EVALUATION

Here is our evaluation-

OUR FINAL PRODUCTION- The Mist

Editing Process

During the month of December we edited our production together. We did the initial edit in  Premier Pro where we did most of the basic work, merging clips together, cropping, and altering sound.

We then put our basic edit into After Effects so we could alter the lighting, add music and cinematic bars. 

During this process it was hard to document on blogger as it took a lot of time to get our final product finished. 

RISK ASSESSMENT

With anything we do especially filming it involves risks to ourselves and those involved so we must make sure to take into account what could go wrong and be prepared in case it does. Below is the risk assessment that we will use follow when filming on both dates.

PRODUCTION LOGO AND RESEARCH

In the majority of films and TV programs there will be a production logo which is there to show and advertise the production company who are responsible for creating the media text. Here are a few examples of the most well known production logos- 

20th CENTURY FOX

PIXAR

SPYGLASS ENTERTAINMENT

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

A key convention of production logos is their simplicity, well for the more popular ones. They tend to stick to a 3/4 colour pallet as less means more when it comes making something look sleek and professional. Some don't all stick to this for example 20th century fox have a more elaborate production logo but it all depends how the company want to portray themselves. The duration of most production logos lasts for about 5/10 seconds giving it enough time to show its purposes but obviously it isn't really appealing to audiences so any longer would be in appropriate. 

For a start up, small and new company which ours would be it would stand to reason that our logo isn't going to be to over the top. We made ours in After Effects using only one visual affect called 'Particle World' which creates a bubble affect to continually appear as if there was a bubble machine. We placed this in the bottom right corner which makes it cover 2/3 of the screen, this was done so we could focus the production name in the higher center. The text itself is pretty basic, the only effect is the fade which makes it fade in and out. The colour scheme is black, white and teal, we used these as they all compliment each other. Black for the background makes the white text stand out more so giving emphasis and the hint of teal with the bubbles gives it a little more so its not just monochrome. The name itself 'WW Productions' came from both our last names starting with a W, again production companies never have really difficult names as the easier and simpler the name makes it more memorable.

Here is a clip of our finished production logo----

SCRIPT

Here is the script that we plan to use for our media production-

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

Here is the production schedule for the two days we hope to film-

Greig Fraser- CINEMATOGRAPHY influence

Our main influence for the cinematography came from the work of Greig Fraser. 

An example of some of the work that influenced us the most is from the film Foxcatcher, which he uses misty/eerie foggy scenes to portray certain genres/moods throughout. 

Above are two clips from the film, they look very familiar to what we tried to achieve in the below clips.

The use of the foggy setting helped us to achieve a common code and convention of our chosen genre without it looking to generic and cheesy. Also by editing the colour in After Effects using the curve tool it helped us make the most of the setting and weather we filmed in. 

STORYBOARD- our production

This is the storyboard for our finished idea, although it isn't one of the two spider diagrammed ideas we have developed this one in detail between every camera angle to ensure our production turns out really well. We decided not to mindmap our thriller idea as we knew we were going to use it so instead spent more time getting the storyboard itself accurate. 

MINDMAPS- Film Ideas

Rom-Com

 

Horror-

Research into existing products- Influence on production

To aid us looking at the general codes and conventions of a thriller/Action film we are looking into existing products of a similar genre to get some ideas/influences. 

WANTED 

Although this clip isn't the start of an action movie it shows has examples of things we should follow if we wish to create a thriller/action film.

The setting- It isn't anything out of the ordinary it is based in a Grocery store, if we want to achieve a successful clip it has to be realistic and believable, unless the film itself is something very far fetched it shouldn't be focused on anything to extra ordinary. This makes it more true to life and the audience could imagine they/place themselves in these situations although I cannot imagine anyone would want what happens in the above clip to happen to them.

Another factor which we need to include into ours is the sense of mystery and wanting to know what is going to happen, again this isn't the start of the film but it still gives an example as to what we want to achieve if you imagine it to be. This film works well to do so as the character who appears to be very important even doesn't know what is going on, audience can relate.

The hook it gives you is what makes you want to watch on which is a key to what ours needs. We want to include a plot twist also within the first few minutes which will really make you want to watch on. Like the above clip it makes you question, why did his dad die? why do they want him? who is she? 

LUCY

Another example of a good action film is one that also plays with conventions, the above is a film based on a woman who has super human powers. Not many films are based on woman, even the title is 'Lucy', this going against what you would generally expect to see in a film especially a thriller/action.

Again playing with gender roles is how the woman is in control, the man appears to be weak and easily pushed by the woman however she does have super human powers. We have our main actor being a woman in our start to a thriller film as we thought it would be good to give a woman a sense of authority rather than the second light. 

The on your toe tension is also key when it comes to a thriller or action genre, this keeps you hooked and it is generally what you expect when watching one, to be enticed and wanting to see what happens. 

As i mentioned under the other movie clip how setting is important, it all dependent on how you want the film to come out whether that be realistic or pushing boundaries which this clip shows you how much it does. It can work either way as long as it makes sense, this film is about something unhuman, a girl with a computer brain is not realistic but that for this film is the point. 

This clip is also good as it gives you that what is going to happen next feeling, the audience just do not know where it is going to go. We want to incorporate that in ours, like I mentioned we want a immediate plot twist but also so it gives you the shock factor, it will make sense when our short film is finished and up.

Title Sequence Research/Analysis

The Conjuring-

Colours- The colours used are black, white and grey. This is used because The Conjuring is a horror film so these colours can come across quite spooky and creepy to link in with the genre. Also black is mainly associated with death and evil which also links to the fact it is supposed to be a horror.

Style- They used old photos, news papers and anything that looks old to put as the scene behind the text. The way they showed the production company was an old newspaper with a dolls face in the corner as a picture to fit an article. They placed the title as the paper header which links to how it has importance. The dolls face is made to look really creepy, which makes the already scary stigma around dolls worse. This links to the way is it supposed to be creepy.

Font- The font is in capitals adding to the fact it is important. The other text around it is also blurred out iving emphasize to the title being shown.

Cabin In The Woods

Style-The main theme running through the title of these is the use of blood running over something and creating an image inside it linking to the film while the the credit/title runs.The whole usage of blood running over the screen is the main link to the film being a horror genre.                 


Colour-The main colour theme is red/oranges which is the blood making it realistic, the background colour is black which makes the red blood stand out as it is a contrasting colour. 

Font-The text is also in red which makes it blend into the colour scheme but it is also a different red to the blood so stands out, the fact its in capitals gives it emphasis and show importance. The size of the text in comparison to the whats going on is small which shows it is enhancing the importance on what is going on behind.

The Ward-

Style- The main theme running through the titles is that pictures linked to the film are played and the glass mirror shatters as the title is played by it. This is linked to the horror genre because the glass shatters are sharp which symbolizes the danger of what happens in the film.

Colours- All the pictures are contrasting colours to the background so they stand out. The background is also black so that links to evil. The title text is white contrasts to the

background making it stand out.

Font- The font is really basic and in capitals which emphasizes the importance. It is also in white which makes it stand out so we see to read it.

Christian Metz- Genre Development

Christian Metz wrote a book in 1974 called ' Language and Cinema' which explored the development of genre film and suggested that genre's pass through four phases of existance.

The Experimental- Helped formulise the narrative conventions of the horror films in its earliest phase.The Cabinat of Dr Caligari (1919), Nosferatu(1922)
The Classic- Phase of films which established the narrative conventions of the horror genre.Dracula(1931), Frankenstein(1931)
The Parody- Films that mimic the horror genre in a comical way. Aboot and Castello(1969), Carry on Screaming(1969), Scream(1996)

The deconstruction- Take the aspect of horror and mixed with other genre's. Blair Witch Project(1998), The Sixth Sense(1999)

 

INTRO RESEARCH - Just like Heaven

Opening scene analysis

Just Like Heaven is a romantic comedy that was released in 2005, it is directed by Mark Waters and set in San Francisco.  

Editing

At the beginning the opening is a transition into the clouds, the clouds can symbolize heaven which is a link to the title of the film. The use of a dissolve when Elizabeth is sitting in the garden gives the effect of passing time. The use of jump cuts as she is going through her day at the hospital can show the fast pace at which her day goes, without her really noticing it. This helps the audience sympathize with her as you can understand how she feels. At the moment when the truck crashes into the car the screen goes white and then shows the bridge, this makes the audience think that its the transition to heaven.  

Mise-en-scene

The clothing of the nurse uniforms is white, this colour normally symbolizes good, pure, angelic which could symbolize the work of the nurses as they save peoples lives as a living. The use of bright lighting when the truck crashes causes an extra shock on top of what is happening so the audience really can connect with what is going on in the screen. 

Camera Angles

When the logo is shown the camera is tilted up so it slowly shows dream-works  this is a link to how the genre of rom-com films is usually slow pacing and very emotionally moving to fit with the romatic theme. The camera movement is very fast pace as they are showing her going through the day which helps the audience also feel what is going on. 

Sound

The music is very fast paced as Elizabeth is going through her day which also helps the audience feel the pace of the day along with camera movements. The music is non-diegetic so the characters cannot hear so this is just so it has an effect on the audience and makes them feel a certain way. The truck horn is loud when it is crashing into the protagonists car which makes the audience jump because they are hooked on seeing what is going to happen. 

INTRO RESEARCH- Woman In Black

Sound

In The Women in Black intro scene there is no dialogue bar a few lines at the end just non diegetic music  playing throughout the whole scene. The music builds up getting louder and louder as the scene progresses until the 3 little girls jump out the window and the music then dies down a little, this is done to make us feel connected with whats happening. With the music getting louder it makes us feel on edge and builds tension, when the music dies down when they jump it sympathizes with the feelings of the audience which is shocked and as they calm down from what they have just watched. The way that as we guess mother of the 3 children screams 'My babies' it gives the audience even more chills as they realize what actually happened and start to get hooked on finding out what is going to happen. 

Mise-en-scene

The 3 little girls are dressed in clothes which appear to be from the Victorian age which instantly gives the thought that the film might be set in these times. They are dressed very smart which could mean they are from a wealthy family. We can also see from the setting of what looks like a play room in a big old house, this also gives the impression that they may be rich.  They are playing with dolls and having a tea party which is old fashioned and also tells us about the age that its set in as now a days children play with computers, x-box etc. The lighting is very dull and dark which makes it seem old and spooky. This also builds tension as it makes the audience uneasy. 

Editing

The cuts are very jumpy and choppy which could link to the whole making the audience feel uneasy as by including these when a scene suddenly changes it makes the watcher jump and feel freaked. The use of slow motion as the girls walk towards the window and jump out it creates an eager tension for the audience as they sort of know what is going to happen but just having to wait for it makes it that little bit more hooking.

Camera Angle

The use of forward tracking as the girls walk towards the window makes the audience feel as though they are going with them therefore more involved. They zoom in really close on a porcelain dolls face with a worried expression just after the girls have jumped out the window, this relates to how the audience are feeling so makes them feel involved but also makes them us easy as dolls are portrayed as creepy in most horror films. The camera zooms out as the intro is coming to an end and we see a glimpse of the veil of the what we assume is the women in black, but its only slight. This makes the whole thing a big mystery and therefore building up more tension and suspense. 

INTRO RESEARCH- Seven & Red Dragon

RED DRAGON & SEVEN

I have analysed the opening scenes of Red Dragon and Seven. Red Dragon is directed by Brett Ratner and was made in 2002. Seven was directed by David Fincher in 1995. In these clip I have focused on sound, editing, camera movement and mes-en-scene to analysis the clips. 

Sound

In Seven there is very loud music this helps make the audience feel tense because they do not know what to expect but know it will be something dramatic. It is also non diegetic so the characters cannot hear it therefore showing it there just to put an effect on the audience. The sounds effects are very disjointed for instance screams and doors shutting, this also makes the audience uneasy and gives them a sense of what to expect later on in the film. The sounds effects also being disjointed is a direct relationship to the mindset of the protagonist being all messed up which is what we expect the head of the main character to be like. 

Just like Seven the Red Dragon also has loud  music and non diegetic sound to cause a tense affect on the audience and show that its there just to effect the audience as the actor cannot hear it. As we see the negative stories about Hannibal the music turns low and aggressive to emphasis what is being shown on the screen and that it is significant to what to expect from the film you are about to watch. 

Editing

In Seven there are visual images of children which could be used as a link to the characters and what happened when they were younger which resulted in what they do now and what will occur in the film. This helps the audience understand the plot of the film better. The background between scenes is black with white writing, this could be used because both these colours are bold so when used together make it stand so therefore making it stand out emphasizing what it is being brought across. They also edited it so the writing was jumpy making it seem hand written this could symbolize that the protagonist is simple minded. There are a lot of jump cuts which makes it not flow smoothly which links to the main character and how messed up his life is. 

As with Seven in Red Dragon they use visual images of children to reflect the childhood the protagonist may have had and what trauma he may have gone through which links to the mind of the character he now plays. The word 'Red' is in red and the word 'dragon' is in white which are contrasting colours. The use of Red could show Hannibal's evil side as the colour symbolizes blood, danger whereas the white could show Hannibal's good side as it is a sign for hope and innocence. This could be the fight between good and evil inside Hannibal which also links to how messed up his head is. The writing is smooth and linear as it is typed up which is a contrast to Seven where the writing is hand written. This could show the difference between the two main protagonists personalities.  

Mes-en-scene

The setting of Seven is in the house of the main character which could symbolize how it is behind closed doors, private for no one to find it making it a secret and possibly something which is not good and something he shouldn't be doing. The lighting is very dark so this gives of a negative feeling to the audience so they know to expect something. Its also helps build up the tension and suspension of what is going to happen through out the film. As well as that is also adds to the fact it is set in his house as secrets are kept in the dark. 

In relation to Seven, Red Dragon is also set in a house giving the effect of the protagonist having something to hide for only him/her to see. The lightening is dark as if it set in a basement/attic which like Seven gives the fear/suspense of what is going to happen to the audience. It could also show that the scrap book is hidden and no one would find out about it so Hannibal has something to hide. 

Camera Angles

In Seven the use of extreme close ups on the character which means you never see his/her face gives you the thought that they have something to hide for instance he may be a killer who wants to hide his identity. It also makes the audience hooked so they want to keep watching to try and find out who it is. They also zoom into words to emphasis whatever the message is being put across as important. They do not use any wide shots as this could reveal the killers identity so it keeps the mystery there and people to keep on watching.

In Red Dragon the close ups are on news paper articles to show the audience what is going on and so they understand the story line. This also gives the audience the link of what happens between the pretitle scene and title sequence. 

Preliminary Task Evaluation

A 180 degree rule is a simple guide line showing the space between two characters. In our film this is used when the two characters are swapping the goods.  We used a match on action when the package is being passed between the two characters and he is getting his reward in return.

 In our film eye line match which is when the camera is at eye level is shown when the main character is walking down the stairs and the other character looks to see him. When the dealer is waiting and then walking to the destination of the deal it switches to the other waiting character twice, this is a shot reverse shot, where it switches between two scenes happening at the same time.

 The use of the shot reverse shot between two characters helps to break up the scene so it doesn't get boring and also allows us to see what is happening through out the film so it gives us something to think about and expect.

The film making process was pretty simple and went smoothly. This was helped by the fact we already had a written storyboard plan and knew everything that was going to happen so all we had to do was get was on paper done in real life. The storyboard helped as we knew where we were including certain key Technics and that it was all done. It also meant that we had a guideline of were to set it and the angles at which we would film our shots from. At some points we did improvise but a storyboard did make it much simpler. When filming certain shots we also used a tripod to make sure the camera was steady and it looked professional. 

On adobe premier I learnt how to match up match on actions, this is were you cut scenes so it is just the key events shown and emphasized. I learnt how to add music by going on to incompetech.com and downloading a chosen piece of music and then imported into our piece of work