Action plan tick list #2

Above I have ticked everything so far and written in things that I have changed from my plan. To show how much I have kept going back to my action plan, making sure that everything has been done on my Blog.

Film company name

I asked some people in my class for the name that they like the most and from the above I have found out that Sparkle Productions is the most popular company name to use for my film.

Audience expectations - questions

Above I chose these questions to help me with my interview below on my blog, I chose these ones to then give me some ideas of how to use the camera appropriately towards what is happening on each scene. 

Audience expectations interview

Above is an interview that I did with three people to see what they expect an opening two minute film to be like and I also asked them a few questions about what might make my film stand out more. This helped a lot because I now have really good ideas on how to represent each character and to use the correct camera angles and movements to make it look the best it can.

The audience my film is going to be aimed at

My film is going to be mostly aimed at the ages 12+ the reason why this is, is because there is not going to be any swearing in my opening film and it isn't going to be too violent or scary. The idea that I have chosen to do is a crime type drama with a mysterious twist, where three kids firstly play hide and seek and are having a normal average day then something terrible happens after a while when one girl discovers the body. The reason why I chose this idea is because I can easily portray different camera movements to make it look as realistic as possible and the overall outcome will also look very professional. In addition the audience that I have aimed this at is mostly young children who can enjoy it a lot more and understand it a lot better than adults, also using this idea of a crime type scene makes it more interesting and when the kids are playing hide and seek at the beginning the audience thinks everything is okay. But because of the title this gives the audience an enigma code towards something unexpected that will happen near the end and I think the type of audience I have chosen is the right one for this type of film from the ideas that I have discussed above.

Setting and Location

Below are the key images to represent key scenes in my film:

The area that I have chosen for my filming is going to be in the woods near where I live, which is called Skinners Woods. I chose this area because it is very convenient and easy to get to, also it won't cost a lot of money to go to - I am trying to spend less amount of money as possible but get a good amount of filming out of it. In addition, I think using the woods in my opening two minute film is a good idea because then I can make my scenes more dramatic and add tension very easily from everything around me and add different moods as well to set the scene. But I need to make sure that no one is walking through the woods so then my filming doesn't go terribly wrong.

 

Here is a POV shot, this idea will be used to show the point of view of what the character is seeing and when each character plays hide and seek I want it to look fun and exciting and to make the audience think that nothing is going to happen. Also this scene is going to be used to show one character hiding behind a tree then another one jumping out and scaring them for a laugh. This idea is going to be used to confuse the audience into thinking that this was the bad bit that was going to happen in my film, but really it wasn't.

 

This image shows the area where most of the action will be taking place when the three girls play hide and seek and then unexpectedly the 'Masked Man' appears and knocks the girl over, the Man needs to wear a balaclava and also needs to wear casual clothes to make the audience guess who this man may be and why he is here in the woods. In addition because this man is unknown it adds a more better plot towards the film, but because it is only the opening scene I won't be able to make the whole film - I haven't got enough time.

 

This shot will be used for the beginning bit of my film to set the scene and add more of a dramatic effect towards what is going to happen next. Following on from this I will also use calm music to make the scene look like a normal average day, by doing this I will use an establishing shot to set the scene for where the area is going to be, so then the audience know where it is and understand a lot more as to why I have used this area when the characters arrive on the scene.

 

This final image will be used in my final film to represent the characters (I used my Dad to represent this) having a conversation towards what they want to do in the woods and they decided to do something play hide and seek because they have nothing better to do, but they don't expect the dangers that lurks in the woods of death, This scene will be near the beginning.

Setting and location for film - pictures taken

Above is all the pictures that I have taken for my setting and location, and I have narrowed them down to 7 pictures to show exactly where the main events are going to take place for my film. Also by doing this I can show clearly where everything is going to be and the reason why I chose this area.

Fonts for title of film

Below is a survey I took, asking my peers what they thought was the best font to use to go well with what will happen in my film and here is what I found out:

Above I have found out that the top font is the most popular one, I found this out from my peers and I will be using a font like this for my final film because it stands out a lot more and adds a bit of a sinister atmosphere to my film, which links great with what is going to happen in my video.

Character Profiles

Above is the characters that are going to be in my final film, I have also written down what characteristics they have to link to what happens in the film.

Survey - possible name for film

I asked all my class members what film title they liked the most, so then I have seen what the audience would find more interesting when watching my film and the title is very important to link towards what the film is going to be about.

Above my peers said that they preferred the name Masked Man, this maybe suggests that it gives an idea to the audience about what might happen in my film and that it is a very interesting name as well. However I really liked Hide and Seek but because that name has already been used for a film I couldn't use it, so instead I went for the one that my peers liked the most which was 'Masked Man'.

Warp films and Warner Bros. ideologies

Above I did some research on two different production companies Warp Films and Warner bros. to have a look and get some ideas for how they create films and I am going to use ideas from this research for my own film that I am going to create, especially from a Warp Films perspective because they had a very little budget to produce films unlike warner bros. who had a very large budget and it is a very popular company worldwide and for my short film I haven't even got a massive budget so it is not going to be as good quality as a film made by Warner Brothers, but I still need to make sure I make it look as professional as possible.

Mise-en-scene

Below is a presentation explaining the different props, clothing and anything additional that each character will need to make my film as realistic as possible and so it won't also get boring. Here is my presentation below:

Research on lighting

Many different lightings are used in many films and TV dramas to show exactly what is going on and the lighting is mostly used to fit in with the mood that is portrayed by the character or the setting. The reason for why lighting is necessary in filmmaking is because the producers cannot cope with having normal light contrast of real life, for example if you shoot a scene without any artificial lights, then the look of the scene will show shadows completely black or the highlights of the action that is going off will go completely white. In addition if I want to start filming I need to make sure that I do it in the day and make it look natural as well, but the only way to do that is to have enough light to then make the film look professional and easy for the audience to watch what is going on. Below is different lighting techniques to maybe try and use in my film:

• Soft front light / hot backlight - when this light occurs in a film the light source is given from the front and a stronger, more directional light from the back, so the subject can have light around the edge of the subject. You can also arrange the lights so that you can leave the darkness between the area, depending on how you want the shot to be to portray someone's feelings in a particular scene.
• Mixing colour temperatures - mixing the colour temperatures can be used to create a great effect, this can either be if there is a fighting scene or someone who is scare or even if the director is trying to show an unknown life form by using lighting to show it's characteristics and that they are completely different to the other characters
• Open faced - This type of light that is used, is used to create hard light that casts some shadows. Also this light is as bright as a house light and provides nothing in between the bulb and the person who is acting, also this light has a lens in front of it this lens is there to concentrate the light people often use.
• Fresnel - this is a special type of lens that is divided into different circles, resulting in a more thinner lens of the same power. This lens evens out all the light that is produced and allows the beam of light to be varied when shining on a character or a specific scene and you can also change the distance of how far the light goes.
• Practicals - this is any light that might be appeared in a scene such a table lamp or any other lights that might be used in different rooms of a particular scene to give a better realistic effect.

An example of a TV programme that uses light to show what the character is trying to do and to show characteristics of that character as well is in Doctor Who Family of blood, in these two images below green light is used to show two people communicating towards one another and light that is used here is green to suggest that they aren't from this planet and are also from a different universe. However green connotes to something good happening in this scene and that these people are harmless and overall this can confuse the audience into thinking that they aren't harmless, but this is untrue and it kind of confuses the audience into liking them a bit more and even gives a positive atmosphere as well and maybe everyone in the episode is safe for now!

This second picture shows green in the background again, but because they are family it shows a friendly atmosphere (unless you get to know them a bit more then you are DOOMED) this also confuses the audience into falling for their trap. This links in great with the overall episode to show how easy it is for these aliens to take over people's minds and act like humans so easily.

From this analysis even though I haven't got the professional equipment to use to represent what is going on in a scene I can make sure that I film my work in the day so I can show a more realistic environment and if I need to change the colour of the background to either build tension then this would go great with my film and will make it also look more professional. Also I can use the different environments to express how someone may be feeling, for example using a rainy day to show someone being sad.

Feedback on Storyboard

From the comments I have found out what my peers think is good and bad about this storyboard that I have drawn out myself:

• They said that my storyboard has used good use of explanation on why I have used a shot, I have used a good storyline with captivating shots, illustration of the story is well presented and easy to understand. When drawing it out I made sure that I got every detail down for each scene and this then will help with my actual film towards working out where everyone should be when I film them in my actual piece of final work. 
• However they said that I needed to improve on using more varieties of shots to then give more explanation towards what will happen in each scene and to then make it interesting and show the story from different angles, include more sounds used in the scenes to portray the feelings of the characters and to show exactly what is going on, I need to be more creative with the narrative/storyline to make it stand out from everyone else's film and be more interesting to watch as well and when I think about my film I will also need to think about how long each shot will last for so then I can meet the brief of doing 2 minutes for my final film.

Storyboard

Above is my storyboard that I have drawn out and might be using for my final piece, I will also be making sure that I get my peers feedback on what they like about it and and what they don't like about it, then I might try and change it to make it even better so everyone would like my film.

Change of plan for film

I have decided to not do a silent movie and instead do a crime scene investigation with loads of people getting involved in the scene and by deduction this then makes the audience wonder who might of done the incident, by doing this I can then show how each character is feeling through how they speak and act. I think it would be a better idea because it would be hard to understand what the person was trying to show and that is why I have scrapped the idea of a silent movie - it doesn't give enough information to the audience about what is going on and how they are reacting towards what has just happened. Also I will have an anticlimactic opening beginning sequence to show that something really serious has happened as well.

Film industry - Warp Productions and Warner Bros.

film regulations

U symbol stands for Universal. This symbol is suitable for audiences aged 4 years and over. At a U films only allow very mild bad language (e.g. damn and hell). Often using this classification characters may usually be seen kissing or cuddling and there won't be any full sexual behaviour in the film, which is often mild and is not in a lot of detail in the film.

PG stand for parental guidance. This means that a film is suitable for general viewing, but some films can be very unsuitable for younger aged children. Parents should also consider whether there child should watch it depending whether the content might upset the child. This classification explores challenging issues such as someone dying, bullying or even racism.

The 12A film requires an adult to accompany with a child who is younger than 12 years old. Also using this classification there usually contains a lot of strong language and there is also allowance of puns on strong language at this category as well. Also when an adult is planning on taking a child to view a 12A film they should consider how the child might react to the content and whether it is suitable for them to watch.

 12 means that only people aged 12 or over can watch a film at the cinemas and the cinema staff who work there are enforced to not let you in to watch the film because it might not be suitable to your age range. As well as a 12A this has very strong language and might also have inappropriate content involved in the film and not suitable towards the younger age range.

This age range means that no one under the age of 15 is allowed to see a film around this age range. This classification of a film often contains strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal reference to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour and drug taking.

Films rated 18 are for adults, no one under 18 is allowed to see a film with this rating unless they are 18 or over. In a film this rating contains very strong violence, frequent strong language, strong portrayals of sexual activity, scenes of sexual violence, strong horror, strong blood and gore, real sex and discrimination.

Storyboard #1

Above I have started to make a storyboard on this website. However I think that I might not use it, because it is too difficult to work out and I can't get pictures and backgrounds that fit towards looking exactly like what the opening film may look like. In addition I think that I want to do it on paper using sticky notes.

Media production process

Above is an example of how films are made from different film companies and how they research different information from the public, I will use this idea to help me find out information for my actual film and get the best out of my research so my evaluation can be expanded with different examples of research.

Results for questionaire

1. Do you think a silent movie is a good idea to do or my final video for an opening scene to build tension?


Below is my results:

From my results I have found out that, 5 people preferred the idea that for my film I am wanting to do a silent movie for an opening scene to build tension. But 3 people said that they didn't want me to do this, from these result I will make sure I use this idea from my peers.

2. Do you think a crime scene is a good idea?

Below is my results:

From my results this shows that 7 people thought a crime scene was definitely a good and only 1 said no, so from my peers I think this type of genre in my opening scene is a good idea.

3. Do you like cliffhangers?

Below is my results:

From my results I have found out that 6 people love having cliff-hangers at the end of a film. Only 2 people didn't like this idea, this shows that many people like to guess what might happens next without spoiling it too much at the beginning.

4. What is the most important thing that needs to be included in a video?

Below is my results:

From my results I have found out that, image quality is the most important thing that needs to be included in a video, Also sound quality had the same amount of results, which shows that some people had different views on the answer for this question.

5. What genre would you like my film to be?

Below is my results: 

From my results crime is the most popular genre to watch, maybe suggesting that people have been influenced to watch this - most of the shows that gave been created are usually to do with crime and this shows that many companies like to use this idea and it is very popular around the world. So I think that there is no point doing something completely unique when people don't actually like that genre and I think it is best to stick with what people know and enjoy.

6. What matters the most in a video to you?

Below is my results:

From these results my peers said that the plot is the most important part to a video, without a plot the video would be very boring and many people would probably not want to watch it.

All of this information that I have found out will be used to make sure I meet the needs of my peers and audiences, towards what they expect a film/video to be like and what they find most interesting in a film as well.

Survey for film

Below is a questionnaire that I gave to all my peers to see what they think would make a good film and to see what might influence audiences into watching something.

What I have already done

Above I have gone back to my action plan and ticked off everything that I have already done, so then I know what I need to do for my next blogs and I will make sure that I always look back on my action plan for reference.

camera work and framing

I have highlighted useful tips from an extract, which was taken from a text book, and I am going to make sure that I remember these tips for when I start filming my video. The things that I will make sure I remember is the camera shots that I will use and different types of framings that are needed for an excellent video. This will help me a lot, the reason for this is because it gives information on how to make a good film and what not to do which might ruin it, this would help make my film look really professional and would also make it look more like a blockbuster film with high quality professional filming.

Self Assesment

Above is improvements for my blog and what I need to do to make it better and get the highest grade. I will be using this to make sure that I am up to date on my work and I will make sure that I explain things in more detail and give reasons why I have also chosen to post my research on the blog.

Archetypes

This video above would help me with my final video, the reason for this is that when deciding what characteristics I want my character to have I can use this video to help me give each character different personalities and quality traits. Also this would help me for when I start creating each character and I would make sure that they are completely different to each another, so then the video doesn't get boring.

Information about silent movies

References from prezi:

http://www.raindance.org/making-silent-films-today-8-tips/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_film

I have chosen to make this prezi PowerPoint, the reason for this is that it gives me information on how I need to make a silent movie and what a silent movie should be like. This is important for my final video, the reason for this is because it will help me to create a professional looking silent movie and I will also make sure that I keep looking back at this presentation so that I will include everything in my work to make it look as realistic as possible. Overall I have chosen an example video in the presentation this then means that I have a clear idea on how to film the characters and the facial expressions and actions needed to produce an excellent silent movie, so I will keep this in mind and make sure that I do an even better video this time than my preliminary video.

preliminary evaluation

My brief was to film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, where they should exchange a couple lines of dialogue. This preliminary task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

At the beginning of my preliminary video, I used white bold writing the reason why I chose this is because it gives the audience a semantic code towards what is going to happen. Also this links to the name of my preliminary video "The Unknown Man" this makes the audience wonder who the man in my video actually is and whether he is a good guy or a bad guy, this then draws the audience in to wanting to know more about this person and what the character might be after or even whether he might be the one to look out for.

The things that went well with my work is that at the start I used music to build the tension of how my character 'Martha' is feeling, because she hasn't heard from her parents for quite a while - they went out for a meal, by building this tension up at the start of the video I used a medium/long shot, where I have my head on my knees and I am holding the teddy bear very tightly in fear, the fact that  I did this is that she might be worried about her parents never coming back again. A close up shot is followed on from this to show how frightened Martha is about a strange knock at the door, the facial expressions on my face portray how scared the character is feeling because there is a strange person at the door. However afterwards I do stand up and walk towards the window to look outside and then shaking, I gradually decide to open the door and then a mysterious man appears on the other side, the dramatic music then fades out and dialogue starts. This video was filmed at my house and both of my parents helped in the process of recording the preliminary footage (as it was convenient to fitting the brief of opening the door, sitting down and giving a couple lines of dialogue to one another and when I did each scene I could then set it up how I wanted them to happen, because it was the place where I was familiar of) the reason why I set my scene at the beginning on the stairs was so I could show my characters feelings and make it a bit more dramatic, this was important to setting the whole part of my video so then it would make the audience wonder why the character might be on her own.

When 'The Man' entered the house dialogue occurred, by doing this I used a medium/two shot to show what each character was feeling and to show mainly which one was the dominant character and who had more power throughout the video, by doing this I made sure that both the characters wore something completely different. The girl wore a dressing gown and the man wore a posh suit to show that he was the most dominant and important character throughout my video and this also made the audience wonder why he is so important. Even though I have never filmed anything to a film style standard I thought that I did quite a good job for my first ever go and I will also be able to learn from my mistakes, then this would make my final film perfect - I will then be able to correct those mistakes I made. Following on from this I think this video would appeal more to young teenage people, the reason for this is that it hasn't got much gore in it which is mostly for over 18's and I think my film is a very unique video for the younger age range.


From doing this video I have learnt to have better audio quality so then the person who is watching it can then hear the sound better and understand what is exactly going on by the mood of the music, I need to make sure that next time I use one of schools cameras so then the video will come out with a more HD quality and also I am going to use a tripod when filming so then the image doesn't look wobbly and  unprofessional, when filming it is important that I don't zoom in and out on the camera for example, if it was a close up I would move the camera up to the characters face this then gives it a better flow and makes it look more professional and finally I need to make sure that I do some colour corrections to all the different scenes so then the colour of each scene fits with what is going on e.g. there would be rain in the background or a dark eerie atmosphere if someone was angry or upset this would also use pathetic fallacy to the film to add a dramatic effect to draw the audience in to wanting to know more about what is going on. But overall I do think that because it is my first go at filming and editing a film, I have done a really good job and I will be able to improve my skills on the final video I do. Overall the thing that is key for my overall piece is that the actors/actresses know exactly what they are saying and doing and they need to make sure that they learn there lines before I start filming them, the reason why I picked this up is because on my preliminary while filming, one of the characters is acting while reading from the script in a scene and this isn't very professional and makes it look unorganised. In addition I have used the 180 degree rule to portray the characters talking when they are in the kitchen and a character opening the door and sitting down and exchanging a couple of lines, I do strongly agree that I met the brief, but I do need to make sure that I improve in the quality of the film to a high standard in my final work, I will certainly learn from this for next time and it would be better quality too.

My Preliminary Video

Above is my final preliminary video, it has a lot of improvements needed for my final video but I will be able to improve on these drawbacks to make the final one more better and professional.

Camera shots and angles (explained in more detail)

Below is a more detailed description of different camera shots and angles, even though I already did a presentation in my previous post. I thought it would be a good idea to show the work that I did in class as a group with some of my peers and this is also a more expanded guide about the different shots that can be used for either filming or creating a magazine, this will then help me and the rest of the class through the tasks that we have been individually given to do throughout each lesson.

Film sound introduction

In a film it is essential that we include music, without this the audience wouldn't understand how the character is feeling and it also builds tension in a plot to make it seem more interesting and so the audience knows what is going on. A meaningful sound track is often as complicated as the image on the screen, it tells the story that the film producers are trying to show and can either be sad music or happy music. The soundtrack often consists of three essential things: the human voice, music and sound effects, these three things are used in music to create different effects in a film and are sometimes needed to be mixed together, balanced and put into different scenes so they fit to the music that's being played. When the film maker has produced the necessary emphasis towards the film this then creates different effects towards each scene being represented throughout the plot.

The human voice - dialogue

When using dialogue in a film it is used to show the characters feelings and motivations by telling a story, rather than having a narrator telling us what is happening when you can see it from the character what they say or do, the audience also either hates the character or loves them. This often depends on how the character speaks or is portrayed throughout the plot, often when the film makers make a character they make sure that they have different personalities otherwise it would be boring and bland. By doing this they usually make a character profile to ensure that the actors understand what the character is supposed to be like and the personality that they need to portray. For example, in Broadchurch DI Alec Hardy who is known to suffer from severe health problems and he also had an up and down friendship with his colleague DS Ellie Miller, when David Tennant portrays his character he uses a lot of anger and weakness from his health to show how much he want's to get a case sorted precisely and quickly. Also when you see both the characters together you can tell the difference between them and Chris Chibnall (the writer) presents this brilliantly throughout the script.

Sound effects - synchronous sounds

This is where the sound is matched with what is viewed on the screen and it also relates to the realism of a film to create an atmosphere. For example, when The Doctor in Doctor Who uses his sonic screwdriver and it makes a noise for opening doors or if someone opens a door and you don't see who it is, this then creates suspense towards the audience wondering who the person might be and it helps to engage the audience into wanting to find out more and makes it more intriguing too.

Sound effects - asynchronous sounds

This is where a piece of action takes place but the sound is not matched to what is happening on the screen, but it does provide appropriate emotion to how the character is feeling or to build climax, the music may also add to the realism of the film. For example, in a film while people are acting there might be included an ambulance siren, it might not link to anything but it adds the effect that these people are in a real life situation and if it was anything like Casualty then it would link to people being critically ill or injured. Also using sounds in the background portrays where the setting may be either in a city or town etc. this might also show that something bad is about to happen in the plot.

Music - background

The background music is used to add emotion and rhythm to a film. Usually it is not meant to be noticeable, it often provides an emotional attitude towards the story or the characters. In addition, background music often foreshadows a change in mood. For example, dramatic fast music might be used to create tension of someone following you in a scene, also to show the pace that you are walking and how scared you are about getting caught by the person behind you. Background music may also link different scenes together, an example of this might be when music in Doctor Who is used to link every scene together and to also create a dramatic effect this might include using music like This is Gallifrey to express The Doctor's feelings towards his home town getting destroyed or something terrifying happening in a scene when he has to save people from an alien race, often to emphasise that he is a hero and no one can defeat him because of how powerful he is with his sonic screwdriver and The TARDIS.

I am going to make sure that I take on board what I have put above, to also make sure that I use these techniques in my final video, this then will make it stand out and will show different emotions that each character portrays in my two minute film as well.

opening sequence analysis: Divergent

In Divergent the storyline is about a futuristic world where every person has to be split into five factions and they have to commit to this faction for life. Tris the main character chooses dauntless, however what people don't know is that she has a bit of every faction in her which is called a Divergent, many people see this as a threat and want to destroy them. Will she be able to keep the secret hidden away?

The film company that made this film was Summit entertainment, this is an American film company that has made a wide range of well know movies, these movies include: Twilight, Step up, Ender's game, Now you see me and Remember me.

What happens during the beginning credits?

At the beginning of the film it starts off with some text, which tells the audience who the makers of the film are this is followed by the title appearing. When this occurs calming music is used to show how everything in the next scene is a normal day and that there is also a peaceful and calm environment, this music also links to the next scene where everything is deserted. Also when the film starts the background is dark coloured maybe showing danger and maybe suggesting that something really bad happened in the past or the present.

                                    

After this scene the music get's louder and louder and birds start tweeting to show that nature and wild animals are still carrying on with there life's, as this occurs the camera moves upwards to show a high angled view of what is occurring above the grassland this is also very calm and makes the audience wonder why the film maker has started off like this at the beginning. As this occurs the different people involved with the film appear on the screen, so they are then recognised by the audience as being part of the film.

As the camera moves to the left you see an abandoned ship wreck that has been left to rot, no one is even walking through the fields this maybe suggests that there is something dangerous out there for everyone. When this bit appears up on the screen the audience maybe then starts asking questions about why no one is in this area and what has happened in the past to stop people from entering this abandoned grass land? This long shot is used to show the whole area around the ship and to emphasise that no one has been around this area for decades or maybe to show that there is nothing to worry about.

                                       

As the ship disappears you see a tall fence that blocks people out from the other side, this maybe suggests that a war has broke out in the past. Also throughout the opening sequence there is a hermeneutic code, which refers to an element of the story that is not fully explained to the audience to why there is actually a long wall blocking everyone out. Also this sequence suggests that there is not many people anymore in the city and uses a long shot to connote the emptiness of the city and maybe not many people have survived.

As the calming music carries on playing we see a city that has been exposed to a war type environment, as you can see from the buildings nearly falling apart. Also you can see debris and plants growing through a lake that suggests that no one has tidied it up for a long time and there is not much left in the city for people to survive.

However as the music fades away a little you see people walking around the city, however there is many people wearing different coloured clothing. This suggests that they maybe have different groups that they have to stick to because of what happened in the past, which suggests that this is the only way that there can be peace between everyone working together. Also as the opening carries on the questions get answered so the audience then know why the wall was made and what exactly happened.

Finally, this long shot of all the people shows that they do anything they can to get food and many cities were actually devastated in the war except Chicago. The imagery that is presented at the beginning suggests how much people want to feel save and have a better life than before, they don't want another war otherwise it could cause a lot of blood shed again. Maybe this time this place of safety is going to stay safe or will it?

How to achieve a film look - YouTube tutorial

This YouTube video below, that I have found is very helpful for my actual final two minute video that I am going to make, it gives examples of how to set the camera so you get a professional film look and how to change the aperture in day light to make the moving film image not as bright or blurry. I think by using this video it will help me a lot in producing a high quality video, that will use a wide range of media skills to give me extra marks and it will also give me an overall high quality final product for my coursework. Also this video gives examples of different films that have high quality pictures and it is important that you have a steady hand when filming someone in a chase scene or a action scene, to get an effect like this on final cut I will use warp stabiliser on final cut to get a smooth flow to the film, this film below is very useful and will help me throughout the editing stage and the filming stage.

YouTube preliminary influences #3

I decided to have Sherlock as my final influences for my preliminary, the reason for this is that it is a detective like scene where Sherlock has to try and discover what has happened to Mrs Hudson he cleverly discovers that she has been dragged up the stairs and he notices this from her nails scraping against the wall, this detective is completely different to any ordinary detective like scenes, his logical thinking is unique and different to anyone else who plays a detective and u either love or hate him, when he sees this he then suspects that someone is holding her hostage and tries to help her out. I am going to use this example to help me out with how I should represent my detective like scene for my preliminary, this then gives me a bit of an idea how I should use the camera when doing this scene and how each character should act.

Youtube preliminary influences #2

Above is a scene taken from Divergent, I used this scene as one of my influences because it links to a chatty scene across the table. This also shows the different characters personalities and what they like and dislike so then the audience get to know them a bit more, during the feast at the table there is a bit of conflict about what factions they used to be in. This video gives me an idea of what I might want to do for my preliminary, which would help me to produce a face to face talking seen across the table while sitting down, by doing this I will make sure that you see the characters different personalities and how they are feeling during this scene and maybe use different character angles and lighting to show this.

Script for preliminary

Below is the script for my preliminary that I will be using to help film my video, I hope to use this when I actually start filming to give me an idea of what might be involved in the 2 minute scene and the camera shots needed for each scene.

Defining the target audiences

For many reasons film producers always consider audiences in different groups of consumers. These type of audiences are classed in different ways, this might include using TV, film, magazines or newspapers to publish something to get the audience involved with whatever it they are advertising. When producing something like a film, the producer always thinks about the audience/the people who watch it because without them they wouldn't succeed in the film industry. Many audiences can be classed in different ways, these include:

• Mainstreamers - The first target audience mainstreamers like security and feel comfortable when they belong to a group of people. Also mainstreamers like to be organised which makes them feel really comfortable, most of the time they like to blend in rather than stand out to avoid anyone confronting them about the work that they have done. Mainstreamers are also popularly accepted trends, ideas, principles and values that are accepted by the majority of people.
  
• Aspirers - Aspirers want to have status and a lot of money and stand out from everyone else. Also these people like to have designer clothing and brands that are well known, they also love to show off to everyone around them about what they have got. However they live life using a credit card and cash.
• Succeeders - These are the people who have already got control and status in there life. They like achieving good things in life and work hard to becoming successful in whatever they do.
• Reformers - these people define themselves by self-esteem and self-fulfilment, they thing positively with personal growth and they don't like having a lot of status just positivity in life.
• Makers - The makers make sure that they make something that is exciting to the audience/customer and they aspire to doing well even though sometimes the ideas they come up with isn't always successful.
• Strugglers - these are the people who tend to struggle to do anything in life and they try to escape from people due to low self-esteem, lack of direction for the future or told that they are not going to get anywhere in life. Sometimes this can lead to them not looking after themselves for example, not washing themselves or eating anything to survive and they do anything they can to simply survive and sometimes this can lead to a lot of consequences

Above I have identified the different target audiences, even though I haven't come up with what might my target audience is yet for my final two minute video. I will make sure that I use the above information to get an idea of what the target audience will be and who would understand my video better when watching it.

Opening sequence analysis: Coraline

In Coraline the story line is about a girl who is of course named Coraline, who moves to a different house and discovers a secret door to another mysterious world, behind which lies an alternate world that closely mirrors her own but, in many ways, is better. However the parallel mother and the rest of her not so real family try to keep her there forever. Coraline then must use all her resources and bravery to make it back to her own family and life, during this the evil mother sets traps for her to make it more difficult for Coraline to save her parents and get back to the life she had before. But can she overcome these set backs?

The film company that made this film was LAIKA films, the type of films this company has made as well as this film include: Box Trolls, Paranorman, Kubo and the two string, Moon girl and The Corpse Bride. They use realistic animations to produce outstanding films that are great for young kids.

What happens during the beginning credits?

At the beginning of the opening sequence very creepy music is played in the background, this is used to set a sinister scene towards what is going to happen in the full film. The music then seems to get louder and louder to maybe scare the audience a little. Also at the beginning it shows who made the film, the different producers who edited the film and the people who play the characters. This happens on a brown background and the writing that is put on top looks like it has been sawn on which links to when the words 'Coraline' comes up on the screen with a button for the 'O'. This maybe foreshadows what is going to happen next.

After the bit with the writing a doll floats in, using a long shot to show how vulnerable this child is, maybe this girl might have been killed by the person who crabs her with metal fingers very tightly. Also the music suggests that something is going to change and maybe this makes the audience wonder what plan this creature might have next for another child. Also the girl is then forced to lay down on something, how the camera points at this young girl suggests how weak and useless this girl is and that she can't get away from whatever this thing may be. There is then a close up of this creature cutting up the clothes that this doll once had, but you never really see the face of it, the doll maybe suggests something like a voodoo doll and that this thing is trying to have another person under its power, maybe with this young person having buttons suggests that this creature has got what it has wanted and has got the girl trapped forever. This bit suggests that when a child get's fed up with there toys they always want a better one to play with, this links to the unknown thing not having what it wants and "thrown it's toys out of the pram" because it is bored and wants a new victim to become loved by again and have it rapped around it's finger.

Extreme close up of the hair is used to make the audience wonder who this person may be, the anticlimactic feel to this put's the audience in suspense because they have no idea how and what might happen next and why this creature might want to kidnap all the children? the film producers do this so the audience can then carry on watching the film and can then answer all these questions, when the doll then get's stripped from head to toe it then get's all the cotton pulled out from the mouth this might show screaming and fear. However instead of having cotton wool in the doll, sand is then added in to maybe show how time is running out for this person to survive and there is also no where to run!

Dust then appears on the sewing machine, this shows that this person hasn't had another child to kill in ages and that she can't wait any longer. Finally Coraline the character who you are about to see in the film, is then let go into the sky to show that this is the next victim. When filming this the doll is zoomed out to show how she can't get away from this thing whatever she may do and it is also out to get her, but is she ready for the fight?

Overall I think the opening sequence to the film sets the scene very well and the music played in the background links very brilliantly to how creepy the film is, also the doll shows a lot of connotations of weakness, vulnerability and fear from the thing that is trying to possess them to becoming part of the creatures life. This also makes the audience, including myself to wanting to watch more of the film because of how interesting it is and you want to also find out what happens next, the reason for this is that you are left on a cliff hanger.

Ideas for what I want in my film

Here is a plan of what I want to be included in my preliminary video and how I might actually represent the characters too:

Opening sequence analysis: Warm Bodies

As part of my research I am going to analyse an opening sequence to warm bodies, the reason why I chose this film is because; it is a really interesting film that uses a lot of camera angles and a lot of different body language to show how the different characters are feeling (or not feeling if they are a zombie). Listed below will be information about each scene and how the camera is used and the effects that may be used in the opening scenes.
The makers of the film Warm Bodies was the summit entertainment company, these have created many different films before, which include: insurgent, twilight saga films, enders game, the darkest hour and 12 years of slave.

What happens during the beginning credits?

At the beginning of the film there is an extreme close up of the zombie R which also makes the audience recognise that because he is pale he isn't actually alive, this can also show how the character is feeling and his facial expressions. Also as the titles appear on the screen they are used to link to the film, the writing looks like blood which links to the zombies loving the taste of human flesh and brains. This is important at the beginning, the reason for this is that it shows what R is thinking about even though you don't know what he is feeling because he is in fact dead. Also the music is very slow and calm, this is used to show the movement that he expresses as being a zombie and that they don't move really quickly, also the music goes in time with how he walks.

While R walks he starts asking questions which makes the audience feel sorry for him because he isn't able to talk much or move very quickly. When the titles appear the sound goes up beat, also long shot is used to show what the main character is seeing. This then helps the audience to understand what has happened to some people in the story and when the title ends this then make a noise like blood being squirted out of the body, which is disgusting but it certainly links to zombies eating humans. The film makers used this idea to show how life's still carry on and that they do anything they can to survive.

Medium shot is used here to show how the man is feeling and what he might of done in his past life before he became a zombie, this happens when R starts talking about what he thought the man's past life was. When this happens Jimmy Cliff - sitting in limbo is quietly played in the background to show that he never moves. Maybe suggesting that many of the zombies might want their past life's back and have a heart beat and feelings back again.

Here we have a medium shot of the character, he starts talking about how the apocalypse started the reason why this is done is so it sets the scene for the audience so then they understand why a lot of people became zombies. Music in background is a little quiet maybe showing his train of thought, this also makes it more interesting for the audience and it also makes them want to know more about what has happened on earth and whether anyone actually survives this apocalypse.

Here the lighting is dark to show danger and that no one can survive from the "Bonies". Also the music goes up beat this also represents the danger that many people are in, this is if they have blood running through their veins and a heart beat, besides this these creatures never turn into humans and that the taste of blood is what they can never stop wanting, feelings are unknown when it comes to food for these creatures. on this picture it shows them having different positions, maybe showing how dominant they are to the other zombies and that people should fear them.

close up of this character is used to scare the audience. As well as this how the character is represented makes the audience really hate this character, by showing this the producer uses the body language and the stare to show that these are the bad guys. Maybe the person who made this film wanted to use this close up as a warning, which would foreshadow what happens next in the movie.

On this bit of the film a long shot is used to emphasise how long they have to walk. This also foreshadows them searching for food and that the world has gone to a stand still - not many humans (that are alive) are actually in this area. This bit of the film uses a hermeneutic code, this is where it refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and gives a bit of mystery towards where the zombies might actually be going for the taste of flesh.

Overall this beginning bit of the film for Warm Bodies is aimed towards young adults, the reason for this is that it isn't really that disgusting and that many younger viewers would love to watch it because there is a bit of romance involved in the story about two characters, which include a zombie and a living, breathing human being. The film also isn't very boring and is very action packed and aimed towards younger people who like zombies and a bit of blood and cuts, but not as revolting as 18+ films.