Evaluation Question 7

Evaluation Question 7

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

For the preliminary exercise(seen to the left) I worked in a group. We had to film a thirty second long short film. The purpose of the film was to test our ability to shoot a short film and edit together footage from multiple camera angles and takes, whilst maintaining the continuity of the piece. During this I learned to make animatics and to look at each individual frame to maximise cut precision so that there are no jump cuts. Doing all of this helped with the actual production by giving experience in planning out the production and putting it all together.

For my production exercise(seen to the left) I worked in a group
with Amber Law and Daniel Faint. We had to film a two minute long opening for a film. While in the preliminary task the purpose was solely to cut in a way which preserves the continuity of events on screen, in the coursework task we had to present the introduction to a story in a professional way. Unlike in the preliminary task we did not use any equipment from school we used Amber's own camera and had a costume made specifically for the production.

There is quite a big difference between the overall quality of each production, we spent alot more time and effort on the coursework task and I feel that it shows quite clearly. The difference in quality can be attributed to a few reasons, such as using a higher standard of camera. Another thing about our coursework task is that it has alot more visual effects edited in to it such as the gamma and speed alterations. In the coursework task the soundtrack is also much more developed, layering music underneath the dialogue whilst the soundtrack of the preliminary task consists of only dialogue and background noise.

Evaluation Question 6

Evaluation Question 6

What have you learned about technologies in the process of constructing your film?

As with all film openings in making our film opening technology has been extensively used.

In the pre-production stage of making our film opening we used technology for research, we used Google chrome to look up other films of a similar genre and production type to give us ideas of where to go with ours and how to get there. We also used chrome to find our music, initially Sam the Sham then Amanda Seyfried and then finally Beethoven(pictured to the right).

In the production stage we used a camera to film our shots and then used a camera from school as a microphone in the cupboard to record the dialogue. We did this because the quality of the microphone was pretty good and the cupboard was well insulated against background noise.

In the post-production stage Adobe Premiere was used to edit the shots into the correct sequence, correct length and to apply effects to make them look as desired. Examples of visual effects being used are the gamma enhancements  used on most shots to make the colours more deep, the black and white filter put over the first few shots and how some of the shots were slowed down or sped up for effect. Another visual thing done in post production was that two shots of Red walking in opposite directions across a bridge are superimposed over each other to make it look as though there are two reds, and when they pass through each other it creates a spooky atmosphere. In audio post production I placed reverb effects on the dialogue, made the music get quieter during the dialogue and I created a left-right separation between the two voices that make up the dialogue. A thing I have learnt about Premiere is how to re-open a sequence in the project after it has been closed.

Film Opening Update 9

Film Opening Update 9

Last Thursday in lesson I recorded Amber's dialogue for our video. Amber and I also stayed after school to get some more work done on the video in which time I fixed the rendering problem where only a certain clip in our video would render and I did some general shot and audio tidying up.

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

For a description of our target audience see question 4.

Our product attracts and addresses the target audience in a few ways.

Visually our video has in places had the gamma levels edited to make the colours deeper and has had the speed of some parts changed for dramatic effect. This addresses the audience as it sets the mood of the clip as a psychological thriller/horror and reflects the warped perspective of the titular character Red which gratifies the audiences desire to see a film that is distant from reality. Another way that the visual element of our product has done this is by using a few non-additive dissolve transitions to create a similar effect to the gamma alterations.

 

Above is an example of a shot where the gamma has been turned up to enhance the colours in the shot. Below to the left is an example of a non-additive dissolve being used to make Red's downhill run seem off and take less time. Below to the right is an example of shots which have been deliberately edited to be jumpy. Both are examples of bits which have had time manipulated, the left having been slowed down and the right having been sped up.

 

Our video's soundtrack is also used to attract and address the audience. Our music is Ludwig Van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, specifically the first two minutes in the first movement. We have dialogue between Red(at the moment being played by Amber) and her alter ego(being played by Dan) in which they have a conflict. This establishes the mindset of Red and the differences that she has with her alter ego. This gratifies the aspect of the audience that want to see conflict in a  psychological thriller/horror type film.

This all adds up to attract our

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your product?

Age - Teenagers and young adults 16-26
Gender - Males and females, however it probably leans more towards females
Other interests - Fairy tales, psychological thriller/horror
Lifestyle - Casual, likes cinema
Class - Anyone with enough money to see a film
Ethnic & religious backgrounds - Unimportant