First day filming

We began filming today and managed to get some perfect shots of clouds in the sky due to good weather. We only recorded some of the shots we need as we could ot use our whole cast in this lesson. We will film the remaining shots we need later on and will begin editing what we have already recorded. As well as filming some exterior shots we also filmed the lift in D block. We are extremely pleased with the shots of the clouds and sky we have filmed.

Top Tips for Filming

• Take script and description of shots with you at all times
• Always check the location before using it
• Always carry a backup plan for anything that might go wrong
• Know how to use the camera
• Check if characters are available before using them
• Plan out what you will film on what day and time

Target Audience

The target audience of our film is male teenagers from the age of 15 onwards. We have chosen this target audience because our film is similar to 'Disturbia' and this is its target audience.

The film would particularly appeal to male teens who are interested in 'gaming' as the film has a gory story line similar to popular games.

The film may also attract a younger audience because the cast are also young and so the feelings and themes are easy to relate to and more relevant to the audience. 

Our film's name 'Envisage' is quite similar to 'Disturbia' and makes the mind wonder what the film may involve and so may attract the same kind of audience. 

Notes on Seven

Seven - directed by David Fincher

The opening sequence to Seven shows a few of the thriller conventions.

At the beginning, we discover the main character (Morgan Freeman) who is also the lead detective. This also shows the audience who the protagonist is.
We also see that the focus is on the crime which Freeman is investigating in the flat with the two other detectives. Also in this scene, Freeman becomes isolated when he starts talking about other details which aren't linked to the crime and the other detectives ask him what he's talking about. The fact he talks about unrelated details could be a weakness of Freeman's character.

When Brad Pitt is introduced, there is instantly a binary opposite between him and Freeman. This is because Freeman is older, wiser, organised, and he's seen a lot whilst working as a detective. Unlike Pitt who is younger, messy, unorganised, and has a cocky attitude about him. We can tell Freeman is more organised than Pitt by looking at the mise-en-scene. Freeman's costume is neater than Pitts, this is shown because Pitts' costume is messy and looks unorganised unlike Freeman's.

Sound is important to the opening clip because it builds suspense from an early stage of the film. The opening credits build suspense with the music because the music has a dark abnormal tone, which could raise questions for the audience. Just after this, the music builds more suspense again when the detectives are searching through the house/crime scene.

There is a mature and highly regarded cast for this film, and this is shown by the fact that the two main characters are Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt.

To make the setting seem realistic, they base the story in a city.

The titles convey to the audience unanswered questions, and this is good for the audience because it gets them thinking about the plot and what may happen in the film itself. Also, we are introduced to the main character, Morgan Freeman, in the titles.

Going back to the micro elements, the lighting in the crime scene footage is effective for the audience because it gives us a sense of claustrophobia by the fact that it's a small, dark, gloomy room which is difficult to see in. 

analysing past students video

Marking Criteria


- Holding a shot steady, where appropriate
- Framing a shot including and excluding elements
- Using a variety of shot distances as appropriate
- Shooting material appropriate to the task
- Selecting mise-en-scene including colour, figure, lighting etc.
- Editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer
- Using varied shot transitions and effects
- Using sound with images
- Using titles appropriately




This clip was enjoyable to watch because of the effectiveness of the micro elements used. The shot where they were filming the news reporter was very accurate to news which we actually see on TV. This is due to the fact they hold the shot steady. They frame the shot including the important elements which relate to what they're talking about, which is the news reporter and the setting of the terrorist attack. This is helpful to the audience because it gives a rough idea of where the situation at hand is happening. There were a variety of shot distances and angles which determined the position of characters, for example, where the antagonists were running around the building, they were shown at a low angle with a close up, this is significant to the viewer because it shows who's in control, and at this point, it's the antagonists.This is the same as the hostages, they're shown at a mid shot, which shows the audience the amount of hostages. The material within the clip is all appropriate to the task because it shows a sophisticated plot. The plot is that twenty-one hostages need rescuing. Although the plot is given away so early, it is effective for the audience because it gets them thinking how they're going to save the hostages. The mise-en-scene is really effective in this clip, especially the colour. This is where it cuts from the news to the hostage scene. The news is in colour and in daylight, whereas the action scenes of the clip were in black and white. I found this effective because it could convey the idea of what could be that they're doing it like a split screen, where they show the news report footage, opposed to the scenes on black and white. They also edited the shots really well so the storyline made sense to the audience, and they done this by cutting from the news report part then showing the bits in black and white, and this was good because it made the footage more fluent. This is because the news reporter would explain to the audience what was happening, then the black and white scenes would show what he was talking about.

Conventions of Sub Genres

Psychological

Unusual happenings - extraordinary
Misleading story - plot twists/tricks
Clever character - thinking ahead of everyone else
Isolated character
Film works up to a final shocking reveal
Characters have a fascination or fear of death
Danger on a mental level rather than a physical level
Characters try and find their own purpose
Characters in conflict with their mind - they don't know what is true
2 or more characters preying on each others sanity

Example of a Psychological thriller

Memento directed by Christopher Nolan

Throughout the clip we saw, the main convention which was highly noticeable was the fact that the main character is isolated from the other characters. This is because he has a bad condition of memory loss which alienates him and makes him weak and vulnerable. The main character has a fascination, or obsession with his wife's death, and he is determined to avenge her. Also, the main character has conflict with his own mind due to his memory loss, and this causes repetition of him killing people who h suspects killed his wife, and he won't stop until he finds the real killer. In this film, there is quite a mature cast of characters, this is because the director is common for types of films like this. The plot is non linear which means it is quite difficult to understand because it of the flashback's in nearly every scene, and this can confuse the audience. They probably did this so the audience can relate to the main character's feelings of memory loss, so us as the audience can get a better understanding of what he is like.

Political

Uses many locations - often focuses on different cultures or countries
'False Heroes' - characters we think are good who are revealed not to be
'Helper' - character who provides the protagonist with something useful
Threat is set against a backdrop of political power struggle
Plots are designed to give political power to someone while opponents try and prevent this
Innocent people drawn into the political world
Trying to prove innocence

Action

More screen time main characters - protagonist, helps the audience relate to the characters
High position of authority - usually the antagonist, "false heroes"
Location change
Introduced to characters without fully knowing
Nothing developed straight away
Isolated character
Not knowing anything/unknown plot
Don't get the reason with fights and chases
Antagonist - group
                                = Protagonist outnumbered
Protagonist - one
Variety of characters
Organised (OCD level)
Isolate themselves
Normal setting
Violence - innocent people dying
Usually family issues
Variety of locations
Weakness
Clues
Family issues
Mature cast - expensive budget
Protagonist has talent - athletic

Crime

More screen time for the main character
Basic locations
Protagonist vulnerable due to family (also creates a driving force)
Crime being planned
Mysterious music - build tension
Binary opposite
Based on protagonist
Suspension music
Young adult cast
Older cast turn up
Protagonist introduced
No antagonist yet
Protagonist has issue
Misleading narrative
Opposite sex distraction
Randomly killing people
Isolated crime scene

Test Footage

 

These shots are some of the basic shots that will be used in the opening sequence.

The correct props aren't included in this clip because of the weather.

There is a variety of shots used to portray different things and atmospheres

Class Feedback of Childrens Film

Positives

• Good choice of camera shot types
• Well edited
• Good choice of music

Negatives

• Some shots badly positioned 
• Unsteady hand on some points
• Dialogue quiet on some parts

How to make improvements

• Use a tripod more effectively to ensure all shots are steady
• Make sure we capture all dialogue well when filming
• Plan our shots better before filming
• Spend more time editing after filming

Evaluation of Children's film

Positive Feedback

I was very happy with the soundtrack we made for the film as the sound effects used were slick and authentic and the music suited the genre.
The titles we made looked very professional and also fitted well with the genre.
We used a wide variety of different shot distances including long shots, mid shots and close ups which also worked well.

 Negative Feedback

I think we should have included a wider variety of shots in our film as it would create a more proffesional looking film and be more interesting to watch.
We also could have improved our editiing techniues as I don't think the fact that 'Peter' is invisible is immediately obvious.
We could have also added more interesting effects and shot transitions to make the film more interesting to watch.

childrens film evaluation

positives-

conversation editing

the use of special effects

good background
Good use of photoshop
Good mise-en-scene



Negatives 
random black scene

continuity editing is poor

body parts are missing

sound missing and isn't empathetic

Editing of people
More titles. More detail

 green -happy about 

red - not happy about

How can we improve on our negatives?

We can improve on our negatives by planning our tine so we have enough time to make sure the editing is more fluent and that the sound matches the images. 

Shot List and Storyboard

Shot List

 

Story Board

Notes on Amar's presentation

script writing
story boarding
test shooting
shooting
editing
............................. layers build throughout each stage

don't rely on memory > write down ideas in a simple way
divide script into locations

EXT (exterior e.g. car park)
INT (interior e.g bedroom)

find locations nd diagnose problems
make notes on what you see and hear
always have a shot list and a script < annotate it include INT and EXT
identify props/ costumes  helps edit process

shooting schedule
organize day and time
what restrictions do you have?
if organized you can shoot on time and possibly shoot more.
more options when editing
print off any notes or any of the work above and carry with you at all times.

Call Sheets

A call sheet is a chart issued to the cast and crew of a film production, which lists the production schedule. The sheet also includes contact information for other members of the cast and crew. They are often issued at the beginning of the week because the schedule changes throughout the week and also it is difficult to plan further ahead.

Here is an example of a call sheet for the production of Sherlock Holmes, and from the chart we can see the time, date and location indicated for everyone. We can also see the addresses and contact details for the director and the whole production team. Underneath those, there is a chart which shows the actors, which role they play and what time and page/lines they have to go over. It also shows the dates of when they should be there.