera is also at a slight low angle; looking up at her. This is to get us to love her from the start. It also details what sort of character she is. She's a rich and famous movie star. This is represented through the clothes she wears (very elegant, high-end clothing) and also the background is always paparazzi flashing their cameras. In contrast though, we jump to a bustling busy street of Notting Hill where Hugh Grant's character starts describing it. This is where the comedy comes in. Like he makes jokes of the guy who woke up with a Tattoo saying, "I love Ken." Or people coming out of the hair salon looking like the cookie monster. Also it shows where they live is completely different. She's constantly surrounded by paparazzi while he's surrounded by market, middle-class people. Introducing both characters like so shows that more than likely they are going to meet (and being a romance, fall in love) or influence each other in some way.
Definately, Maybe:
This too, is a romantic comedy... but the opening is portayed quite differently from Notting Hill. It starts off with the main character (Ryan Reynolds) sitting in his office and him recieving a divorce paper. This sort of sets up the whole story. Although, we know divorces are sad so this causes us to feel for the main character. He then steps outside and walks through New York City while listening to a very upbeat, feel good song. Other than the divorce paper, there is really no other indicator within the first two minutes of the film that this is a romance. Many comedy pointers, such as Ryan Reynolds nearly getting run over by a bus but someone stopping him and then they lip, "Thank you" to each other because they both have huge headphones on. Establishing the setting is quite different in this film compared to Notting Hill. Notting Hill, gave us a high angle shot of Notting Hill street then panned over some of the shops whereas here, everything is shot from the main character's point of view. Low angle shots on land marks such as the Empire State Building or Long Shots of Central Park. This also sets the time. Modern day New York.
In completely contrast to these two films, we finished off by watching the opening two minutes of Goodfellas:
This is a definate ganster film. However, it could also be looked at as a Period Drama. The film (as it states after the opening credits) takes place in 1970's New York. There is no real indication of it being New York city (because its pitch black) but there are a few indicators to time. The three men are driving a 70's style car and wearing quite 70's style clothing. The colors are very dark insinuating the theme. Its going to be a dark and violent movie. When the three gansters hear banging from the back of the car they pull over. Very slowly, the camera zooms in to the back of the trunk, creating anticpation. The three gansters are bathed in red light. When the trunk is open we see a bad bleeding man wrapped in paper. The other two men instantly begin stabbing and shooting the man till he dies. This sets up that the plot is going to be very violent and gorey.
To start off with, Notting Hill:
The film is a Romantic comedy. This is shown in several ways. It starts off with slow, close-up images of the female main character Anne Scotts (Julia Roberts). The camera is also at a slight low angle; looking up at her. This is to get us to love her from the start. It also details what sort of character she is. She's a rich and famous movie star. This is represented through the clothes she wears (very elegant, high-end clothing) and also the background is always paparazzi flashing their cameras. In contrast though, we jump to a bustling busy street of Notting Hill where Hugh Grant's character starts describing it. This is where the comedy comes in. Like he makes jokes of the guy who woke up with a Tattoo saying, "I love Ken." Or people coming out of the hair salon looking like the cookie monster. Also it shows where they live is completely different. She's constantly surrounded by paparazzi while he's surrounded by market, middle-class people. Introducing both characters like so shows that more than likely they are going to meet (and being a romance, fall in love) or influence each other in some way.
Definately, Maybe:
This too, is a romantic comedy... but the opening is portayed quite differently from Notting Hill. It starts off with the main character (Ryan Reynolds) sitting in his office and him recieving a divorce paper. This sort of sets up the whole story. Although, we know divorces are sad so this causes us to feel for the main character. He then steps outside and walks through New York City while listening to a very upbeat, feel good song. Other than the divorce paper, there is really no other indicator within the first two minutes of the film that this is a romance. Many comedy pointers, such as Ryan Reynolds nearly getting run over by a bus but someone stopping him and then they lip, "Thank you" to each other because they both have huge headphones on. Establishing the setting is quite different in this film compared to Notting Hill. Notting Hill, gave us a high angle shot of Notting Hill street then panned over some of the shops whereas here, everything is shot from the main character's point of view. Low angle shots on land marks such as the Empire State Building or Long Shots of Central Park. This also sets the time. Modern day New York.
In completely contrast to these two films, we finished off by watching the opening two minutes of Goodfellas:
This is a definate ganster film. However, it could also be looked at as a Period Drama. The film (as it states after the opening credits) takes place in 1970's New York. There is no real indication of it being New York city (because its pitch black) but there are a few indicators to time. The three men are driving a 70's style car and wearing quite 70's style clothing. The colors are very dark insinuating the theme. Its going to be a dark and violent movie. When the three gansters hear banging from the back of the car they pull over. Very slowly, the camera zooms in to the back of the trunk, creating anticpation. The three gansters are bathed in red light. When the trunk is open we see a bad bleeding man wrapped in paper. The other two men instantly begin stabbing and shooting the man till he dies. This sets up that the plot is going to be very violent and gorey.
Monday 12 October 2009
Research- Children of Men
In class today, we watched the opening few minutes of Children of Men from the June 2008 Media Studies exam. Then we took some notes and here's my detailed analysis of it:
Genre:
As a class, we worked out the film is a Hybrid Genre, consisting of Action, Thriller, Drama and Science Fiction. We worked this out for several reasons.
Action- In the opening there is a huge explosion from a building then the images of the worlds in chaos give the film a sense its going to have a lot of fast paced action.
Thriller- There is a defiant ominous film about the movie right from the start of, "What's going to happen?" We learn briefly that there are no more children and we learn that the rest of the world is in chaos. The music plays a nice part in this. Its kind of eerie and sad.
Drama- There is a lot of dramatic emotion and also no emotion. The main character (Clive Owen) shows no emotion really to his surroundings. He's become harden giving us the idea that something really traumatic happened and he has been put into this state.
Science Fiction- Right at the beginning of the film, when the main character steps out into the dirty street of London, it tells us this film takes place in the year 2027. There are subtle hints that is the future. Its not like the old 1960's Cartoon the Jetsons when everything is covered in metal and hover cars. They still have double-decker buses but instead of just pictures plastered on the sides, they're moving LCD screens. Same for the buildings. London street looks a little more like Tokyo with all the moving screens around. This is a Dystopia time or bleak future.
Purpose of Opening Sequence:
Like most openings, the opening sets up five things: Main Character, Location, Time, Plot and Theme.
We learn the main character is a hard, unemotional man (played by Clive Owen). You're stereotypical Anti-Hero. We as an audience know from the moment the camera starts solely following him, something is going to happen that forces him to save either the world or some body.
It appears that most of the movie shall take place in London. This is represented through the red double-decker bus that is like London's icon. Then a little later in the clip a proper-gander avert on the bus (another futuristic indication) promotes that Britain is still going strong (despite we can clearly see its not).
This is quite a clear one because it tells us in text that the Year is 2027.
From the opening news report, we learn the plot which is no children have been born in the last 18 Years. Obviously this means something dramatic is going to happen but we don't know what yet. Other than that Clive Owen is the main character.
And finally the whole theme of the movie. This is portrayed through music and color. These two elements set the mood. Dark, dreary colors. Sad eerie music. So we get a sense that is going to be a very serious dark yet sad movie.
How the purpose achieved through Media Language:
Mise-en-Scene- This plays a huge role in setting time and location. Like I stated above, the LCD screens everywhere give away its the future. And then when our Anti-Hero walks into his office, we can see a lot of hi-tech computers that aren't around in modern time. Especially in an office. However, the costumes and buildings are quite normal to what we see today. Not a silver space suit in sight. This gives us a very grounded Sci-Fi. The Mise-En-Scene also shows us how bleak the future is now. Dirty streets, cities in chaos, people dressed in dreary dull colors.
Camera- The opening starts with a high-angle shot of the distressed backed cafe. Unlike normally, this doesn't mean the people are being looked down upon. I believe, this shot was used to give us a better feel of the atmosphere. You can see everyone's hands curled up at their chins, some carrying tissues. When Clive Owen leaves, the camera becomes static and moves with him. The camera following shows he's the main character. In my view, the static camera actually gave me the sense that another person was following him out because when it steps out of the cafe, it scans the city then refocuses on the main character. There are several long shots which establish setting again.
Sound- A Non-Digetic news reporter opens the whole film on a black screen. She has a typical news reader voice. Un-accented, crisp and clear. Once again, this grounds this whole film because we hear the stereotypical news reader voice. The sound also places in the film a bit. After the explosion, a high pitch whistle pulls across the scenes like you're ears are ringing after the explosion (because that's what happens with loud noises). Like I said with theme, the non-digetic music played over the top sets up the sad theme.
Genre:
As a class, we worked out the film is a Hybrid Genre, consisting of Action, Thriller, Drama and Science Fiction. We worked this out for several reasons.
Action- In the opening there is a huge explosion from a building then the images of the worlds in chaos give the film a sense its going to have a lot of fast paced action.
Thriller- There is a defiant ominous film about the movie right from the start of, "What's going to happen?" We learn briefly that there are no more children and we learn that the rest of the world is in chaos. The music plays a nice part in this. Its kind of eerie and sad.
Drama- There is a lot of dramatic emotion and also no emotion. The main character (Clive Owen) shows no emotion really to his surroundings. He's become harden giving us the idea that something really traumatic happened and he has been put into this state.
Science Fiction- Right at the beginning of the film, when the main character steps out into the dirty street of London, it tells us this film takes place in the year 2027. There are subtle hints that is the future. Its not like the old 1960's Cartoon the Jetsons when everything is covered in metal and hover cars. They still have double-decker buses but instead of just pictures plastered on the sides, they're moving LCD screens. Same for the buildings. London street looks a little more like Tokyo with all the moving screens around. This is a Dystopia time or bleak future.
Purpose of Opening Sequence:
Like most openings, the opening sets up five things: Main Character, Location, Time, Plot and Theme.
We learn the main character is a hard, unemotional man (played by Clive Owen). You're stereotypical Anti-Hero. We as an audience know from the moment the camera starts solely following him, something is going to happen that forces him to save either the world or some body.
It appears that most of the movie shall take place in London. This is represented through the red double-decker bus that is like London's icon. Then a little later in the clip a proper-gander avert on the bus (another futuristic indication) promotes that Britain is still going strong (despite we can clearly see its not).
This is quite a clear one because it tells us in text that the Year is 2027.
From the opening news report, we learn the plot which is no children have been born in the last 18 Years. Obviously this means something dramatic is going to happen but we don't know what yet. Other than that Clive Owen is the main character.
And finally the whole theme of the movie. This is portrayed through music and color. These two elements set the mood. Dark, dreary colors. Sad eerie music. So we get a sense that is going to be a very serious dark yet sad movie.
How the purpose achieved through Media Language:
Mise-en-Scene- This plays a huge role in setting time and location. Like I stated above, the LCD screens everywhere give away its the future. And then when our Anti-Hero walks into his office, we can see a lot of hi-tech computers that aren't around in modern time. Especially in an office. However, the costumes and buildings are quite normal to what we see today. Not a silver space suit in sight. This gives us a very grounded Sci-Fi. The Mise-En-Scene also shows us how bleak the future is now. Dirty streets, cities in chaos, people dressed in dreary dull colors.
Camera- The opening starts with a high-angle shot of the distressed backed cafe. Unlike normally, this doesn't mean the people are being looked down upon. I believe, this shot was used to give us a better feel of the atmosphere. You can see everyone's hands curled up at their chins, some carrying tissues. When Clive Owen leaves, the camera becomes static and moves with him. The camera following shows he's the main character. In my view, the static camera actually gave me the sense that another person was following him out because when it steps out of the cafe, it scans the city then refocuses on the main character. There are several long shots which establish setting again.
Sound- A Non-Digetic news reporter opens the whole film on a black screen. She has a typical news reader voice. Un-accented, crisp and clear. Once again, this grounds this whole film because we hear the stereotypical news reader voice. The sound also places in the film a bit. After the explosion, a high pitch whistle pulls across the scenes like you're ears are ringing after the explosion (because that's what happens with loud noises). Like I said with theme, the non-digetic music played over the top sets up the sad theme.
~*~
That's all for now. Bye!
Research- Conversation Piece
Well, my teacher told us as a Primlary task we have to film a conversation of someone walking into a room, sitting down then having a conversation. Me being the odd ball and not really wanting to conform to the usual, I decided to mix it up a little. It'll still be someone walking into a room and having a conversation...but with a twist.
A man dressed in all black enters a dark room; the only light is coming from the door behind him. In front of him, sits another man, clearly been beaten, tied to a chair. The man, as we learn from the villain, is part of a resitance. After a short interorrigation bit, the villain opens a current revealing the man's best friend strapped to another chair with wires attached to her skin. As a warning, the villian pulls the lever causing the girl to scream at the top of her lungs from the electrocution. The villian pushes the lever back up, leaving a singed but barely alive girl. This causes the man to give in and reveal where the restiance is hiding. The villian smiles and leaves the two victims in the darkness.
That is my idea thus far. Its probably going to change several times before I actually start filming but I just wanted to get it all down. Although, I have worked a few things out. Such as my Year 13 friends will be playing the three characters. I also did a little research into how to make blood and this is the recipe I found:
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons of flour
1 cup of water
Red food colour (add a drop
of green if needed)
Instructions: Mix the flour into the water and get all of the lumps out. Put into a pan and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer until it has the consistency you want (about 30 minutes). Let it cool and stir in the colour.
Note: This one looks good on cloth but is slightly slimy
Or
Ingredients:
Light corn syrup
Red food colour (add a drop
of blue if needed)
I'll probably use both. Such as the Corn Syrup one to film my victim's mouth then when he get's punched so he can spit it out.
That's pretty much it for now! See ya later!
A man dressed in all black enters a dark room; the only light is coming from the door behind him. In front of him, sits another man, clearly been beaten, tied to a chair. The man, as we learn from the villain, is part of a resitance. After a short interorrigation bit, the villain opens a current revealing the man's best friend strapped to another chair with wires attached to her skin. As a warning, the villian pulls the lever causing the girl to scream at the top of her lungs from the electrocution. The villian pushes the lever back up, leaving a singed but barely alive girl. This causes the man to give in and reveal where the restiance is hiding. The villian smiles and leaves the two victims in the darkness.
That is my idea thus far. Its probably going to change several times before I actually start filming but I just wanted to get it all down. Although, I have worked a few things out. Such as my Year 13 friends will be playing the three characters. I also did a little research into how to make blood and this is the recipe I found:
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons of flour
1 cup of water
Red food colour (add a drop
of green if needed)
Instructions: Mix the flour into the water and get all of the lumps out. Put into a pan and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer until it has the consistency you want (about 30 minutes). Let it cool and stir in the colour.
Note: This one looks good on cloth but is slightly slimy
Or
Ingredients:
Light corn syrup
Red food colour (add a drop
of blue if needed)
I'll probably use both. Such as the Corn Syrup one to film my victim's mouth then when he get's punched so he can spit it out.
That's pretty much it for now! See ya later!
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Trial Run
So today, we had a trial run of filming a very, very short conversation. This was more of a task to get used to the cameras before we actually have to film our first piece (a conversation). I found that is was harder than I expected. You never think of something as filming a simple conversation would be difficult from what you see on T.V. but it actually is. But then again, those big T.V. companies usually have a ton of cameras and they can switch willingly.
We got one camera and everything has to be the same when we change camera shots. Such as keeping the same speed of your speech, sound and actually remembering your lines. Also, DON'T LOOK AT THE CAMERA!!! *whistles*
That's all for now!
:)
We got one camera and everything has to be the same when we change camera shots. Such as keeping the same speed of your speech, sound and actually remembering your lines. Also, DON'T LOOK AT THE CAMERA!!! *whistles*
That's all for now!
:)
Sunday 27 September 2009
Route Planning
On Saturday, I took a stroll around town then walked the back way home which is the field I'm planning to film in. I planned the route in which my sister (the main character) shall be running and while looking crazy, I actually held an invisible camera and imaged the different shots. I also thought of different effects that I could preform cheaply.
Such as the portal. I don't have the resources to digitally input a portal. However, with a few clever camera angles and a lot of flashlights, I can create the illusion a portal is being activated. I'll upload some sketches sometime this week of some of the ideas I planned.
That's it for now!
Such as the portal. I don't have the resources to digitally input a portal. However, with a few clever camera angles and a lot of flashlights, I can create the illusion a portal is being activated. I'll upload some sketches sometime this week of some of the ideas I planned.
That's it for now!
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