Script

The script for our film opening consists of short sentences and all dialogue is kept to a minimum. This is to draw the attention away from the action occurring in the sequence.For example, we only have 2 scenes that contain dialogue between characters, which are when packing the van and when riding inside the van. It clearly shows who is the boss of the operation and allows each character's personalities to shine through.

Scene 1
Jess: We leave in five, pack what you need.
Harry: Alright boss.
Jordan: Gang gang

Scene 2-In the van
Harry: Oh yeah guys, I've got this as well.
Jess and Jordan: WOAH!
Jess: Put it down, Jesus!
Harry: ...Sorry

(Jordan's phone rings)

Harry: For fuck sake!
Jordan: Mum! I told you, don't ring me when I'm with my friends...(Hangs up) Sorry about that guys.

Scene 3-Outside the bank
Harry: (Goes to open the bank door, finds out it is locked) Shit.

Genre research

Today we were doing further research into what our genre and film plot usually includes.

A heist film usually consists of 3 acts, which include; a briefing of preparation and planning, the heist itself and finally the outcome of the heist. Due to this we are including clear but brief reflections of each act within our film opening to maximise the clarity of our genre.

Also, a heist film includes characters with a clear identity, this can be down to their personality costume or skill.

Finally, a heist film will usually include a mode of transport to and from the location of the heist, props such as guns and robbery tools. Throughout a heist fil there is a clear reflection o the characters living outside the law.

We ensured that we had included the comedy aspect of our film opening by adding clear flaws to the planning scenes, the randomness of the props and skill level difference. In order the effectively do this we analysed films such as “Central Intelligence” and “21/22 Jump Street”.

Marketing planning

Here are different types of marketing that we will use to promote our film. We will have both physical and digital avertising to appeal to a wide range of teenagers. The first type of marketing we will implement is the use of billboards and advertising on buses. This allows the posterto be seen by a large amount of people in urban areas. The other mehtod we will use is to create a website, which appeals to a younger, more tech-savvy audience.

Link to the website

BBFC 15

Above is the criteria for a film to be classed as a BBFC 15 film.

Photo evidence

Below are some photos of our group planning and walking to the locations where we would shoot.

Peer assessment analysis

Here is an example of some feedback that I gave to a group. I kept my feedback concise and to the point, in order to make sure that my advice is clearly noted.

Film poster analysis

In today's lesson we chose films that had a similar genre to our film opening and analysed the poster. Annotations were added where key information on the poster was.

Feedback Analysis

Today as a group we were reviewing and analysing the feedback we were given. With this, we would take the constructive advice and negative points to improve our final film opening.

Our feedback received a variety of both negative and positive points. Our positive feedback was mostly based around our clear representation of our genre, our titles font and placement. Also our story line was positive.

However our negative feedback was greatly based around one scene, which was the one in the van. We need to improve the sound quality in the van and make it easier to hear. The clarity of the image in some scenes also needs to be improved.

 Finally we received some feedback on how our music was a great fit to the genre and was applied in suitable areas, however the volume became distracting as it appeared to loud.

Not So Die Hard film poster

Here is our film poster for the action/comedy film opening we did.

Film opening- first draft

Below is our first draft of our film opening. It is an Action/Comedy genre film.

Not So Die Hard self assessment

Our film opening had unique camera angles and the music fit well to the genre. We decided to use "You really got me" by The Kinks and also some royalty free action music to add a happy, fun effect at the start and a tense mood towards the end. The use of both high and low camera angles added variety to  our film. The way in which the titles were implemented was creative and unique,with some reacting with what was going on in the sequence. This helped set us apart from other groups as not many had used the idea of dynamic titles.

To improve, we could increase the lighting in some scenes. For instance, in the van it is very hard to distinguish what is going on due to the low light. Also continuity was a slight problem as the footage was filmed over 2 separate days, resulting in the natural lighting being much different where 2 scenes follow on from each other.This could be overcome by using artificial light when filming, or changing the contrast of the footage in post-production.

Institutions task

Representation in our film opening

Film opening location shots

Music research

Here are our choices for the music that we will use in our film opening. With these songs, we will get feedback from our classmates as to what song fits our genre the best. Once the song has been chosen, we can implement it into our editing.

Risk assessment

Marketing for our film opening

Here is an emaze representing all of the different types of marketing that we will you to promote our film.

Audience-Primary and Secondary

Our film is targeted at teenagers (15-19) with a certificate of BBFC 15. This is due to the use of violent weapons and swearing. Any lower, and parentsof the audience will complain that our film opening includes too much vulgar activity.

Title font research

We originally has 10 title fonts that our group narrowed down to 3. From these 3, I went around and got opinions from the majority of the class which helped us decide on the font, which is Xperia.

Titles research

As inspiration for our titles, our group took a screenshot of every title in the Oceans 11 opening scene to see how a heist film sets out all of the titles.

Costume research

Video storyboard

Here is our storyboard talked through on a video.

Feedback of Film Pitch

The feedback that we received from our film pitch with both positive and negative. Some positive aspects were that our genre was quite interesting and suited the target audience, but our characters were not fleshed out enough to include a real in depth pitch.

Shot Diary

Here are each of the different shots that we will include in our film opening

·         Outside still shot of the garage door opening, members wait for the whole door to open (slow).

·         Cut to close ups of each person to give actor name and nickname.

·         Shot from inside the van (open doors).

·         Cuts to outside shot of the van, loading the van, pass the camera in (object).

·         Panoramic of van driving away.

·         shot of inside the van, corner shot (awkward silence).

·         Low shot of jumping out the van.

·         First person view of running into bank.

·         Pan across the bank

·         Close up of someone’s face.

Film Pitch

 Here is our group's film pitch. It includes inspirations for our genre and our target audience.

Title task

We were asked to choose a film title sequence and screenshot every job title in the order that they come in.

The first title is the directors which lasts for 3 seconds. 

Next was who wrote the screenplay which lasted for 5 seconds.

The novelist's name lasted for 3 seconds.

The producers title lasted for 4 seconds.

The executive producers title was also 4 seconds.

The director of photography slide was also 4 seconds long.

The production designer was also on the screen for 4 seconds.

The "edited by" title was 5 seconds long.

Costume designer was for 4 seconds.

5 seconds.

4 seconds.

3 seconds.

Cast lasted for 28 seconds.

4 seconds.

2 seconds.

2 seconds.

7 seconds.

G321 mark scheme

Level 1 0–23 marks The work for the main task is possibly incomplete. There is minimal evidence in the work of the creative use of any relevant technical skills such as:
• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task;
• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Level 2 24–35 marks There is evidence of a basic level of ability in the creative use of some of the following technical skills:
• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task;
• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set;, including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Level 3 36–47 marks There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills:
• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task;
• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set; including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Level 4 48–60 marksThere is evidence of excellence in the creative use of most of the following technical skills:
• material appropriate for the target audience and task;
• using titles appropriately according to institutional conventions;
• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set;
• shooting material appropriate to the task set;including controlled use of the camera, attention to framing, variety of shot distance and close attention to mise-en-scene;
• using editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer and making selective and appropriate use of shot transitions and other effects.

Prelim task- film and evaluation

What went well and what went wrong
Our locations that we used for filming were original and added an element of uniqueness to our film. The churchyard aids in adding context to the story. Another good thing about our prelim task is that we included a storyboard, a shooting schedule and a production diary. This enabled us to keep on top of all of the shots we needed to still do, and reflect on how our group was progressing.

The time that we had to film was rather limited, as the planning stage took up most of the time we had. Another issue we had was continuity. One scene where we have two shots that merge together to form a seamless seaquence did not exactly line up and match, therefore creating a slight jump in the final edit of the footage, ruining continuity.

Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
I worked with Sam Hooper and Katie Dunning. We split the tasks up between us, where I did the shooting schedule and the filming, Katie did the production diary and storyboard and Sam did the script and was the main actor. We all had an input on the editing, with me doing the cuts and the others giving me advice and suggestions.

How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use?
We planned our sequence by using a number of shooting schedules and a storyboard. This was so that we could properly organise every single shot and agree on what props we would need for each shooting day.

What factors did you take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
We took into account the time of day, the weather and also how busy our locations would be when we were filming. Editing would have to take place on a specific computer, so we had to make sure that that computer was free when we wanted to use it.

What did others say about your production?
Other classmates said that our shots were varied and high quality, but they did mention how the camera shook slightly in some scenes, which does draw your attention away from the actual story.

What have you learnt from completing this task?
I have learnt that time management is very hard. Allowing certain time slots for specific tasks is quite stressful as you then have only that time to complete it.

Filming task-Juno

            
Here is an edit of footage to match the original clip shown in the bottom right corner.

Evaluation
The footage I used in this video was all filmed by our group. The filming began as being quite time consuming, with us taking into consideration all of the different shots and framing up each scene perfectly, but over time we managed to speed up and finish on time. The storyboard I made was very detailed, including the length of each shot and the types of frames etc. I managed to keep the storyboard accurate to the original clip, but this did not always correlate to the actual clips that we filmed. We did manage to get all of the clips that we needed to complete the video, but it did take multiple tries in order to get the shot right. Some effects that I used in the editing stage include "find edges" which I used to create the cartoon effect, I did have issues with the effect at first, but after I blended it with the raw footage, it began to look more like the actual Juno clip.

Big budget vs. Small budget films

Film pitch feedback

Our film pitch gained mostly positive feedback with our average score out of ten being around the 8 mark. The feedback for our film title is that it is relevant to the film and also interesting. The shortness of the title means that it is catchy as well, meaning it is easily remembered. The cast feedback was also positive as many people liked the fact that we had an all British cast, seeing as the film is set in Tudor England. This helps to keep the authenticity of the accents in our film. The plot of our film was more of a split, regarding opinions. Whilst some thought that it was a unique and interesting plot idea, others thought it would be a slightly boring storyline with not much to expand on.

To improve next time, we could choose a film idea that may be more safe in terms of successfulness. If we aim for the film to be targeted towards a wider range of university students rather than the high intellectuals, it will increase the likelihood of ticket sales.

Film pitch

Here is my group's film pitch.

Boyz n the Hood analysis

The first 6 minutes of Boyz n the Hood is set in a rough neighbourhood in Los Angeles where the main themes revolve around violence. There is huge amounts of crime in this clip, with the main characters coming across a murder scene that has been taped off by the police. You can also see elements of gang activity with the group of men illegally gambling on the street which leads to one of them getting assaulted by the others. The main characters are young, lower-class black kids who are beginning to be influenced by the environment in which they live.

The lighting is bright and natural which completely contrasts the themes of violence in the first six minutes. This shows connotations of hope and a better life for these kids, if they can get out of the bad neighbourhood they live in.

Audience

What do we mean when we use the word "film"?
Film is the plastic, photosensitive wrap used to store images and clips that can be spliced together to create a movie.


Do you think it means the same as the word "movie"?
A movie is the end product of using film.


What about the word "Cinema"?
The word cinema relates to the venue at which these films are played in to an audience.

Top Ten Movies:
Deadpool
Die Hard
Guardians of the galaxy
The matrix
Ghostbusters
Star wars: The force awakens
Skyfall
Monty Python's life of Brian
Kingsman: Secret service
Mean girls

What these films have in common:
Most of these 10 films include some sort of action, either being from surreal things like superheroes or monsters, or from real life situations (like Die Hard). Spy films are also a favourite of mine, with the James Bond franchise being very interesting and also newer films like Kingsman and even Johnny English. Ones that don't fit in include Mean Girls and Life of Brian, which I enjoy due to the comedy that is featured in them.

James Bond edit

Here is an edit I made using various clips from James Bond films.

Edit Practice

This is my first project using the editing software Adobe Premier Pro

Genre Analysis

We were asked to take film openings and analyse them using DISTINCT.



This film is set aboard a ship that is furnished expensively, indicating that the boat is mainly used by the upper class. It is set at nighttime where the atmosphere is calm, which is mirrored by the barely-moving ocean. Some significant items in this clip include the "I'm bored" crossword toy that one of the captains hands the little girl. This indicates to us that nothing exciting has occurred that night, but it also eludes to the fact that something will happen, and it may not be a good thing. Almost everyone on the ship is middle-aged and white, which focuses the attention on the young girl. This hints that she may be the main character in this film. This clip has no dialogue but instead has a song that is being sung by a woman shown in this clip. As the threat of the wire becomes clear to the audience however, a sinister violin is heard over the top of her singing, providing suspense.




"Clueless" is set in an American suburban neighbourhood. You can immediately tell that it is predominantly inhabited by wealthy families by the expensive convertible car and copious shopping bags that the main character is holding. There are songs in the background of this clip that indicate this film was set in the early 2000's, with pop-punk and upbeat music included. Bright colours and laughing people show the audience that it is a happy film. A significant item that features throughout this clip is the white range rover which shows connotations that the main character lives a glamorous life.

Semiotics

We were asked to choose a film poster and analyse the Semiotics in it.
 

The film poster for 28 days later heavily features the colour red which signifies violence in this film. The silhouette of the man and the buildings show the insignificancy of those particular things. A biohazard symbol can be seen behind the film's title which links the red background to an overall theme-disease.

List of Genres

• Romance
• Horror
• Thriller
• Comedy
• Action
• Drama
• Adventure
• Rom-Com
• Indie
• Bollywood
• Sci-fi
• Musicals
• Documentaries
• Mystery
• Crime
• Sitcom
• Educational
• Fantasy
• Apocalyptic
• Animated
• High school
• Parody
• Period
• Seasonal
• Western
• War
• Sport

Genre Photographs

We were asked to take photos to represent certain genres. I was given the genres Romance, High school and Kids/Family.

 

This photo depicts the romance genre because flowers are stereotypically associated with love. The colour red also fits this genre as well.

 

 

 

The photo of colouring pencils shows the children/ family genre as bright colours are seen as juvenile.

 

This photo of a school hallway shows the high school genre perfectly as the rows of lockers and empty hallway indicates that the students are attending lessons. 

Clip Analysis

In this clip you can see that this film is focused primarily on action. You can see superhero characters feature heavily within this clip, fighting people and weaving between trees whilst being shot at with lasers and guns. This furthers the action that is shown as it creates an intense atmosphere that these characters have to fight in. The excessive use of weaponry is another indication that the overall theme of this film is action.