Change of Genre

During the production of our opening sequence, my partner and i decided that the film was swaying into the genre of a British Drama than the action packed Mystery Thriller we thought it would be at the beginning of the planning process. We decided to run with this as it had more homegrown feel to it and felt like it was becoming a sequence that people could relate to whilst also seeming realistic.

My partner and i went back to the drawing board and edited/re-evaluated a few things we thought would benefit our production. We began to research on films that related to our genre of choice. Adulthood resembled our opening sequence the best because of the fact it kind of has the same story-line  Man comes out of jail feeling guilty of his past and tries to correct it knowing that it wont be easy with enemies on his back. This is the same plot as our opening sequence but we needed to make it different which is why we kept our idea of the voice over there instead of the flashbacks. Kidulthood also relates to our opening sequence because it is gritty and homegrown which is the same affect we wanted to leave on our audience. Bullet Boy is also another one we could relate it to because of the fact it has the same type of concept. Boy comes out of jail wanting to stay out of trouble but cant seem to escape the cycle.

We still kept certain elements from our previous idea of doing a mystery thriller and incorporated it into this new genre. We changed the colour of the footage in order to give it that dark British Drama feel which is what we learnt from researching some independent British Drama's.

The genre was changed at a late stage but definitely benefited us in our production. Taking ideas from both the British Drama genre and the Mystery Thriller genre allowed us to further incorporate different techniques of filming and editing. Our quick cut shots and close ups still give that mysterious feel. The colour change to grainy grey gave off the dramatic British feel and helped our production to be distinctively different from our peers.

Evaluation Question 7

LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT FROM IT TILL NOW ?

I think that from my preliminary till now, i have learnt a lot of techniques that have made production better. Firstly i have displayed a higher use of different camera angles as well as making my shots clearer and making my cuts flow better instead of looking so choppy.  The preliminary still gave me a foundation for my filming and made it easier for  me to know what things i was wanted to achieve in terms of my production.

Here you can see that the shots are okay but could be taken better. I learnt from this and realised how i can make it better and i showed this. You can see here that my over the shoulder shot looks much better and cleaner in my final project. The shot looks more professional and fulfills its purpose.


The continuity of our shots are  now much better and feel like they have a natural flow between them. The transitions make the sequence progress which is something that was not included in our opening sequence. In this shot we used a fade to allow better continuity of the shot and allow it flow.

My long shots have also improved, it looks more established and is also clearer. I am happy with this shot and i can see a clearer improvement from then till my final product. When i was doing this shot i knew exactly what i wanted to achieve and how to go about it. However if it was not for the foundation that my preliminary gave me then i wouldn't have been able to capture this. 

I think that my preliminary did give me a firm push start into working on my final product. It allowed me to use my creative side and learn how to manipulate certain techniques that i would not have not if it had not been for my preliminary. I have enhanced what i had previously  learnt and exploited different things that benefited my final production. I think that i have shown improvement in my final production and you can clearly see that my final product does depicts this. 

To make our product different to others, we put a voice over on it which nobody else we know had done. My preliminary helped to do this.

Evaluation Question 6

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

From this product i have learnt many things that have enhanced my creativity. First of all being able to use the camera efficiently and taking good shots and knowing what exactly i wanted to capture helped me to make the production better. I used the notes from early media lessons to help me know what shots would make my production better and what ways i could manipulate and use them.


I used Blogspot to upload my progress involving my work. This is a program i had never previously used but i got the hang of it after constant use. I learnt how to include certain things in my blog to make it more interesting. I tried to update as often as i could during the filming process although it was hard.

YouTube was also a technology used in the production process. Prior to this i had never uploaded a YouTube video and did not know how to. Uploading onto YouTube helped me learn how to use another program which i was only familiar with to a certain extent. I also used YouTube to search our soundtrack.


During the production process, i found out what a Dictaphone was. We used this product to do the voice over for our sequence. I found this easy to use and it was a straight forward process.

During the early stages of editing, i found it very hard to achieve what i wanted from Adobe Premier Pro which is the program we used for editing. I could not use the program how i wanted and felt like i was going nowhere with it. However after a little help from my lecturer, i started to come to grips with it and got the hang of it. I found it easier to shape my production how i wanted it to come out whilst also being able to include the necessary effects in it. I used a series of fades in both the sound and video. I now feel very comfortable using the program.

Evaluation Question 5

HOW DID YOU ADDRESS/ATTRACT YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?

There are annotations that answer this question on my YouTube  you must click show annotations. 

Evalution Question 4

WHO WOULD BE THE MAIN TARGET AUDIENCE FOR YOUR PRODUCT ?

Personally the people who i was trying to target were the teens aged 15 - 25
I asked a group of people their name, age, hobbies and whether they would watch Distortion if it came out in cinema's.

I did this with a camera and then uploaded it to YouTube.

I was trying to target teens that like to go cinema sometimes and are looking to catch the most interesting films. The people i asked said that the film would be interesting which is a good sign for my product. People below the targeted age might find this video difficult to follow and understand and people older that the target age might not feel it relates to them.

Evaluation Question 3

This is the link to my prezi. Here you will find my answer to Question 3

http://prezi.com/lp0y1-mbtnny/untitled-prezi/

Evaluation Question 2

HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT A SOCIAL GROUP ?

I will be comparing my main character, Bobby, to Noel Clarke's character 'Sam' from Adulthood. I think the two characters can relate together very well. Their lives within their individual story-lines seem to parallel. 

Adulthood is a gritty British drama film which displays typical stereotypical views of the youth in London. Without even knowing, we had similar story-lines. Both the characters have left prison after being convicted of manslaughter. They both seem remorseful of their actions and both the characters come across some drama as repercussions of their actions. 

In terms of Mis en Scene, both the characters are in the same type of attire, grey tracksuit top, trainers and baggy trousers. They both seem to have the same body language. They both come across as sinister looking characters but yet have a humble side to them. They both have a time to reflect during their journey home and seem to come across as remorseful and look as if they are trying to change their ways. 

They come across as the same type of stereotypical black boys from the 'streets' and look as though they have come from the same background. Their swagger, walk and speech is similar. Hand gestures, facial expressions. However what makes them different from their stereotypical past is that they are trying to change and break the cycle and get out of their deprived, violent surroundings.

Our product represents a theme of British drama and allows certain audience members to relate. I found myself being able to relate to certain aspects of Adulthood which is what i thought was one of the main intent for the Adulthood movie. I felt as if the film was targeted to me and that's the same thing i wanted my product to do. 

I think that even though there are so many similarities, there are also certain differences that make our product distinguishable from other British drama's such as the voice over and type of camera shots we used.

In my opinion we were successful in creating a good British drama whilst also changing certain stereotypical views.

Evaluation Question 1

The answer to my Evaluation Question 1 was done on a PowerPoint and uploaded to YouTube.

Distorted - Final Cut

This is the final cut of our opening sequence. I am very happy with it. We showed signs of creativity and also made our opening sequence different to others. 

Filming Progress (Update)

My partner and I are almost if not fully finished with our filming. We have some great footage and knew exactly how we wanted our scenes shot. We got a lot of angles and tried to think carefully about camera angles, lighting and mis en scene. We caught close ups, mid shots, paid careful attention to the 180 rule, we managed over the shoulder shots and long shots. We recorded the voice sequence into a dicta-phone amd are going to put it on the video.

Opening Sequence 2

This opening sequence of this film also has a voice over which relates to ours. I feel that voice overs allow a further insight into the characters past lives. It allows a story to be told before the movie
begins so that the audience recognise what is going on without being confused.

 I was drawn in immediately which is the same effect i want our opening sequence to have. The film stars Casey Affleck, who is one of the main characters in the film, and from the outset he speaks to the audience over a range of shots which establish location, genre and the nature of the film (including the type of characters the audience should expect throughout the film).

Moodboard

This is my mood board. It represents the main theme of my opening sequence which is British drama. These are all aspects of British gritty genre's that establish the genre. These are things you would usually expect to see in this type of genre.

Logo First Idea

This is our first logo idea. We decided to go with the name 'Halo Visions'. We made it in the form of an animation  and used a beam of light across the words to give it a holey feel to relate to the word halo. We also added a halo on top of it.

Title Idea 1

This is the first idea of our title that my partner and i put together. The grey background was used to match our grey toned opening sequence. This will be put at the end of our opening sequence after the reaction shot of our main character Bobby. The image does not look very clear and and looks 'distorted' which was intentional to relate our main characters life not being clear and uncertain and his life is in fact distorted.

StoryBoard

Voiceover/Script

We thought that a voiceover throughout the whole scene would make it more effective after we decided to take out the flashback scene...

The purpose of the voice over is to make it different to other ideas that people have. My partner and i thought it would be more effective.

Black screen shows for a split second as the sound is peaceful and the sound of birds chirping.

Bobby: Fresh home.

*as he stands outside the prison gates on his release*

*sigh of relief as Bobby leaves prison*

Bobby: Feels good to see daylight as a free man. 

*looking to the sky, as if he is thanking God. A suttle grin apprears on his troubled face*

*reality hits, and his facial expression changes to that of a more serious one. His grin disappears. Kicks the stones on the ground and begins walking*

Bobby: Although, being in a box gave me time to reflect.  I found Allah.  I’m trying to live a good life, Inshallah. My past still haunts me everynight. Voices in my head screaming…”MURDERER, MURDERER!” Self defence can create demons.

*walks down the deserted street with one hand in his pocket, the other clinging on to the only belingongs he owns, the white jail bag.*

Bobby: Despite how much I try to convince myself it was an accident, my soul still remains in torment.  Flashbacks. Pain. Of which I caused.  A Mother still mourns her only son, a daughter still longs for her father…

*exchanges a glance with a passer by.  A boy the age of the boy he killed.  Guilt over takes him once again, as passer by looks at him suspiciously. He brushes past him unintentionally and walks into the train station*

*TRAIN APPROACHES PLATFORM AND BOBBY STEPS ON*

*sits alone on the empty train as he looks out the window, his thoughts over take him.*

Bobby: I can’t begin to imagine how my Mum feels. *QUICK JUMP CUT TO A DISTORTED IMAGE OF HIS MUM* My brother. My sister. My daughter.  The daughter I never got to see grow.  She must be beautiful now.  

*gets off the train and begins his long walk back to his flat*

Bobby: I deserve to be dead. In my head I’m dead already.

Bobby: I’m not safe anymore. 

*eerie music creeps in, as he walkes to his door.  Puts his bag on the floor. Hears noises upstairs, looks and walks up the stairs*

*SOUND OF HEART BEATING*

*opens the door*

*reaction shot of Bobby, he is startled to see this person in  his room, it is the victims brother*

Victims brother: Long time no see, whats good brother ? 

*CLOSE UP OF BOBBY'S FACE*

*Music Plays*

THE END.  Cliffhanger...

Equipment

CAMERA

Sony Handy Cam

Audience Research

This is my audience research task. In this task, my partner and i formed questions that we thought would help us to better our movie and also find out which type of audience we are looking to aim it at.
We found out a lot of things about what people like and how it varies due to age. We asked our target audience about our opening sequence and had mixed reviews. We learnt that we need to further expand our idea to make it more efficient. We also needed to include more creativity in our idea and know exactly the audience we are targeting.

Opening Sequence Plot

My idea for my opening sequence involves a young man named Jamie Hopkins who has recently been released from prison. He was jailed for manslaughter our perception of him is that he has lived a reckless lifestyle in his younger days and is now trying to find forgiveness and redemption.

His lonely nights in his cell missing his girlfriend, mother and new born baby drive him to frustration and depression and he starts to have strange dreams about his violent past. He see's the faces of the people he has hurt and affected coming back to haunt him. It seems that he can't ever escape his past even though he is trying to better his life for his child and girlfriend.

Trying to brush the dreams off his shoulder, blaming it on the 'prison life', something even stranger happens. Jamie is at home and falls asleep and has another dream about the incident that had him put in jail in the first place. He wakes up in cold sweats and then there's a knock on the door and its the same person in his dream...

 Jamie is continuously engulfed into his intense dreams. As he tries to get on the right track, the family of the boy he took the life of 10 years ago, are after him not only in his dreams, but in reality.

How will Jamie break the cycle ?

Location Recce

This shot could also be used to film certain flashbacks so that it varies

The image of the lamp post and battered walls and pavement could be used to film close ups of the stress and pain in our character’s face in his dreams, creating a flashback effect could be suitable for this type of surrounding.

This shot of the bridge could be used to film some of the flashback/dream scenes and this scenrey could also help us give a type of mysterious opening.

This is my AS Media Preliminary Task. My roll within this task was the acting however I did help with various shot angles. We displayed many camera angles and editing techniques shown in these print screens. There were however a lot of mistakes within our preliminary in terms of the cuts, some of the cuts came into earlier and didn't really allow the shots to flow as smoothly as we would have liked. Some of the shots didn't seem continuous but we have identified this.

These two shots show continuity and panning, it tracks the character and lets the audience see the view of where the action is taking place.  



This is an example of an extreme close up shot, the camera is zoomed into my hand and the door handle. This shot is usually used to show either reaction or a specific/significant piece of action.

This is an 'over the shoulder shot' it allows coversations to take place without the other person being fully excluded and out of the shot.



This editing shows match on action/ continuity. It allows the shots to feel like they're flowing to make the clips have a realistic element. It allows action to take place without it feeling interrupted.



This can be classed as an establishing shot. It is making the audience easily aware of the scenery and background letting them know where we are and lets them know where the action is taking place. This is also and example of a wide shot.

This is an example of an extreme close up shot, the camera is zoomed into my hand and the door handle.  This shot is usually used to show either reaction or a specific/significant piece of action.

Questions On Target Audience

This is my list of questions that I am going to ask my target audience.

Question 1:
What genre do you enjoy most in terms of films ?

Question 2:
What type of audience member do you consider yourself to be ?

Question 3:
What was the most memorable opening sequence you have seen and what was good about it ?

Question 4:
What features of a action thriller would intrigue you to watch further ?

Question 5:
What elements do you think should be included to make a good action thriller ?

Question 6:
What do you think of our opening sequence idea so far ?

It is an opening sequence for a mystery action thriller which will follow the life of a young man, who lives in a fantasy dream world.  It becomes reality and as he must find sanity once again!

Planning and Research

What Makes A Good Introduction:

• A lot of action
• Music
• Cliffhanger
• Establish the genre
• Introduction to some key character
• Give hints of what type of film it is. Narrative

Roles Of People In The Groups

• Kayla - Editor
• Edwin (Me) - Cameraman 

Opening Sequence Analysis 1

INCEPTION

'Inception' consists of various sub genre's, including action, adventure and mystery. All of which are briefly shown in the opening sequence. My partner and I have decided to plan and shoot a mystery, action, thriller.

The movie inception depicts many features that i am looking to incorporate into my production. It contains many flashback sequences relating to a different world/dimension.

It establishes its genre by using editing that makes the opening scene seem mysterious and uncertain thus giving us the audience a feel for what the movie is going to be like. It presents a theme of unstableness and confusion which gives off a sense of action and mystery.


This then allows the characters to be introudced in a way that further emphasises the state of confusion and mystery. The first character we see is lying on the sand on the beach and the close up of his face makes us think that he does not know where he is or what hes doing there. We are then introduced to  kids however the lighting and editing make us feel that its just the man imagining them being there. This is the same element that my partner and i are looking to incorporate into our film.

Due to the mystery of the opening, it makes the audience want to continue watching. Its intriguing and keeps the audience wanting to know more about whats going on. Audience would want to find the personality of the character and will be curious to know how he got into the situation he's in which is another element we're using in our film.

We feed off the non diegetic and diegetic sounds that come with the opening. The sound of the waves crashing loud and hard, the sound of the kids. The background music is uneasy and makes the audience feel like we should be expecting something.