1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e of film openings)
The aspects we would like you to consider are:
The title of the film
Setting/location
Costumes and props
Camerawork and editing
Write about how typical or not of opening sequences your particular design is.
Title font and style
Story and how the opening sets it up
Genre and how the opening suggests it
How characters are introduced
Special effects
How does your opening sequence develop or challenge the conventions of an opening sequence?
Does your use of conventions indicate that other opening sequences have influenced your work?
If so, then be specific with examples.
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2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
What are the social groups represented in terms of gender, age, class, race, etc?
Pick a key character from your opening. Think of one or more characters from other films with some similarity to them (but maybe some differences too!). Write about the similarities and differences in terms of appearance, costume, role in film etc.
So for example if you have a nerdy/dreamer character, look for other nerdy/dreamer characters to compare them with..
Pick a key character from your opening. Think of one or more characters from other films with some similarity to them (but maybe some differences too!). Write about the similarities and differences in terms of appearance, costume, role in film etc.
So for example if you have a nerdy/dreamer character, look for other nerdy/dreamer characters to compare them with..
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Would this be something that could be produced by a major Hollywood studio, if yes then why? Is it similar to existing products?
Would it be a TV movie?
Would it be an arthouse film?
Would it be an internet only release?
Why would it be released? Does it offer opportunities for franchises and/or merchandising?
Where might the money come from for a film such as yours?
What films are similar 'institutionally'?
(Name some films which would be released in a similar way.)
Link your conclusions to a discussion of the mise-en-scene (visual style) of your opening sequence.
Would it be a TV movie?
Would it be an arthouse film?
Would it be an internet only release?
Why would it be released? Does it offer opportunities for franchises and/or merchandising?
Where might the money come from for a film such as yours?
What films are similar 'institutionally'?
(Name some films which would be released in a similar way.)
Link your conclusions to a discussion of the mise-en-scene (visual style) of your opening sequence.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Consider the age and gender of your target audience.
(Link this to the narrative and style of your film.)
What kinds of taste might your target audience have : Where would they shop? What music would they listen to? What would their favourite TV programmes be? etc.
What other films are similar to yours? Who do they appeal to?
(Link this to the narrative and style of your film.)
What kinds of taste might your target audience have : Where would they shop? What music would they listen to? What would their favourite TV programmes be? etc.
What other films are similar to yours? Who do they appeal to?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
Are there particular points in your film that would appeal to a certain age or gender? If yes then explain them in detail.
You should refer to genre conventions, use of music, similarities with other movies and what you have identified as the Unique Selling Point of your imaginary film.
Link this into your audience profile (I.e. what age and gender they are)
You should refer to genre conventions, use of music, similarities with other movies and what you have identified as the Unique Selling Point of your imaginary film.
Link this into your audience profile (I.e. what age and gender they are)
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
Talk about the filming process. Were there problems you faced? How did you resolve these issues?
Did you get to use new equipment that enhances your opening sequence? I.e. the dolly.
Editing software - Final Cut Express. What have you learnt about editing?
Photoshop - What have you learnt about using the software?
Garageband - was it a useful programme for creating a soundtrack? What challenges did you face during this process?
Did you get to use new equipment that enhances your opening sequence? I.e. the dolly.
Editing software - Final Cut Express. What have you learnt about editing?
Photoshop - What have you learnt about using the software?
Garageband - was it a useful programme for creating a soundtrack? What challenges did you face during this process?
7. Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Concentrate on editing and camerawork.
Show what you know about shot types, edit terms and techniques.
Discuss the planning stage, storyboarding, and explain how this helped you to produce your opening sequence.
Make sure you mention the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot/reverse shot
Has your use of specific shot types improved? I.e. match on action, point of view?
Do you feel more confident with the equipment?
How successful do you feel your end product is as fulfilling the task?
Show what you know about shot types, edit terms and techniques.
Discuss the planning stage, storyboarding, and explain how this helped you to produce your opening sequence.
Make sure you mention the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot/reverse shot
Has your use of specific shot types improved? I.e. match on action, point of view?
Do you feel more confident with the equipment?
How successful do you feel your end product is as fulfilling the task?
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
The history of the dull and boring
We have decided to change the name of our film because we think the name we originally thought of (the jungle school) didn't really work well, but watching our film, the end scene there is a part where the teacher shouts at Russell, and tells him that he has to do a 10,000 word essay about The History Of The Dull & Boring. So we decided to adopt this name as our title. :D
As our film intro comes to an end
As the last few edits are done to our film and the music is edited to fit smoothly with the film the ending of the film is getting close.
While watching the film near completion we realised that we had successfully made a child's film opening. What makes us confident we have done this and not any other type of film audience market is that the humour is very goofy humour e.g the monster running after Russell in a very goofy way. If it was a family film then the parents would be finding things humorous during the opening however from us watching it there is nothing that would make a parent laugh.
Our film also follows the theme of other children's film by being very simple to understand as its quite black and white that there is a good person (Russell) and a bad person (Pumpkin man). Well feel that in children's films there is less morals than in family films and so our opening does not show any morals for example "dont lie`'.
Our genre for our film is adventure so we hope it would capture our audiences imagination. When we were originally thinking of ideas for our opening we decided that the genres we could choose from were obviously limited to a small few genres for example no murder mystery as that would be too complex, however a slapstick comedy or an adventured themed film would be ideal for a child audience. Ways in which we knew what genres are inappropriate for a child's film and are more suited for a older audience was by just thinking what a zombie genre for an extreme example includes which is usually a lot of gore, death and swearing. And of-course it goes without saying that putting any of that into a child's film would be a very poor chose.
While watching the film near completion we realised that we had successfully made a child's film opening. What makes us confident we have done this and not any other type of film audience market is that the humour is very goofy humour e.g the monster running after Russell in a very goofy way. If it was a family film then the parents would be finding things humorous during the opening however from us watching it there is nothing that would make a parent laugh.
Our film also follows the theme of other children's film by being very simple to understand as its quite black and white that there is a good person (Russell) and a bad person (Pumpkin man). Well feel that in children's films there is less morals than in family films and so our opening does not show any morals for example "dont lie`'.
Our genre for our film is adventure so we hope it would capture our audiences imagination. When we were originally thinking of ideas for our opening we decided that the genres we could choose from were obviously limited to a small few genres for example no murder mystery as that would be too complex, however a slapstick comedy or an adventured themed film would be ideal for a child audience. Ways in which we knew what genres are inappropriate for a child's film and are more suited for a older audience was by just thinking what a zombie genre for an extreme example includes which is usually a lot of gore, death and swearing. And of-course it goes without saying that putting any of that into a child's film would be a very poor chose.
Friday, 6 November 2009
Our Mood Board
We decided to make a mood board which shows what inspired us and influenced are final idea. We have chosen pictures of kids who also have been on adventures e.g the kid from the spiderwick chronicles.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Editing Away
After gettiing back from half term we went straight into filming. We put the footage onto the computer. We have also just started editing the major scene in this introduction sequence which is the forrest.
The music that will be on the film during the scenes started, we decided to go for quite a jungle film however some of the group have decided to go for a rodeo music as the sound "sounded" good but wether it goes well with the footage is debatable. For some reason a kid going through a forrest with the sound of some old wild west musician playing in the background seems strange.
However one problem we are currently having is that the mask we used ha got mixed opinions amongst us about wether we should of used a mask deemed less scary however we feel with the shot that shows the pumpkin man/monster running he has quite a comedic run which talks away from the intimidation he may cause.
Filming Finshed
We have no finshed filming. We got our main scene - when Russell is exploring in the forrest done in one lesson which we were happy with. Then in the second of the three lessons allocated to film for our introductions we filmed the cave scene with great difficulty as lighting was a big issue on the footage came out too dark for someone to understand what is happening. We also in the second filming lesson got the footage of Russell exploring the "ruins" known as the art block to those who know Long Road. We managed to get some good shots there and the important shots we needed and so we moved onto our final location which would not take long to film and it lived up to our expectation and did not take long to use. We used a empty classroom as planned towards the end of the second lesson we had got all our footage required.
Because of this we did not in the end use the third lesson we were able to film in and instead started with the editing and creating the music to go in the background.