Sunday 3 April 2011

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

When doing my preliminary I found the filming easy as I didn't really use many different shots to show the conversation other than the over the shoulder shots which I have used. When I Edited the preliminary I didn't really try to change what I had filmed as I filmed the main part of the preliminary and I didn't really split the clip. from doing the preliminary I was able to improve alot on the whole idea what I thought would be good to use to show how much the editing of the piece has gone on from the preliminary.

Before doing the final piece I storyboarded as I did with the preliminary, but when I did this I found that the best way would be to look at shots on there own to then fit them together I found I would be more adventurous in what type of shot I would use like the close ups and the POV's which I have included in the Chase sequence. when looking through my preliminary  compared to the opening I have produced I feel that I have definately improved in the way I have framed the shots but I have also improved on the way I have included the transitions to more effect than expected compared to the preliminary. When I done the preliminary I only had three clips and I found that I learnt from that because when I filmed my opening I found that I needed to film a sequence more than once this would allow me to have shots and footage to choose from this allowed me to have a larger amount of choice around the making of the piece. I found that I wanted to use techniques to link the footage together in very different ways like the Graphic match with the eye when i originally thought about this technique being used I looked at way I could use it in a way would allow the piece to flow well.   

Evaluation: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Technologies I have used:

  • Sony Vegas Movie Studios
  • Sony Handycam SX-33
  • Adobe After Effect CS5 (Titles)
  • Adobe Photoshop CS5
When completing the opening I used a number of  different types of technologies to start with I used the internet to get a questionnaire complete I have learnt that using google docs I was able to make a questionnaire to ask a number of people via social networks and email this allowed me to create a piece which would appeal to the audience after completing the research I was able to make props such as the police badge and for this I used Photoshop to construct the essential prop for the opening because it is used for the audience to understand who the character is. After completing the making of the props i was able to film the opening and using the camera allowed me to understand where to place the camera to make my shot the best it could be. when using the camera I have learnt the different settings of how to use the camera.



To edit my clips together I used Sony Vegas from this I was able to learn how to place the clips together and split them up and also remove the parts of the clip, i have learnt from using both the IMovie which is available at school and the Sony Vegas which I used to compile the clips to make a very different opening with a number of clips. I was also able to use a very easy to use the transitions and video effect which are included on the software and i have learnt that coupling the editing on the software with the sounds used also can be very effective. The soundtracks which I have used on my opening I have used the fade options on the software to make a very different soundtrack. I have also learnt that i can use royalty free music from websites such as Incompetech.com and freeplaymusic.com this has allowed my to make my piece unique with a set of soundtracks which can be easily found on the websites. Using the software feel that I have been creative with the shots I have used within the opening such as the Graphic match with the eyes and the matches on action I have completed in the opening to my film.


I also used Adobe After Effects CS5 this was to do the titles of the piece i mainly done this to make the opening have a different type opening with my own distribution company and my very own titles but not ones which over powered the story I have learnt from using this technology that the making of the products does take time because when making the company logo i had to wait for the program to render the title i will remember this when I do future work with the program that i will have to wait for rendering.
  
I have also learnt from actually making the blog by adding a number of different types of media which can be used on the blog itself i have tried to find many exciting ways to try and show my work.  

Evaluation: How did you attract/address your audience?

When I was looking to attract the audience I thought that the best way would be to use the narrative codes these would involve the audience with action codes not only to slowly bring them into the plot line and to give them an idea of who the characters were some examples of this were the drugs and the Police badge these show that the main character is a police man and that the other character is a drug lord because he his handling the drugs. I also used some of the shots of the main character to show how lonely he was and this would allow the audience how vulnerable he is when he gets the phone call from the drug lord. I also used enigma code like 'why are they running?' and 'why is he asleep at his desk?' I mainly used this to grip the audience to wondering why he is alone and that he is a workaholic that is why I have place him at his desk this allowed audiences which are older to understand that he maybe overworking himself.

I also used the music and the editing in the chase sequence because I wanted to bring the audience into the pacey and speed of the chase and by using an upbeat piece of music this allowed the audience to gripped and they then may want to understand what the characters are doing it for. The idea of using music in the piece to address the audience also is with my choice of using the music with the main character where he is getting ready because I wanted to have a piece of music which would show how lonely he is and how he doesn't have any people to help him as he is so much of a workaholic.

I posted my video on you tube and then sent the link out via facebook to get initial feedback from friends here are some of the comments



This allowed me to understand that the opening is liked and some of the things which attracted the audience were the use of the music in the background, the camera shots which I have used and they have said about the editing I have used. 

I also asked people with a small questionnaire to the target audience and this is what I found from this:
Do you like the opening of the film?
Yes5100%
No00%
Other00%
Do you have any comments on the opening to my film?
The filming was good and the editing was well thought outVery good, although the soundtrack is better suited to an emotionally sad film.I like the editing and the filming. The whole of the opening is very good because of the way you have used the storyline without revealing the plot line but giving some of the clues which would happen later in the film. and the music was very well picked. The actor playing mike denzey should be changed as his actions don't fit the feel of the film, and the camaera should be on a tripod as the camera shakes while zooming in on mike's faceCamera angles were ex...
Is there anything which could be improved in the opening of the film?
Perhaps used some music that's more intense music when the characters about to receive the call.see abovelighting, clearer storyline
Who do you think the audience is for the film?
i would say perhaps teenagers and adultsTeenagersTeens and young adults such as 15- 25 year olds teenagesYoung adults

These comments allow me to understand why people may want to watch the film and they have confirmed that I am targeting the right audience with my film opening and also some small things which I could do to improve the opening this shows that people have seen my opening and have been attracted by what I wanted     

Evaluation: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Looking at my opening and the plot line for the rest of the story I would say that the film would be best aimed at the mainly 15-30 year old's but I would say that the audience is a large range because of the genre which I have  chosen can be easily watched by a large audience base. I would mainly as that the film would be certified with a classification of 15 a mainly because the target age range. I would not say that the classification would not be any higher than the 15 mainly because of the other films I have looked at like Seven a crime film starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.        

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

When think about who would be the distributor for my film I looked at major and independent labels. I would say that my film would be distributed by an independent company this is because the when researching distribution I found that labels such as MGM and Columbia picture do have big budgets but they are not very forgiving with the storyline as they don't take risks with unique films which is the type of film I am putting forward. The Independent company may not have the largest of audiences behind them but many recent films have be from independent companies. The distribution would be mainly releasing films which are in the crime genre this would allow my film to be for the audiences which would like films which are made by new talent and maybe not the very similar stories which are released by the the major companies every time because they know that audiences will want to see them but I think that the more different the film is the better it is for the audience so then they are engaged in the storyline which is offered to them. One example of a Independent label is Guerilla films because they aim their films at a more niche audience but this allows them to have a unique take on the whole of their catalogue. Having looked at these different types of distribution company has allowed me to have more idea of how my film worked together especially the opening. I have made my own distribution company as I feel this would allow my product to work best in its very own distribution company as they would be a company which would only release films from the crime genre.  

Evaluation: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

One of the main things I have represented people who are in the criminal underworld and there is also some representation used with the main character as i have used the characterisation with the idea of being divorced but this is not divulged in the opening but I have used the idea of him being lonely this is not really a social group. I have also look at the idea of having young people in the piece with the chase sequence because he is a young drug dealer I have not aimed to have a character which only really is in 19 seconds but the youth culture of today can be seen all around when every I see films I look for the way they are represented as a teenager I have notice most of them are shown in a bad light but I cant really say how I have represented him in the opening of my film.

Evaluation: In what way does your media product use,develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

After researching the crime genre I was able to come to conclusions on how the audience would see conventional parts for the genre itself. one of the main conventions of a crime film is the main lead character is male whether they are a criminal or a person of the law they always seem to be the main character of the piece so I have used this as the chosen lead character this is used in films such as catch me if you can with characters such as Frank Abagnale Jr. and Carl Hanratty and films like Hot Fuzz with Sgt. Nicholas Angel he is the lead part in the film and I feel this is the best the character is the main part to link the audience to the film.I also feel i have tried to develop the convention of the main male lead and i have done this by using a parallel editing by showing Mike Denzey the main lead and comparing him with the 'Bad Guy' with the parallel shots placing them together.

I feel the plot of my film is conventional of a good crime film as I have focused on the Police side of the crime film, I have tried to structure the film so that the audience understand the way the characters are linked whether it is a large link but I have tried to make sure the convention of having the story on the police side will give the understanding to the audience which may go on in the film. With the storyline i have tried to add action codes and enigma codes to make the storyline like in silence of the lambs using the action code like the hat worn by the member of the FBI and the Behavioural science sign this allows the audience to understand the full picture when they see these visual clues to give them the storyline slowly. The plot line which I have used is also to try and link to youth culture these days because many young people understand the pressure of drugs and peer pressure, this is the main reason why I have use a young character in the chase sequence.

I have also looked at how the location would work and the best way was to use places which would make the audience relate to the area which the story is set in this is what is used in films like Harry Brown where Michael Caine's character  lives on an estate in London this is placing the audience in the there world I have tried no to place the main character in a world which is completely different to the world which the audience I wanted to aim the film at because that would distance them from what is happening in the storyline and where the characters are. conventionally the location is like a  capital city or built up area and I feel I have use this to a good effect to the audience.

Thursday 31 March 2011

The Other Side


This is my final opening of the film 'The Other Side' 
Starring 
Will Driver as DCI Mike Denzey 
Andrew Parker as Drug Dealer (chase sequence)
Me as Drug Lord ( face not seen) 

Friday 25 February 2011

Planning:Sound

This is the main song which I used this was chosen because I wanted to show how lonely the main character is as the music very quiet and very moving. The use of the this music is from http://freeplaymusic.com/search/keyword_search.php this is to be used at my Digression.
  


This is the soundtrack to the chase sequence, mainly because of the pace of the music. After editing the chase sequence itself i then chose this piece of music from http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ this is a royalty free music website which allows me to use the music for free. 

Originally i sent an email to Pendulum to use their song 'The Other Side' but I was unfortunate not to get a reply this song would have worked well with the opening to my film. 



Tuesday 22 February 2011

Planning:Locations

These are the locations which I used to make the opening to my film


Mike Denzey's house- I decided to have a desk which is in a room which is not in a clean room to show he is not at home as he is a workaholic mainly this is for the characterisation of Mike Denzey the location does hold all of the requirements for the location I wanted to portray in the film.






The Drugs Lords Office-
I decided to have the drugs lords office in a dark location with very little lighting this would allow me to have a dark spots where the drugs lords identity can be hidden allowing for the audience to ask questions of the drug lord like who he is?




Henslow Road- 
I decided that the chase scene would work best in a side street of Ipswich not only for convinence but also the chase on a back road would have allowed the chase to be in a normal road adding a more realistic feel to the sequence, this was not my first location I wanted to use I was originally going to use an industrial estate.

Sunday 20 February 2011

Planning: Props

These are the props I used for the opening of the film


Police badge- I used this mainly because I wanted to have an action code to show that the main character was a policeman. I used photoshop to create the police badge itself and I found an old card holder to construct the case for the card. d










The Briefcase and large drugs- These are mainly for the drugs lord and I have used this to show that the the character is a drug lord as he has drugs and a briefcase, I decided to show it in this way for the audience to have an idea of who this character is what what the plot may be for the whole of the film.













The small packets- i chose to use a set of small packets for the chase scene this allowed me to give the audience a reason for him to be running away from the main character also it allows for the sequence to set the scene for what may happen 










Saturday 12 February 2011

Planning:Editing

1
A screenshot of me editing 













To Edit my opening I have used Sony Vegas this allowed my edit my opening with a professional quality and accuracy the suite is very easy to use with splitting clips, adding transitions to the piece and also adding many different effects which are included on the software which adds to the piece as well. I have learnt alot about using the Sony Vegas Software.

Thursday 10 February 2011

Planning: Titles

I have made a title sequence for my film opening


After looking at titles from films such as catch me if you can and harry brown I able to establish that the best use of title would be to have titles which are on black because this would allow me to have a set of titles which are not a sequence on there own because this would not be the best use of time as we only have two minutes. 

Friday 4 February 2011

Planning: How it fits into the narrative

The narrative which I have chosen to use follows the idea of having equilibrium-disequilibrium-equilibrium because of the use of having the police being on the top of his game but then he falls down into the criminal underworld which is the is the disequilibrium of the film and all back to normal near to the end of the film or what the audience believe to be normal as we don't know whether the police officer is alive at the end of the whole film. 

Planning: Explaination of the chosen narrative

I have chosen to do Narrative number four, which is the story of the policeman's downfall to the criminal underworld . I have chosen it mainly because of how the character is structured and how the audience will follow how the police man will fall and how he will be on both sides of the law.

Saturday 29 January 2011

Planning: Characterisation

There will be three characters in the opening of the film:

Mike Denzey: Police Officer
the main character of the whole film, he is a workaholic, divorced with two children which he has no time for then because of work the audience don't find this out in the opening but also he is the top police man in the force and he is a winner of awards.

Drugs Lord
Been in business for a long time, he is one of the largest drug lords in the country and his patch is in Gyppeswick. He is the one person who is not to be crossed.

Drug Dealer
Linked with the drugs lord but is only in the dream sequence of the opening. (Not much needed for the characterisation.)

Monday 24 January 2011

Planning: Storyboard


These are the storyboards which i used to make the final 2 minute opening of 'The Other Side'

Saturday 22 January 2011

Planning: Distribution Company

After looking at a number of different distribution companies of the two types Major or Independent, i have chosen to have an independent film distribution company and I have chosen to have a company called Finch films and below I have designed a logo for the opening


I  have also made an actual sequence for the distribution company for feature in the opening.

I used Adobe After effects to make my Distribution sequence and I animated the sequence and added music on after doing it.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Planning: Outline of the Opening

The sequence will start with the establishing of the location, and then starts with the main part of the sequence with a dream which the main character and he is a character which is a workaholic  so he is think of how he is trying to catch someone. the dream of him running after a suspect drug dealer and he doesn't catch him and this prompts him to wake up from the dream as he didn't catch his mark.

Then he gets up and looks at the clock because he is late and then he gets ready and at the same time there will be parallel editing which is of the villain of the piece will be getting ready as well and he then gets a phone call when he walks out of the house from the villain who is a drugs lord.

  

Sunday 16 January 2011

Planning: Synopsis of the Whole film

Using parallel storyline  with a police officer and a drug lord to start with showing how similar they are and then they meet at the end of the opening
When doing this I will have the police officer go to the other side to the criminal underworld and become a bent copper He will end up on the wrong side of the law. He has fight his way to the top to make sure that noone knows he is part of the criminal underworld at the same time as making out he is fine in the job of detective in the gyppeswick police. Becoming more and more invovled in the dealings of the drugs lord and then becoming a leak in the police service which he is in. The film will end with us not knowing whether he has been killed by the criminal underworld or getting caught by the police.

Friday 14 January 2011

Planning: 4 film ideas

After looking through my research I started to think of some narrative ideas and here they are:


·         Narrative 1
A story which is looking from the side of the police officer, we follow him through a case against one of the biggest criminals which has a grudge against him and he has to take him down. The criminal would be the most elusive gang member and a murderer and we see how the police build a case against them. We find out about the main characters back story with the criminal and how they come to meet.  

The Police officer



                                          Crime              Police officer’s quest        Solution


                                                

We find out how they know each other. Also find out the way they maybe will be a problem to each other.
The criminal                     .

·        




      Narrative 2
The story of a fallen police officer as they have to come to terms with being demoted. But they are given the case of trying to take down a criminal who has been in there past and the police officer is the only person who can take them down.


Only person who could take the criminal down, so he had to make a case against him.


Police Officer
                                Wrong decision   Only person to take criminal down   Solves the case                                         
Demoted


·         Narrative 3
This one follows the story of the criminal as they cover their tracks when they have murdered some people and how they become the best in the profession and are finding new ways to kill people. The criminal has a mental disorder which insures he has to keep on repeating things.

Criminal
                        Covering his tracks        Keeps on killing      Doesn’t get caught 
Murder                                                   evades the police

·         Narrative 4
The film follows a police officer as he falls down from being a top cop to a bent cop in the criminal underworld and on the wrong side of the law. He has to cover his tracks and make sure both sides of his life are being played out well and he does this by covering his tracks.


Police
                        Pulled into the underworld        Covering his tracks       Unknown
Druglord                                            





                        
          

Thursday 6 January 2011

Target Audience: Survey of the Audience

Here I have done a a survey of the audience mainly for the expectation of what they would like in a crime film I sent the questionnaire out via email and various social network sites such as facebook and here is the link for the questionnaire, I asked a number of people and I got 34 replies:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&pli=1&formkey=dEhneWpRQnAwOHo4TE9NSUttUWZxaWc6MQ#gid=0

Here is a summary of the results for the questions:

What Gender Are You?


35%

What Is Your Age?






3%
 .

What do you expect in general from a Crime Based film?
A good storyline, with suspense on who dunnit. Don't want all the answers in the first half of the film.To have a good plot with characters that seem real.nigga's getting shankedd!Suspense, Explosions, Guns, Thriller twistA misterious ending, which takes time to work out. lots of violence, guns, fights etc. or very sophisticated high-tech crime... or both. characters are usually darkly clothed and fairly agile. As for location, abandoned buildings, warehouses, rough looking places, like this: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=52.052095,1.154895&spn=0.008498,0.027037&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cb...
What sort of Characters would you expect to see in a crime film?
hero, cause you always have to have a good guy. CSI,'s so that they help with developing the plot. A head/lead detective to be in charge of proceedings.Characters that can be related to the real world. Most films should have a hero and a villain. It is nice if the villain is not reviled until the end.Niggas, black people, afgani people, some more blackies..A Mafia boss type character, Slightly crazy henchman, Clever well thought henchmanA good guy/team, a bad guy/team.The protagonist, a criminal, with 2 forces against them, the police and other criminal gangs. The reason you'd have police an...
Who do you expect to be the protagonist of the film? Would they be male or female?
Mainly male and would be the detective.The main character in the film could be either, but they need to be believable and appear to know what they are doing. big hench black dudeMale, Police officer or someone seeking revengeMaleUsually the protagonist is male, but a female protagonist would at least separate a film from the others. As said above, they would dress darkly, are agile, look grumpy most of the time, probably have stubble, dark hair and be of thin/muscular build.likely to be male, however there is a surge in female protagonists. Depends on the plot.A dude helping out a chick.they...
What sort of plot do you expect from a crime film?
Complex, so that you don't discover all at once. A plot with lots of twists and turns. and dummy leads.Either a murder or robbery. The story can then work round the way the crime is solved.some white boy betraying a nigga, so then the nigga shanks him and his family, including cats and dogs..Drug boss kills someone by mistake, 'Badass' family goes on revenge, said person comes very close to death nut escapes.either a drug deal or prostitution.Organised crime, specifically murder of someone of great importance. Along the way the protagonist will fight and kill nearly every ally of the impor...


 Here is the full summary
https://spreadsheets.google.com/gform?key=0AkBuyCN9Gl_XdEhneWpRQnAwOHo4TE9NSUttUWZxaWc&hl=en&pli=1&gridId=0#chart

These are the full results for the questionnaire
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?hl=en&hl=en&key=0AkBuyCN9Gl_XdEhneWpRQnAwOHo4TE9NSUttUWZxaWc&output=html

From my questionnaire I am able to understand that most of the people thought that a male lead would be good for the genre I have picked in crime, they have also said that i should build up suspense and maybe link the film with gangs or drugs involved.  the questionnaire has allowed me to place parts in the film opening which would be expected by the audience watching the film.