Saturday, 28 April 2012
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Main Task - Magazine Article -Drafting Process 2
This is the drafting process the magazine article went through show casing each phase of developement. The article has been created the replicate that of a "real" film magazine film review and both style and content have been meticulously analysed to create the finished product.
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Main Task - Actors
Hattie Draper
Year 12 drama student at Sawtry. I approached Hattie with the role as I had seen her in other people's productions and thought that she would suit the role of Rachel well, as well as being able to handle the leading role and having enough time to commit to the project.
Todd Parsons
Todd - Year 13 and amature actor. Todd is the Hugh Grant to my Richard Curtis as he has been in almost all my previous productions therefore I knew his strengths and weaknesses and felt that the role of Liam was best suited to him. In addition, his physical appearance fits in perfectly with the role as he looks far older than 17.
Matt Plant
Matt was chosen as he has a keen interest in acting and could be flexible with his time
Jonny Collard & Perry Douglas: Extras
EDIT: Hayley was due to play Heather as she had a keen interest in the role and acting in general. Unfortunatley on the day of shooting she fell ill and had to pull out, so Heather's role was cut from the film as an alternative could not be found in time.
Year 12 drama student at Sawtry. I approached Hattie with the role as I had seen her in other people's productions and thought that she would suit the role of Rachel well, as well as being able to handle the leading role and having enough time to commit to the project.
Todd Parsons
Todd - Year 13 and amature actor. Todd is the Hugh Grant to my Richard Curtis as he has been in almost all my previous productions therefore I knew his strengths and weaknesses and felt that the role of Liam was best suited to him. In addition, his physical appearance fits in perfectly with the role as he looks far older than 17.
Matt Plant
Matt was chosen as he has a keen interest in acting and could be flexible with his time
Jonny Collard & Perry Douglas: Extras
EDIT: Hayley was due to play Heather as she had a keen interest in the role and acting in general. Unfortunatley on the day of shooting she fell ill and had to pull out, so Heather's role was cut from the film as an alternative could not be found in time.
Main Task - Diary Entry - Editing 3
Problems: Audio is still not clear enough, colouring is an issue and some of the shots are difficult to use as they are rather shaky due to walking backwards over uneven ground whilst recording.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Main Task - Magazine Article - Draft 1
After researching the various different styles of film review presented in film magazines I have decided that in order to appeal to my primary target audience of young people, the magazine ought to be in the style of Empire or Total Film rather than Sight and Sound magazine due to the lexical choices and general aesthetics (as discussed in the previous post regarding Magazine analysis).
Therefore I expect the layout to look something like this:
This shows a heavy focus on the still image from the film as well as having a large quantity of text.
This is the first mock-up for the film made on the computer:
Therefore I expect the layout to look something like this:
This shows a heavy focus on the still image from the film as well as having a large quantity of text.
This is the first mock-up for the film made on the computer:
As is clear from the image, the text has not yet been added however, the image chosen is of the group which in the woods, the woods being a focal point in the plot. In addition, at the top of the page, like Total Film or Empire, I have included the title in big, bold eye-catching neutral fonted text to make it stand out from the page whilst blending in stylistically.
In keeping with Total Film and Empire, the magazine article also uses a 5 star rating system and has "Reviews" in a blue tab at the top of the screen. This blue colouring is then used again on the staring system giving the magazine article a clear colour coordinated look, akin to that of a real film magazine, for example Total Film use red, Empire favours blue and yellow.
Finally an eye catching, witty phrase has been added beneath the title, this has been added to replicate that of Total film, who often make a jovial remark in this space, lowing the seriousness of the piece.
Main Task - Diary Entry - Filming - Day 5
Due to lack of time INT. Shots of the Youth centre and meetings this scene has been moved to the car park outside the hall.
Filming took place with Todd and Hattie. Bits of the montage sequence were also shot.
Filming took place with Todd and Hattie. Bits of the montage sequence were also shot.
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Main Task - Feedback from first draft of footage
Generally the response seemed positive, the ending was commented on as being very thriller-like.
- Some of the footage has a yellowish tint to it, which was not an intentional thing, however the audience seemed to like it therefore I will not be attempting to correct it in the editing process.
- Sound seemed to be the major problem as there were times when you could not hear what was happening in the scene, this will need further investigation as when the sound played in the editing software it was mostly consistent.
- One person asked if I would be adding a phone call effect onto the phone conversation scene which I will attempt to add next week
- Other scenes still need to be added as the first draft was a bit fragmented which may have hindered their understanding of the film
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Main Task - Magazine Research
Style
Sight and Sound
Sight and Sound magazine is produced by the BFI (British Film Institute) and is therefore an informative piece from the industry rather than a journalistic piece of entertainment like Empire or Total Film.
The review is simplistic with the only colour used other than the black is the red in the banner and on specific words highlighted on the page in addition to the colour in the photo.
There is only one picture from the film which takes up approximately ¼ of the review space. This makes the page look neat and uncluttered.
The article takes up 2/3 of the page as do all their reviews, the end of the previous review is visible on the first 1/3 of the page.
The font used is simplistic and clear but also very small.
The only thing that brakes up the monotony of the article is the inclusion of a small text box with credits from the film. This is only found in Sight and Sound magazine as it is written by Industry professionals for professionals
Sight and Sound magazine is produced by the BFI (British Film Institute) and is therefore an informative piece from the industry rather than a journalistic piece of entertainment like Empire or Total Film.
The review is simplistic with the only colour used other than the black is the red in the banner and on specific words highlighted on the page in addition to the colour in the photo.
There is only one picture from the film which takes up approximately ¼ of the review space. This makes the page look neat and uncluttered.
The article takes up 2/3 of the page as do all their reviews, the end of the previous review is visible on the first 1/3 of the page.
The font used is simplistic and clear but also very small.
The only thing that brakes up the monotony of the article is the inclusion of a small text box with credits from the film. This is only found in Sight and Sound magazine as it is written by Industry professionals for professionals
Empire
Empire Magazine employs a blue and yellow colour scheme which is used much more extensively than the colour usage in Sight and Sound. It has been used to highlight the details about the film, running time, certificate etc. as well as in a blue box with yellow writing. This is attention grabbing and makes the page look bright, fun and colourful which will appeal to a very different target audience to Sight and Sound
Total Film
Total Film magazine uses colour more sparsely than Empire Magazine and similarly to Sight and Sound. However, in my opinion Total Film Magazine is more similar to Empire in terms of style as there are extra pieces of information that make the article more “fun”. For example, in the corner of most Total Film full page reviews, there is a graph which measures how much enjoyment they predict the audience will gain from the film. In this article (see figure B) Total Film have compared the main film to other films suggesting that the reader may want to see the main film (in this case Kaboom) if they have enjoyed the other three films on the list (Mulholland Dr, Donnie Darko, Scott Pillgrim). As well as being eye-catching and an interesting way to mix up the monotony of the block of text, it is also a good technique to get readers to watch a wider variety of films as they may have seen two of the films from the list and liked them, therefore they will then want to check out the final film on the list.
The main film review is accompanied by a large photo that takes up nearly half of the actual review. It’s a big eye-catching still from the filmEmpire Magazine employs a blue and yellow colour scheme which is used much more extensively than the colour usage in Sight and Sound. It has been used to highlight the details about the film, running time, certificate etc. as well as in a blue box with yellow writing. This is attention grabbing and makes the page look bright, fun and colourful which will appeal to a very different target audience to Sight and Sound
Total Film
Total Film magazine uses colour more sparsely than Empire Magazine and similarly to Sight and Sound. However, in my opinion Total Film Magazine is more similar to Empire in terms of style as there are extra pieces of information that make the article more “fun”. For example, in the corner of most Total Film full page reviews, there is a graph which measures how much enjoyment they predict the audience will gain from the film. In this article (see figure B) Total Film have compared the main film to other films suggesting that the reader may want to see the main film (in this case Kaboom) if they have enjoyed the other three films on the list (Mulholland Dr, Donnie Darko, Scott Pillgrim). As well as being eye-catching and an interesting way to mix up the monotony of the block of text, it is also a good technique to get readers to watch a wider variety of films as they may have seen two of the films from the list and liked them, therefore they will then want to check out the final film on the list.
Linguistics
All of the magazines share the same primary purpose to inform the readers about the film as well as keeping them entertained whilst reading the article. Sight and Sound differs greatly to Empire and Total film in many ways whilst still sharing that core purpose.
Linguistically Sight and Sound magazine uses a lot more low frequency lexical choices than Empire or Total film. This implies that the readership is a more educated one, most likely of a higher socio-economic class, whereas, Empire and Total Film are more accessible to a wider audience which is reflected in their language choices as more high frequency vocab is employed.
Moreover, Sight and Sound magazine uses industry jargon that the ordinary person may not be familiar with therefore it seems to be more aimed at people who work in or study the film industry.
A common feature across all film magazines though appears to be the high usage of adjectives describing the film, either positively or negatively. In addition metaphors and similes have also been used to review the film
Sight and Sound is a very formally written piece of film journalism whereas Empire and Total film have a fun and friendly informal tone to them.Moreover, Sight and Sound magazine uses industry jargon that the ordinary person may not be familiar with therefore it seems to be more aimed at people who work in or study the film industry.
A common feature across all film magazines though appears to be the high usage of adjectives describing the film, either positively or negatively. In addition metaphors and similes have also been used to review the film
Table
| | Sight & Sound | Empire | Total Film |
| Picture from the film | x | x | X |
| Star rating | | x | X |
| Release Date | | x | X |
| Film Credits | x | x | X |
| Certificate | x | x | X |
| Verdict | | x | X |
| See this film if you liked… | | | X |
| Single colour scheme | x | | X |
| Small font | x | | |
| Magazine name and date in the corner | x | x | X |
I plan for my article to be more like that of Total Film or Empire as I want to appeal to a young audience (16 – 24 year olds) and it is unlikely that they will read sight and sound magazine.
Things I will include.
· I would like a basic layout so as not to cause reading issues for the reader.
· A single coulour scheme used throughout as a decorative feature, attractive the eye of the reader, most likely a primary colour.
· Large image at the top of the page
· Date, page number and magazine title in the bottom left hand corner
· Star Rating
· Important details box – Director, running time, certificate etc.
· Verdict
· Quotes from the film in article
· High frequency language
· Lots of adjectives
· Fun friendly style of writing: Informal
Main Task - Poster - Draft 2
I incurred a few problems whilst trying to fulfil the recommended adjustments to the poster.
As with the previous drafts, I used the font "Impact" for the actors' names and the release date. However I used the same font on the tagline as the title as "Impact" was too bold and detracted from the rest of the image.
The use of "Impact" then looked out of place so I attempted an alternative draft only using the font "Vonpynish":
Main Task - Poster - Feedback
Received feedback for the draft poster I created.
To make it more conventional it has been suggested that I should move the actor's names up into the top left and right hand corners, move the title down, put the date at the top and the tag line above the credits.
I will make another draft based on this feedback.
To make it more conventional it has been suggested that I should move the actor's names up into the top left and right hand corners, move the title down, put the date at the top and the tag line above the credits.
I will make another draft based on this feedback.
Main Task -Poster - Drafting process
I decided fairly early on that I wanted the poster to feature Hattie as the central character and so I found this still from numberous that I took on location and thought that, with some editing, could serve as an excellent poster for the film.
Firstly I used a soften tool in editing to blur out the background. This is supposed to connote that things are not as they may seem and you don't know what's going on in the background. In addition I cropped the picture at the top and bottom to make it look more wide angled.
At this stage I was also testing colour for different effects before choosing to lower the saturation and exposure.
Next I used a tool called eyes bright with the setting on lighten in order to drain the colour from Hattie's face and sharpen the focus on her face at the same time.
I then started adding text, downloading the steeltongs font to replicate professional film posters. Then chose this font from a selection on the website as this looked most creepy without drifting too far into the horror genre. In addition the shape of the text looks like a craving so perhaps Freedom has been craved into one of the trees in the woods, linking the film to the text choice.
Impact has been used on the names of the actors as it's bold and stands out.
Finally, the main title and the names of the actors were faded and 'overlay' was applied so that the back ground colours/ images comes through the text: with the exception of the word Todd as black on black does not show up.
Currently a finalised slogan needs to be drawn up, the date added and audience feedback is needed before finalising the poster.
Firstly I used a soften tool in editing to blur out the background. This is supposed to connote that things are not as they may seem and you don't know what's going on in the background. In addition I cropped the picture at the top and bottom to make it look more wide angled.
At this stage I was also testing colour for different effects before choosing to lower the saturation and exposure.
Next I used a tool called eyes bright with the setting on lighten in order to drain the colour from Hattie's face and sharpen the focus on her face at the same time.
I then started adding text, downloading the steeltongs font to replicate professional film posters. Then chose this font from a selection on the website as this looked most creepy without drifting too far into the horror genre. In addition the shape of the text looks like a craving so perhaps Freedom has been craved into one of the trees in the woods, linking the film to the text choice.
Impact has been used on the names of the actors as it's bold and stands out.
Finally, the main title and the names of the actors were faded and 'overlay' was applied so that the back ground colours/ images comes through the text: with the exception of the word Todd as black on black does not show up.
Currently a finalised slogan needs to be drawn up, the date added and audience feedback is needed before finalising the poster.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Main Task - Diary Entry - Editing 2
Problems - Reverse shots of Todd not recorded, S7 next to the "reservoir", reason unknown as all footage was watched back before transfer to computer.
Main Task - Diary Entry - Filming - Day Four
Back to the woods to film another set of scenes (as outlined in the production schedule)
All went well, there were a few issues with white balancing the camera, at one point everything came out in a yellowish hue. Will review footage in editing. Sound quality all appears to be good. Possible minor continuity issue with costume, hopefully this will not detract from the finished product.
Main Task - Diary Entry - Filming - Day Three
Day Three of filming was shot in Tilly's cafe in Sawtry. Permission for filming was sought from the manager Sam who was very accommodating.
Filming went well and ran to time.
Only noticeable problem would be the sound as it is a fully functioning cafe the other customers were going about their business which may be a cause for concern in editing.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Main Task - Diary Entry - Editing - 1
Problems:
Checked footage sound = Not recorded cleanly, will dub over it in editing
Checked footage sound = Not recorded cleanly, will dub over it in editing
Main Task- Diary Entry - Filming - Day Two
Lead Actress was ill therefore shoot for Day Two has been rescheduled
However, schedules were shifted around to accommodate this so all was not lost. Filming of James' office conversation was filmed instead, in Laura's office in the sixth form centre.
Pictures of Matt as James in his office and crew (Tasha)
All went according to plan.
However, schedules were shifted around to accommodate this so all was not lost. Filming of James' office conversation was filmed instead, in Laura's office in the sixth form centre.
All went according to plan.
Main Task - Diary Entry - Filming - Day One
Shooting day one took place in the wood on Saturday the 18th of Feb, apart from issues with the weather, all went well.
Friday, 20 January 2012
Main Task - Locations
Sawtry Woods
Tilly's cafe, Sawtry
Sawtry Village Hall
Sawtry Community College - Sixth Form centre
Tilly's cafe, Sawtry
Sawtry Village Hall
Sawtry Community College - Sixth Form centre
Monday, 2 January 2012
Main Tasks - Target Audience - Surveys
To ensure that I market my film at my target audience I have devised a questionnaire which I distributed around the sixthform centre using an opportunity sampling technique.
The following survey was distributed amongst friends and fellow sixthformers:
Do you have a favourite thriller film? Y N
If yes, what is it?
________________________________________
Have you ever attended a film festival? Y N
What would you expect to see in a thriller film?
A few sample Responses:
Female
Yes: It's fun to scare other people
Yes - The Dark Knight (... it's the best thing ever)
No I have not been to a fim fest
Yes I'd be interested ina film about a cult
I'd expect dark lighting, mystery settings, isolated areas, possibly blood
The following survey was distributed amongst friends and fellow sixthformers:
Thriller Survey
Gender: M F
Do you enjoy thriller films? Y N
Why do you enjoy/ not enjoy them?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Do you enjoy thriller films? Y N
Why do you enjoy/ not enjoy them?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Do you have a favourite thriller film? Y N
If yes, what is it?
________________________________________
Have you ever attended a film festival? Y N
What would you expect to see in a thriller film?
A few sample Responses:
Female
Yes: It's fun to scare other people
Yes - The Dark Knight (... it's the best thing ever)
No I have not been to a fim fest
Yes I'd be interested ina film about a cult
I'd expect dark lighting, mystery settings, isolated areas, possibly blood
Gender: M
No as they are often, in my veiw, by trying to seem realistic, the turn of events break my suspension of disbelief
No favourite
Never attended a film festival
A film about a cult would slightly interest me, so yes
I expect a thriller film to be realistic
Male
Yes, I do like thriller movies, though due to the wide variety within the genre it's hard to select specific reasons. The constant level of excitement within thrillers, or potentially suspense depending on the theme means I'm drawn into the story more.
Yes, I do like thriller movies, though due to the wide variety within the genre it's hard to select specific reasons. The constant level of excitement within thrillers, or potentially suspense depending on the theme means I'm drawn into the story more.
Yes - I'd say Silence of the Lambs would have to be a thriller that really stood out for me. Mostly due to Anthony Hopkins' performance as Lector.
No I have not been to a film festival.
And as for cult interests I'd have to say it would depend on the interest.
I suppose for things to see in a thriller movie, a progressing plot, not one that stands still to take in the scenery. Music as well is really important, the soundtrack of a movie can do wonders to build upon a mood.
As I expected, only one person out of the 20 asked had attended a film festival. Perhaps this ought to be a secondary target rather than a primary one, therefore I will focus more of my attention on attracting those of the right age group and Intelligence.
All bar 2 of them said they would be interested in a film about a cult which is encouraging as that is the basis for the plot in my film.
As you can see from the above, the audience expects a certain level of realism as well as suspense and isolation in a thriller which are aspects I have incorperated into the script.
On the whole this has been a very useful exercise.
All bar 2 of them said they would be interested in a film about a cult which is encouraging as that is the basis for the plot in my film.
As you can see from the above, the audience expects a certain level of realism as well as suspense and isolation in a thriller which are aspects I have incorperated into the script.
On the whole this has been a very useful exercise.
Main Task - Script - Revisions
After further discussions about my ideas for the film I have made several major changes in order to make the film fit into he thriller genre better.
My main character will no longer be a runaway teen but a young, ambitious investigative journalist instead. This will then isolate the main character more definitely as well as speeding up the time line which was becoming too complex to fit into a five minute film. As well as this, the main character will be more stereotypical as the main character often has a good job and are very career driven, for example, Clarice in silence of the lambs seems to have no personal life as she is dedicated to her job as an FBI officer.
As with the first draft, the main character's name is not actually Summer as they renamed themselves in the cult to form new identities. My protagonist therefore has been given an ordinary name at the outset and will be referred to as Rachel from here on wards.
Rachel will be go into the cult to find out what they are about as they preach that they want everyone to be free and live more organically and so the newspaper that Rachel works for wants to uncover the truth. The plot then follows the original idea that in the beginning everything seemed fine and then she starts to uncover strange and dangerous behaviour.
As the antagonist is often very clever I think that Rachel may be discovered as an undercover journalist quite early on in the film however she will not know that Ash knows.
The ending is, as of yet, undetermined.
My main character will no longer be a runaway teen but a young, ambitious investigative journalist instead. This will then isolate the main character more definitely as well as speeding up the time line which was becoming too complex to fit into a five minute film. As well as this, the main character will be more stereotypical as the main character often has a good job and are very career driven, for example, Clarice in silence of the lambs seems to have no personal life as she is dedicated to her job as an FBI officer.
As with the first draft, the main character's name is not actually Summer as they renamed themselves in the cult to form new identities. My protagonist therefore has been given an ordinary name at the outset and will be referred to as Rachel from here on wards.
Rachel will be go into the cult to find out what they are about as they preach that they want everyone to be free and live more organically and so the newspaper that Rachel works for wants to uncover the truth. The plot then follows the original idea that in the beginning everything seemed fine and then she starts to uncover strange and dangerous behaviour.
As the antagonist is often very clever I think that Rachel may be discovered as an undercover journalist quite early on in the film however she will not know that Ash knows.
The ending is, as of yet, undetermined.
Main Task - Script - Draft One
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z3WfnWuGpTvLVhhnUJpN4aMZkoKTsoMSF7Ro7J07FYA/edit
An early partial draft of "Freedom..."
An early partial draft of "Freedom..."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
