Props Research and Props List

Welcome back! Today, I will present props research and create a props list in which will feature within our film opening!

FORMAL PROPS LIST

Next time: I will present storyboard research!

Costume Research

Welcome back! Today, I will present our costume research and how our characters will dress during our film opening!

RESEARCH

Costume is a big part to the identity of each character in which, we have thought about a lot, but we'll get to that later on. Now, costume can determine the background of a person, personality of a person, lifestyle of a person and attitude of a person.

SUIT AND TIE



A suit and tie represents a formal and more sophisticated lifestyle in which the person is represented as more neat and more intelligent. Furthermore, this means that their status might be more higher compared to a person who wears a tracksuit.

EXAMPLE 'SKYFALL'



TRACKSUIT



There are two sides to this outfit, so let's talk about the first one. First of all, this outfit is seen as a very active outfit, the person wearing this represents good health by exercise and a sporty personality, in which would represent to the audience that this person is incredibly fit. However, the other side to this outfit can represent a lower class, more laid back, rebel attitude person. Basically the word 'Chav' springs to mind when you see this outfit, in which the audience can see which would allow them to suggest that the person is a rebel or in the film. to cause mischief in the film.

EXAMPLE 'GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS'

tracksuit seen first at (0:32)



GLASSES




Glasses can be worn to increase the look of intelligence of the character in which glasses are typically used to portray a nerdy character. Glasses are an easy way to differentiate social groups, having a group of teenage boys with big glasses can represent a nerd social group where as other people without these big glasses can be 'outcasts' of the group. Therefore, glasses are important when representing the overall personality of the character.

EXAMPLE 'DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 3: DOG DAYS'

Nerd first seen at (1:07)



A 'EMO' OUTFIT




This outfit comes from a sub culture in which I can happily talk a lot about. This outfit symbolises a really bad attitude towards life, education and other people around them. Grey and black is very dominant within these types of outfits in which represents an emotionless, dull, plain and rebel person.

EXAMPLE 'DONNIE DARKO'



FINAL COSTUME LIST

Next time: I will present props research and a formal props list for our main product!

Location Research

Welcome back! Today, I will present my location research, including an insight into our location and how the location will represent the characters. 

RESEARCH

When we initially discussed our film, we considered how our location will represent the characters in the film. However, since there is two characters, in which are male and female and are mostly featured in their bedrooms, you would expect these stereotypical locations for their bedrooms.

Here, you can see a 'girly' bedroom. Stereotypically, we would see this as a girly bedroom because of the use of pink and white within the room. This represents feminism in which is portrayed by the wallpaper and tidiness of the room. Furthermore, this particular bedroom would fit a young girl more than a teenage girl due to the lack of technology in which teenagers are exposed to constantly in today's society.

On the other hand, this bedroom represents a teenage boy. Within this, you can see that the bedroom is in a messy state in which is represented within teenage boys stereotypically. Furthermore, a dull colour scheme is used to represent the lack of activity that this teenager has due to the messy state of the room indicating that the teenager is in this room frequently. 

KICK - ASS



In Kick Ass, the stereotypical boy's bedroom is portrayed to the audience as the boy puts on his superhero costume on. Within this, you can see how messy the room is, the unmade bed, the clothes on the chair and the messy desk all stereo typically portray a teenage boy's bedroom.

LOCATION OF 'SOMNIUM'

Final Location List

Script Research

Welcome back! Today, I will present some research into scripts and present the script for our product, Somnium!

WHAT IS A SCRIPT?

By definition, a script is a piece of written text of a film. In which, outlines the movements, actions, expressions and dialogues of the characters within the product. It is important to create a script as without this, the characters would not know how to portray the character within the film. Therefore, creating a script enables the actors to be fully aware of their role in the film.

An example of a script layout...



An example from a real media product...

DESPICABLE ME 2

Now that I have researched into an example from a real media product, we, as a group, could conduct a script for our film opening 'Somnium'.
SOMNIUM SCRIPT



Next time: I will present location research! See you then!

Film Treatment

Welcome back! Today, I will discuss film treatments!

WHAT ARE FILM TREATMENTS?

Film treatments are almost the short story version of the film. It details all the events that entail within the film including camera shots and the setting of the scene. Film treatments are usually written to tell the overall story of the film so that when producing the film, we can be more structured with our setting and camera shots at particular points in the opening.

 Here is an example of a film treatment... 

The Star Wars

So, with the research out of the way, together we constructed our film treatment!

Here is our film treatment!

Somnium Treatment

Next time: I will discuss and present scripts!

Role of the Sound Editor & Film Score Composer

Welcome back! Today I will talk about the role of the sound editor and film score composer! I will also discuss the Wilhelm Scream and

SOUND EDITOR

The sound editor is the person who is in charge of selecting and arranging sound clips ready for the final sound mix for the film. There are 3 aspects to the final mix, dialogue, special effects and music. Now, if the film is funded heavily in terms of production then the sound editor will be allocated to one of these aspects, in which there could be up to 3 different sound editors depending on the financial backing. 

JONATHAN MILLER

An example of a sound editor is from my favourite film, Saw, Jonathan Miller. Miller is more tailored to the horror genre in which he has featured in the sound department for Saw, Evil Dead and The Hills Have Eyes II. In 2005, Miller was nominated for a Golden Reel award for his work as a sound editor. 

RICHARD KING

Another famous sound editor is Richard King, who has worked on The Dark Night, The Dark Night Rises and Inception. As a result of his work, he has won 3 Oscars and been nominated 22 times for other awards. 

THE SOUND OF INTERSTELLER

FILM SCORE COMPOSER

A film score composer is a person who creates an original, unique piece or collection of music for a film. In which, these pieces are heavily influenced off of the piece of film that it will be accompanying. Film scores are usually orchestral, instrumental or choral pieces in which complement the film to increase the dramatic aspect of the scene. 

HANS ZIMMER

Hans Zimmer is a film score composer in which he has created film scores for many films including Inception, Gladiator and The Dark Night Rises. Since 1980, he has produced film scores for over 150 films. 

THE SOUND OF THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

WILHELM SCREAM

The Wilhelm Scream is a universal sound effect in which has been used in almost 500 movies starting with 'Distant Drums'. The scream is used when someone is shot and falls from a large height or is thrown from an explosion. Because this sound effect is used so much, it started to develop into more of a 'joke sound effect'.

Here are a few examples!

Next time: I will discuss and present my film treatment!

Recording Sound on Location & ADR

Welcome back! Today, I will talk about a number of different aspects to recording sound; How to record sound on location, ADR, Foley, the audio codes and finally the impact of an inappropriate soundtrack! So, let's get started!

RECORDING SOUND ON LOCATION

Recording sound on location is a different method of recording sound compared to Foley. We record sound on location using the location recording kits provided. In which, contains a sound recorder and a mic with a windshield to soften the sharp sounds e.g. 'P's' and 'B's' in which 'clips' the audio. Finally, the kit also contains headphones to listen to the audio as it is recorded. 

Here is a step my step guide to recording sound on location!

On Location Recorder Instructions by Josh Birch

So, as you can see the process of recording sound on location is quite lengthy and it does have its drawbacks. For instance, if I wanted to record a conversation but the one person is on one side of the room and the other person is on the other side of the room, then I would need to use a boom in order to extend the microphone to allow the other person to be heard more clearer and louder. As a result, the sound recorder could dip the boom during recording in which would be seen on camera which would result into a continuity error.

ADR

When dialog cannot be taken from production tracks, they must be re-recorded. This is called 'ADR' (Automated dialog replacement).

The actor watches the film repeatedly until they feel comfortable to repeat the dialog perfectly in time for it to be then placed into the films audio. Then, they record the dialog in sync to the film in which must match the lip movements. This can be a long process due to the actors ability to sync the dialog to the film. Therefore, there is an alternative method called 'looping'. Looping consists of looping the film while the actor continues to repeat the dialog.



FOLEY

Foley derives from Jack Foley, who is a sound editor at Universal Studios. Foley artists match sound effects with the live action of the film. Using Foley is a great way of expressing subtle sounds in which production mics might not pick up. With these subtle sounds comes a sense of realism within the film. The Foley crew will include a 'walker' in which creates the sounds using particular objects, and a technician to mix the sounds together.



AUDIO CODES

Below, I have researched the appropriate audio codes using this website.

• Sound Recorder - records the sound on location.
• Condenser Microphone - external microphone that uses an XLR connection to record sound.
• Windshield - Prevents sharp sounds of dialog clipping the audio. 
• Headphones - Listen to the audio as it is being recorded. 
• Diegetic Sound - Sound that is visible in the film. 
• Non - Diegetic Sound - Sound that isn't visible in the film. 
• Parallel Sound - Sound that complements the film. 
• Contrapuntal Sound - Sound that that contradicts the film. 
• Synchronous Sound - Sound that matches the action - footsteps while seeing someone walk.
• Asynchronous Sound - Sound that matches the action however, not at the exact time. 
• Voice over- A narration that plays over the top of a piece of film.

EXAMPLES OF THE AUDIO CODES



Next time: I will discuss Sound Editors and Film Score Composers!

Film Pitch... Somnium

Welcome back! Today, I will discuss, feedback and evaluate my film pitch! 

FILM PITCH... SOMNIUM

Our pitch was based around the discussions that we had before the process of making the logo and the team name. We wanted to fully outline the points we wanted to consider early on in the process of the film. In which, we outlined these considerations:

• The meaning of the name of the film.
• The protagonist.
• The antagonist.
• Any other characters that feature.
• Conventions that we are going to use.
• Conventions that we are going to challenge. 
• Location, props and time. 
• Our narrative.
• Target Audience Profile.
• Titles with our logo design.

With many discussions and planning we used prezi to create an animated presentation in which gave the pitch that essence of a journey. With this, I used the colours from our logo in order to portray a colour scheme to the audience at the same time. 

Here is our pitch! 


FEEDBACK

With this pitch came a lot of feedback which was more directed towards our narrative. First of all, we were questioned on our lighting choices. With this, we were criticised on the option to just use a lamp as our light source to achieve low-key lighting. In which, we discussed in our group that we are going to film the product within the day and post edit the footage so that the video takes the look of being set at night.

Next, we were criticised on our opening of the opening... if that makes sense. It was suggested that we outline that the protagonist and the antagonist are university students by using an establishing shot of a university and then showing a conversation between the two characters. Because of this, we will add this due to the fact that there is evidence of an equilibrium at the beginning of the film.

With this feedback we can now discuss and plan key areas before filming the main product including location, costume design and scripts. Overall, we are content to add this to our plans and therefore create an even better main product that what we originally were going to make!

Next time: I will be discussing recording of sound on location!

Target Audience Profile

Welcome back! Today, I will present research into existing products' target audience profile and present our main products target audience profile!

Outlining a target audience profile is very important to the structure of our main product, therefore we have created a detailed 'TAP' so that it reflects our choice of film classification. However, before that I will conduct some research on existing products in which I will observe their target audience data and then present our target audience profile! 

THE CONJURING

The conjuring predominantly adopts the horror genre as well as thriller, in which is what genre we will be revolving our product around. Therefore, I have used this film due to it's classification in which is "15" which is our classification aim too therefore I can then observe the target audience profile and tell that the classification correlates to the majority of the audience being between the age of 15 and 24 (69%). This links to our target audience profile as our 'ideal viewer' is 20 years old, therefore he fits the bracket. 

Now, let's talk about the film itself. I chose this film specifically because of the amount of low-key lighting that is within it, in which I can observe and brainstorm about how I can achieve low-key lighting in my main product in which is one of our main conventions within the film opening. Consequently, low-key lighting increases the tension towards the end of the film in which builds the horror element. Therefore, because the tension certainly scared me I must take this into consideration. However, I don't want to scare the audience, I want to make them feel feared and intrigued about what's going to happen next. Therefore, I need to be able to pick out props within the misé-en-scene in which are the catalyst for low-key lighting and identify them. 

To conclude, the vast majority of props that produced the low-key lighting were lamps of a low brightness. Therefore, we might need to record the opening during the day and post edit the footage so that the lamp on the bedside table is significant and the location looks like it is in a night time setting. The reason why I might do this is because if we was to film it at night with just a lamp as a source of light, then the audience might not be able to see the character at all, in which won't make them feel feared nor intrigued. Furthermore, the film quality will be extremely grainy in which we don't want present in our main product.

HITMAN: AGENT 47

Hitman: Agent 47 adopts the action genre, however it still has a very heavy thriller feel towards the films plot and timeline throughout the film. Again, this film has the classification "15" in which we will be attempting to conduct within our film opening. However, with this movie I want to focus on the target audience profile section. Even though the classification is 15, the percentages are spread out all the way to 45+. Time for a history lesson, Hitman originated from a video game in which was platformed on PC back in 2000. Now, i'm going to be quite stereotypical here but when it comes to video games, the dominant sex is male, and this contrasts to the gender section of the target audience profile. Ultimately, what i'm saying is that since this was originally a video game and males generally play video games more than females and the fact that this game has been developed into more games and ultimately more films, means that the older generation are viewing this movie too, as well as the younger audience from the more recent video games. To conclude, this film contrasted with the video games to pull their audience in. 

Now, for the film itself. I chose this film purely for the tension element. In our main product we want to express tension to fully convey the conventions of a thriller, in this film it is conveyed really well. They do this in a very simple way, close ups and tense music. Close ups of agent 47's face is shown in some situations in which tense music is played to increase the suspense of the assassination, this includes tense music in which intrigues the audience. This allows me to take inspiration from this and possibly add this to our main product in which could improve our initial ideas of building tension. Therefore, to conclude I will simply use this film as inspiration for tension. 

THE PURGE: ANARCHY

 

The Purge: Anarchy is purely thriller. It moulds all the thriller conventions into one to make your typical thriller film. As usual, the classification is "15" which is expected after the first two pieces of research. We can also see that the classification contrasts with the 15-24 bracket age at 66%. Why? well, lets look at the the first image but more specifically, the 'The Story' section. It details 'A young couple', the reason why the highest age bracket is 15-24 is because there are a young couple as the main characters in which the majority of the audience at 15-24 can relate to and therefore form a bond in similarity because they are young and the audience is young in which changes the audiences' perspective of the film, and not in a good way. That puts the audience within the film and forces them to experience the young couples fear and trauma.

I chose this film because it ties the first two films together. The Purge: Anarchy moulds both low-key lighting and tension together. How? Well, it's very simple. Using the low-key lighting, antagonists are prevented from being seen, therefore it builds a lot of tension for the young couple in which are feared, therefore, the combination of low-key lighting and tension pin points the thriller genre perfectly. I can use this as inspiration for my main product as we are planning on using low-key lighting and tension to slowly introduce a character that cannot be seen in which the audience will feel how they felt when they watched The Purge: Anarchy. 

'SOMNIUM': TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE

With this research concluded I can now present to you a detailed target audience profile for our film 'Somnium'.

Target Audience Profile by Josh Birch

Next time: I will present film title designs! See you then!

   

Production Team Name & Logo

Welcome back! Today, I will present my production team name which will include 3 draft logo designs, concluding with our final logo design! 

PRODUCTION TEAM NAME

First of all, I will talk about the painful process of our production team name. As a group, we used a particular rule in which would make it easier for us to find an appropriate name, we took positive words for example, best, brave, bright or strongest and translated them into Latin (Hint! Words always sound cooler in Latin!) Here is the official list we composed: 

• Fortissimum (Strongest)
• Ignis (Fire)
• Elementa (Elements)
• Exemplar (Original)
• Dulce (Sweet)
• Optimum (Best)
• Lux (Bright)

After endless discussions, we all decided on the name 'Elementa'. Why? Well, Elementa is the Latin word for 'elements' in which there are four; fire, water, air and earth. Now, since there are four people in our group we saw it fit to be our name because it ultimately represents us in a specific way in that it shows all four of us have different elements that are stronger when referring to our skills within Media. It symbolises that all four of us are different and that is what makes us the best, the fact that we can produce the best product by combining our strengths in media together. Therefore, our whole ethos as to say of our team is to create a fantastic product, using the 'elements' of the group, in which are our version of those elements which are media related. 

LOGO'S

With that discussed and decided, we could then move onto logo's. We wanted to show what our team was inspired by using the colours of the elements and symbols of the elements in order to portray to the audience a sense of recognition in which they will see the logo and know who we are, our ethos and our purpose. Therefore, I was asked to create 3 draft logo's since I am technically advanced as to say. 

DRAFT 1:

Here is the first draft. Now, you're probably thinking there's too much going on here, and that's what prevented us from picking this logo. Indeed, we have shown the elements and media crossover however we thought this was ultimately too 'tacky'.

DRAFT 2:

Here is the second draft. In this draft, I decided to focus more on the colour scheme and how the logo can be manipulated in different ways. First of all, the colour scheme is important with our name due to the 'elements' aspect to it, therefore I needed to portray that very clearly within the logo. I felt like I achieved this with thanks to the tiled image next to the text in which I used the colour code of the four tiles to cross over the colour scheme well with the text. However, we first felt that the font was too 'off putting' in which I could have happily changed the font, until we decided that there was another design which was more simple and elegant. 

DRAFT 3:

Here is the third draft. Personally, I really liked this design, the font was suitable and the layout was unique with the little shape coming off the 'A' at the end of 'ELEMENTA'. That shape symbolises the 'air' element out of the four, in which I thought I could easily incorporate into the text. However, colour schemes seemed to be too direct towards the audience. As much as I like this design, we set this aside. 

FINAL DESIGN:

And here is our final design! With this, I changed the font to be more readable and simple, as that is what the audience will want from a logo. I also added a colour scheme which displays the elements individually. I then also researched simple shapes to represent the 'air' element in which these intricate, curved lines came to be within our logo. Overall, I am very happy with this logo in terms of its simplicity and its representation. 

Next time: I will be detailing a summary of our initial narrative discussions! See you then!

Show Me, Don't Tell Me! Evaluation

Welcome back! Today, I will present to you my 'Show Me, Don't Tell Me' task! In this post I will comment on success of planning, production and editing. Including the success of sound effects, continuity and camera shots and movements! Right, with all that covered, let's start!

First of all, take a look at my 'Show Me, Don't Tell Me!' task!

PLANNING
Let's start with the planning stage of this task. Originally, we spent around 10 to 15 minutes in which we outlined what camera movements/shots we were going to use including editing structure too. This is what we originally outlined:

• An establishing shot showing the location in which the game is being played. 
• Then, a pan in which reveals the two characters playing the game. 
• After that, a shot/reverse shot of the game being played.
• This is followed by an insert of the clock.
• Then, an extreme close up of the winning players eyes.
• Followed by a close up of the clock. 
• Then a cutaway of the door.
• It then cuts back to the characters in which the winning player proceeds to run towards the toilet. This produces a match on action. 
• As the character is in the toilet, a cutaway proceeds to the other character cheating. 
• The winning character then returns which produces another match on action. 
• Then, a cutaway of the clock counting up from 20 seconds.
• Then, the camera cuts back to the game in which the winning player makes another move in which he loses due to the cheaters move. 
• Then, another cutaway of the clock ticking to 30 seconds which is slow - motion. 
• It ends with a close up of the losing players face in disgust. 
• THE END. 

PRODUCTION

Production was a fiasco when it came down to location, we started filming in one location, but was moved due to other requirements, so we had to re-film in another location. This was a huge problem due to the time scale we were given which was 2 hours. Now, due to this fiasco we only had 1 hour to film the task, in which I personally think we did well considering this flaw in our production phase. However, as soon as every was set up, we used to the success criteria to film the whole task once, which healed our time management a little bit. Overall, when I have to plan for my main product I will take time management into serious consideration.

EDITING

The editing phase was on my behalf, due to my personal skills in the group being within this area. Therefore, I took into account that sound effects has to replace the real audio from the camera, therefore I layered how I edited this task: 

• I started by displaying in and out points in each clip that I wanted to place on the timeline. 
• Then, I imported them all into the timeline in order. 
• Then, I checked continuity with shot/reverse shots and match-on-actions. 
• After that, I gathered all my sound effects from a non copyright source and imported them into the project. 
• I then placed these into the correct positions on the timeline to where I wanted them, sound effect by sound effect. 
• Then, I added the two appropriate sound tracks and equalised them so that each track and sound effect did not peak about 0 db's. 
• Lastly, I added appropriate titles and exported the task!

Overall, My time management compared to production was more efficient because I knew how we wanted the task to look and how I wanted the sound effects to be implemented into the task. I can use this task to improve on my audio skills because, as detailed in the next section of this post, my audio skills weren't correct enough for the viewer to realise that the sound effect was a diegetic sound. However, this was my first time actually implementing sound effects into a film.

WAS IT A SUCCESS?

Overall, I think it was. We followed this success criteria accurately which is proven by our feedback here:

 

From this feedback video, I can outline advantages and disadvantages to our task!
ADVANTAGES
Firstly, we were complemented on our establishing shot (0:06), it wasn't too long nor too short which I was personally happy with. Our pan (0:08) straight after this to reveal the game was appropriate too and was smooth. Next, our match-on-action (0:22) was 'really good' according to our feedback in which I thought was executed perfectly. Our framing (0:30) was also appropriate and didn't contain white space. Next, I was extremely happy with this next complement which was our extreme close up (0:36) in which was at a slight angle in which the viewer enjoyed. After that, there was another complement on our second match-on-action (0:58) in which, in my opinion, was as excellent as the first.

DISADVANTAGES
However, there were some drawbacks to our task, which, when I look back on are absolutely stupid! Fortunately, for your entertainment, it's time to look at the disadvantages. Firstly, our sound effect for the clock ticking (0:14) was slightly out of time for the first tick but then recovered with the next tick. Secondly, our running sound effect (0:40) was 'slightly unrealistic' as it dragged across the floor which didn't complement the location. Next, our closing door sound effect (0:44) was slightly unrealistic due to the door not actually closing. Then, our attempt at a slow-motion tick (1:18) was seen as an imperfection in which the viewer thought 'that time just stopped'. 

Next time: ...

Thriller Deconstructions

Welcome back! Today, I will deconstruct two thriller films in which I will note the time stamp, shot and effect on the audience! 

We had two film extracts to choose from, Sixth Sense and Silence of the Lambs. I chose Silence of the Lambs as it is a personal favourite of mine.

Here is my deconstruction along with the extract:

Deconstruction of Silence of the Lambs by Josh Birch

As a class, we also deconstructed Sixth Sense together in which shown these results:

Sixth Sense Deconstruction

Next time: Show Me, Don't Tell Me!

Early Consideration of Evaluation Questions

Welcome back! Today, I will give an early perspective on the evaluation questions so that I can use these questions to mould my film opening.

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS? 

This question is important to think about as it allows us to think about how real media products compare to our product and to see if we have successfully challenged the conventions of the genre. At this moment in time, I can use this question as a helpful reminder that, I do need to challenge, use or even develop the conventions used for the thriller genre,

HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?

This is a question that can help us in the planning phase of the product as we need to represent social groups within it ,for example; Gender, Sexuality, Race, Religion. In which we need to standby throughout the whole process of making this film opening.

WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?

This is not important at this moment in time as distribution is after the product has been produced.

HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS THE AUDIENCE?

When planning, we need to think about how we are going to bring our audience into the film and to be attracted to it, in which we need to make sure that the film contrasts to the target audience so that they will not get bored of the film opening.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES FROM THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTING THIS PRODUCT?

This question can only really be answered at the end of the project, however I can always note down when I use certain equipment and certain editing techniques etc as I use them so that I have a clear record of the process of making this film opening.

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FOR IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?

At the end of the project, We will have more of a understanding of equipment and techniques in which we can contrast against our preliminary task. Therefore, it is important we learn different techniques so that I can contrast the basic skill that I used to and still have, to the more advanced skill by the end of the project.

Next time: ...

AS Film Brief

Welcome back! Today, I will outline a brief for my AS Film!

First of all, I will embed the AS Media specification in which outlines what I have to produce for my AS Media product.

Media Specification V6 Sep 2013

WHAT WE HAVE TO DO...

First of all, I have to participate in a preliminary excerise in which I have already done and is documented previously. Then, I have to participate in a main task in which I have to create a 2 minute film opening tailored to the Thriller genre. 

WHY THRILLER?

We are using the thriller genre because you can portray the story within the 2 minutes easily, therefore we can make an effective film opening in which is simple to execute. If we were to produce a comedy movie, they I would have to make you laugh! Therefore, If my product was unsuccessful to do so, then the film opening would be seen as a poor piece of work. The same goes for the horror genre, I would need to make you jump/ feel scared! Also, a lot of preparation would be needed including special effects in which are hard to come by. Therefore, the thriller genre is perfect as it is very approachable. 

Next time: I will go through the evaluation questions! See you then!

22 Narrative Theory

Welcome back! Today, I will show my research on the 22 narrative theory!

This image shows the 22 narrative theory in which every film made will fit into! As you can see, this images shows 22 stories in which every film can fit into and therefore it shows the general conventions in which films contain. For example, my favourite movie, Saw, will come under 'escape' as it links perfectly to the narrative in the 22 stories theory. 

Next time: I will outline my AS Media Brief! See you then!

Steve Neale's Theory of Repetition and Difference

Welcome back! Today, I will talk about the theory of repetition and difference!

STEVE NEALE ONCE SAID:

•  "Genres are instances of repetition and difference" 
• "Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of the genre"

WHAT THIS MEANS!

Steve Neale is saying that a film and it's genre is defined by two things:

REPETITION

• How much it tailors with a genre's stereotypes and conventions. 
• He says that a film must tailor to these conventions enough that it can still qualify and be identified as a film of that genre. 

DIFFERENCE

• How much a film subverts the genre's stereotypes and conventions. 
• He says that a film must subvert these conventions enough that it is still viewed as a unique film, not just a clone.

EXAMPLE OF REPETITION

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is your typical classic horror film in which takes on typical horror conventions. There are a group of people that are center of attention for most of the film as they are in supposed danger. Then there is one villain 'Leatherface' in which has an iconic weapon in which he uses which is the chainsaw. Texas Chainsaw Massacre also uses typical conventions such as the location of the film in which takes place in a spooky house with many gory aspects including body parts. This places the audience in a mysterious and erie environment in which makes them feel uncomfortable.

EXAMPLE OF DIFFERENCE 



Paranormal Activity is still part of the horror genre, however there are aspects of it in which make it unique and not identical most horror movies. The irregular setting of this film is what makes it different as it is set in regular house. This is irregular because there is no unnatural aspect of the setting in which doesn't worry the audience, this is the beauty of the film as it twists the audience emotion and then scares them with the paranormal aspect of the film.

Next time: I will talk about the 22 stories! See you then!

Propp's Character Theory

Welcome back! Today I will talk about Propp's Character Theory!

Now, I have made a Prezi in which will explain Propps Character Theory, so sit back grab a cup of tea and enjoy a short lesson.


Next time: I will talk about Steve Neale's Theory of Repetition and Difference!

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Welcome back! Today I will talk about Todorov's Narrative Theory!

INTRODUCTION
I need to be able to acknowledge the different narrative theories within Media so that I can apply them to my own work. Therefore, researching and presenting these theories will allow me to be able to accurately think about the narrative of my product in terms of its characters, story and repetition and difference.

I hope you like it!

Next time: I will talk about Propp's character theory! See you then!

Film Classification

Welcome back! Today, I will talk about Film Classification! 

WHAT IS FILM CLASSIFICATION?

Film Classification is the age restriction in which some are placed onto some films. This is because the film may have content that is not suitable for a certain age. For example, different classifications include 12A, 13, 15, and 18.

BBFC

The British Board of Film Classification is a non-governmental organisation that deals with the classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom. They deal with cinema, film certifications. video releasing, editing, video games and mobile operators. 

UNIVERSAL

Universal is simply all ages admitted. There is almost nothing unsuitable for children 4 and over. 

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Parental Guidance is all ages admitted however there maybe some scenes in which are unsuitable for young children. It may contain mild language or sex/drug references. 

12A

Films under this category are considered unsuitable for young children. Cinemas in the United Kingdom are only permitted to supply tickets to see a 12A films to children under the age of 12 if they are accompanied by an adult. 

12

Films strictly suitable for people aged 12 years or older. 

15

A 15 rated film is strictly suitable for 15 or over. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, regular use of foul language, strong violence and strong sex references.

18

Films that are strictly suitable for people aged 18 or over. Basically a 15 but ten times worse!





Next time: I will talk about Todorov's Narrative Theory!

Film Idents Research

Welcome back! Today, I will talk about film idents!

WHAT ARE FILM IDENTS?

Film idents are the companies branding in which supply the funds and promote the film. These companies include Warner Bros, Universal Studios, Paramount or Walk Disney. These idents usually contain a logo, music and a animation of some sort, to define to the audience that this is the company that made the movie, essentially.

WALT DISNEY

Well, here is the first ident. When looking at this ident you see a beautiful night sky and a very calm atmosphere. Until we see a winding river representing a magical journey of some sort that the viewer might take during this film. Then, a flag followed by a huge castle which is a big piece of iconography within this ident in which is representing a home, a home in which the audience can feel welcome at in which Walt Disney want to show to the audience. In terms of the soundtrack, it starts off quiet and fairy tale like until it pans down to the river in which it develops into violins in which signify the settlement around the river which represents that idea of it being a home for the audience. Then, the castle appears and drums bang, fireworks shoot up into the sky in which represents the iconography being a popular piece of iconography as it is the main logo for Walt Disney.

PARAMOUNT



 Here's the next one, Paramount Pictures. Their ident really represents aiming high and being successful. In their ident we see a mountain above the clouds with their name at the top of the mountain, this suggests that the company are always aiming to be the best. It doesn't end there unfortunately... The stars that follow this are extremely important to the ident. If we reference football, yes football, When a team wins a European Cup (The champions league) They gain a star on the clubs badge to show that they were/ are the best in that competition! So... Paramount are using the stars to represent success and achievement which portrays further the fact that they want to be the best!

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS



 Lastly, we have Universal Studios. In this ident, we see the world slowly glow as the name of the company slowly pans round the globe. Firstly, the Earth slowly glowing represents the company brightening peoples lives and ultimately making movies that will make the audience happy. Then, the motion of the logo quite weirdly represents the motion of wrapping your arms around someone which ultimately signifies uniting people through the film. In terms of soundtrack, this ident uses fanfare to represent the importance of the company and the movie itself, telling the viewer that this is an important movie to them!

Next time: I will talk about Film Classification! See you then!

Film Title Design Research

Welcome back! Today, I will talk about film title design! 

TITLE SEQUENCE

A title sequence is a method in which films present their titles, with key production and cast members. This typically used text of the opening credits and helps establish the setting of the film. Live action, animation, music, still images or graphics could be included in a title sequence. First of all, lets look at a video showing the brief history of title design!

Let's look at a few title sequences! 

CASINO ROYALE

Casino Royale's opening sequence starts with the stereo typical gun barrel and the main actor in the middle. He is wearing a suit whilst pointing a gun towards us, this tells the audience that we may be pointing a gun back which suggests that a confrontation is happening. This is portrays to the audience that this movie is going to have a lot of confrontations like this, which obviously contrasts to all the James Bond movies, as they are intense action movies.

Within this title sequence, we see main actors/actresses, producers, directors and other key roles being mentioned on screen as graphics are displayed. These graphics relate to the movie title and its plot, which are obviously different vectors which relate to casinos and gambling.

We then see the same character confronting more enemies portraying to the audience that it might be one man on a mission, This tells the audience further that this will involve some action moments in the film.

The last thing we see is a piece of iconography in which a 7 of hearts is flipped around the screen. In this particular moment, two bullets are shot into the card to make the reference '007'. This is a piece of iconography because James Bond is agent 007 in MI6. When the audience see this they know they're watching a James Bond film as it is a popular piece of iconography in the world of film. 

ALIEN

Alien is a dated film meaning that the title sequence is not graphically advanced as Casino Royale due to time periods. This means that the title sequence is very short but simple which introduces the film well.

In the opening, we see nothing but the night sky? This portrays to the audience that the film maybe set in space. Low key lighting is also present with a rays of dull light entering the shot. This tells the audience that a sense of emptiness, like there is nothing in space. Which is obviously contradictory to the plot of the film as there is something out in space.... wink wink. 

Then, we see what looks like a planet in which then confirms the setting in which is space. This portrays to the audience that there is a dark presence within this section of space, as is it a singular planet. This portrays to the audience that there is an evil entity that may represent this planet, in which could be the alien? 

Next time: I will go through film idents! See you then!

Film Title Conventions Research

Welcome back! Today, I will evaluate the whole class film opening document and sort generic conventions from it! 

INTRODUCTION

As a class, we were told to research 3 films of different genres and note down all the idents and roles within the opening titles of each film. As a group we had collated 54 pieces of research into one document:

Class Research V1

EVALUATION
In conclusion, I can clearly see that the ident always comes first in a film opening with the film title closely following. Then, the production roles are noted e.g. the producers, music, production designer and costume designer. Finally, the editors, director of photography and Director are last to be noted.

A SUITABLE MODEL

Ident
Film Title
Producer
Principal Actor(s)
Featuring...
Casting By
Music By
Production Designer
Editor
Director of Photography
Writers
Director

Next time: I will look at Film Title Design! See you then!

Film Openings Research

Welcome back! Today, I will talk evaluate my film opening research! We are looking at film openings because we need to identify general conventions within the titles. 

As part of this research I was asked to watch 3 film openings and comment the order in which certain companies/ roles came up. 

MY RESEARCH

Saw (2004)

Lionsgate Films (Ident) 

Twisted Pictures (Ident)

Film Title

Movie Starts 

Directed By

Written Credits

Produced By

Music By

Cinematography By

Film Editing By

Casting By

Production Design By

Art Direction By

Costume Design By

Other

Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone (2001)

Warner Bros Studios (Ident)

Film Title 

Movie Starts

Directed By

Screenplay By

Produced By

Executive Producers 

Director of Photography

Production Designer

Edited By

Music By

Other

James Bond - Casino Royale (2006)
Albert R. Broccoli Productions LTD (Ident)
Principal Actor

Film Title
Other Actors
Associate Producer
Production Executive
Camera Operator
Second Unit Assistant Director

Script Supervisor
Publicity and Marketing
Promotion
Assistant Producer
Produced By
Directed By

Overall, I think I contributed well however I have improved my research for this post. I can use this to make a model that I would ideally use when making my main task.

Next time: I will talk about Film Title Conventions! See you then!