Once our thriller was completed – we wanted to get even more feedback than what we already had from our focus group. We put our video up on to the broadcasting network Youtube. This then enabled us to receive even more positive and negative feedback to help evaluate and make our next piece of work even better – so knowing what worked and what didn’t would therefore benefit us. However, the comments that have been made so far are only from my peers from Hurtwood House, who are also studying Media Studies. This was apparent by looking at the ‘insight’ of who is viewing my video and how the discovered it etc. All the views have been within the week of the video being uploaded and also in our lessons we have been told to comment on our peers work, therefore I am pretty certain that these comments are from Hurtwood students as they were asked to analyse their peers work.
Below are the comments that have been made so far on Youtube:
Sold
Time: 2:21
Added: 1 week ago - 2.08.09 From: hurtwoodhousemedia
Views: 108
HHMedia2009 (3 days ago)
'Very well shot, with some nice camera angles. I also like what you did with the titles. I didn't feel that the way they faded was good, I think having them stay as the strnage characters would have been better. I also felt the the choice of sound was random and disjointed, with sound appearing at random times just fo the purpose of having a soundtrack.'
I think that this comment is useful target audience feedback as it really points out what they believe to be negative aspects of the film. They have noted the strengths and then said how they didn’t work – for example the liked how the titles were created but didn’t like the way they faded. By giving us this feedback it helps us to be able to work more on the product and meet the needs of our audience more precisely. However, I appreciate there opinion on the sound – I feel that the sound used worked very well and created an impact – which we wanted the audience to feel. I personally do not understand how they feel it is random and disjointed – if the sound was not there then it would be silent which would not have worked as effectively. Maybe the use of the sound was quite prominent but from the other feedback we have received, but it has created a huge amount of suspense – a theme we were very much trying to create.
DIVA0000001 (4 days ago)
'The way the sound is editted in is very precise. NICE...'
In contrast to the other comment – this person gave us very positive feedback on the sound and the way it was edited in. I think that this comment gave a simple message but they clearly enjoyed our media product. They were obviously clear on the suspense we were trying to create and understood where we were coming from. Therefore it made the impact we had hope for from the audience.
imismith1 (4 days ago)
'Great piece of work, well thought of and good use of camera work and angles. I like what you have done with the titles how they disolve ect. well done!'
I believe that this comment is useful feedback – as they give positive views on our use of camerawork and angles. This then makes us feel good about our work as we feel it is effective and the audience like what we have done with the footage by keeping them engaged throughout. Also, I am very pleased that they appreciate what we did with the titles. This is something that I personally spent a lot of time doing myself – I really wanted the titles to look creative yet effective and this is what I believe I have achieved, so receiving positive feedback is therefore very helpful. Therefore making us aware that risk taken with the credits and how they dissolved into Greek lettering was worth it.
Our video is still up on Youtube and therefore generating a wider audience all the time – allowing more and more people to give feedback.
Below is a link to my thriller, ‘Sold’ on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVYpt-Oasxg&feature=channel_page
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Evaluation
In what way does your media production use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media productions?
On the 20th January 2009 my group created our opening sequence of a horror film, giving it the title of ‘Sold’ and it was directed by Amelia Corser. It’s based on a young girl whose soul is sold to the devil by her father. In the opening sequence we have the young girl, Sophie praying in a church. She then leaves the church and we cut to footage of Sophie on the swing being watched by her father. Soon after she disappears and we cut to Sophie going down into the basement of the house she is in. It is here where she encounters with the ‘Devil’. This sequence leads to the opening of the film where we see her father having to come to the awful situation of selling his daughters soul to the devil as he is bankrupt both fiscally and morally, and eventually how the young girl takes revenge – the film shows how a young girl’s naivety can be taken away so quickly.
Throughout our research, we looked into the main conventions of contemporary horror films, for example ‘Scream’ (1996 – Directed by Wes Craven) and ‘Evil Dead’ (1981 – Directed by Sam Raimi). As a group we had a few ideas to go with but were very unsure of what would work best. When we started to look for locations one of our ideas became concrete. Millie (the director) and I (the producer) came across the basement in our boarding house, after seeing the isolated location in a large old house. We knew then exactly where to take our idea. Both these are common conventions in this type of genre so we felt they would work well as long as we did not over use these main conventions. We also looked closely at their often being a female victim who is vulnerable in the situations, using Sophie as the young girl, who is seen as the weaker sex throughout, a stereotypical representation.
By opening our sequence with close up shots of religious iconography from the church, such as the crucifix, stain-glass windows and the alter, it gives the audience a sense that there is a religious depth to the storyline. It’s juxtaposing the main idea of the Devil being the ‘Holy one’, a reversal of traditional religious archetypes. We chose to use this type of iconography after we watched the opening of Omen (2007); John Moore the director shows utilisation of dominant religious iconography, specifically Christian iconography, such as the crucifix. By watching this we felt we could use these conventions in our own way, because we thought that this exhibited some of the main premises of the contents of our film such as religion and Devil worship. However, by basing our film around an idea that is rather stereotypical, we decided it was best to challenge these conventions by representing the Devil in a different way, someone who was suave, sophisticated and someone who people would aspire to be. We felt that it would work well with the antagonist appearing as the hero. By doing this we dressed our actor who was playing the part of the Devil in a suit and shirt, in order for him to look seductive and more like a sex object– more the protagonist rather than actually being the antagonist. He has blonde hair and blue eyes to highlight the notion that ‘good’ could be evil. We also researched into ‘The Exorcist’ (1973-Directed by William Friedkin); in the trailer – the use footage of a woman coming out from a shadow – this worked very well and looked extremely effective and creative. My group took this creativity on board and interpreted it in our own way when Sophie was in the basement scenes - she was walking into the light of the crack in the ceiling and then the shadow covering her when the ‘devil’ walks over the cracks above.
I feel that throughout our opening sequence there is a large amount of sustained fear, such as the eerie sounds we used versus the silence when Sophie is alone, using a mix of stings and woodwind instruments to create these eerie effects. By including the sounds we have used to in order to create this suspense have worked exceptionally well and will keep the audience anxious. Although this is a main convention used, we have used orchestral music to create this effect and mixed it with silence to emphasize the anticipation and tension. I believe we have a balance of main conventions of contemporary horror films but have challenged these conventions in the right way in order for our film to be successful and be effective, in terms of having a combination of challenging stereotypes and using stereotypical characters.
On the 20th January 2009 my group created our opening sequence of a horror film, giving it the title of ‘Sold’ and it was directed by Amelia Corser. It’s based on a young girl whose soul is sold to the devil by her father. In the opening sequence we have the young girl, Sophie praying in a church. She then leaves the church and we cut to footage of Sophie on the swing being watched by her father. Soon after she disappears and we cut to Sophie going down into the basement of the house she is in. It is here where she encounters with the ‘Devil’. This sequence leads to the opening of the film where we see her father having to come to the awful situation of selling his daughters soul to the devil as he is bankrupt both fiscally and morally, and eventually how the young girl takes revenge – the film shows how a young girl’s naivety can be taken away so quickly.
Throughout our research, we looked into the main conventions of contemporary horror films, for example ‘Scream’ (1996 – Directed by Wes Craven) and ‘Evil Dead’ (1981 – Directed by Sam Raimi). As a group we had a few ideas to go with but were very unsure of what would work best. When we started to look for locations one of our ideas became concrete. Millie (the director) and I (the producer) came across the basement in our boarding house, after seeing the isolated location in a large old house. We knew then exactly where to take our idea. Both these are common conventions in this type of genre so we felt they would work well as long as we did not over use these main conventions. We also looked closely at their often being a female victim who is vulnerable in the situations, using Sophie as the young girl, who is seen as the weaker sex throughout, a stereotypical representation.
By opening our sequence with close up shots of religious iconography from the church, such as the crucifix, stain-glass windows and the alter, it gives the audience a sense that there is a religious depth to the storyline. It’s juxtaposing the main idea of the Devil being the ‘Holy one’, a reversal of traditional religious archetypes. We chose to use this type of iconography after we watched the opening of Omen (2007); John Moore the director shows utilisation of dominant religious iconography, specifically Christian iconography, such as the crucifix. By watching this we felt we could use these conventions in our own way, because we thought that this exhibited some of the main premises of the contents of our film such as religion and Devil worship. However, by basing our film around an idea that is rather stereotypical, we decided it was best to challenge these conventions by representing the Devil in a different way, someone who was suave, sophisticated and someone who people would aspire to be. We felt that it would work well with the antagonist appearing as the hero. By doing this we dressed our actor who was playing the part of the Devil in a suit and shirt, in order for him to look seductive and more like a sex object– more the protagonist rather than actually being the antagonist. He has blonde hair and blue eyes to highlight the notion that ‘good’ could be evil. We also researched into ‘The Exorcist’ (1973-Directed by William Friedkin); in the trailer – the use footage of a woman coming out from a shadow – this worked very well and looked extremely effective and creative. My group took this creativity on board and interpreted it in our own way when Sophie was in the basement scenes - she was walking into the light of the crack in the ceiling and then the shadow covering her when the ‘devil’ walks over the cracks above.
I feel that throughout our opening sequence there is a large amount of sustained fear, such as the eerie sounds we used versus the silence when Sophie is alone, using a mix of stings and woodwind instruments to create these eerie effects. By including the sounds we have used to in order to create this suspense have worked exceptionally well and will keep the audience anxious. Although this is a main convention used, we have used orchestral music to create this effect and mixed it with silence to emphasize the anticipation and tension. I believe we have a balance of main conventions of contemporary horror films but have challenged these conventions in the right way in order for our film to be successful and be effective, in terms of having a combination of challenging stereotypes and using stereotypical characters.
How does your Media Product Represent Social Groups?
Throughout our opening sequence a number of social groups are represented, for example we have a young girl, Sophie and her father. They are both quite clearly from a white upper middle class background, which is emphasised by the house they are living in. Also we have the ‘Devil’ – both the father and the ‘Devil’ give a strong representation of masculinity – all the way through there is a strong concentration on two rather dominant masculine characters.
We constructed Sophie, to be the classic stereotype of a young girl. We dressed her in a large jumper, black leggings and little ballet pumps – by wearing the oversized jumper it emphasised her naivety as it quite clearly wasn’t hers, its possible that it was her fathers and she is wearing it to feel protected from the cold – parental protection. She wore little make-up which showed her youthfulness – we wanted her to look pure and innocent but not to do it in a contrived way. Her behaviour and movements would also be of the way a young girl would act, the fascination of exploring – for example, wandering off alone into dark, eerie and isolated locations. Also, we can tell she is quite young from her tone of voice when she is praying in the church – her tone being fairly high pitched and also the emphasis of her gasp when in the basement sequence which highlights her purity. Whereas with the ‘Devil’ we created him differently to what you would think the stereotypical devil may look like, for example the importance of the colours often used for a devil – red and black. The devil in our horror film looks like a real person; we wanted him to look like a sex object, someone that women would feel attracted too. We dressed him in a suit and made him look more like the gorgeous business man than a devil, dichotomy of sexuality and power. He wore a black suit with a pink tie and shirt – this very much juxtaposes the idea of a devil. He looks extremely suave and sophisticated something that we wouldn’t expect a devil to look like. Although we do not hear him speak in the opening sequence, we can imagine from the footage we see for him to have quite a deep, intriguing, sexy voice. However, in the opening sequence it seems that being silent is his way of showing he has power. Again, we do not see him in the opening footage for very long but his behaviour and movement are very sly and seem somewhat secretive this is something we would maybe expect from a devil.
By casting the people we have and creating the horror film we wanted we have created both types, stereotypes and archetypes. Our type would be the father of the young girl, he plays the part of guarding, protecting his daughter something that we would expect from a father. Whereas, Sophie the young girl is more than just a type she is a stereotype – we have emphasised her youthfulness with heightening her naivety and purity. But we also have an archetype, the ‘Devil’ – he is bigger than a stereotype, the devil is a well know symbolic character he has more significance , by constructing him in a way that juxtaposes his usual stereotypical type puts more emphasis on his character. We spent a long time trying to create each character as an individual icon, in order for them each to have a – each character would give the audience some kind of intrigue as to how they would normally be perceived and whether or not we went along we the general stereotype or worked against it.
However, we could have challenged or changed the representations we used by putting more emphasis on the purity of Sophie, for example dressing her in white or even choosing a younger actress to play this part. Although this would have made the stereotypical naivety and purity of a child too obvious, hence why we kept it more subtle. I feel my group greatly challenged the archetype of the Devil, making him seem more like the protagonist rather than the antagonist – someone who was a sex symbol. On the other hand we could have played strongly up to the common archetype, but I doubt it would have less of an impact on the audience by representing him the way we did it makes the audience more intrigued and apprehensive and therefore more fearful.
What kind of Media Institution might distribute your Media Product and why?
The media product my group and I have created, ‘Sold’ would be a low budget Independent film, the reasons for this categorisation would be mainly because of finance. Being a group of students studying media we do not have the money to make a mainstream blockbuster like we wish to at this current time. Not having the money therefore also affects the cast and locations we are able to use. Therefore when developing our horror film idea we had to consider the finance side of things. When choosing a cast and location, they had to be of very little cost or of no cost at all, this being because being a group of students we didn’t have the money available to spend on these things. Our only cost was a donation to the local church we filmed in as we felt this was a kind gesture, for their kindness in allowing us to film there. I also feel we fall into this category because we were working under very tight deadlines, we only had about three and a half months for the completion of the product – a deadline which is a lot smaller than a huge mainstream film, therefore I felt it was necessary to be a low end independent film. For our production we didn’t do any marketing for our product, being an assignment we didn’t feel it necessary to make or create any extra products to market our product. However, if we were to market our product we would look at promoting our film along with viral marketing. Viral marketing can be a very cheap method of marketing, for example our production company could create a Facebook or Myspace webpage for the three main characters in our film – consumers could talk and interact with the characters as if they were real, being able to play games online with them and write to one another. By creating a webpage like this will be cheap but it will also be very beneficial for the film – if done correctly it has the potential to boost the number of consumers. Also, being a group of AS students our expertise is limited, we only have our existing knowledge and the experience we pick up along the way. As a result, our production can only be as good as we are – and not having expert expertise it is difficult to really fit into the mainstream blockbuster category – as we only had the four members in our group using no additional people for help. Also, as we all only had general roles – although we allocated more specific roles at the beginning to use as a guideline, when it came down to it we worked as a group with our main target as to complete the project to our best ability possible. I believe that ‘Sold’ would most definitely fit into this category as under the conditions we were working from it has very little choice to be anything else.
I feel that ‘Sold’ would be distributed by an Independent Media Institution, for example Hammer Film Productions is a legendary British Horror film company – the work they do fits into the category of the product we have made. We wanted our product to have a traditional horror slant to it. They only make horror films so it is the company’s expertise so consequently I feel they would do a very good job at producing my product. Also, they are a production company that produces films straight to DVD – I very much doubt that this low end budget independent film that I have created would go to the cinema, I feel it would work best if it just went straight onto DVD and be made more of a success if done like this. I feel that Hammer Film Productions are likely to offer our product a distribution deal because of our themes and generic content of our film, the idea of people’s souls being sold to a devil. The representation of the devil being worshipped also fits into the category of the type of films they produce and distribute. Also, being a low end budget film it will be easy for Hammer to market the product as it will be quite cheap and therefore easy for them to do. Being a UK based distributor it is also keeping our film to its roots-being a British film itself-and trying to succeed in getting the target audience that our production team wished for.
The only way I believe our product could change into a different category would be if we were to distribute it across Europe – broadening out into a larger market. Although it would still be a British Low End Budget Independent film it could have the potential of becoming successful internationally. For example, we could try to find a European Distribution Company or allow Hammer to distribute into the European market.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
I believe that ‘Sold’ would be a 15 certificate, I think this because the theme of our product is quite dark and mysterious something that someone under the age of fifteen may not understand and may be affected by it. It also has adult themes and content, the idea of having to sell someone’s soul because they do not have enough money to get by, this is something that a young teenager may not be aware of, therefore it would be necessary to keep the certificate of this age. Also, the fact that it is a horror film pretty much means it is vital for the film to be of this certificate or an 18 certificate, but I feel that we do not push the conventions to such extremes, I believe people of the age of 15 and above should be able to handle the content.
Considering our film deals with finance, religious and Satan issues I feel that our media product would be aimed at the A and B audience demographics, Class A are looking at high management people – people who may be working in the finance sector such as banking, accounting etc. and also class B as they are the creative and media people. Both these groups of people I think will be interested in this product because it has themes that I feel they can relate and understand with. These demographics are based on socio-economic grades. However, these demographics only look at the main earner in the household so for example, the young people in a home are not included– and older teenagers may be the ones who are spending the time watching the films – so although both A and B demographics are good to aim our product at they are not the only groups of people buying or watching our film. Also, because we are a group of students I also feel that the group E demographics will be a group that are interested in our product, I think they may support our product as they too are in the similar situation we are in and understand where we are coming from. I have also looked at the 4C’s Marketing Model to help establish my target audience, and to help specifically market my product at our target audiences. I believe that ‘Sold’ would be aimed at the ‘Explorers’ and the ‘Reformers’. The ‘Explorers’ being a group of people who seek discovery, they are individuals who often like to try new things out, they are often the younger demographic students. Whereas the ‘Reformers’ seek enlightenment, they are free and have a social awareness and an independent judgement, they often look for the quality of a product not worrying if it is highly popular. I think there are a few different target audiences we are trying to aim our media product at, high end money making people as there is a finance theme that they can relate to, creative people as there are religious themes which coincide with spirits and beliefs which these people may share similar views with, and then young people – often students who are intrigued in new films or have comparable ideas or whom are interested in media or the horror genre. Knowing that we have three distinct target audiences makes it more accessible to market our product to them.
With our target audience in mind, I doubt that our film would be released in the cinema; I feel it will go straight onto DVD. I think this because of the genre and the content of ‘Sold’, being a low end budget independent film we are not aiming our product at a mainstream target audience so I feel that it is necessary to only release the film on DVD in order to maximise sales. I reckon that the film would be released around the end of the autumnal season and going into winter, as this time period is when this theme of finance (and lacking of) is quite apparent so therefore it could be popular around this time, as it will be something that people will relate to and understand more during this time.
Taking into consideration that our media product is a low end budget independent film, I think that the cost of our whole production will cost just under £1,000,000 and we expect to get back double what we paid for it – so around £2,000,000. Most of this will be from our DVD sales – targeting three different distinct targeting audiences should hopefully enable us to have a large profit as we are selling our product to a larger market than expected and therefore maximising our sales and therefore profit.
How did you attract/address your audience?
If I was to promote my media product, I would use a number of different marketing techniques. I would begin by using standard marketing tools in order to promote my product, for example I will create T-shits with our tag line on it ‘Every soul has a price’ along with other merchandise such as mugs, towels, badges etc. with our tag line on it. By making this merchandise readily available it should increase the awareness of the film – which should eventually make it better known and therefore should increase sales in the DVD. To push the promotion of the film even more, I would also use viral marketing. As I previously stated, I would create character based web pages on Facebook, this is an easy way for the consumers to correspond and interact with characters. Also, this method would be cheap to make however I am sure it will be rather time consuming, as someone will have to take the time to respond to the fans in the role of the character. I may also organise events to promote the product, for example having a party in Ewhurst Place, the house in which the filming took place – this could also be a tool used to promote ‘Sold’.
I feel there are a number of appropriate images from the basement sequence that could be used in the marketing campaign. All the shots of either Sophie or the ‘Devil’ coming into the light under the crack in the ceiling in a pitch black room, these frames are each very simplistic yet very effective. If these images were to become posters they would definitely stand out and hopefully entice an audience, and if placed in places where our target groups would specifically see them then this would be even more beneficial for the sales of our product.
Hopefully, with the marketing techniques I have suggested will help to attract and address our target audience. Also, if promoted strongly alongside our DVD release date then our sales should be high and we should exceed our expected revenue. Once the film has first been released then we hope to have positive reviews in magazines and online that advertises and promotes horror films – this should therefore be free publicity of our film and hopefully increase the awareness of our product.
What have you learnt about Media Technologies from the process of constructing your product?
All the way through the construction of our product, I feel I have learnt a lot about media technologies. To begin with I learnt how to use the camera creatively and effectively, learning how to use some of the conventional rules that you can apply. At first, we would set up the camera at each of the different locations, ensuring that this is done correctly – once the camera is placed on the tri-pod we would move the cameras height and position in order to obtain the footage we wish for. But before we can actually film there a few more tasks that need to be completed before filming - firstly you need to bubble the camera, this is where you ensure the camera level is balanced. Then there is the aperture, this is the amount of light the shutter permits into the camera so you have to ensure this is set correctly, then you must focus the camera to guarantee focused shots throughout your filming, lastly you then must check the tape is in. However, on the shoot day I actually learnt some very useful techniques – the 180° rule, this is something I was continually made aware of but we broke this rule in order for our sequence to work correctly. I also learnt about the rule of thirds – this is something we applied and considered throughout our filming in order to captivate the audiences’ attention. We mainly used natural light for our shoot day, however I was very much aware of three point lighting but it was not necessary for our piece to use this – nevertheless we used intensifying lights to help generate the mood. Also, throughout the day we I used the rifle microphone to ensure we picked up the ambient sounds clearly as they were something we wanted to focus on – I learnt where to place the microphone correctly to ensure we picked up these sounds perfectly. (Refer to shooting day blog – Shoot Day 20.01.09 for more information)
Whereas, I feel I definitely succeeded my expectations when it came to editing – I learnt how to use the Final Cut Pro software extremely effectively and creatively. When beginning to edit I created a number of different bins, titling them each with the different locations we filmed at, I was then able to log all our footage and drop them into the appropriate bins. When doing this I learnt the short cut of pressing ‘i’ when I wanted the footage to start logging and ‘o’ when I wanted it to stop. Once we had logged pretty much all of our footage – we began placing the relevant footage along the time line where we began to edit and piece together our final product. Once we had a rough cut of our final piece we began to really get into the editing stages, learning how to use each of the tools effectively. Learning what effects to use, for example using the ‘cross fade’ tool on the transitions of footage and sounds, ‘cutting’ the clips in order to blade the footage, along with a number of other tools such as being able to change the speed of footage, learning how to reverse footage and being able to mark the footage in order to help us cut the shots correctly. Also, once the footage had been edited we often had to render this learning the short cut ‘Apple R’. Then we began to modify around with sounds, using the same techniques we had learnt from editing the footage, just putting the same effects on the different sounds. However, during this we learnt how to change the levels of volume – this was quite an easy process as we just had to click on the sound clip and then move the mark on line appropriately until we had the right levels of sounds for that particular piece of footage. We understood how to mix the sounds with different sounds and mixing sounds effects with silence – which worked extremely effectively. Then our final touches had to begin once this was completed, our credits had to be placed in correctly. This was something that I worked extremely hard on as I did not wish for the credits to look very simplistic – so I decided to put a twist on them. Once the legible font was put in place I then made it fade into a Greek style font which would flash for very little time and then ripple out – this process was extremely fast but was very effective once done. This was very time consuming but I just played around with all the different effects available and eventually came up with something that worked, once I had the credits in place for the first title I was then able to copy and paste them throughout just changing the lettering to ensure that all the credits were the same. The credits were something I personally worked extremely hard on – I wanted them to be unique and very creative something that I feel I have achieved. Throughout the whole editing process I feel I have learnt how to use the software to my advantage – by playing around with different effects and trying new things is the only way to learn and create a piece that I feel is worthwhile, something that I believe I have achieved.
All the way through the construction of our product, I feel I have learnt a lot about media technologies. To begin with I learnt how to use the camera creatively and effectively, learning how to use some of the conventional rules that you can apply. At first, we would set up the camera at each of the different locations, ensuring that this is done correctly – once the camera is placed on the tri-pod we would move the cameras height and position in order to obtain the footage we wish for. But before we can actually film there a few more tasks that need to be completed before filming - firstly you need to bubble the camera, this is where you ensure the camera level is balanced. Then there is the aperture, this is the amount of light the shutter permits into the camera so you have to ensure this is set correctly, then you must focus the camera to guarantee focused shots throughout your filming, lastly you then must check the tape is in. However, on the shoot day I actually learnt some very useful techniques – the 180° rule, this is something I was continually made aware of but we broke this rule in order for our sequence to work correctly. I also learnt about the rule of thirds – this is something we applied and considered throughout our filming in order to captivate the audiences’ attention. We mainly used natural light for our shoot day, however I was very much aware of three point lighting but it was not necessary for our piece to use this – nevertheless we used intensifying lights to help generate the mood. Also, throughout the day we I used the rifle microphone to ensure we picked up the ambient sounds clearly as they were something we wanted to focus on – I learnt where to place the microphone correctly to ensure we picked up these sounds perfectly. (Refer to shooting day blog – Shoot Day 20.01.09 for more information)
Whereas, I feel I definitely succeeded my expectations when it came to editing – I learnt how to use the Final Cut Pro software extremely effectively and creatively. When beginning to edit I created a number of different bins, titling them each with the different locations we filmed at, I was then able to log all our footage and drop them into the appropriate bins. When doing this I learnt the short cut of pressing ‘i’ when I wanted the footage to start logging and ‘o’ when I wanted it to stop. Once we had logged pretty much all of our footage – we began placing the relevant footage along the time line where we began to edit and piece together our final product. Once we had a rough cut of our final piece we began to really get into the editing stages, learning how to use each of the tools effectively. Learning what effects to use, for example using the ‘cross fade’ tool on the transitions of footage and sounds, ‘cutting’ the clips in order to blade the footage, along with a number of other tools such as being able to change the speed of footage, learning how to reverse footage and being able to mark the footage in order to help us cut the shots correctly. Also, once the footage had been edited we often had to render this learning the short cut ‘Apple R’. Then we began to modify around with sounds, using the same techniques we had learnt from editing the footage, just putting the same effects on the different sounds. However, during this we learnt how to change the levels of volume – this was quite an easy process as we just had to click on the sound clip and then move the mark on line appropriately until we had the right levels of sounds for that particular piece of footage. We understood how to mix the sounds with different sounds and mixing sounds effects with silence – which worked extremely effectively. Then our final touches had to begin once this was completed, our credits had to be placed in correctly. This was something that I worked extremely hard on as I did not wish for the credits to look very simplistic – so I decided to put a twist on them. Once the legible font was put in place I then made it fade into a Greek style font which would flash for very little time and then ripple out – this process was extremely fast but was very effective once done. This was very time consuming but I just played around with all the different effects available and eventually came up with something that worked, once I had the credits in place for the first title I was then able to copy and paste them throughout just changing the lettering to ensure that all the credits were the same. The credits were something I personally worked extremely hard on – I wanted them to be unique and very creative something that I feel I have achieved. Throughout the whole editing process I feel I have learnt how to use the software to my advantage – by playing around with different effects and trying new things is the only way to learn and create a piece that I feel is worthwhile, something that I believe I have achieved.
Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt about the progression from it to the finished product?
When I first began studying AS media, as an introduction to the course we were set a preliminary filming task. It was a continuity exercise involving filming and editing, which involved two characters in a conversation within an interior set – this being anywhere of our choice. One of the characters had to open the door, cross the room to establish themselves opposite another character and they then were to share a few lines of dialogue before the first character was to leave the room again. When we were first given this task, we were given a very basic storyboard and script to guide us, also including very strict instructions of the specific camera angles we were to use, therefore restricting us greatly as to where we could go with this task. However, this task was mainly to help us in our understanding of how to use the cameras and how to edit. Since then I feel I have achieved greatly, something I never thought I would have done when we were first given the task to create an opening sequence of a horror film. I honestly had no idea where to begin, as I knew that organisation and thorough planning were crucial. I have always been a rather organized person, so from the beginning I took up the role as the producer, ensuring that we completed our work and stuck to deadlines – I felt that I could undertake this role as I had successfully completed this role when doing the preliminary task and I also quite enjoyed it. In order to achieve a fantastic finished product, we as a group were going to have to work extremely hard together, I, personally enjoy working in a group, I like taking peoples strengths and working at them to the groups advantage making sure we achieve something of an extremely high standard.
Being the producer, although it was very important that I somewhat took the lead in the pre-production stages of our product – I didn’t, I found it difficult trying to make people do the tasks required. In the beginning I tried very hard in ensuring my group got on with the specific tasks but I was starting to get angry and it was bringing the groups morale down and we somewhat came to a working block. However, in time we began to rejoin as a group and got on with tasks as asked using everyone’s skills to benefit the group. I have a serious problem in just doing other peoples work as well if I do not like what they have done with it, but I learnt not too – I learnt to appreciate other peoples hard work and allowed them to get on with it. Once our individual research was completed, we began scripting and storyboarding our idea – these sections are really not my forte so I left these up to the other members of the group to finalise these areas as other members in my group are very creative and articulate so therefore, I felt they would have been done better this way. However, once we had got underway with our filming and began editing, this is where I really succeeded, during the preliminary task I found it extremely difficult to edit – not being able to use the tools effectively and always forgetting what each tool does. I feel that I defiantly put in a lot of time and effort in the editing of the product, although I was intimidated at first, once I began to get the hang of the software I spent every spare minute I had editing our final product, trying to make sure we completed ‘Sold’ to a very high standard – which I feel we have achieved. I believe that some of my group took a back seat in the editing of the production, however being someone who is somewhat of a perfectionist I was very happy to take the role into my own hands in completing this product. Although I was intimidated to begin I felt that once we were underway our group really began to thrive from it and worked very concisely to ensure we completed the product for our deadline.
I definitely believe that it gave me an insight into the film industry, although not quite to the extent of what it’s really like but it gave me an idea of the style of work and hard it is to complete deadlines. However, I did very much enjoy being a part of it – even though I was under great pressure, I fee like I have achieved something I never thought I would have before. Our final piece ‘Sold’ is something I am extremely proud of; I feel that we accomplished what we set out to do and more. I, personally spent a very long time on the credits of the opening sequence, these are something I am very proud of as I honestly didn’t believe that I could create something as artistic as they were before and I defiantly believed they word extremely effectively. Overall, as a group I feel we worked very well together and completed a task to a very high standard, something that we are each very proud of.
When I first began studying AS media, as an introduction to the course we were set a preliminary filming task. It was a continuity exercise involving filming and editing, which involved two characters in a conversation within an interior set – this being anywhere of our choice. One of the characters had to open the door, cross the room to establish themselves opposite another character and they then were to share a few lines of dialogue before the first character was to leave the room again. When we were first given this task, we were given a very basic storyboard and script to guide us, also including very strict instructions of the specific camera angles we were to use, therefore restricting us greatly as to where we could go with this task. However, this task was mainly to help us in our understanding of how to use the cameras and how to edit. Since then I feel I have achieved greatly, something I never thought I would have done when we were first given the task to create an opening sequence of a horror film. I honestly had no idea where to begin, as I knew that organisation and thorough planning were crucial. I have always been a rather organized person, so from the beginning I took up the role as the producer, ensuring that we completed our work and stuck to deadlines – I felt that I could undertake this role as I had successfully completed this role when doing the preliminary task and I also quite enjoyed it. In order to achieve a fantastic finished product, we as a group were going to have to work extremely hard together, I, personally enjoy working in a group, I like taking peoples strengths and working at them to the groups advantage making sure we achieve something of an extremely high standard.
Being the producer, although it was very important that I somewhat took the lead in the pre-production stages of our product – I didn’t, I found it difficult trying to make people do the tasks required. In the beginning I tried very hard in ensuring my group got on with the specific tasks but I was starting to get angry and it was bringing the groups morale down and we somewhat came to a working block. However, in time we began to rejoin as a group and got on with tasks as asked using everyone’s skills to benefit the group. I have a serious problem in just doing other peoples work as well if I do not like what they have done with it, but I learnt not too – I learnt to appreciate other peoples hard work and allowed them to get on with it. Once our individual research was completed, we began scripting and storyboarding our idea – these sections are really not my forte so I left these up to the other members of the group to finalise these areas as other members in my group are very creative and articulate so therefore, I felt they would have been done better this way. However, once we had got underway with our filming and began editing, this is where I really succeeded, during the preliminary task I found it extremely difficult to edit – not being able to use the tools effectively and always forgetting what each tool does. I feel that I defiantly put in a lot of time and effort in the editing of the product, although I was intimidated at first, once I began to get the hang of the software I spent every spare minute I had editing our final product, trying to make sure we completed ‘Sold’ to a very high standard – which I feel we have achieved. I believe that some of my group took a back seat in the editing of the production, however being someone who is somewhat of a perfectionist I was very happy to take the role into my own hands in completing this product. Although I was intimidated to begin I felt that once we were underway our group really began to thrive from it and worked very concisely to ensure we completed the product for our deadline.
I definitely believe that it gave me an insight into the film industry, although not quite to the extent of what it’s really like but it gave me an idea of the style of work and hard it is to complete deadlines. However, I did very much enjoy being a part of it – even though I was under great pressure, I fee like I have achieved something I never thought I would have before. Our final piece ‘Sold’ is something I am extremely proud of; I feel that we accomplished what we set out to do and more. I, personally spent a very long time on the credits of the opening sequence, these are something I am very proud of as I honestly didn’t believe that I could create something as artistic as they were before and I defiantly believed they word extremely effectively. Overall, as a group I feel we worked very well together and completed a task to a very high standard, something that we are each very proud of.
Feedback - Focus Groups Responses
Person 1:
'I thought the girl disappearing and the use of symbols in a church were used very effectively’
‘Also, I thought their technical abilities were shown greatly in their use of light in the shots of the girl and the devil appearing out of the light, with half their face still in blackness.’
‘However I didn’t understand why the devil was represented in that way.’
Overall percentage: 85%
Person 2:
‘The title sequence was very successful and impressive. Although the last shot was not necessary.’
‘I thought the use of sound and lighting was extremely effective’
Overall percentage: 92%
Person 3:
‘The titles were very cleverly created – I was very impressed by them.’
‘The sounds were really good – they really helped to establish the moods, I liked how it would get quiet and then loud again.’
Overall percentage: 75%
Person 4:
‘I thought it was really interesting how they linked the storyline with a religious theme with the use of religious symbolic symbols.’
‘The camera angles used were really interesting and the use of lights in the cellar sequence really worked.’
‘I understood where they were coming from with the idea of the Devil being nice too, but I don’t think he should have been blonde.’
Overall percentage: 85%
Person 5:
‘I thought the titles were really creative and it had a very interesting overall atmosphere.’
‘I felt that the lighting and the camera angles used were very professional, and it was put together with the sounds very well.’
‘I really liked the way it was represented by the use of lighting – the church being very bright and Ewhurst Place being dark – and also the people at the house were meant to be the ‘bad’ ones.’
Overall percentage: 85%
Person 6:
‘I liked the use of fonts used for the titles and how it faded into Greek lettering and then disappeared.’
‘I really liked the lighting in the basement at the end on the girls face and also how the music was very effective and jumpy around this area.’
Overall percentage: 90%
Below is a link to my thriller on youtube where continuous feedback is given:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVYpt-Oasxg
'I thought the girl disappearing and the use of symbols in a church were used very effectively’
‘Also, I thought their technical abilities were shown greatly in their use of light in the shots of the girl and the devil appearing out of the light, with half their face still in blackness.’
‘However I didn’t understand why the devil was represented in that way.’
Overall percentage: 85%
Person 2:
‘The title sequence was very successful and impressive. Although the last shot was not necessary.’
‘I thought the use of sound and lighting was extremely effective’
Overall percentage: 92%
Person 3:
‘The titles were very cleverly created – I was very impressed by them.’
‘The sounds were really good – they really helped to establish the moods, I liked how it would get quiet and then loud again.’
Overall percentage: 75%
Person 4:
‘I thought it was really interesting how they linked the storyline with a religious theme with the use of religious symbolic symbols.’
‘The camera angles used were really interesting and the use of lights in the cellar sequence really worked.’
‘I understood where they were coming from with the idea of the Devil being nice too, but I don’t think he should have been blonde.’
Overall percentage: 85%
Person 5:
‘I thought the titles were really creative and it had a very interesting overall atmosphere.’
‘I felt that the lighting and the camera angles used were very professional, and it was put together with the sounds very well.’
‘I really liked the way it was represented by the use of lighting – the church being very bright and Ewhurst Place being dark – and also the people at the house were meant to be the ‘bad’ ones.’
Overall percentage: 85%
Person 6:
‘I liked the use of fonts used for the titles and how it faded into Greek lettering and then disappeared.’
‘I really liked the lighting in the basement at the end on the girls face and also how the music was very effective and jumpy around this area.’
Overall percentage: 90%
Below is a link to my thriller on youtube where continuous feedback is given:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVYpt-Oasxg
Denotation of 'Sold'
The opening sequence of our horror film begins with different Christian iconographic symbols, such as a crucifix, stain-glass windows and an alter. Although these denote a religious aspect to the film, they are actually in place to juxtapose the theme of evil, worshipping the devil and satanic beliefs that run throughout. This leads into Sophie, the young girl in the film praying in the church, this being there also emphasises the religious side of the film but also connotes the girl’s innocence and purity. Also, the mise en scene of the first few shots of the sequence being in a church denotes the idea of religion – however, the film does not really have a religious theme running throughout, its more the idea of a sense of purity which is very much the opposite of the films themes.
The footage of the exterior of Ewhurst Place also denotes the idea of innocence and naivety as it is of a young girl swinging on a swing – something that someone of a young age would do which puts emphasis on the idea of the conventional stereotypical young character that often appears in horror films. Also, with this being filmed outside a large house during the day– the audience would assume that there is a sense of normality, its setting up for the upcoming obscure events that are going to take place. This sequence denotes this ordinariness, therefore being able to build up the tension more when things do not seem so normal. When Sophie disappears this shows that there is something not quite right, giving the audience a sense of intrigue or mystery which also keeps them anxious. This intrigue also runs through into the basement scenes, they denote Sophie walking into the basement, connoting the idea that young people have a sense of exploration and adventure. However, with the darkness of the room and the sound effects used – it is seen to be extremely eerie, this is also emphasised by being an isolated location and the use of silence, there is no dialogue through this sequence. This connotes the idea of silence being powerful, something which the Devil coincides with this belief. This whole sequence being in darkness in an isolated location connotes a sense of mystery. The Devil itself is an iconic symbol, although throughout his appearance is to show him more as protagonist, something he very much isn’t. Although the opening does not denote this, he is dressed like a business man, a dichotomy of sexuality and power. Also he seems to come across as rather sly in the opening, like he is hiding something – someone who is being extremely secretive.
I feel that the whole opening sequence is set up to be very psychological because I believe that what we actually watch is not what things actually connote. There is a real sense of mystery and the film will only be understood once watched the whole thing. The on-running theme of purity, naivety and innocence are clearly apparent, although they are only there to juxtapose the main themes of our film ‘Sold’.
The footage of the exterior of Ewhurst Place also denotes the idea of innocence and naivety as it is of a young girl swinging on a swing – something that someone of a young age would do which puts emphasis on the idea of the conventional stereotypical young character that often appears in horror films. Also, with this being filmed outside a large house during the day– the audience would assume that there is a sense of normality, its setting up for the upcoming obscure events that are going to take place. This sequence denotes this ordinariness, therefore being able to build up the tension more when things do not seem so normal. When Sophie disappears this shows that there is something not quite right, giving the audience a sense of intrigue or mystery which also keeps them anxious. This intrigue also runs through into the basement scenes, they denote Sophie walking into the basement, connoting the idea that young people have a sense of exploration and adventure. However, with the darkness of the room and the sound effects used – it is seen to be extremely eerie, this is also emphasised by being an isolated location and the use of silence, there is no dialogue through this sequence. This connotes the idea of silence being powerful, something which the Devil coincides with this belief. This whole sequence being in darkness in an isolated location connotes a sense of mystery. The Devil itself is an iconic symbol, although throughout his appearance is to show him more as protagonist, something he very much isn’t. Although the opening does not denote this, he is dressed like a business man, a dichotomy of sexuality and power. Also he seems to come across as rather sly in the opening, like he is hiding something – someone who is being extremely secretive.
I feel that the whole opening sequence is set up to be very psychological because I believe that what we actually watch is not what things actually connote. There is a real sense of mystery and the film will only be understood once watched the whole thing. The on-running theme of purity, naivety and innocence are clearly apparent, although they are only there to juxtapose the main themes of our film ‘Sold’.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Editing of Thriller
Pre-Editing
When editing, we used Final Cut Pro software – this software is fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it. Once we had all our footage filmed we had to load all the film onto the computer – we had to initially digitise our film, transferring the footage from the tape inside the camera onto the computer in order for us to edit. After this, we had to log all our shots – we created a number of different ‘bins’ and then titled each of the shots and put them underneath the relevant headings – each of the bins were titled under the locations we filmed at, as this would then be easier to sort our footage out when editing. We then titled each of our shots and logged them to the correct place.
Continuity Editing
In the beginning we put together the timeline for our very first attempt of editing our opening of our horror film ‘Sold’. However, after a number of hours working on this we realised that this was not really an opening of a film but more like a trailer, although our footage was the correct material the way we had edited and incorporated some titles it just didn’t work. After this, we continued with a number of different attempts – we were so stuck on our ‘trailer sequence’ we found it so hard to move on. Finally, after weeks of attempting to move on – we finally did, we realised we had so much more footage than we originally believed and eventually realised that we should use it – believing that it was good material. We eventually put together a rough cut of what we were now going to work with. Once this timeline was now in place, myself and Millie (the director) spent many hours editing them to make the lengths of the shots and the transitions from one shot to another perfect. For the opening shots of the Christian iconography and the footage of Sophie in the church we used jump shots, but we used quite lengthy shots as we found that if we were cutting them too quick then it was beginning to look more like a film trailer again, a look we were not going for. We also just cut shots in the exterior footage rather than using fades as we felt it worked better, cutting between Sophie on the swing and her father on the phone – it gave a sense of intrigue. During this footage, the sound also changes with the shots – the sound of the swing being prominent in the close up shots of Sophie and then being virtually unrecognizable in the close up shots of her father. Moreover, in the basement footage we continually used jump shots – it created more of an effect which increased the tension. This footage begins quite slow and eerie but then picks up pace with the editing as it jumps quicker between shots of Sophie and the crack in the ceiling and also between Sophie and the ‘Devil’ – this works very effectively.
When editing, we used Final Cut Pro software – this software is fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it. Once we had all our footage filmed we had to load all the film onto the computer – we had to initially digitise our film, transferring the footage from the tape inside the camera onto the computer in order for us to edit. After this, we had to log all our shots – we created a number of different ‘bins’ and then titled each of the shots and put them underneath the relevant headings – each of the bins were titled under the locations we filmed at, as this would then be easier to sort our footage out when editing. We then titled each of our shots and logged them to the correct place.
Continuity Editing
In the beginning we put together the timeline for our very first attempt of editing our opening of our horror film ‘Sold’. However, after a number of hours working on this we realised that this was not really an opening of a film but more like a trailer, although our footage was the correct material the way we had edited and incorporated some titles it just didn’t work. After this, we continued with a number of different attempts – we were so stuck on our ‘trailer sequence’ we found it so hard to move on. Finally, after weeks of attempting to move on – we finally did, we realised we had so much more footage than we originally believed and eventually realised that we should use it – believing that it was good material. We eventually put together a rough cut of what we were now going to work with. Once this timeline was now in place, myself and Millie (the director) spent many hours editing them to make the lengths of the shots and the transitions from one shot to another perfect. For the opening shots of the Christian iconography and the footage of Sophie in the church we used jump shots, but we used quite lengthy shots as we found that if we were cutting them too quick then it was beginning to look more like a film trailer again, a look we were not going for. We also just cut shots in the exterior footage rather than using fades as we felt it worked better, cutting between Sophie on the swing and her father on the phone – it gave a sense of intrigue. During this footage, the sound also changes with the shots – the sound of the swing being prominent in the close up shots of Sophie and then being virtually unrecognizable in the close up shots of her father. Moreover, in the basement footage we continually used jump shots – it created more of an effect which increased the tension. This footage begins quite slow and eerie but then picks up pace with the editing as it jumps quicker between shots of Sophie and the crack in the ceiling and also between Sophie and the ‘Devil’ – this works very effectively.
Still frames from the opening sequence: Crucifix
The Devil
Graphics/Titles
At first we were going to keep our titles very simple, however, in time we thought this probably would not be best. I was watching the TV series ‘Sleeper Cell’ and got some inspiration from their titles – they used a plain legible font but for some letters they used Arabic letters and symbols which looked like English letters to replace – this gave the titles a little twist. Although we didn’t want to use Arabic symbols, we thought that a twist with Greek or Latin symbols and letters could work effectively and tie in with our religious theme. However, we found that just replacing the occasional letter was not really working as successful as we hoped. We began to play around with the lettering, and eventually came up with the idea of writing the credits in English then fading them quickly into Greek lettering which looks similar to the English letters and then rippling out. This worked very well, the transition between the English to Greek was extremely quick so you are not really able to read it and then rippled out – giving an effect like this on a simple font worked very effectively. We used the font ‘STFang’ and also the corresponding Greek letters in this font. We placed each title over different footage usually to the left or right of the screen – each title was legible to read three times over before fading to Greek then rippling off. Our credits begun with our production company on a black screen, then moving on to the actors and actresses names, then all the people involved in the production and then finally our films title. All our credits ran over footage apart from our first credit ‘Little Productions Presents’ and our final credit, our film title ‘Sold’.
Titles before transition to Greek Lettering
Titles once transitioned into Greek lettering
SoundsThroughout our opening sequence, we used a number of sounds to create an effect. For the opening of the church sequence we mainly used the natural eerie sounds, but we then emphasised them slightly more to make it seem even more eerie – as it is a large open area, also throughout Sophie is saying The Lords Prayer, this is on a very quiet level of sounds throughout and then gets louder and clearer when we cut to the close up footage of her praying rather than just background noise. For the transition from the church scene into the exterior footage of their house, we used a drumming like sound – this created impact which we then faded out to the ambient sound. Sophie was swinging on a swing – this was an old swing which was obviously put up by themselves as it was just a rope and some wood, the rope running against the bark of the tree made a real squeaky noise, we put great emphasis on this. Also by jumping shots between both Sophie -the young girl- and her father, we used sounds to help accentuate the silence versus the squeak of the swing; this also gives the footage more suspense and tension. We used this technique again in the basement sequence, the idea of the quiet, eerie ambient sounds versus the jumpy sound effects we used when the ‘Devil’ was present – this makes the audience more apprehensive, which therefore increases the suspense of the film. We had no soundtrack running throughout, we mainly used different sound effects to emphasise different areas, most of the sounds we used were quite natural, they were there to heighten the horror factor. I feel that our choice of sounds worked very effectively and definitely increased the suspension, which therefore make the opening seem very scary.
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