Friday, 15 July 2016


Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to your full production?


When we begun our coursework, the first task we had to do was make a preliminary task, we had to use certain shots, and little dialogue. By doing the preliminary task we became familiar with the equipment that we were going to use, as well as final cut pro. Ours was a woman who was waiting for the results for whether she was pregnant or not. The preliminary task as well as the final opening sequence was placed below so that the difference in editing and filming can be seen. 





When filming our preliminary tasks we had many shaky shots, and parts where we tried to edit it so that it looked good, but it ending up jumping and you could tell that it was a different place, which interrupted to flow of the film. When editing for the first time on final cut pro, it took longer than it should have done as we had never used it before. There were many new things to learn, such as how to put on stabilization so that even if it is shaky it can correct it for you.
In our final piece, although some shots when filmed were shaky we edited it out on imovie and you could not even tell. We also managed to successfully do a jump shot, and it flowed smoothly and did not interrupt the pace of the piece. 

The lighting was really different in our preliminary task compared to our final opening sequence. The reason for this was because we had to work with the light that was there in our preliminary task, we also did not realise that when editing we could edit what colour the light would be to fit the mood of the scene. This we later found out and we did that in our final piece. We altered the colour and light of certain scenes in our final piece in order to suit the scene. The scenes and lighting also worked a lot better than our preliminary task as we had the opportunity to go outside of school and film, this helped us to get a range of lighting.
As well as going outside of school we also had a range of props, and costumes. We also used our own cameras to get a higher quality and resolution, this helped to make it a lot more professional compared to the preliminary task. 

-Isla


Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 7
12:48

Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 7

Tuesday, 28 June 2016














Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 6
16:35

Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 6

Saturday, 25 June 2016


How did we attract our audience?
First we started by promoting our media online we found that online convergence was easier as we could quickly send the digital link of our video to peers of a similar age to us. We took inspiration from the way in which films like The Dark knight generated excitement for their film online.

We found this a really effective way to share our media product. Another way in which we attracted  an audience was our music. We used a popular song amongst teenagers by the Artic Monkeys.  By messaging people close in age to our target audience, we were able to gain realistic feedback  and they could then share our video from word of mouth.  
Above are comments that we received on youtube from about our opening sequence such as , "I would so watch this" and other personal feedback on other media such as "Great miss en scene and so many different camera angles."
Overall we are really happy with the way in which we promoted our media and garnered attraction from our target audience using modern media.
By Chioma
Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 5
16:35

Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 5

Friday, 24 June 2016



Question 4 - Who would be the audience for you media product?



Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 4
11:37

Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 4

Thursday, 5 May 2016

Below is a powerpoint on our thoughts on what kind of media institution might distribute our media product. We chose to present this way as it clearly conveys why we felt Warp X would be the best media institution for our media product.
By Chioma


Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 3
16:36

Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 3

Wednesday, 4 May 2016


In this video I speak about how our media product represents different social groups.

By Chioma

Task 20: The Evaluation- Question 2
16:31

Task 20: The Evaluation- Question 2

Below is a prezi made where our use of media products and conventions were reviewed.

By Chioma
Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 1
14:37

Task 20: The Evaluation - Question 1

Saturday, 30 April 2016





This video is the feedback we received about our opening sequence. I put the videos together together to make it easier to watch. I placed a picture of the person the feedback was from and added the audio, to make sure that it was not boring for the person to watch, I added key words, music and a few simple effects. All the people that were asked about our opening sequence all were in our original target audience.
Isla
Task 19: Target Audience Feedback
08:14

Task 19: Target Audience Feedback

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

Did our opening sequence follow conventions?

Above is the video in which we discuss whether we feel our opening sequence effectively portrayed the typical genre conventions of other openings that we had previously discussed in task 1.

By chioma

Task 18: Use of opening sequence conventions
09:44

Task 18: Use of opening sequence conventions

Friday, 15 April 2016

In order to achieve the style of a thriller genre, we thought heavily about the conventions that made the overall atmosphere of a thriller. Elements such as colour, transitions and music were manipulated and utilised throughout the editing process to create a successful opening sequence.
We used the speed editor to make character movements appear frantic and nervous. This was added in order to mimic the fear and confusion that the character was experiencing as the gathering spiralled out of control. This was really effective in portraying our thriller genre as the speed added to tension and the frantic effect we aimed to achieve.























In order to make our film look more cinematic and suspenseful, we added a letterbox template and our logo at the beginning. Whilst our logo played, we made sure not to use upbeat music as we wanted to set the tone of the film as isolated. However, to keep in the sub genre of Indie, we used an obscure and mundane song at the start to highlight the characters sadness. 






we experimented with layering sounds and volume levels in order to replicate the feeling of being dizzy or in a dream like state. We ordered the sounds and layered them in order of importance. For example, in the party scene, chanting from the teenagers can be heard loudly whilst Lara's cries echo in the background using sound effects.

We chose to include actor credits as we panned through the shots, we chose a minimalist text so that it wouldn't pull the focus from the scene but also added a sense of mystery. Above the preview screen are colour correction bars. This allowed us to edit each scene to make them appear colder and more eery. Whilst we relied on natural lighting when filming, the colour correction tool allowed us to enhance and develop the colours and tones so that the character Lara almost appeared to blend into the nature and prompt a sense of suspense for the audience to whether or not she is okay.

We wanted our soundtrack to smoothly transition in and out so that music did't cut suddenly and create a lack of continuity. We did this by using the sector tool and selecting the area that i would like the music to begin fading out from. This tool was really effective as the soundtracks smoothly faded in and out.
By chioma
Task 17: Editing process
09:52

Task 17: Editing process

Saturday, 9 April 2016



We edited our opening on iMovie, overall we're really happy with the outcome as the balance between music and editing to enhance the chilling feeling and suspense in our thriller was effective.

Final opening sequence
16:04

Final opening sequence

Saturday, 2 April 2016



For our soundtrack, we chose a mixture of obscure music that would reflect the character's state of mind as well as the atmosphere.
The first song we chose was ‘Be gone dull cage’ by Kiev. This song was effective as it highlighted the dark tone of the opening.
The song above was chosen for the party scene due to the way in which the music mimicked the erratic behaviour of each character as they succumbed to peer pressure and drank. It is called: ‘Dot to Dot’ by Melt yourself down
The climactic song we used to introduce the film title, was: ‘Do I wanna know?’ by The Arctic Monkeys. We chose this song because of the heavy beat that could be used to represent the character Lara finally understanding the weight of her situation. 

By chioma

Task 16: Choice of Music
04:49

Task 16: Choice of Music

Thursday, 31 March 2016

For our company logo, the colours used were not too bright or cute due to the fact that this could distract from the opening. The process began on photoshop with an already rendered gear symbol.
I started with a clear, hd image of a gear symbol.
I then duplicated the image, removed the background and filled it in white.
 I then edited  the logo on Motion, the process was difficult and required several trials and errors before the item could be successfully animated.  I then saved the motion file as a final cut pro generated image and added appropriate music to suit our logo. Overall I think our logo is well made and suits the genre as it introduces the opening with dramatic music and dark colours.

By Chioma

Task 15: Company logo
05:29

Task 15: Company logo

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

Filming Schedule



We created this film schedule in order to be able to effectively manage our time and to let our cast know when we would be filming, it would also allow us give us enough time for editing.

By Isla
Task 14: Filming schedule
05:33

Task 14: Filming schedule

Thursday, 17 March 2016

Our story board design:

S1: Diegetic sound of rusting leaves. Non diegetic opening music plays. S2: Diegetic sound of Kali speaking.
S3: Diegetic sound of Lara's heavy breathing.
 Shot 1: Medium shot of Lara's legs     
when unconcious. The camera will  
pan across whilst title credits appear.      
                                                       
Shot 2: POV shot of Kali leaning
over Lara, the shot will be blurred to
mimic Lara's distorted vision.

Shot 3: Extreme close up of
Lara's eyes flashing open as she
frantically looks around.

S1: Diegetic sound of breathing and wind. S2: Diegetic sound of Lara screaming and phone ringing. S3: Diegetic sound of
speaking on the phone.
Shot 4: very long shot (VLS)
of open field highlighting
Lara's isolation.
Shot 5: Medium close up
of Lara as she yells out
for her friends.
Shot 6: Over the shoulder shot
as Lara answers a call that is
instead a video sent to her.
S1: Diegetic sound of Lara talking, non diegetic sound of suspenseful music. S2: Diegetic sound of music playing and subtle conversations. S3:Diegetic sound of Lilith speaking.












Shot 7: subtle zoom in to
 close up of Lara's face as
she watches the footage.

Shot 8: Zooms out into two person
shot from the eyes of Damien speaking
to Lilith. The background isn't in
focus but becomes the focus when
Lara enters the scene.

Shot 9: Over the shoulder shot of
Kali fiddling with her necklace, she
waves at Lara.
S1: Diegetic sound of music and Judas speaking. S2: Diegetic sound of characters speaking. S3: Diegetic sound of Kali greeting Lara.
Shot 10: Low angle shot of Judas
standing up to greet Lara. He walks
past the camera.

Shot 11: Over the shoulder shot
as Lilith talks to him.

Shot 12: Medium close up of Kali
speaking to Lilith who is off camera.
Shot 13: Medium close up shot of
Damien passing the bottle towards
Lara past the camera.
Shot 14: Close up of Kali smiling
nervously and taking the bottle.
Shot 15: Smooth transition into a
low angle shot from the hand of Lara
as she holds the phone.

Shot 16: medium long shot of Lara
in the background spotting the water.
Shot 17: Close up side shot of Lara
taking swigs from the bottle. Quick
flashback shows Lara drinking in the
same position at party.
Shot 18: Over the shoulder shot that
follows Lara as she reaches over for
the necklace worn by Kali.
Shot 19: Medium long shot of
Lara screaming for help.
Shot 20: Close up of lara crying
before looking at something off
screen.
Shot 21: Shot of the phone buzzing
whilst a muddy shoe worn by Lilith
is in the background.

Shot 22: Random flashes of character
at vary angles.
Shot 23: Full body shot of Lara
clutching her head.
Shot 24: Two person shot of
Damien and Lilith speaking.
Shot 25: POV shot as someone
films damien speaking into a phone.
Shot 26: close up shot of the pills
as Lara and Kali come into focus.
Shot 27: Two person shot of Damien
and Lilith speaking.
Diegetic sound of character dialogue.
Shot 28: Medium close up of Damien
speaking to someone off camera.
Shot 29: over the shoulder shot
as Damien offers pill.
Shot 30: Kali takes some from Damien
in medium closeup.
Diegetic sound, character dialogue, Non diegetic sound, music.
Shot 31: Two person shot as Lilith
speaks to Lara.
Shot 32: Medium close up of
Lara taking the bottle.
Shot 33: Mid shot of Judas taking
from the pill bottle.
Diegetic sound, Kali crying
Shot 34: A shaky medium close up
of Lara as she has a flashback.
Shot 35: POV shot of someone
staring at phone with kali crying.
Shot 36: Slow transition of phone 
showing text from unknown number.
Non diegetic sound, music plays.
Shot 37: Low angle shot of Lara
standing up as necklace dangles.
Shot 38: Tracking shot of Lara
running through the field.
Shot 39: Very long shot of Lara
disappearing into the background.

By Chioma
Task 13: Storyboard
04:49

Task 13: Storyboard

Wednesday, 16 March 2016

STARTS IN DARKNESS. FADES TO BLURRY SKY. HEAVY BREATHING IS HEARD.

'KEEP IN THE DARK' by The Temples plays. LOGO AND DIRECTOR TITLE.
LARA'S NARRATION:
I'm okay with being different. I just don't want
to be scared. Not anymore.

CUTS TO EXTREME CLOSE UP OF LARA’S EYES.THEY FLASH OPEN.

A body peers over Lara. Her face is blurred and draws ominously closer.

EXT.FIELD
THE GIRL
-It’s time to wake up, Lara.

LARA SHOOTS UPWARDS AND GASPS. HYPERVENTILATING.
(YELLING)

LARA
-Ka… Hello? Judas?


FIGURE DISAPPEARS. LARA FUMBLES FOR HER PHONE AS IT RINGS.


LARA
[RELIEVED]
- Oh my God, Kal. Where the hell are you? I don't know where I am I'm-

Lara pulls back from the phone.
Realising it's not a call but a shaky video playing.

INT.CELLAR/ROOM

Lara enters a room amongst several 
other teenagers who are laughing and drinking.
They turn and greet her except for two,
 Lilith and Damien, who sarcastically greet her, the footage 
is filmed by Damien.

JUDAS
(stands up to say greet Lara and loses his footing)
-Hey stranger

LILITH
(annoyed)
-Can you not elbow me in the process? Thanks.

KALI
(clutching her necklace and taking sips of a drink)
-Lil calm down, can you pass the...um

DAMIEN
(Stretches over and passes the vodka)
-This?

KALI nods quickly and flashes a nervous smile.

EXT. FIELD
Lara notices a discarded water bottle, although 
it is dirty, she desperately takes several swigs
before choking on the sight ahead of her.

LARA
(emotional and close to tears.)
-Oh God please no. KALI! HELP!SOMEBODY!

She holds the necklace close to her before
noticing the red shoes that her friend
Lilith had worn.

Lara reaches over frantically and tries
calling Lilith, followed by Kali.

LARA
-DAMN IT. (crying) No no no.

Suddenly, Lara clutches her head, taking deep haggard breaths.

INT.CELLAR/ROOM

The gathering has escalated, the friends
are daring each other when Damien retrieves something from
his pocket. The actions switch between phone screen and
memory has Lara struggles to cope.

DAMIEN
- Okay be quiet seriously.

LARA
-What are those? Are they like, serious or 
just paracetamol? (Laughs nervously)

LILITH
-Wow Lara that's deep, they're good.
(Turns to Damien and flirtatiously smiles
much to Kali's disgust.)
I had one at Reese's right?

DAMIEN
-No, these are new, apparently they're gonna
be BIG.

Lilith takes two confidently, Judas shakes his head
whilst Kali watches Lilith in a mixture of worry and
admiration.

JUDAS
(cautious)
-No guys let's not, my dad said if he finds
anything down here, that's it.

Kali suddenly reaches forward, grabbing the bottle and 
taking two. Lara is offered and shakes her head.

LILITH
-Why were you actually invited? Like you're not
drinking and you're-

Lara takes two pills, Judas finally gives in and takes
some. As the pills take hold, Lara's memory begins to falter, 
the music becomes overpowering, glass is smashed.

Kali reaches for the phone, staring deeply.
KALI
-Lara...what's happening?

EXT.FIELD

Lara's phone shows a text from an anonymous
contact.

(Reading aloud.)
-We know where you are, in 5 hour you'll
be just like your friends.

Lara stands up, clutching Kali's necklace. 'DOT TO DOT' 
by MELT YOURSELF DOWN begins to play as Lara runs
through the forest.


FADE TO BLACK AND TITLE.




Chioma




-
Task 12: Our script
09:17

Task 12: Our script




The props task was displayed as a mood board as the images and text would be easily laid out so that it was easy to read. The relevant pictures of the props that are going to be used were made quite big so that they stood out, the ext was made bold so that it was easy to read. The pictures were placed next to the text that explained why we want to use it and why it was relevant to our opening sequence.

By Isla
Task 11: Props
04:18

Task 11: Props

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

What are the costume ideas for our character?

Isla
Isla


We chose to layout our information like this because it allows us to simply evaluate whether these costumes will be appropriate for our genre and characters.

Chioma


Our costume ideas are simplistic but will include many symbolic and deeper meanings of what each item will mean for their respective character.
Chioma
Chioma

Task 10: Costume ideas
05:11

Task 10: Costume ideas