Task 3

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

 

 

Prezentare isa from alexandrawerner

Task 7

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

 What We've Learnt Since the Prelim Task

At the beginning of the course, we didn't know a lot about the process of making a short movie. In fact, before this course, most of us probably believed that writing, producing, directing and editing a movie was quite simple. I have realized the progression that I have made since the beginning of the year. Now we know about the process of drafting an idea, redrafting an idea, storyboarding, getting a props list and cast list together, making sure everything planned is achievable, setting up and using a camera, final cut pro, sound cut pro and various other elements that create and produce a movie which were before, inscrutable.

Before getting right into shooting our thriller video, we tested our knowledge and skills on a "Preliminary Task". Within this task we were given a general storyboard and asked to just run free and explore the various paths of shooting a movie. We began by learning how to handle a camera. We were given a tutorial on the buttons and workings of a camera as well as how to set it up and pack it away. The idea of the pre-lim was to get used to how the camera looks and works and to help familiarise ourselves with it before shooting our important and final Thriller Video at the end of the year.

 

We didn't have to prepare and to organize much for this Prelim Task. We just had to decide each person's duty within the group. I n contrast to our thriller which took several months of redrafting and brainstorming, running ideas past the officials and coming up with the props, screenplay and actors for the shoot day.


By experimenting with the pre-lim, we were able to improve our techniques and use the camera with more advanced tactics which ultimately led to my development and growth as a media student. Since the pre-lim, we have also learned more about shot angles such as panning and tilting, where as in our pre-lim we had only focused on wide shots, mid shots and close ups. Knowing various shots and angles helped our thriller be more visually interesting while likewise adding more range to our storyboard and plan for the thriller video.

As for mise-en-scene, the pre-lim didn't require anything specific, it was simply an exercise, while for our thriller we hired and used much more miss-en-scene elements such as a recording machine, a CCTV camera, a Mac Book Pro, and a two way mirror, a clip board, etc. As for the lighting aspect, for our pre-lim task we didn't need a specific light, we were lucky enough that we had the chance to film in the media suite where the lights are bright enough in order to get a clear view.


Indifferent to our thriller, when recording sound for the prelim, we used what was recorded with the camera. Therefore the sound was often inconsistent, echo-y and rough. When recording sound for the 'Caleidoscopio', we used a specific boom microphone so that the audio would be recorded at a high standard. Likewise, we made sure that the audio was constant while furthermore hightening  the sound of the dialogue especially, and the little details such as pressing the button on the recording machine or, opening the file, footsteps as well in order to add effect to our video. These sounds enabled the audience to feel as though they were right there in the video while simultaneously creating a sensory response, expected in a thriller.

In the editing stage, our pre-lim lacked creativity and interesting elements, for we were just following a general storyboard which specifically told us which shots to cut together.  In our thriller video, however, we had the chance to use and cut shots that are able to intruige the audeince and make things more visually intersting for them. Although perhaps such shots did not add anything to our story line in any way, they enabled the audience to stay engaged. In the editing suit, Katie stepped up to the challenge and came to the front, leading many of the editing sessions for she was more familiar with final cut pro than both Santi and myself.

Because I will be continuing on with Media for my A2 year, I am thrilled to dive into next year having a better understanding of how to operate final cut pro, flipping footage, deleting footage, checking in and out, creating a soundtrack and various other elements I will need for next year. As a whole our group worked very efficiently together, Katie taking the lead in the editing stage, Santi enjoying the write up of the script, plans and making the set come true and myself being an important vote for various decisions, creating a storyboard, coming up with the costumes, and overall take control of the creative side of it, and last but not least come up with the Thriller Idea. Though specifically I missed the opportunity to learn how to add titles and make music, I am sure I will be able to familiarise myself with them next year. Overall, I am happy with my contribution to the project and believe that my contribution easily matched anyone else's in the group.

 

 

Prelim Task https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmWc5jXQ4iY

Final Product https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlBZHvR8ROo

Task 6

 

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

 

 

 

On our shoot day we have used a professional digital camera which was Sony NX5. We used a tripod for some of the shots in order to have a fixed view towards the characters and to get an accurate frame. I also used it for taking some smooth pan shots, tilt and static shots. I learnt hot to adjust the setting on the camera that gives the right colours that we need which is called white balance as the whole process of it. We basically have to face the camera on any white, flat surface in order to press the setting on the camera that would create the appropriate white balance. Another aspect that is very important as well is focusing the camera to its best potential which is very simple to achieve; by zooming in all the way and adjusting it from the lance.

 

After we finished shooting all we needed, we had to transfer the footage which was on a memory card to the Mac computers, so that we can start editing. To make this happen, we used Final Cut Pro which is a non liner software which allows and supplies us with all sorts of different necessary tools, the useful thing about this software in particular, is that you are able to choose what you want to use from the footage and what you want to leave out.

 The digital files (footage) are placed in something called a trash bin from where we had the chance to watch the footage and decide on what fits best, then those go on a timeline or a blank canvas. That helped us to structure our narrative/plot because we could move the clips around. I used the blade/erase tool to cut the footage so that I could shorten the videos. That gives the product a polished aspect, plus the dialogue had to match correctly, so that again helped us with our non-diegetic sound. On the other hand we also added music that we created ourselves for the first part of the video where the credits/titles were placed quite simplistically on the screen. We had also added noise to the beginning part, the special effect that we choose was a black and white filter that gave the impression of a security camera POV. After this experience, I gained some new skills and abilities and I have discovered myself better because I really enjoyed working on the set and using the specific technology.

Evaluation Task 6

                                              Link to Youtube Video, including annotations

Task 5

Link

 

https://soundcloud.com/calumgmusic/katie-media-5

Task 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

 

While passing through our planning and research stage we identified who should be our potential audience and construct our marketing side in a way that we have the right audience in order to have a guaranteed success. There are different aspects to look at when it comes to finding the suitable audience, plus we had to keep track of the fact that our film has a low budget and so we were aiming for a niche audience and second of all, our movie is not a concept movie. Age and gender, personalities and classes get involved when it comes to choosing the audience.

With regard to all this, as a group we have created a number of questions to ask different people concerning their tastes towards thrillers, something like a survey and this is the feedback we got.

Survey

 

 

 

After interviewing, I created a Facebook page which shows a sample of a profile which would represent our fans. It's a n example of a person that would watch our thriller.

Caleidoscopio is for people which like getting involved and participate with their minds to the movie. An audience that doesn't just want to watch but they want to think and reflect as well while watching.  Concerning the age certification I think that we should restrict it to over 16 year olds because of the violence involved and the sexuality, plus the fact that it is psychological so the youngsters would not understand its concept.

Evaluation Task 2

Task 1

In what ways does your media products use, develop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

When we were doing the research for our thriller we . We based our research on the interrogation room itself and what exactly is happening in it. We looked at different personalities and attitudes, as well as the mise en scene, and camera shots.

While looking closer to our main character, which is the criminal we realize that she has a lot in common with Angelina Jolie playing the main role in Salt. It presents a strong, independent woman that doesn't give up on what she wants to achieve, a form of manipulation and not only that. Her appearance is similar to our protagonists as well, it 's beauty which turned into a form of seduction. This challenges the audience to support the main character in her decisions and it helps us give the audience the chance to be drawn into the movie.

 Colombiana is another movie that presents the stereotype which we tried recreating through our opening sequence of a powerful, fierce woman as the main focus. Therefore the concept of it relates to ours. A woman that inspires a lot of intelligence through her moves, her thinking, followed by a trauma in her life that made her change the way she had to live, made her change her targets and goals. While the audiences expectation is to see her fighting for her family, and that is what happens in Colombiana, but in our film we have turned the daughter against her family producing a dilemma in the public's minds, it creates intrigue and tension.

Now You See Me is another very similar real product in which we found different conventions regarding the mise en scene, etc. The set seems to be very similar to ours, at least the same idea although we didn't have the budget to make something more sophisticated. With this movie I am strictly talking about the interrogation room; a very simple, direct setting which shows exactly where the characters are.

 

Small clever lines mean a lot. Playing with the lines/script is also an important aspect, the audience enjoys that because they have a certain impact and weight, it gives suspense to the scene, and that's what we found in both Now You See Me and Caleidoscopio. We have used simple attracting lines. Both of the movies interact through their messages with the audience's mind and that draws them in.

 

 

 

 

 This is one of Ke$ha's music video called "Interrogation War" which presented interest to me.This music video links very well with our opening sequence in terms of shot types and not only; The rebellious attitude of the suspect is alike to our criminal. The idea of being young and feeling like nothing can stop her is again a sign of revolt,uncaring and arrogance. Relating to the shots that were taken, I have recognized the similar camera usage, the close-up shots, the over the shoulder shots, and the shots taken from the office room behind the glass window. They all connote seriousness, they give a more realistic feel to he scene and also bring seriousness and point of view. For example the over the shoulder shots represent the POV so that the audience feels involved and see both of the sides f the story from different perspectives, therefore have the right to decide on which side to be.

 

Music Video