Our Finished Opening Sequence

(Question 5) How did you attract/address your audience?

How did you attract/address your audience?

When planning our opening sequence we thought about what kind of things our audience would want to see. We had previously done a questionnaire on what people expect/like to see in an opening sequence. We used this to help us decide on what kind of story to go with. From the people whom were involved in our questionnaire, most were between the age of 16-20. Therefore, we decided this would be a good target audience for us to base our film around.

From our past research we found that people wanted to find out just enough to understand whats was going on but not enough that they knew what was going to happen next. Lots of people said they like it when there are clues. Also, the majority said they like to see the stereotype of the male main character being the "hero" and for the female to be the "damsel in distress".  People also said that they prefer mysterious music over the shots and titles over a moving image.

This gave us a nice starting point for the plot of our film and personally i think we did stick to most of the advice we got back from people. 

Our film in under the genre of thriller, which from our questionnaire we discovered that the biggest audience was aged about 15-25 therefore the genre we chose did help us attract our target audience. 

In our opening sequence, we used actors that are within the age of our target audience, this may also help us attract our audience as they would be a similar age therefore may be able to relate to the characters

The locations we used to film in could also attract our audience as they are day to day places that people walk past/go to a lot. We thought this may help as our audience would feel more involved and it would make our film more realistic to them. 

Opening Sequence Progress 20/02/2012

Assessment of Evaluation posts for Q. 1 and 4 (SJA Feb 14th)

WWW:

• Looking over your evaluation posts, it's great to see you have made a really good start on working through all 7 questions
• There's promising attempts to make your posts visual
• Your written comments show a generally good understanding of what of the evaluation questions is asking you to reflect on

EBI:

• Rosie, proof read your written comments carefully, you should not be using a lower case 'i' when referring to yourself ('I decided to use this because I liked the look of...)
• I've looked closely at your work for Q. 1 and 4 (as this is what we agreed in the lesson last Monday). Good to see you have some screen grabs of similar films that inspried you... but I think you really need to provide some written comment / annotation for each of these to say WHY you selected them for this post - what do they show in reference to your own work? Don't just put random images on your blog - everything should have a point. Perhaps this would work better if you took certain screen grabs from your own film.. and contrasted these to screen grabs / key shots from the opening sequences that inspired you - discuss what you were influenced by (similarities and differences)
• In your written copmment for Q. 1 you refer to your use of 'close ups' and trying to begin by establishing a sense of 'normality' - SHOW the shots that communicate this for the viewer - COMPARE to similar shots from other opneing sequences that inspired you.
• Q. 4 uses Wordle... OK... but doesn't really show much technical skill. Surely a post on your target audience would call for an image of your ideal 'target audience'?? I'd suggest you come back to this and create a profile to throughly explain the 'type' of person you imagine your film appealing to.

Overall effort: Good (GD), with some improvement needed (IN) to boost the level of your Evaluation posts.

Assessment 06/02/12

(Question 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the final product?

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

I think i have become more confident when using a moving camera. I feel this because, in my preliminary task, i didnt do much filming, i didnt feel like i would be very good at it however in our final product i have done a lot of the filming and have also enjoyed it. 

I think i have also got much better at putting ideas out to the group. I have learnt to share ideas and also listen to others ideas and then mix them all together to make one big idea. 

I have learnt to step forward and take the lead a lot more than i used to, whether it is making final decisions or just taking lead in filming. 

My Preliminary task

My final piece





As you can see i was the main character in the preliminary task therefore did not get to do any filming as i was in every shot however in my final piece i did a lot of the filming.


In our preliminary task, we had a much wider choice in what to to film. It was pretty much left for us to decide what we filmed, where we filmed, who was in it, our genre and type of footage.
However, for our final pieces' we got a much more precise brief therefore really had to think and use our imaginations to make sure our work stood out. I think having the brief for the final piece made it more of a challenge however i think it helped as it meant we had somewhere to start from. 


 I enjoyed the filming role more than actually being in the film as i felt like i could get more involved and felt like it was easier to take the lead at times. 

(Question 6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

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


Media Technology we used:


Filming equipment:


- Moving Camera
- Tripod
- Fig rig
- Still camera


We, as a group have shared out the use of the camera and tripod/figrig. We have tried to make sure we have fairly split the filming between all of us so that we can all gain experience and all take the credit for it. By doing this it means we have all learnt more whilst going along and we have been able to teach each other new tricks and skills. 




Programs we used:


- Blogger
- iMovie and iMovie HD 
- Prezzi
- Bubbl
- Jing
- Gif
- Wordle
- Live type
- Free Sound

We have used all of these programs along the way whilst working on our projects. We have tried to learn together so that we can help each other which means we have each found programs we are most fond of and the best at using. This means that if a program needs to be used we can share our knowledge with each other whilst still learning.




Tools/Effects we used:


- Audio FX (used on iMovie) ; Equalizing sound 






















- Fast/Slow/Reverse (Slow motion)

- Transitions (Cut, Fade In, Ghost..)





































- Audio Extraction (Volume Levels) 
- Reverberation
- Colour Adjust (Brightness, Saturation) 

Using these effects/settings was pretty much new to all of us so we have learnt together and are still trying new things out as a group. It means no one person is ahead which is nice as we can all go the same pace and try new things. 

Fast/Slow/Reverse

We used the slow motion effect on one of our shots that needed to be slowed down. The reason we used this was because the shot needed to last longer and we shot it too quickly. When slowed down, the shot was not as steady as we wanted it to be however it has created a good effect so that now it looks as though it is a point of view shot, tracking backwards. 

We are pleased with how the shot has turned out.

Audio FX

In one of our shots we equalized the sound so that we could hear the dialogue over the sound of the traffic. By doing this it means we don't have to re-shoot that shot to make sure we can hear. It also means the dialogue is much clearer and therefore makes the shot look (and sound) more professional. We are pleased with the effect this has had on the shot.

Colour Adjustment

We used the brightness and contrast settings to edit the colour of a couple of the shots. It makes the filming look a lot better; more professional and neater. Also it makes the shots look a lot sharper and helps the overall feel of the piece. 

(Questions 4 ) What would be the audience for your media product and why?

What would be the audience for your media product and why? 

This is Matt. He is 18 years old and lives in Manchester. He likes fixing cars and spending time with his mates. 

He likes to wear Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren clothes and likes Vans and Converse. 

His favourite type of music is dub step and drum & bass and he likes going clubbing with his friends and he likes listening to music in his room. 

He loves watching films, he likes the genres of Thriller, Action and Horror (and the occasional Comedy). His favourite films are Seven and Taken. 

This is Jessica. She is 24 years old.

She lives in London with 3 of her friends; Hannah, Lilly and Holly. Jessica works at her local gym and is training to be a personal trainer. 

She loves going shopping for new clothes and shoes with her girl friends. 

She enjoys listening to the radio on full volume and likes dancing! 

Her and her house mates love watching  films and have a weekly movie night. They love a romantic comedy chic flick however, sometimes they all love a good horror / thriller film. 

I think Matt and Jessica and her friends are typical examples of the type of people who would watch our film. 

(Question 3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Our production company.


When deciding on a name and logo for our production company we thought we should keep it quite simple. Something an audience would remember and recognise.
We found it quite hard to come up with a name for the company and could not all agree on anything. In the end, we were looking through fonts for our titles and found one called Oakwood. We decided this would be a good name for our production company and all agreed. 
So from the name, we thought it only sensible to have the logo as an oak tree. There for we drew on out on the mac and adjusted colours and lines to make it a bit more interesting. 
When deciding on the text we went for a red as it stands out and reflects the fact it is a thriller film quite nicely. Here is our finish design: 

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

When we were deciding on a distribution company, we looked at some popular thriller films and who their distributors were. We found a lot of possibilities including; 


Lionsgate    

who have distributed films such as; 

  - Blood Red Earth
  - Saw
  - See No Evil
  - American Psycho 

20th Century Fox

Who have distributed films such as;


  - x-men
  - Avatar
  - Planet of the apes




Momentum Pictures

Momentum Pictures is a very popular distributer to thriller films. In the past they have distributed films including;

- Insidious 

- Lost in Translation 

- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

- The Woman In Black

- Haywire 

- Shame

We have chosen Momentum Pictures as our distributer as we think that our film fits into the same genre of films they have previously distributed. Also we think that being an English and well know distribution company it may fit nicely with our project. Although it is quite a big, popular, wide ranged distribution company we think that it would be the best option for us and our film. 

Assessment 22/01/12 SJA

WWW:

• Clear attempt to have 2 out of the 3 posts we require you to have completed by this week
• Good to see you trying to include a range of media to present your ideas (Bubbl / Wordle)
• Some detailed thought about representation of social groups shown in the text of your spider diagram

EBI:

• Rosie, you need to have 3 posts completed by now. Please make sure this is done ebfore your next lesson
• The 2 posts you have worked on so afr need more development. You need to make them 'super visual' Rosie. Have a good think about the Evaluation questions - they really give you loads of opportuities to be really creative and visual with how you present your ideas. Use loads of images to SHOW rather than simply 'tell' an examiner about your ideas.
• Please change the titles of your posts for the evaluation so that they are the exact question.
• Your post on Audience uses Wordle. Ok... but this is really limited. Try to develop and make more intesting. Use images to explain who your audience is. You have covered a very broad audience in terms of age range (15-30), interests, etc... Perhaps try and narrow it a little more to something more specific. If your audience is going to be really broad, then how do you intend to make your characters and your film appeal equally to... a 15 year old male... and a 30 year old female????  You need to think about this and talk about it more in your group. Somehow, you need to create characters that your very broad audience will feel some connection to and be 'on their side' for them to survive - in the case of a thriller...
• Your post on 'Representation of Different Social Groups' uses Bubbl... again, this is fine, but you will need to add more visuals to this posts as Bubbl is really just another spider diagram.

Overall, the 2 posts you have done so far are OK...but there should be a 3rd post now, and the 2 that are there need development Rosie. I'm sure you will invest time and creativity to really enhance these to a Very Good /Excellent standard. Currently -  IN Improvement Needed

(Question 2) How dose your media project represent different social groups?

(Question 1) In what ways does your media project use, develop or challenge forms an conventions of real media products?

Location Permissions

Nearly all of our filming did not need location permission as we filmed in George's house (a member of our group). 

The shots that are filmed out side by the station did also not need permission as it is a public place. 

Planning!

Make a gif

Shooting Schedule

When making up the shooting schedule we decided to cut it up into smaller sections of the opening. This way we can manage our shots easily. We decided if we did big chunks at once then errors would be harder to correct and more hassle to re-shoot.