In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

1) Location
I chose this shot for location because it is the first shot in the scene, It fades into this shot with the title Long Road Presents riding through it.
This shot is a good setting shot. you instantly know that this is set in the woods and maybe throughout.
2)Lighting
This one only shows lighting a little bit. but shows it all the same
This shows at the top the sun beaming down, as i did this in the middle of the day in the light, i didn't need any extra lighting.
3)Movement
There are a number of moving shots throughout my sequence, this one in particular is the first movement in the scene which shows the dead body. which enhances the suspense as it pans upwards to reveal who those feet belong too.
4)Visual Effect
This shot is red. showing the effect of the heartbeat. I added this to hint that the character is still alive, but if you notice the gaps between the beats extend symbolising that this person is dying. the screen also expands, showing the movement of the heart.
5) Typography
I didn't really want a fancy font in mine, so i kept it as one of the normals, I can't actually remember its name, but as i was looking through other films i could clearly see they didn't worry too much and just used a nice EASY TO READ font. Which i was used
This image i personally think captures the movement of the text also.
6)Costume
Because it's supposed to be about a Young Protagonist. I asked my Actor to wear a hoodie and jeans, this is because this look fits with the stereotype of a "Typical" teenager, and that is how i wanted my character to look.
7)Narrative
I used the shot I Am Dead for this because it is the title of the film, and shows that it integrates with the rest of the narrative well
8)Framing
I personally really like this shot, mainly because of the branch in the way, focusing beyond the body to see different things, and just to split up the shots so Therese not so much of the same thing within the opening sequence.
9)Transitions
The transitions mainly for this sequence is just fades in and out, and are quite hard to capture in a shot, but luckily used this cross effect transitions just to split it up, i think it worked well getting between shots.

Part 2

1) Location2) Lighting
3) Movement

4) Visual Effects
5) Typography
6) Costume
7) Narrative
8) Framing
9) Transitions

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Even though these two characters are in totally different types of scenes they have similarities

This character is from the film Double Indemnity

The similarities between these two characters are:

• They both narrate there story's through the film - Narrators



• They are both looking like they are dying.



• Alot of mysteries when they first are presented in the film.

Differences are:

• Eras, This one was set a while ago and is black and white while mine is more present day



• There clothing is very different



• where my character is narrating from a mystery place, The character form double indemnity is recoding and you actually see him talking.
  

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is my voice over for my opening project

Who Would be the audience for your media product?

What kind of "Genre" do you think this film belongs to?
Mystery

Who do you think the Target Audience of this film would be?
Murder mystery fans

What is your favourite images from this film
There's only one, extended scene

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

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

For the continuity task i learnt a great deal to help advance my project further

The main one was sticking to the 180 degree rule. In my continiuity Task, the camera stays on the one site throughout the whole scene, even the shot reverse shots are on the same side:
Becuase of this, i made sure that i always filmed on the left of the character, this was to keep the 180 degree rule, and i later found out while filming on the right that my shadow was captured on film.

So due to the continuity task, i would have made alot of errors in my film regarding continuity, i would have had my showdow in the shot - which would of mde the footage unuseable. and the 180 degree rule works also

also thanks to the first continuity task i can not edit footage in order and not make the shots jump, and is good and effective.

Feedback From Jake & Jim

Good Shots, maybe some are a bit to repetitive, cut down a few of the same shots.

Like the effect, but maybe if you play with it a bit more and enhance it that would make it more effective.

Invoices

Equipment Evaluation

Evaluation Questions

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

Well my film opening is maybe a lot like some Film noir. where you see the main character in some sort of crisis at the start, maybe shot or dead, where they then go back to tell the story. I didn't copy this exact, because film noir is mainly black and white, and i didn't really want that. so just the main idea is from that grene, One example is Double Indemnity Where the main character has been shot and you assume he is dying, he returns to his office and starts recording his voice about how it lead up to this point.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social group for my film is and older audience maybe teenagers, features a young protagonist who has been hurt and is dying, so this wouldn't be a good film for a younger audience.

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

Maybe an institution that is set apon this particular genre of film, maybe one that distributed some film like Dead Mans Shoes or any of shane meadows films.


Who would be the audience for your media product?

Well as i said in a early question a older audience, maybe age 15 and upwards. this is because you assume there is quite a lot of violence in this film because it starts off with a death. because of this it wouldn't be really suitable for anyone younger.

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

I have learnt a fair amount about opening sequences and how they are constructed to either create mystery, action ect. I have learnt about what makes a good opening sequence and what makes it just look like a trailer.

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

Well our preliminary task had quite alot of continity errors and i didn't realise this. since then i have been more aware of this problem and taken greater care ensouring nothing spoils my filming. even though i had a basic idea of camera angles and shots, i have learnt since then a greater deal, and also in the editing side i have learnt about makign the shots flow, for example when someone is walking, when the shot cuts you need to make it look liek they where continusaly walking, not just starting again like i did sometimes.

Film opening project Final Cut

This is my final cut of my film opening project.

Dialogue

Finally Wrote and recored my dailogue using myself:

This… this is me.

My heart beat is getting fainter

I am dying.

I should of just said no.

I wish I never got into this.

I wonder how long it Is before my body is found.

This is the story.

This is how I died.

Yesterday - 26th of febuary

Yesterday i really started to edit in after effects, i took what feedback i was given and tried to modify my work to match with what people where saying.

Now i only have 3 hours left to complete i really need to get a move on, theres still some effects i want to place in my work, plus i need to do the voice over even if it is just me.

I will have to see how it works out.

Feedback - Titles

• Work more on motion trails of text
• Cleverly Placed on the scene
  
• perhaps not fluid enough
• they get slightly wiggly and hard to read
  

Feedback - Mise - en - scene

• Mysterious location
• costume casual
• builds up some sense of mystery as to where this character is
• Hood up on the corpse works well to conseal the identity
  

Feedback - Sound

• could have slow misterious music and maybe pick up the pace half way through
• could do with some ambiant noise - and music
• music will be important tocreate dramatic effect

Feedback - Editing

• Overall very good, the clips could do with some slight contrast changes (darker perhaps)
• maybe add old movie effect?
• good transitions but shots are to long
• pieces together nice
  

Feedback - Camerawork

• Spinning camera was weird
• lots of close up and pan shots
• good use of angles
  
• Good use of varied shots
• blend well with titles
  

Picture

My picture was of my sitting doing nothing, This was because i had compleated all my filming before half tarm and had acutally started editing it. so i had nothing to do during it. i did think alot about planning stuff, but i didn't write everything down. I should really. I will do that now.

Three Tips For Filming

• Check footage is ok befoire leaveing the set
• Do a few takes of the same scene even if the first take looked ok
• Make sure the camera is actually recording
  

New continuity task HD Camera

We used the High definition cameras to refilm our continuity task this one was with the HD Tapes

We only had one minor problem, we used the wrong setting and it was way to dark, but we worked it out and reshot the film and it was ok.




this one i was one of the actors using the normal tapes

Location Shots

Here are some shots around college that i might use for my opening sequence.

Risk Assessment number 2

Activity
Filming

Hazard
Dropping Camera

Severity
2

Probability
2

Risk Value
4

Measure/comments
Ensure i have a tight grip on the camera

Risk
4

Risk Assessment number 1

Activity
Filming in the woods

Hazard
Branches falling off trees

Person In danger
Mike

Severity
1

Probability
1

Risk Value
1

Measures/Comments
Make sure he is away from trees

Risk
1

Infomation about filming

When are you filming?
Some time this week, during college times Thursday.

What are you filming?
The whole thing ,dead body, all shots of him

Who else will be there?
Mike Shaw (Actor)
Tara Cox (Continuity Person)

Where are you filming?
In the ground of long road (woods)

New Shot list

1. Fades in showing a pair of shoes - Close up.
2. Pans up from shoes, titles like they a re part of the clothing
3. Cuts to a close up of corpses hand.
4. Setting shot - Looks around woods
5. Mid shot looking down on the body, camera spinning slowly, corpse silhouetted.
6. Cuts to black, titles come on the screen, dialogue starts.
7. Zooms closer to the corpse, camera still spinning slowly. still silhouetted
8. Cuts to black, more titles
9. mid shot behind character
10. close up of a knife, Main title of film displayed.
11. Pans down slowly to the handle, More titles
12. Long shot from other side.
13. another close up of head
14. pans to behind his head
15. close up of a bag by characters feet.
16. Starts off at close up of head. Starts to move down the body
17. Pans back down body
18. Close up of feet, Cuts to black, End of sequence.

3rd Major Issue

Not having the correct software at home.
Not having final cut on my computer at home, mainly because it is vista, and not mac, so final cut is not compatible, so i can't edit my footage at home

I have after effects at home, but i can't do editing for the main footage, so if i get all my main cutting done in final cut, i can start doing the titles in after effects at home, so i wont need to waste so long in the lessons getting the titles perfect

2nd Major Issue

Not filming enough footage

Making sure i have enough footage, so that when i come to edit, i don't have crappy looking shots

To ensure this will be ok, i will have to do several takes of the same shot, even if i think the first one is ok, i am going to take a few more, also, making sure the camera is actually recording. Not just off.

1st Major Issue

Getting the correct camera angles

I have to make the camera angles, so there is not to much light, and that you can't see the actor (mike)'s face.

So i have to actually follow the storyboard till the end, not give up halfway through and go by memory which i did last time i did some filming, which ended up we didn't really have enough footage, and some shots where too long.

Major Issues

• Getting The correct Camera angles.
• Not filming enough footage
• Not having the correct software i can use at home
  

Minor Concerns

• Dropping the expensive camera
• Baaaad music in garage band
• Footage not being able to upload
  

Nuisances for filming

• Location in college in use
• Laptop exploding, loosing all the working it
• Weather problems such as snow
  

Costumes?

The costumes will be easy, Because there is only one person in my opening sequence, there will not need to be that much thought for this part.

I want my character to be just in normal clothes, like a typical teenager wearers, this is good because i could just get my actor just to use the clothes he is wearing.

You wont see the costume that much anyway, mainly because hes going be mostly in silhouette.

Props:

The only props i really need is a normal school back, and a knife

Getting the bag will be pretty easy, i could just use my schoolbag to get someone Else's, this person is meant to be a teenager, so he wouldn't have a briefcase or anything like that

The only problem with a knife is that i currently can't get hold of one, and i wouldn't bring a real one to long road mainly because i would probs ending up stabbing myself and i would need a risk assessment form, so i wont bring a real one.

I do not have a "Fake" knife, so i need to ask some people in our media class if they have a fake one that i can borrow.

Location Ideas

Because i will no longer be filming inside a building, i will be filming it outside, So this means that i can use the wooded areas surrounding long road, When i go in on Monday, i will try to get pictures for this post.

Titles

Long Road Presents

An Blah Films Productions

Mike Shaw

Alex Catch

Owen Bridge
I'm Dead
Tom Log, Tara Cox, James Smith
Casting by Chris Jones

Music by Matt Leonowicz

Film Editors Matt Leonowicz

Production Designer

Designer of Photography

Produced by

Written by Matt Leonowicz

Directed by Matt Leonowicz


I will update when i think of more names :)

Changes from storyboard

Since i have done my storyboard i have been thinking and i am thinking about changing a few things

The first major change is the setting, i don't think it will be as dramatic in a dark room, so i have decided to set it in a forest, so i am going to find a good location in some forest (maybe use one around long road) and use that for my opening sequence
Unfortunately this will mean i cannot use the window shot and i will have to rethink that part of the sequence, but it means i can use setting shots maybe outside the forest to show that he is deep into the woods.

Animatic -

This is my animatic for my film opening sequence. All the shots are hopefully the length i want to hold them for while the titles play.
I didn't put any titles in this animatic, manly because i didn't have time to think of any.
I don't think i will be using the same music, but i will mke sure it fits with the heartboeat unlike this music does.

Shotlist

1. Close up of feet for character. - 6 seconds
   
2. Pan shot from his feet up his legs, showing titles move down the legs of the character. titles shaped around leg. 8 seconds
   
3. Cuts to a close up of the persons hand, still not showing his face Titles. 10 seconds
   
4. Cuts to a long shot looking outside a window, looking where the character is. 10 seconds
   
5. Zooms out from window and spins across to silhouetted corpse 13 seconds
   
6. Cuts to a close up of the knife, blood stained, dipping 14 seconds
   
7. Mid shot behind the corpse still silhouetted, Light shining from the window into the character 10 seconds
   
8. Zooms into a close up to the back of the corpses head still silhouetted but can just see the faint details. 14 seconds
   
9. Birds eye view mid shot looking at the corpse still silhouetted, camera spinning around the body for afew seconds while the titles come on and go. 17 seconds
   
10. Dialogue starts while camera goes slightly closer but is still spinning 17 seconds
    
11. Close up of blood dripping, cuts to red at the end 19 seconds

Every Shot has titles, thats why they are so long.

Timeline

3 shots from moodboard

9 shots for sequence

Moodboard

This is a animated moodboard for my film opening sequence.





most of these pictures are trying to represent loneliness, showing that the min character is all alone right at the start (when he is dead)

There are a few pictures to do with like the mafia, to show that he has done something in this past that caused his death.

The music is quiet, to show that the opening is not all action packed, but more setting scene for the film.

Moviestorm videos

MovieStorm Movie One




MovieStorm Movie Two




When we first started using moviestorm i didn't really get what we had to do, it was really slow, and nobody was having much luck, but once we figured out how to get all the textures working, and make it speed up alot, i started to get used to the program, and really enjoyed doing it.

My Invoice

this is my invoice thing for the project

Pitch i have chosen.

The pitch i have chosen it use for my film opening is brief 3 : An independent movie featuring a young protagonist:

Main Idea:

• starts in a dark room, with a man dead on the floor
• This then goes back into why he was killed, and what he did.

Maybe the opening sequence is the character narraiting saying somthing like "This is me... my name is..." and talked a little.

Synopsis: - View from main character

I am dead. I knew it was coming but I was not ready, I wish I never got into this business. this is my story.


Working Title:
I am dead.

Essential Elements

Essential Elements for a successful opening sequence for a film:

• Eye-catching/ intriguing imagery.
• Name of film near beginning of sequence.
• Taste of rest of film, make the audience what to watch.
• Don't Drag it out.
• Bold and clear titles.
• Build-up for tension and mystery.
• Unique Storyline.

Comparative Analysis - Brief 3 Rushmore

RushMore 1998


Rushmore's opening sequence is different to normal sequences. usually at the start of most films there is a massive long list of peoples names, but this one, there are only a few at the start, the main company's who made it, Until it gets to about 5 minutes into the clip, it isn't really titles, but what this max fellow does, or has done, even though the principle or head of the school just said he was the worst student they have ever had.

The start is setting the scene, making you think that he is a maths nerd right at the start, making you believe that he is this clever cocky guy who reads the paper in a maths lesson showing that he can't learn anything from his teacher, then he wakes up to find out that it is all a dream.

Opening Credits -

• Touchstone Pictures
• An American Imperial Picture

That is all i could see, there might be more further on in the film but none near the start

Comparative Analysis - Brief 3 -This Is England Industry Analysis

This Is England

Comparative Analysis - Brief 3 This Is England Credits

This Is England - Credits

• FilmFour and the uk film council Presents
• in association with EM Media and Screen Yorkshire
• a Warp Films Production
  
• in association with Big Arty Productions
• a Shane Meadows Film
• This is England
• Thomas Turgoose
• Stephan Granam
• Jo Hartly
• Andrew Shim Vickey McClure
• Joe Gilgur
• Rosamund Hanson
• Andrew Ellis, Perry Benson, George Newton
• Frank Harper, Jack D'Connel, Kriss Dosanjh
• Kieran Hardcastle, Chanel Cresswell, Danielle Watson
• Sophie Ellerby, Hannah Walters, Dave Laws

There are more, but it gets to fuzzy to read them if i find a better quality video or find the list on the internet i will finish this.

Comparative Analysis - Brief 3 This Is England

This is England - 2006 - Shane Meadows



This film, This Is England is an independent film written and directed by Shane Meadows, the first scene in the opening sequence is the puppet Roland Rat whom was on tv in the 1980's, this gives you the first impression that this film may be set around that time and in fact this film was meant to be set in 1983. The main opening is pretty simple, it's basically lots of footage from important events that i assume happened around the same time that this film is meant to be set in. This opening sequence does not have alot of fancy editing, this is to fit the style of this film and like most of Shane Meadow's filming, not alot of noticable editing which always makes it seem more dramatic. the sequence lasts 3:26 and has 74 shots in the sequence

My Film Logo

Blogger has messed up the positioning of the ident, The green line is meant to be the edge of the screen.

This logo is for my production company, i chose the name Blah films mainly because i couldn't think of anything better, and in fact Blah was a good name. In this everything shown in this was made in photoshop, including the text, i used motion on all of my layers, making them bounce off eachother. i used sound effects i found on the internet for free, i used A1 sounds, which is blocked in college.

i made the arrow head spin up, like it is being fired, but that sort of went away when i decided to put a snail sliding down it.

Feedback From Tim - Alex - James - Alie

Tim
Thinks guy shouldn't die at start
and needs a twist

Alie

"I like the dead man"
Interesting plot

Alex


James
Like American beauty, dies early on, keep to find out what happens
- need a idea about the story, what happens in the film.

Film Opening Ideas - Brief 3

Film Brief 3:

1

• About a teenage boy struggling with life in general
• He has friends, but he is finding his college life tough
• maybe he has problems at home either with abusive parents
• or one parent has died
  
• or maybe he lives alone parents abandoned him? both died and hes run away from a carer or a home?, and college is the only place he can go where he feels wanted.

2

• starts in a dark room, with a man dead on the floor
• This then goes back into why he was killed, and what he did.

Maybe the opening sequence is the character narraiting saying somthing like "This is me... my name is..." and talked a little.

Film Opening Ideas - Brief 2

Film Brief 2:

• I currently can't think of a main story for this, all that i can think of is like something spooky, maybe has something to do with a house they are currently living in, or something a member of a family has done to provoke it, but i feel these ideas have been overused before.
  

Film Opening Ideas - Brief 1

Film Brief 1:

1

• Based around two people, both are just normal people.
• they are ex MI5 agents who where kicked out due to something they did in their past
• they are now hiding out and are "wanted
• Still using all equipment from MI5
• Twist: NOT trying to "get revenge" from Mi5 or the government, they are still trying to protect England - Like private detectives, but they are wanted by the government

2

• Superhero based in England - London
• Some sort of amazing power that makes him unique
• Or maybe a group of heros? like the fantastic four or X-men
  
• Still need to think more for this one.

AS Film opening analyses

Hurtwoodhouse - Unsound Mind



The thing i like most about this film is the effects used on the people throughout the film, it looks like a negative effects, making the person on the film standout.

Also i really like the way the Cross is moving around the screen, it almost looks like it's floating, which is effective,, because it doesn't destruct you too much from the titles.

I like the way the titles are only when nothing really is going on in the sequence, this is so the text is more readable.

Thoughts on R2-49

The group that i looked at was group R2-49.

the first thing i noticed was that there wasnt very many posts for a group of 4, there was only nine, and because of that there was not a great deal of infomation about what they did,

For example they did an animated storeyboard, and from what i could see, the storyboard was totally different from the final cut, this is ok, but there is nothing on the blog showing what they changed, it just looked like they though, forget the storyboard, lets go out filming!

Also there was not a great deal of research, only one post, the rest is all explaining about what they are doing.

The final cut i thought looked more like a trailer then a opening sequence, because there is way to much going on, this distracts the veiwer, its meant to be setting the scene really, not showing clips from the film!

R2-49 Blog

Long Road Ident Animation

Logo's From Last Post

This logo is very simple, just the name MARVEL in white with the red background. This company is so popular they don't need masses on the logo to symbolyse who they are.

The columbia piccutres logo is basicly a lady standing holding a torch, this sort of reminds me of the statue of liberty and maybe implays this company is based in america, maybe new york?

all the animation is, is the camera zooms out from the torch, which can be quite simple to do, just made the image smaller, also the wors COLUMBIA appear, they sort of dissolve in, also the torch light looks like its glowing, im not to sure how this can be made.

Infomation about spiderman opening sequence

Columbia Pictures


Columbia Pictures Industries,is an American Film production and distribution company.




The last 10 films Columbia pictures have produced

1. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
2. The House Bunny
3. Pineapple Express
4. Step Brothers
5. Winged Creatures
6. Hancock
7. You Don't Mess with the Zohan
8. Made of Honor
9. Doraemon: Nobita to midori no kyojinden
   
10. 21

I would of posted more, but looking on IMDB they have produced over 4000 films.

Marvel Entertainment



Marvel is mainly known for there superhero comics, such as Spiderman, X-Men, Fantastic 4, ect
They have made Animated TV series of many of there comics, and real films.
Lasr 10 Films Marvel has Made:

1. Punisher: War Zone
2. Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow
3. The Incredible Hulk
4. Iron Man
5. Marvel Super Hero Challenge
6. Doctor Strange
7. 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer
8. Spider-Man 3
9. Ghost Rider
10. The Invincible Iron Man

Continuity Task

This is a task to practice continuity for filming

Film opening Squences i like

Spiderman



I really like this sequence, its maybe a little bit to long and repetitve, but the main parts of it are really good

For example, all of it is CGI there is no real footage of any of the characters. Also i really like the web effect as you zoom thorugh them, if you just switched on after the "spiderman" title part, its Very clear that this is the spiderman film due to all the spider webs around.

Also the titles are flying though a CGI city, which i assume is meant to be new york where spiderman is meant to live, this kinda makes you feel like the camera is spiderman going around the city, and he is shooting the webs.

Practice footage - Final Cut

In today's lesson, we had to create a title sequence using footage and music that we were given, using final cut, i used a few effect's with fade in and fade outs, i didn't use that many transition's because I thought that too many would be to over the top, so i mostly used straight cuts when different parts of the music came. i made most of my titles move, i prefer the ones near the beginning rather then the long one at the end, but i was short on music and i didn't really want to start the song at the beginning again.