Friday 26 April 2013

Evaluation Question 7 Script


What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

My creative post on this question I understand may be quite hard to hear and understand, therefore I have typed up the copy of the script in which I used.
Within this process of making our product I have learnt many new important ways to work and deal with new technologies. The most important technologies i have used is the  film recorder and its equipment and an apple mac with all it's softwares I have used such as final cut and livetype. 

Film Recorder

  • Tapes are difficult to upload straight to the computer because of the leads involved.
  • you have to be very careful with the tape filming  because it is easy to film over if you watch it back and then forget to fast forward the tape back to the
  • Cameras with adjustable microphones do in fact pick up every sound in the background and so the place must be silent so the noise wanted to be recorded is heard with clarity and correction.
  • The lighting in which you film within is very important because even with the slightest darkness it is difficult to see the surroundings.
  • Zooming in and out make the pictures fuzzy and so it is best just to move closer personally.

Equipment

  • It is best to film with a stand otherwise if you use just your hand then your pictures will be very shaky and unclear on screen.
  • Camera should be fully charged to get the best quality of filming you intend to have.
  • The tape you use should be new for each film you attempt to make otherwise you have the danger of having other film on your sequence. 

The Computer

  • Final cut is a very good app to use to edit your filming.
  • Editing takes a very long time to get everything precise and if you want your film to flow you must make objects that you are editing in fade in and our otherwise they will appear suddenly and abruptly making your film look unprofessionally and messy.
  • You should record a movement at least three or four times in order to be able to edit it clearly and as a backup if the other recordings where shaky or had a problem within them.
  • Music is also an important part of technology that makes the film, without it our film wouldn't of had the dramatic, suspended feel to it.
  • Within the editing process you must use final cut and fade in and out extra products on top of the film itself.
  • Livetype can be used to create credits, must appear on the screen long enough to be able to read, must be clear.

Evaluation Question 7

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?




Evaluation Question 6

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

My group started upon the making of our preliminary task having not that much experience within the making or filming a film clip or editing software on an Apple Mac. We had no idea how to film and just set out to do so knowing that we had to include 4 main aspects of camera usage. Our match on action was reasonably good however throughout the film the camera would move. The lighting was dim and the sound location wasn't ideal. I feel as if we have now learnt from these mistakes and as a result our final product is much better. I have therefore identified in the film below all of the key aspects which I have learnt from the preliminary task and the difference between that and our final product.



Evaluation Question 5 Continued


Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your target audience?



By carrying out some interviews and surveys it is obvious that we attracted the right Target audience. And this was done through the use of a main protagonist and having a narrative. It also addressed them by having the title of the film as Stockholm Syndrome, a syndrome which people are familiar with so understand romance is involved. Again the introduction to both characters addressed our female audience because clearly from some of those interviews already they were question what would happen between the two of them.


Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 3 Continued


Evaluation Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?





Evaluation Question 2

Thursday 25 April 2013

Evaluation Question 1




Final Opening Title Sequence


Chosen Music

Here are the songs which we have decided to use for our piece....


1.   https://soundcloud.com/briannabarwell/sound-effects-police-siren

The above link is the sound of the police sirens we have decided to use in our opening as Ben runs down the street towards the house. It shall fade out however when he enters the house.

 2.    https://soundcloud.com/briannabarwell/okzide-miles-away

The above link is the sound of the music we use as the song Georgia is listening to on the radio. It shall come on quietly in the background as he enters the house and get louder the closer he gets to her in the kitchen.

3.   https://soundcloud.com/briannabarwell/chase

The above link is the final chosen music for the beginning of our opening. It will fade in at the beginning of the opening and play as he runs. However, it will begin to fade out when he enters the house or begins to enter.

Music Ideas



This one we found on youtube. It is a sound effect of a radio tuning which we originally thought we may like. However we questioned why she would be tuning in and out of radio stations, this could also confuse the audience to say that what the radio station is saying is important when it really isn't.

  https://soundcloud.com/briannabarwell/okzide-miles-away  
This one is much more of a sound of a song that would be found playing on a modern radio. Which would fit in with Georgia just doing the washing up and listening to music at the same time.

*We then searched all sites with unnamed artists musics but none where to our liking or what we wanted therefore we chose between these two ideas for which one we would use in the actual film.

Sound Effects

As well as music we also require several sound effects. We want to have a police siren that plays as Ben is running away so it is obvious to the audience that he has done wrong and that he is danger himself of being caught.

We want the sound of Georgia washing up so it is again clear that someone is in the house and so the boy can react to this. Therefore we also want the availability to hear a bang of a door when Ben is downstairs in the basement so this makes him jump and hurries the film opening up to find her.

Choosing Music




Wednesday 24 April 2013

Music Discussion

Music acts as a very important part within the making of a film. It can set the scene because it is able to portray a particular feeling or mood to the audience. It also makes the film more interesting if it is just action happening on screen and no speech or talking.

Therefore we request to use music and edit it to our film. It is important we pick the right music and that it fits the film because otherwise it could portray a completely different mood than intended or generally make the film look bad from the beginning.

Filming Session 2 Analysis

Filming Session 1 Analysis



Shooting Schedule

1st Shooting Session: 

Where - Location 1(Chislehurst)
When - On Sunday the 7th of April at 1pm until 5:30pm
Who - Me, Brianna and Fintan.

Notes:

During this filming session we are going to aim to get the following shots - 

  • Ben running down the road away from police
  • Ben breaking into the house through the front window of the basement
  • Ben exploring the basement of the house to see if anyone is at home
  • Ben walking upstairs into the main section of the house
  • Ben hearing a noise coming from the kitchen
  • Ben walking into the kitchen
  • Georgia seeing Ben
  • Ben walking towards Georgia after she says, "What do you want?"


2nd Shooting Session:

Where - School kitchen
When - April the 17th at 3:10pm until 4:10 pm
Who - Me, Brianna and Fintan.

Notes:

During this filming session we need to shoot - 

  • Georgia washing up in a kitchen
  • Georgia turning around and seeing Ben and asking, "What do you want?"

Storyboard

Here we have created a storyboard for our opening sequence in which we will follow within the making of our film. It is a simple creation of what will happen, when and what characters may say or do.
 

My 25 word pitch





Why have we chosen this 25 word pitch?

Through using these 25 words we have managed to sum up the storyline of our film ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ without giving away too much information. This is why we felt it promoted our film best. By using the word ‘young’ to describe Georgia we have created a sense of empathy which the audience should feel towards her. This should also attract our wide audience range who like romantic dramas due to the fact that we introduce the genre of our film by using the words ‘emotional pain’ and ‘criminal’. The names of our characters are also very modern, therefore hinting to the audience this is a new film. In my opinion, the word that has the most impact is ‘surprisingly’ as it suggests a twist to our storyline which will draw in our audiences attention immediately. It also makes our film seem dramatic, unexpected, exciting, adventurous and shocking which are all elements that attract peoples attention. 

25 Word Pitch - Evaluation of Initial Ideas


"Everyone wants Ben Samuels locked away but he's ruining a young woman's life. However, this captive symbolises his weakness as they undergo an emotional journey." 

Analysis of Idea 1: This first 25 Word Pitch idea isn't all that short and snappy because of some of the longer words such as 'symbolizes'. However, the introduction to woman as young creates sympathy straight away for her as the audience would begin to perceive her as very innocent because of the idea of youth. This also directly appeals to girls as a target audience. The story is summed up by the reference to the woman being a captive so they are enabled to understand he ruins her life by capturing her. The ending of the pitch 'they undergo an emotional journey together' is appealing to our target audience because it follows the idea of an emotional romantic drama. The main character is introduced and the pitch tells a basic story-line for the film.


"Stockholm Syndrome could be diagnosed when a past criminal keeps an innocent girl captive. Together they undergo an emotional journey together."

 
Analysis of idea 2: The films name is used within this pitch to introduce the film to it's audience and portray a basic outline for the story. Again the description of the girl as 'innocent' creates empathy for her and the way she is not addressed to with a character name leaves her as a mystery. The reference to her as a girl is attracting our younger teenage girl audience members also. 

"Ben escapes the media to hide away and capture a young woman, together they had no idea they'd begin a roller-coaster of an emotional journey together"

Analysis of idea 3: The main character is addressed at the very start of the pitch. The reference to the media could relate to the dramatic side of the film therefore targeting that specific side of the target audience. The pitch gives a basic outline of the film without revealing too much of the story itself.

"When Georgia's life gets bombarded by a wanted criminal, she had no idea that her life would be changed for good" 


Analysis of idea 4: This fourth pitch idea is one of my favorites because it is short, snappy and straight to the point and in my opinion sells the story. It attracts viewers because it tells them straight away that her life is changed leaving the audience to want to know why. The reference to 'her life' suggests almost a dramatic genre to the film as well as the reference to a 'criminal'.

"Young Georgia's life gets bombarded by criminal B.Samuels, she herself had no idea of the emotional trouble this would cause her, and surprisingly neither did he" 


Analysis of Idea 5: This particular idea of a word pitch introduces both main characters suggesting a romantic side to the film already, attracting romantically interested audience members. The reference to Georgia as young creates empathy for her and attracts our younger teenage girl target audience. The word 'surprisingly' also hints that the film has lots of twist and climaxes within it, which I think creates a greater impact on the pitch rather than 'they undergo an emotional journey together' because it creates a dramatic feel to the piece; hinting that nothing will go smoothly for either characters. 

What is a 25 word pitch?

Finalising Location

We have decided to choose Location 1 in Chislehurst as we feel this suits Georgia's character the most because of its overall modern look. The basement is an ideal place for a hostage to keep someone captive for a long amount of time. It will also allow our character Ben to lock Georgia in the basement and then live in the upper part of the house without anyone knowing. It is also the only house with a safe place for us to show our actor breaking into a house as we can pretend one of the basement windows at the front of the house was left slightly open, therefore allowing Ben to open it and climb into the house. 



When filming we would ideally like to shoot Ben running down the road away from the police, the front of the house with one car on the drive to show that someone is at home, an open window at the front of the house will be needed for Ben to climb into, the whole of the basement will be used however only briefly for establishing shots. We will also need to shoot Ben walking up the stairs into the main section of the house and into the kitchen where him and Georgia will first meet. 



Location Ideas

The Location

Our opening title sequence include Ben Samuels running down a road, breaking into a house and meeting Georgia, the girl he decides to keep captive. 

Therefore, we will need a road which is quite long and has a few turns to make it look like he has run a long way. If we are shooting on a road it must be quite quiet also. Because Georgia has inherited her parents fortune but has only recently moved into a house we will need to choose a home which is being decorated but is also quite large. It is essential that the house has an easy place to fake someone breaking in. 

Location Ideas

















Chosen Actors

Casting Auditions

Who do we need?

Our opening title sequence features the two main characters of our film, Ben and Georgia. Therefore, they are the people we will be recruiting during our casting. 

Luckily, me and Brianna are part of the Performing Arts Academy and so we asked people to audition for us. 3 boys said they would audition for Ben and 3 girls said they would audition for Georgia. 

Below I talk about what we are looking for in an actor and what we are looking for in an actress:

listen to ‘Casting’ on Audioboo

I have also made a presentation which includes our considerations for Ben and Georgia and comments, and also our final decision for each character and why. 


What is the casting process?




After doing research on the casting process, I will know exactly what we have to do and look for when we cast for our film. 

Costume - Initial Ideas


I have put together several pictures of clothing for the two main characters (Ben and Georgia) who will feature in our opening title sequence, which I think would most suit our film story line, the characters and attract our target audience. 

Character Profiles - Introduction to characters

Using the website Pixton, I have created a comic strip introducing the 5 main characters within our film. This will help us to understand our characters and therefore aid us in the casting process. 


Character Profiles

Before casting I am going to create character profiles for each of the characters within our opening title sequence. This will aid me when casting a I will know exactly what I am looking for. 

Character profiles could include things such as...
  • Age
  • Looks
  • Character/temperament
  • Occupation
  • Likes/dislikes
  • Links to other characters
  • Key points of the storyline of which they're involved
I will make character profiles for the characters that appear in my opening title sequence rather than that of the whole cast as listed in the treatment. This is because I will only need to cast those appearing in my opening title sequence. This means that the characters I shall be making character profiles for are...
  • Young Nancy
  • Teenage Nancy
  • Old Nancy 
  • Tye

Contact Information


Marcia Wiggins 

MarciaWiggins1996@gmail.com


Brianna Barwell
BriannaBarwell@gmail.com



Fintan McHugh

40957@rws.uk.net



Production Logo - Final decision

Production Logo - Feedback

Production Logo - Initial Ideas (Computerised)

After hand drawing our first initial ideas, we decided that they didn't look very professional like the ones I put together on a mood board. Therefore, we began to create new ideas on the computer which are shown below. 






























Production Logo - Initial Ideas

We have designed a range of different logos for our company so we can decide on which one is best for our company. This will then appear at the beginning of our opening title sequence to credit our production company. As a group we have decided to call our company 'FMB Productions', collaborating the starting initials of each of our team members involved in the making of this film. This therefore gives the company a personal attachment to us and sounds professional as well as unique.

Below are our initial ideas which are all hand drawn. 



Film Production Companies - Logo Mood Board




After looking at some mainstream brand and company logos I then decided to look into more depth at some Film industry logos. At first I was not going to because I had the fear of making logos too similar to them, but when I researched they were nothing close or like my ideas. The film companies although do tend to include their names the actual design reflects the company's name if they reflect a particular image such as 'DreamWorks'. Therefore this reinforced my thoughts for our group to create unique logos unlike the ones on the market for film industries already to portray a more excitable, fresh tone to our company. 

Creating a film production logo - What is it?






Production Logo

As a group we have decided that we shall create our own production company to produce our film. We have decided upon calling the company 'FMB Productions' as a collaboration of the starting initials of each of our team members involved in the making of this film. This therefore gives the company a personal attachment to us and sounds professional as well as unique. 


Firstly I am going to research what a production logo is then I will research existing logos for inspiration. 

Production Context - Conclusion


In conclusion to my research I have decided our film would most suit an Independent Film company. This is because we are a new production company and so our director and actors are unknown in the film industry. This means that a large blockbuster company wouldn't want to associate themselves with our film incase it isn't successful as they would loose money. An Independent film company on the other hand, would mean that the distribution process of the film would be a lot slower and therefore it would take a longer time to be known worldwide. Additionally, there would be less publicity for the film because there is less money to spend and as an effect the film would take a longer amount of time to produce a profit world wide. However, an independent film can be more credible by audiences if it has a good story line because they have worked independently to get a budget, produce, distribute and exhibit the film.

Production Context - Comparisons

I have also looked at 3 examples of Blockbuster films and 3 examples of Independent films. Looking at who they are directed by, produced by, written by, starring, distributed by, the budget and the money made in box office, I will evaluate the similarities and differences to my groups film. This will help me decide if a Blockbuster or Independent company would most suit our film. 

These are some examples of Blockbuster films: 



Directed by - Steven Spielberg
Produced by - Steven Spielberg & Kathleen Kennedy
Written by - Melissa Mathison
Starring - Dee Wallace 
Peter Coyote
Henry Thomas
Drew Barrymore
Studio - Amblin Entertainment
Distributed by - Universal Pictures
Budget - $10.5 million
Box office - $792,910,554




Directed by - Christopher Nolan
Produced by - Christopher Nolan
Emma Thomas
Charles Roven
Starring - Christian Bale
Micheal Caine
Heath Ledger
Gary Oldman
Aaron Eckhart
Maggie Gyllenhaal 
Morgan Freeman
Studio - Legendary Pictures
Syncopy Films
DC Comics
Distributed by - Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget - $185 million
Box office - $1,004,558,444



Directed by - David Yates
Produced by - David Heyman
David Barron
Starring - Daniel Radcliffe
Rupert Grint
Emma Watson
Studio - Heyday Films
Distributed by - Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget - $250 million
Box office - $934,416,487


These are some examples of Independent films:


Directed by - Paul Haggis
Produced by - Paul Haggis
Mark R. Harris
Robert Moresco
Don Cheadle
Bob Yari
Cathy Schulman
Starring - Karina Arroyave
Sandra Bullock
Thandie Newton
Don Cheadle
Keith David
Matt Dillon 
Studio - ApolloProScreen GmbH & Co
Harris Comany
BlackFriar's Bridge
Bull's Eye Entertainment
Yari Film Group
DEJ Productions
Distributed by - Lionsgate
Pathe
Budget - $7 million
Box office - $98,410,061


Directed by - Marc Webb 
Produced by - Mason Novick 
Jessica Tuchinsky 
Mark Waters
Steven J. Wolfe 
Scott G. Hyman 
Written by - Scott Neustadter
Micheal H. Weber
Starring - Joseph Gordon-Levitt 
Zooey Deschanel 
Distributed by - Fox Searchlight Pictures 
Budget - $7.5 million
Box office - $60,722,734


Directed by - Cate Shortland
Produced by - Anthony Anderson 
Jan Chapman
Written by - Cate Shortland
Starring - Abbie Cornish
Sam Worthington
Erik Thompson
Anne Louise Lambert
Leach Purcell
Budget - $4 million
Box office - $2,158,574

Compared to our film, the Blockbuster films have famous directors, producers and writers which has given them access to a larger budget. This has allowed them to use CGI effects and have famous actors feature in their films which attracted large audiences worldwide and therefore the films produced a large profit. On the other hand, the Independent films have unknown directors, producers and writers, a smaller budget, little editing and make a smaller profit. Looking at these factors it is obvious that our film would suit an Independent company as we are very similar - we have unknown directors, producers and writers for example.