Wednesday 12 May 2010
FINAL FINAL FINAL VIDEO.
here is our final, yes, i said final, video up on youtube.
we've also got it on blogger, on abbie and issy's profiles, which you can find here and here.
we added a frame before the scene in the field, which was just black, with the words 'one year later' in the right hand bottom corner in a white font. this gives the film a sense of structure.
Tuesday 11 May 2010
copyright dilemma!
unfortunately, we have just been told that we can't use the song we were originally using because we havent had permission to use it due to copyright.
myself, issy and abbie have spent most of today putting together a track on garageband on the macs in the cabot eye. it was an extremely tedious and irritating task, but now that it's finished, we feel as though it is much better than before.
we also wrote a script for a voice over, as without the lyrics, it looked quite plain. i was skeptical of it at the time, but it actually looks really good and the words are extremely fitting.
we then went back onto the editing machine to get rid of the strange and beautiful song, we then put the new track onto adobe premiere pro, and played around with the volume and fading it out at the end.
abbie also changed the 4am to the creepy font we had wanted to use before but couldnt get it to get any smaller. she edited the size and now it fits perfectly.
myself, issy and abbie have spent most of today putting together a track on garageband on the macs in the cabot eye. it was an extremely tedious and irritating task, but now that it's finished, we feel as though it is much better than before.
we also wrote a script for a voice over, as without the lyrics, it looked quite plain. i was skeptical of it at the time, but it actually looks really good and the words are extremely fitting.
we then went back onto the editing machine to get rid of the strange and beautiful song, we then put the new track onto adobe premiere pro, and played around with the volume and fading it out at the end.
abbie also changed the 4am to the creepy font we had wanted to use before but couldnt get it to get any smaller. she edited the size and now it fits perfectly.
looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Our preliminary task is laughable compared to our final project. We have learnt so much about the technology, time and effort, team work, filming and editing.
Our prelim had basic filming and basic editing which made it quite dull to watch. Since producing that task, we have progressed dramatically in our ability to produce a decent looking film opening.
In our prelim we basically only used one camera angle, and barely any edits, it looked stupidly bare compared to our film now.
04:00 has about 4 different video transitions, many different camera angles, sound effects, video effects, audio and track volume changing, time codes, more characters and locations, we linked and unlinked sound to video clips, we imported a soundtrack, we have camera movement.
Just by looking at this list, you can see how much we have learnt since doing the first task, if we were to do that task now, we would definitely be much more capable of making a decent looking preliminary task.
Of course, there are things about our final film opening that we would change, like the loop in the soundtrack, and the second scene at the beginning instead of the end.
Overall, my group and myself are really pleased with what we have accomplished and the progression from the preliminary task is exceptional.
Here is a link to Issy's blog, which has the full finished video and sound.
Our prelim had basic filming and basic editing which made it quite dull to watch. Since producing that task, we have progressed dramatically in our ability to produce a decent looking film opening.
In our prelim we basically only used one camera angle, and barely any edits, it looked stupidly bare compared to our film now.
04:00 has about 4 different video transitions, many different camera angles, sound effects, video effects, audio and track volume changing, time codes, more characters and locations, we linked and unlinked sound to video clips, we imported a soundtrack, we have camera movement.
Just by looking at this list, you can see how much we have learnt since doing the first task, if we were to do that task now, we would definitely be much more capable of making a decent looking preliminary task.
Of course, there are things about our final film opening that we would change, like the loop in the soundtrack, and the second scene at the beginning instead of the end.
Overall, my group and myself are really pleased with what we have accomplished and the progression from the preliminary task is exceptional.
Here is a link to Issy's blog, which has the full finished video and sound.
what have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
We have learnt that the technologies used to make films, are not as easy they look. Adobe Premiere Pro is the editing software we had to use, and though the first few times it was really difficult to get to grips with, we got used to it and it became more familiar with the features.
We also used cameras, which were relatively easy to function, and use but there was nearly always a problem with sound or people not knowing when to press record!
Making the soundtrack, I used mixcraft, which is a sound editing software, but unfortunately the ‘loop’ effect is really obvious and doesn’t sound great. The programme itself was extremely vague and confusing to use first time, but during the time I spent on it, I got more used to it and now I can use it well.
At the beginning of the project we didn’t realise that this project would take so much time and effort to produce, but generally, I think we have done well in the time we have had.
Unfortunately for us, the journey wasn’t so… simple. We had to have our project moved from one computer to another, and then the computer we were using almost always froze and crashed during our lessons.
We also used cameras, which were relatively easy to function, and use but there was nearly always a problem with sound or people not knowing when to press record!
Making the soundtrack, I used mixcraft, which is a sound editing software, but unfortunately the ‘loop’ effect is really obvious and doesn’t sound great. The programme itself was extremely vague and confusing to use first time, but during the time I spent on it, I got more used to it and now I can use it well.
At the beginning of the project we didn’t realise that this project would take so much time and effort to produce, but generally, I think we have done well in the time we have had.
Unfortunately for us, the journey wasn’t so… simple. We had to have our project moved from one computer to another, and then the computer we were using almost always froze and crashed during our lessons.
how did you attract/address your audience?
We attracted our audience by promoting the film opening on social networking sites e.g. Youtube and Twitter. This gives thousands of people the chance to watch the opening and get a feel for the film.
Within ten minutes of posting the link on twitter, we had one response asking if we had the whole film, and if they could see it.
This was a great thing to have because it meant people of our target audience were interested in the film we had made.
We posted links on twitter and facebook to tell our audience when and where the video would be posted to promote it to get the most feedback that we could.
Within ten minutes of posting the link on twitter, we had one response asking if we had the whole film, and if they could see it.
This was a great thing to have because it meant people of our target audience were interested in the film we had made.
We posted links on twitter and facebook to tell our audience when and where the video would be posted to promote it to get the most feedback that we could.
who would be your audience for your media product?
We feel that our target audience would be for men and women our age (16 & 17) to the ages of around 24 and 25.
We have chosen these ages specifically because we feel as though these are the ages that would be most interested and attracted to this type of film. Generally, people this age are more into being scared, and having that build of tension and adrenaline buzz than say children and older people.
We have chosen these ages specifically because we feel as though these are the ages that would be most interested and attracted to this type of film. Generally, people this age are more into being scared, and having that build of tension and adrenaline buzz than say children and older people.
how does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our media product represents a range of social groups, for example, young blonde women. Young blondes are almost always portrayed as ‘dumb’, making wrong decisions and would care more about their appearance than surviving making them rather vulnerable. In some ways, we haven’t shown blonde women in this light, but we have shown them as more vulnerable than anything.
We represented young brunette women in a more conventional light; brassy, almost the protagonist of the film, the one who always survives. Brunettes are usually shown as the more exciting character in films, they nearly always have good instinct, and will follow them.
Young women in thriller films are shown as the most vulnerable ones, which is how we have also shown them, as they are captured and tortured.
As we have an ‘invisible’ character, it is still clear that ‘he’ is a stalker. He would come under the male category which automatically gives him power and dominance. Male characters are generally the stronger sex during films, and will be the more dominant character.
We represented young brunette women in a more conventional light; brassy, almost the protagonist of the film, the one who always survives. Brunettes are usually shown as the more exciting character in films, they nearly always have good instinct, and will follow them.
Young women in thriller films are shown as the most vulnerable ones, which is how we have also shown them, as they are captured and tortured.
As we have an ‘invisible’ character, it is still clear that ‘he’ is a stalker. He would come under the male category which automatically gives him power and dominance. Male characters are generally the stronger sex during films, and will be the more dominant character.
in what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
From previously analysing two thriller film openings, we had a rough idea of the forms and conventions that we were to follow or challenge.
Firstly, we followed the conventions by using a blonde and a brunette. In thriller films, it is likely that the blonde character will die and the brunette will survive, which is what we done in our film opening. It is clear that the blonde is in trouble because of how we have filmed and edited it, and the brunette character is shown right at the end of our opening to introduce her.
We also followed the conventions by using an ‘invisible’ stalker, even though he is not shown, but you know that someone is being watched by him. A film called ‘Firewall’ uses this same convention.
Flashbacks are quite common in thriller films, and we used them to begin our film. To portray the flashbacks, we converted them into black and white and made the outsides blurred to give the flashbacks more impact.
Using the security camera effect made the film look more thriller like, as it is a convention and is used in Firewall also.
Challenging the conventions, we used a song with lyrics, though our teachers weren’t sure whether it worked, we got feedback from other students who thought that the lyrics matched the feel of the film really well.
Firstly, we followed the conventions by using a blonde and a brunette. In thriller films, it is likely that the blonde character will die and the brunette will survive, which is what we done in our film opening. It is clear that the blonde is in trouble because of how we have filmed and edited it, and the brunette character is shown right at the end of our opening to introduce her.
We also followed the conventions by using an ‘invisible’ stalker, even though he is not shown, but you know that someone is being watched by him. A film called ‘Firewall’ uses this same convention.
Flashbacks are quite common in thriller films, and we used them to begin our film. To portray the flashbacks, we converted them into black and white and made the outsides blurred to give the flashbacks more impact.
Using the security camera effect made the film look more thriller like, as it is a convention and is used in Firewall also.
Challenging the conventions, we used a song with lyrics, though our teachers weren’t sure whether it worked, we got feedback from other students who thought that the lyrics matched the feel of the film really well.
Friday 7 May 2010
evaluation.
Evaluation
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
As our film is not a large budget film, it is more likely that an independent company such as ‘Metrodome’ would distribute our film. ‘Metrodome’ specialise in distributing low budget films, which ours would come under. As our film is low budget and cannot really be distributed by a large company, we could also use Youtube, Myspace and Facebook to build up a fan base around it. This could lead to bigger and better opportunities.
A film that is similar to ours is ‘Firewall’ which was distributed by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros is a company that distributes high budget films, which is why it wouldn’t distribute ours unless it had a massive following behind it.
I think that if we were to have access to better and more efficient equipment we would have opportunities to be distributed by bigger companies like Working Title. We can relate to other films which Metrodome distributed for like “Shifty” because we are also starting up and are new to the film business.
post about our target audience.
here.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
As our film is not a large budget film, it is more likely that an independent company such as ‘Metrodome’ would distribute our film. ‘Metrodome’ specialise in distributing low budget films, which ours would come under. As our film is low budget and cannot really be distributed by a large company, we could also use Youtube, Myspace and Facebook to build up a fan base around it. This could lead to bigger and better opportunities.
A film that is similar to ours is ‘Firewall’ which was distributed by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros is a company that distributes high budget films, which is why it wouldn’t distribute ours unless it had a massive following behind it.
I think that if we were to have access to better and more efficient equipment we would have opportunities to be distributed by bigger companies like Working Title. We can relate to other films which Metrodome distributed for like “Shifty” because we are also starting up and are new to the film business.
post about our target audience.
here.
Tuesday 4 May 2010
follow da conventions 'ventions 'ventions, challenge da stereotype!
a main thing in this project is to follow and challenge the conventions of a 'thriller' film.
we have followed the conventions by;
- using a blonde girl to begin with, the blondes nearly always die in horror and thriller films.
- we also have used becky, who is brunette, who will survive throughout the whole film.
- we have used a security camera, and flashbacks to portray a thriller-esque film opening.
we have challenged the conventions by;
- using music with lyrics in, because we feel the lyrics fit the male perspective of our film.
- we also used a zoom which is rarely used in film, but we felt that it felt and looked good.
when i first started this blog, we looked at the conventions of a thriller and horror film and i put them in a post, which you can find here.
we have followed the conventions by;
- using a blonde girl to begin with, the blondes nearly always die in horror and thriller films.
- we also have used becky, who is brunette, who will survive throughout the whole film.
- we have used a security camera, and flashbacks to portray a thriller-esque film opening.
we have challenged the conventions by;
- using music with lyrics in, because we feel the lyrics fit the male perspective of our film.
- we also used a zoom which is rarely used in film, but we felt that it felt and looked good.
when i first started this blog, we looked at the conventions of a thriller and horror film and i put them in a post, which you can find here.
deja vu.
once again, we've approached a problem in our editing - another group needing the computer at the same time as us. obviously, we don't mind giving up our time for another group to use the computer as we know they have the same deadline as us, but it proves difficult to get our jobs done when they do.
we have so much to do, and it's becoming quite a regular occurance that we have problems editing. last week, the computer malfunctioned, this week someone else needs the computer.
although we didnt have much time on the editing machine today, we did manage to check what we've done, edit some of the titles and try to change the music levels. also, we put the title in, even though we couldn't use the title we had originally wanted.
we had originally wanted to put a sound effect before the title so it looks better and more like the title of a film, but we couldn't do it ourselves as we don't know how. the music levels wouldn't change so thats what we're going to have to look at in our next lesson.
things that have worked well today are the dither additive effects on the end of the title because it links well with the security camera look we have gone for afterwards.
the security camera look is not unconventional for a thriller type film, it gives the feeling of being watched which is a common convention of a thriller film.
here is a link to our CIA productions post that Abbie has done.
CIA PRODUCTIONS.
abbie spent the lesson working on this, while me and Issy worked on the video.
we're very please with it, and it was good to be able to get two things done at once.
we have so much to do, and it's becoming quite a regular occurance that we have problems editing. last week, the computer malfunctioned, this week someone else needs the computer.
although we didnt have much time on the editing machine today, we did manage to check what we've done, edit some of the titles and try to change the music levels. also, we put the title in, even though we couldn't use the title we had originally wanted.
we had originally wanted to put a sound effect before the title so it looks better and more like the title of a film, but we couldn't do it ourselves as we don't know how. the music levels wouldn't change so thats what we're going to have to look at in our next lesson.
things that have worked well today are the dither additive effects on the end of the title because it links well with the security camera look we have gone for afterwards.
the security camera look is not unconventional for a thriller type film, it gives the feeling of being watched which is a common convention of a thriller film.
here is a link to our CIA productions post that Abbie has done.
CIA PRODUCTIONS.
abbie spent the lesson working on this, while me and Issy worked on the video.
we're very please with it, and it was good to be able to get two things done at once.
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