Question 7 EVALUATION

Learning how to use the cameras

The principal aspect to begin with was learning how to manage the cameras, the main attributes of the camera, IE learning how to use white balance, auto focus, inserting the memory in order to avoid problems in the future and produce well presented work.

Blogger

Blogger became really important to all the students as daily we had to blog about the different areas we learnt about in class, for example when we learned about final cut pro, adding sound and titles or maybe just blogging a brief summary of how we felt during the lesson, was it effective? did we understand everything? any problems?   more or less it became like our daily diary.

Final cut pro

After several practices with final cut pro, we were left to commence producing an opening to our thriller, final cut pro enabled us to edit our clip, take things we no longer needed, mix scenes together, make them longer shorter, add effects, and overall help us produce the excellent video we did.

  

Fonts

Personally, i did not understand how to use fonts and struggled at the start, but after good practice it was jade and myself who ended up producing the fonts for our thriller clip.

 

Finally, the truth is at the Beginning  of the course i did not know how i was going to get through so much work, and having to learn so many different attributes, but now i feel like an expert, and thankful with all the members of staff for their hard work with our learning.

Group31: NEWSPAPER PRACTICE VIDEO

Group31: NEWSPAPER PRACTICE VIDEO

Question 8

For our preliminary task first of all i was the actor, so i didn't film at all. We had technical problems with the first video, leaving it inconsistent and jumbled up. The rest of my group came in the next day, unfortunately i didn't have college that day and had a doctors appointment to go to.

Our understandings of filming and editing have improved significantly since our preliminary task was set. First of all our scenes were shot rather unprofessionally, this was because none of us had experience making films. There were 4 of us so not everyone learned how to use the camera at once so we progressed at different stages. One of the main problems were the shots were inconstant, resulting in a badly shot film.
After consulting one of our teachers Annabelle, she told our group how to make our footage more consistent, such as walking through a door mirroring the shot at the other side. Since then we have also learned how fade footage in and out to connect it to the next, helping us make the film more understandable when it changes to a different scene.

Another key skill we have progressed on is the sound of our film. Back when we did this preliminary we had little knowledge of the software we needed to use, therefore leaving in the unnecessary sounds and leaving us without a soundtrack in the background. As you can hear in the film below, there is unnecessary sound from the people in the room talking. This is very unprofessional and something we improved on making our final film as we knew how to change the sound on FCP and export it into SoundTrack Pro. Letting us add in effects and take out unnecessary noise.

We learn't how to use the camera, tripod and software to its best ability. So our films were stable, consistent and sounded professional. Over all i have learn't so much since our preliminary task and i'm really grateful that our media course is taught like this. We have had the help of such great teachers and technicians every step of the way, until the point were we don't need anymore help and feel confident that we can make films ourselves.

Unfortunately our class has had some trouble with our blog, as uploading videos and pictures hasn't really worked. I think this is because the files are originally on the college computers, not letting me copy them from previous blog posts. . At the moment i've been trying to upload my preliminary film shots, however it has been an hour and this is all its shown:

I have tried to use the software ScreenFlow which records what is on your screen and also through the camera on your mac, i would have used this to comment on the video while its playing. Unfortunately this hasn't uploaded. Hopefully i can use this in the future to analyse video footage.

Question 1 EVALUATION

SEVEN is a clip that we can really compare with and have many similarities, we have developed the use of conventions with our clip through the use representation and icons, the mask in our film represents the hidden identity of the killer. On the other hand, the pictures also provide the audience with a sense of narrative representation as indicates to the audience an immediate image that the character behind the mask is evil, in a way its confirmation that the character is evil and not creating a stereo type image no more. 

The opening of a film is very important, it either makes the audience intrigued and wanting to carry on or makes them not want to pay attention. We tried to make our opening  strong by having major impact on the audience, combining sound, representation, icons to make it really effective.  

Furthermore, the location of seven and our film portraits that image bad 'scary' as our target audience call it  as we provide a long shot of the room from the start, introducing to the audience a view that would make them start thinking ideas of what that room involves, the darkness, the red lights, the mask on the table, all playing with the audience imaginations.

In the same way, sound also gives atmosphere to the opening, it creates tension and suspense keeping the audience wanting to know more at all times, at the edge of the seats.

A critic named Stanley Kauffmann was giving his ideas on what makes a classic opening and he stated that “the classic opening to a film is first the Establishing Shot of the city like New York, followed by the tilting shot of the Building from bottom to top, and then through the window to the reception to the main office where the story begins.”

Question 4 & 5

To distribute our media product we would need to be backed by a well known distribution company such as 'Twisted Productions' who produced saw. They would probably take us because of the style in which our film has been made.


If i took a different approach and wanted to distribute it myself, i would enter it into various film festivals and competitions to get it known and liked by a wide audience. If it won the film festival that is a major advantage and when we released/made the trailer it would support us by saying it has been discovered in such a way it has won awards. Alternatively we could put the trailer on youtube, send the link around the web on friends blogs, social network sites and put them on other youtube channels and hope it goes viral. By having the video on youtube we can attract more people to view it if we put keyword such as festival award winning in the title. 


We could also advertise our film quite cheaply by have adverts on the internet before the most viewed videos meaning a large majority will see it. Other forms of adverts i would consider to be way to expensive and unsuitable for such a small production, unless it was back by a well known distribution company.


I would also make a limited number of DVD's and distribute them to various companies/ people that could help back my film. These methods would make sure my film would be successful as it has been proven with students that go private schools and actually hire actors to star in there thrillers. A example of this is:

I believe my thriller is much more thrilling than this example but this video has still got a considerable amount of views

Question 3

Our main target audience for our film would be teenagers ideally 15-18 year olds.
It would not be suitable for anyone under the age of 15 to watch it as it contains horrific violence and gore.
15 is the ideal target audience for a thriller as the majority of people who go and see films are interested in macabre.

The contents of the average bag/ pockets of viewers:

Question 2

I will comparing the similarities and differences between my film 'The Deaths Click' and 'Se7en'.

• Se7en uses more effects such as distorting the image, slipping out of focus or mirroring it at certain points to enhance interest and suspense. 
• The colours used are different, Se7en at first is lighter, and only fades to a red wash when the photos are being developed. By doing this it contrasts the two different atmospheres the director whats to create. 
• In Se7en the actor is doing more to keep you interested. As a posed to our film where the audience has to keep on guessing what the killer is doing. We intentionally made it difficult to see what the man was doing. This added a great effect of uncertainty.
• The red in our film is there to represent bloodshed, such as the victims blood on his mask. a picture is shown of one of his victims in a pool of blood. However in Se7en it is there to show he is developing his pictures of his victims, rather than already giving a sense of blood/murder.

Question 8 EVALUATION

These two clips demonstrate the progression over the period in terms of sound, and the different camera angles and shots we used. 

As viewed on the clip above, we had no idea how import a sound track to the clip, nor did we know how to add titles or shoot the correct angles.

In clip 1, we view a very basic demonstration of  two over the shoulder shots and a tilt of both characters, its hand held and not very steady however, in clip two it looks perfect, its also a hand held and tilt of the mask but its presented in a more professional manner.

SHOTS LEARNED.

EWS (Extreme Wide Shot)
The view is so far from the subject that he isn't even visible. Often used as an establishing shot.

VWS (Very Wide Shot)
The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing him in his environment.

WS (Wide Shot)
The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible.
AKA: long shot, full shot.

MS (Mid Shot)
Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

MCU (Medium Close Up)
Half way between a MS and a CU.

CU (Close Up)
A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

ECU (Extreme Close Up)
The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.
Variation: Choker

Cut-In
Shows some (other) part of the subject in detail.

CA (Cutaway)
A shot of something other than the subject.

Two-Shot
A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.

(OSS) Over-the-Shoulder Shot
Looking from behind a person at the subject.

Noddy Shot
Usually refers to a shot of the interviewer listening and reacting to the subject.

Point-of-View Shot (POV)
Shows a view from the subject's perspective.

CAMERA MOVEMENTS

Crab	A less-common term for tracking or trucking.
Dolly	The camera is mounted on a cart which travels along tracks for a very smooth movement. Also known as a tracking shot or trucking shot.
Dolly Zoom	A technique in which the camera moves closer or further from the subject while simultaneously adjusting the zoom angle to keep the subject the same size in the frame.
Follow	The camera physically follows the subject at a more or less constant distance.
Pan	Horizontal movement, left and right.
Pedestal (Ped)	Moving the camera position vertically with respect to the subject.
Tilt	Vertical movement of the camera angle, i.e. pointing the camera up and down (as opposed to moving the whole camera up and down).
Track	Roughly synonymous with the dolly shot, but often defined more specifically as movement which stays a constant distance from the action, especially side-to-side movement.
Truck	Another term for tracking or dollying.
Zoom	Technically this isn't a camera move, but a change in the lens focal length with gives the illusion of moving the camera closer or further away.

These were attributes that i have saved from the moment we began learning about camera movements and shots, they helped me a lot develop my skills and also to the group and aniza who was the person in charge of the camera.  

EVALUATION: QUESTION 7: What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The first thing we began learning was how to use the camera. This was one of the most important technology we had to understand to actually make our film to work. We used the JVC camera for our thriller and to start of, it was very complicated to get the hang of it as there was so many buttons to learn. But as times went by, we all helped each other and learnt something new every lesson.


After my group got the hang of using the camera and all the equipments we had to get used to many different formats such as the 'blogger' , final cut pro, soundtrack pro and livetype.
 Blogger was like a diary, we had to write down what we done every time, this was a update of everything we had to do to show proof of our film and work. I'l say blogger is one of the easiest things to use out of all the formats as it was just typing,adding images and videos. I find blogging very interesting because you can also add other things such as a presentation, power point and links.

The most difficult formats I have used throughout our lesson was final cut pro, soundtrack pro and live type. This was because there were so many things you had to remember, so many buttons that was all complicated. At first I was really confused and it took me ages to get the hang of it. As we finished filming we just asked the teachers for help. We got used to it in the end, but I think that this was the hardest part of editing. It took such a long process to fit everything together but in the end our group all made it.  I think by experiencing all these different formats, it made me realize that I have a lot to learn and I am proud that I now know how to use it, this would help me in the future with other things. However I still have a lot to learn about these formats.
  

The final format that I have discovered was using handbrake. To finish of our film we had to convert it into handbrake which will enable us to watch it on our blogger.


Overall, I have learn so much that it has made a big impact on me. I did not know that it would be this complicated to make a film. Now that I have experienced so much I am pleased that I have worked well with my group. It gives me a positive energy knowing that I have been through all these formats. If i was to change anything I would try to go into detail about each format and use more things to my film.

Question 4+5 EVALUATION

AS MEDIA COURSEWORK - GRADE A

This clip is made by a student who studies at a private school, personally, i find the clip boring and plain and see my film 20 times better however, this student has gone the correct way in terms of distributing and advertising his clip. Of course the clip is of low budget so therefore he has to think of the ways to attract and target his audience,   the title of the film is 'As Media  coursework GRADE A, this automatically draws attention of any audience due to the 'GRADE A' portraying the film to be really good.

Furthermore, this student did not have many options to distribute and advertise his film, the best way to reach hes target audience was by uploading the clip on social networks such as Facebook, twitter or creating a blog so that people can view his film. On the other hand, the student decided to upload his video on you tube, having said that, once his clip is viewed by many on social networks the word of mouth will spread and to be honest what teenager does not view you tube!

In addition, the fact that the clip has been viewed 19,388 times demonstrates that the clip must be entertaining, this will be make more people view the film as it has a good status or good amount of viewers, so what does that mean? it basically means that the film has a good background, it has a strong profile and positive feedback so therefore expanding its viewers each time and building the possibility to be viewed by an important member of the film industry.

Main social networks to distribute clips 

• YouTube – set up own page where people can watch videos and give feedback
• Twitter – can post up links to their videos
• Facebook – people can post their videos etc
• MySpace – people can add videos onto their page

These sites above can be used to show adverts to create,

• Fan pages – this can be used to build a fan base; as the more people that like the page fan base will increase. Consequently when anyone looks at the page, it may draw their attention and perhaps encourage them to watch the video.
• Share videos
• Mini trailers – a summary of the film

Lastly we could also use shared screenings:

·         DVD releases of the film

·         Candi website advertisements

·         Blogs

·         Pops ups

·         Independent film festivals

·         Adverts on student union websites

·         Ads in local newspapers

·         Posters and flyers across the country.  

These are all possible ways of advertisement which are not of high cost and will definatley help increase the popularity of a film like mine. 

Competitions are one of the main ways to help distribute, promote and sale you film to a wider audience, many sites pay good money and help broadcast your film to increase the possibility of the film reaching a higher view cinematic release and a higher budget distribution company. 

Sites like

WWW. eyeka.com

To conclude, i believe to distribute our film we would have to go on and do it the same way, use all the social networks, enter competitions, film festivals which are all low cost but great advertisement specially as our target audience are constantly using these social networks.