Film Project: Final Cut of Movie

Evaluation: YouTube account

As a group decision we decided to create a YouTube account for our decision, we are going to upload all of our evaluation and our final cut of our opening sequence. I tohught this was a good idea because we are further our idea and letting more people know about our conventions and thoughts.

Here is the link for the YouTube account

www.youtube.com/user/grouptmedia

Evaluation: Question 7

Evaluation: Question 6

Evaluation: Question 5

Evaluation: Question 4

Evaluation: Question 3

Evaluation: Question 2

Evaluation: Question 1

Evaluation: Opening Sequence

Now we have completed our Opening Sequence our next task to complete was to evaluate our project. To do this we had to record a session of discussion with me and the group. We had a few question to go by and to prompt us in the right direction. Everyone had to participate, and put their personal view in. Along with question we had brief notes on what to say, we used this then added any personal view on the project.

Here is the questions and brief answer we had, so you can understand it more and read into depth on our views:

Film Project: Sneak Peak

This was the film that we showed as a group to our classmates during the showcase. Everything went according to plan except we hadn't finished the soundtrack in time for the showcase but it didn't affect people's understanding of the narrative or genre. Although, the clip of the red lips didn't export with the rest of the video so it came up "Media Offline" This was a problem as it did affect the control of the narrative but we explained to the audience after the clip what the scene should've been.

Film Project: Feedback

Today is the day to present our film intros, however these are the first cuts so they are not complete we are presenting to the class so that we can get feedback so we can improve our piece to get a better grade. Like our piece is almost finish, we need a few more edits and we need to add music. I think this task is very helpful because we get pointers and shown what needs to be improved and what bits are good.

Overall i think we got good feedback from the class and teachers. They were particularly impressed with the smoking sequence, they said they liked the pace of it, the variations of angles in the sequence and they said the sequence allows the audience an insight of the characters personality and what they might be like, we had suggestions of a gangster or a city sliker. Another good point is that they understood the storyline, such as they knew that they were flashbacks and got the plot.

However we had some feedback that will help us improve our grade, the main piece of feedback was that the first sequence was maybe a little too long, they suggested more edits in the walking sequence to help pick up the pace of it, so we will be editing that in the next few lessons to get it looking good!

Also in the next few lessons we will be filming an evaluative discussion of our opening sequence once it has been completed with music and all the edits. This will give my opinion on what I enjoyed about the process.

Film Project: Music

Music was one of the best tasks, as its something that a enjoy. I am a huge music fan and play guitar, piano, drums and like to think i can sing so I offered to create the music. To make the music to go with the opening sequence was being made with Garage Band, the music software on Apple. I found the my way around Garage Band quite well, thanks to using it alot at GCSE level.

I had ideas for music from the start, i didnt want to make music which was typical dark and mysterious, i wanted to make a real track which would be put together and have a real structure and a flowing theme. Initally i wanted to make the song from scratch of the keyboards, but after a few attempts it was proving to hard and we was slowly running out of time, so i decided to make the music through the pre recorded sounds in the software.

I had ideas for the sound, i done a bit of research on Youtube looking at other similar thriller movies. I want a melody that flowed throughout. So i made a start, i wanted a contrast drone to start with when the establishing shot occurs and the titles. Then when the walking scene begins the music drops into a walking passed bass, piano and drums. The genre is sort of Jazz but a dark side of it. I added FX of footstops for the close up of Sam walking across.

The smoking scene the music changes slightly, to signify the change in sequence. The music slows down abit, the music almost has a break and we forget about Sam walking to kill but keeps the flowing melody throughout. Then Sam is reintroduced so the music picks up, a big drum beat is put in when the ciggarette hits the floor, to enhance the fact that past backs are coming. An electric guitar, makes the music a huge production.

Me and the group was pleased with the final piece of music and believe it is suiting.

Film Project: Smoking Sequence

Our film intro has some really interesting and debonair shots, but I think the most iconic and rememberable is the smoking sequence, its my personal favourite. The shot allows an insight into the characters personality and the audience can make assumptions of what he is like.

This scene was sort thought of on the spot, we had the idea of the sequence but it really come together on the night. I went to Morrisons to get some cigarettes and matches and luckily enough i didnt get asked for identification. I think the matches gives the idea of the film being set in the past and also the sound of the match sparking is significant also the light from the match gives a natural key light.

The shots in this sequence vary we have low angles, panning of the cigarette going to the mouth, also the shots are quite close and an over the shoulder shot as i blow the smoke out. Also an additional shot in the sequence is the cigarette hitting the flow, i think this was Aisha's idea. After a few attempts we got good drop of the sparks and in editing we will slow this down so you can see the sparks.

Film Project: Flashback shots

I think the flashback shots are a brilliant way to show our groups clever approach to make an original, cool movie. We have two flash backs, one of me 'The Victim' meeting Holly 'The Victim Lover' in an office and the second being mouths saying "I love you" and "I love you too".

The way we are going to signify the flashback is when firstly the cigarette will hit the floor, then flash to white then into the black and white flashblack, then flash white then back into the opening sequence. The second flashback will be from my head hitting the floor, the screen flashing white then into the black and white flashback then back into the sequence. I think it will work, I am hoping that it will be recognizeable for the audience to see that it is a flashback.

Film Project: Establishing Shot

The first shot in out opening sequence is the Establishing Shot, we all thought and establishing shot would be the best way to start an intro, but we all didn't have an idea where to film it. But after tihnking for a while i knew the perfect place to film it was on top of a hill in Loughton, it has the best view all the way to city and you can see Canary Wharf. This is perfect as we wanted to give the city business worker sort of vibe and an shot that zooms in to the city lets you know its set there.

I also got the idea from the opening sequence of the famous horror movie 'The Excorist' where the camera zooms into the house where the film is set.

Film Project: Editing

During editing we encountered a problem with one of the flashbacks, where we planned to desaturate all of the colour except for the red colour of the lips. We chose to do this effect to show that the person speaking was a woman and the colour represents the love and blood; themes which run throughout our opening. It also fits in with the red colour of the title, which appears at the end. The programme we are using didn't include the correct tool we needed to use this effect and so we had to use a different programme to edit this one clip and then move it back across into Final Cut Express. Instead we used Final Cut Pro which allowed us to use an advanced colour corrector. This meant that we could isolate the colour red on our clip and desaturate all the other colours.
We also managed to find sound effects to a couple of our clips, including the sound of a match lighting up and are still deciding between different footstep sounds.

The clip that we edited in Final Cut Pro:

Film Project: Film Name

We have completed parts of the editing and it is going really well, we have got some really good shots together and are interlinking really well. However at the end of our film intro we are going to have a black screen with the name of the movie appear, but once again we are having trouble with choosing a name for the movie. We wanted a name that is not to obvious because our movie is original and special, at first we had a few names that floated about, names like 'She loves me not', 'Obsession' and 'Deception'. We all like these names, but none we loved. We thought 'She loves me not' seemed a bit soppy and didnt link with the theme and genre of the movie. However I like the one word film titles, but i wasnt keen on these either was the group, we thought 'Deception' was too similiar to the new block buster 'Inception' and 'Obession' did link well with the story line, but the rest the group didnt feel the same and we were sure to make an anonymous decision. After a few names we came up with 'Possesion' and every one was happy with this. So our film is called 'Possesion'

Film Project: Filming Completion

All our filming has finally been finished after a few interuptions and im really pleased with what we have got and achieved. All the filming is on the editing suite and ready to be edited, so the next stage of our process to get all the transitions and edits together and looking good

Film Project: Second day of shooting

Now it is time for our second outing to film the second section of our Film Intro. We meet in the same place at the same time, just as it was getting dark. Tonight we was filming, the killing so I was prepared to get stabbed and shot.

As we was walking to our scene to film we noticed that the lampost we filmed under for the smoking sequence had been removed. This was very random, as you dont get a lampost being moved everyday, in a worried flush we thought our movie had been ruined but after a few reinsuring words we put our heads together and found a similiar place to film from, it was also under a lamp post. Me and the group believe it is good subsitute and hope it is not to noticable.

So without wasting time we got straight into filming, the first shot was of Sam grabbing my shoulder and stabbing me. We done a few shots of Sam approaching me flicking his knife and stabbing me in the side, so it looks believable and i think this was achieved. After this I had a great idea of the ciggarette i was smoking would hit the floor in slow motion, to signify i have been stabbed.

Our intro has a few flash backs, so from filming before we used that. The next shot was filming me hit the floor, the same camera angle as the ciggarette drop. At this point a Police car had stop near by and we was looking pretty suspicious at this moment so we paused filming for a minute until they drove away. Another flashback comes in after me hitting the floor. Then the low angle shot of Sam pulling a gun out and shooting me. Done!

I was pleased with this session, even though we had a slight hitch it showed that together we can figure out something and make the film work.

Film Project: Filming in school

Along with filming in Loughton we filmed at school, in one or the offices and in the corridoor. Both of the flashbacks were filmed in school, the first being when I 'The Victim' meets Holly 'The Victim Lover' in an office, supposing to be one of the offices in the business building. The second filming is of the mouths saying "I love you" and "I love you too" this was simply filmed in the corridoor as there is no background just zoomed into the mouth.

Filming in school was nice and easy, as it was easy to organise and we were near to any facilities we needed. I think we made the right decision with filming in school.

Film Project: Changes in the process

After editing the first section of filming we was very pleased, but there was a slight hitch as the lighting was very awkward to edit as it was so dark, but after a bit of concentrating on this we finally cracked it. But in our storyboard we had a shot of a silhouette, the 'Killer' stabbing the 'Victim' on the wall, but after filming the other day we had a look around at where can create this silhouette but it was looking doubtful.

However in a media lesson we all put our heads together and decide to ditch the silhouette would be to hard to create and if we did it wouldn't be as good as we thought. instead of this shot we came up with a new few shots we would make the stabbing visible and see the knife enter and me hitting the floor.

After drawing this idea down, we were all happy in the change of storyline and think it would be better more iconic shot of me hitting the floor.

Film Project: First day of shooting

So the day has come to start filming our intro, I was really excited to start and make something real and original. I pleased with our idea and what our concept was about. Our intro is filmed at the top of Loughton, near Zizzis and Staples Road School, It was my idea to have the film based here because i used to go school down the road and i know the area well, its also a good setting, dark and deserted. We walked to the top of hill to get a good establishing shot of the city, I think its a great shot to grab the audience.

After this shot we walked back down the hill to film the walking scene of Sam. We set up down a quite road and made several shots of Sam walking to the 'Victim.' This part was difficult to get a good part with good lighting, because it was so dark where we was, but after 4 shots of Sam walking we was happy.

The next section we needed to film was me and the smoking scene. This part is very iconic so we had to get it right, I filmed walking out from a house and then and over the shoulder shot, over Sam's shoulder of me. This identifies that it is me he is after.

The next part is the smoking scene which i think is really original as its not normal for students to be smoking, by the way i dont really smoke! This scene has a variation of shots, low angle and tracking, The rest of the group came up with some cool shots for this as it had to let the audience into the character and let them know a little about him. This was under a lampost so we had good lighting.

This was all the filming we got done today as it was getting late. I was very pleased with what we got done today, and i cant wait to get in the editing booth!

Film Project: Checklist for filming

Max:

Formal clothing (Blazer, tie)

Cigarettes

Briefcase

Matches

Sam:

Formal clothing (Blazer, tie)

Knife

Gun

Holly:

Casual/Smart clothing

Red Lipstick

Film Project: Production Company name

We have to create our own production company in our film so it looks original. however the production studio name was a slight 'red light' in our process of the Film Introduction. As simple as it sounds, we coudlnt think of a name that would suit our film and sound cool really. At first a few ideas flew about such as "Two Ducks Full" this was a silly one Sam said of the top of his head, it was good but not suiting for our concept. After this we decided to make the name only one word, we thought its cooler and sounds better if you can say it quickily. After a few suggestions, we had the name "Hollow Productions" we all thought it was suiting as its quite dark and different. We all agreed and we stuck with it. Our production company is "Hollow Productions

Film Project: Preliminary Sequence (what was learnt)

From doing the Preliminary Sequence alot was learnt and many skills were improved. The main things we learnt were how to work around the camera, the shots we were unsure how to do. Main skill that was learnt was how to edit, we now know how to work around Final Cut Express, the editing the software we are using, we know how to put in transitions and input font. There is still alot more features to learn about Final Cut Express, but we are defiantly on the right track and will be able to use it to its full ability.


The shots we used our sequence were shots such as a low angle, panning, over the shoulder. These are all shots that we will be using in our actually opening sequence. We also caused tension with the red herring with the scarf, it was not so clear but i think it was a good idea and showed our cinema knowledge.

Film Project: Preliminary Sequence

Here is the preliminary sequence which me and my group made. Preliminary means prior to or preparing for the main event, in this case our Film Intro. We had a go with the camera to find out how to use it and work the buttons so when we came to making the Introduction we wont waste time. It was also to look and film different shots such the reverse shot, steady cam, panning, low angles and tracking all shots that will help us make a good film.

For our sequence we choice a sort of city workers theme, two high status city slickers arrange a meet. Then an entrance of someone, we are not sure if the scarf is going to be used to strangle or put on him. It turns out to be the workers secretary and this causes a red herring and we expect something bad to happen

Film Project: Storyboarding / Plot and outline of Film Intro

Group t story board

View more documents from Westhatchmediastudies

Here is the our final copy of our story board, the drawings were done be me but the ideas came from everyone. We uploaded it to slideshare so we can put it on our blog, i am pleased with drawings, some are a bit scrappy but they do get the point across and thats what counts.

Now i am going to give you an outline on what our Film Intro is about. The genre of it is a Thriller / Drama and we wanted to give an old looking film so its based in the 1960's hence the suits and skinny ties ect. The film is about a business in the centre of London and the three main characters Me, Sam and Holly all work there. In the movie Me 'The Victim' and Holly 'The Victims Lover' are in love and have been for a while, but Sam 'The Killer' is insane, he is normal at work but changes outside, could call him a 'private maniac'. He is also in love with Holly and believes she loves him back, but he thinks the only way to get Holly is to kill me.

Film Project: Decisions

After being put into groups we could not wait to get stuck in and start thinking of ideas of the genre of film, the plot, where, who does what roles and other small stuff. One lesson we all sat down and put our heads together, we had a brainstorm which is in our Production Book. we all shared our ideas, Holly came up with an idea for a chick flick, it was good and we done abit more thinking about and decided it would be hard to achieve and we would probally make a better movie with a different genre.


After a lesson of thinking, we all agreed with an idea of a thriller / action film, however this genre is generally the typical one students pick we believed we could make it different and stand out by maybe setting it in a different year or making a different storyline.


Me and Sam had an exam when we had to present our thoughts and ideas to the class, so Holly and Aisha presented the idea. They done well and we got some good feedback, next stage is storyboarding!

Film Project: Being put into groups

This week we have been told about our new project of making an intro to a film, I was really excited because I was waiting to get to do some technical, hands on work. Making a film intro has been something i've always wanted to do from GCSE when i created a magazine. However the first step of this process was being put into groups, we was asked to write down a few names that we would be comfortable with doing the project, i wrote down some of my friends : Sam, Alex and Harry. Both of the groups were being mixed up and boys and girls would be working together.

The next lesson was told our groups, my group is Sam, Holly and Aisha, we are GROUP T. I was very pleased with this group, because I was with my friend Sam. I didn't really know Holly and Aisha, but i knew they were clever girls who had some good ideas. I believe i am going to work well with this group!



From left to right: Aisha, Holly, Sam and me

Ignore the dinosaur

Opening Sequence Analysis: The Prestige

The opening sequence begins with titles however there is no music which is unusual and cause a slight bit of tensions and then we are introduced to a shot of a deserted forest with a large amount of magician top hats, with is a very original and unusual thing to see, and from this point we being to ask questions. Then sound is heard it is a voice over of Michael Cane telling us about how a magician goes about there performance.

We are introduced to Cutter (Michael Cane) showing a little girl a magic trick with doves, this is when we are aware of the theme of the movie, this is a nice, heartwarming shot. However this shot is contrasted with a grand long shot of Angier (Hugh Jackman) performing his magic show to a large audience, we are then introduced to another character Alfie Borden (Christian Bale). We are unsure of the plot because Christian Bale is looking quite suspicious as he is stopped and has a fake beard on.

The loud electric bolts causes tension as they sound dangerous and you can tell they will cause damage and can tell something bad is about to happen and as we thought Hugh Jackman is now trapped in water tank which was not meant to be there, we again begin to ask questions of why this has happened and why Christian Bale is not helping him. 

We now cut to the court scene where Michael Cane is giving a statement about the killing of Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale is in custody of suspicion of the murder. We are also reunited with the young girl, which gives us the warm hearted feeling again.

The theme throughout the opening sequence is old fashion with how they are dressed with suits and hats.  The lighting and colour in this sequence is very dark and dull which adds to the old theme. The sound throughout is quite scary and is in a minor key which adds to the suspension in the scene. 

Opening Sequence Analysis: Halloween (1978)

The first time i watched this movie the opening sequence was the most interesting part about it as the whole sequence is filmed in one shot something very unusual for an opening because generally openings are there to hook you in with many shots and fast past, its is very clever how John Carpenter has been able to keep the audiences attention. It begins with some titles that tell us where the film is set and children singing, we hear the soundtrack slightly. A forgein copy was the only one i could find so the speech is unclear. However the intro causes a instant scare but also a feeling of security, as children are something not to be scared of

We then go to a shot of a house, we can tell its someones point of view and we can sense the camera is walking, There is an owl which is also a scary feature. The person whos point of view then goes to the window, we begin to ask who could this be, because its a scary thought of somebody looking through your window. Inside there is a teenager boy and girl 'making out', they seem helpless and it is a Horror movie 'rule' that the teenagers become victims. Then the person makes there way in to the house and makes there way to the drawer for a knife, this is when we understand something bad is about to happen. The person seems to be wearing a clowns outfit, which could mean that they are a child. This tells us a slight bit about the character, maybe insane, maybe a child?

A tension is caused when the person walks up the stairs, the character takes their time. They then reach for a mask, so it is clear that they are in costume of a clown, and for some people they are not a huge fan of clowns, this also tells that the character is likely to be a child. But it is genius how they have made tunnel vision so it feels like we are looking through the mask, when watching i got a slight feeling claustrophobic. We are then introduced more to the girl, she looks helpless as she is naked and in vulnerable position brushing her hair. We now understand that this is the victim as the character walks towards, the female yells "Mike, Mike" we are allowed further into his character. We are confused because she knows this boy, we are wondering if this is his sister? He begins to stab repeatedly, he glances at his knife then back again.

His breathing has picked up and he breaths heavier, we know this has fazed him. As he makes his way to door, the audience are left confused and with such a small bit of screen and maybe a slight feeling of motion sickness. As he is outside he is encountered by two adults, who seem to be his parents. The camera then switches out of the point of view and we are left with a shot of Mike equipped with a knife and a worried/confused face. The camera slow zooms out

The lighting and colour is very dark throughout, signifying that the movie is a Horrror theme, the lights are very natural from street lights to lamps in the house. These colours are contrasted with the bright vibrant colours of Mikes clown costume, which tells us that he is a main character.

The sound throughout is very typical horror theme song, the soundtrack is very recognizable in the film world. There is a few sounds effects to enhance the imporntants of some shots.  The girl is humming with emphasis the helplessness of her as humming is a very peaceful sound, from humming she begins to scream, A huge contrast.

Opening Sequence Analysis: Apocalypse Now

This opening sequence has to be one of my favourite, and one of my favourite movies and i thought it would be perfect to analyse to get some inspirational when me and my group begin to make our opening sequence.

This sequence is genius as it allows the audience into the characters mind (Martin Sheen). It is clear that Martin Sheen has been at war and served for his country and we can see that he has bad thoughts of war and it plays on his mind all the time. The first shot is just of the Veitnam jungle, it is quite calm and relaxing however we begin to hear helicopters, this causes tension and scattered helicopters pass. We begin to hear the soundtrack, it is 'The End' by The Doors, this song is a classic and so fitting for the movie, it is very calm but with me being a huge Doors fan i know the meaning and feeling of the song.

Then out of nowhere a huge explosion occurs, but there is no sound effects, it almost seems as it hasnt happened. The camera begins to pan then we are now introduced to the character, it dissolves into the character  laying in bed and we can tell that these thoughts are coming from his head, it is a stern and serious face, in deep thought. Another layer of camera is a fan on the ceiling, this relates to the helicopters. these shots keep inter-linking showing the characters confusion and uncertain of dream and reality. We pan across alcohol which tells the audience that he is maybe depressed and traumatic state of mind and from being at war it suggest he has a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress.

The lighting and colouring in this sequence is quite dark and and faded to show that his thoughts are quite hazy and maybe to show it is dream like.

Children of Men essay

How effectively does the opening sequence from ‘Children of Men’ (2006) use the forms and conventions of film openings? What is your personal response as a member of the audience?

‘Children of Men’ is a 2006 American science fiction film co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. It was adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel The Children of Men. The film stars Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Pam Ferris, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Michael Caine.

The film is set In 2027 and about the world becoming chaotic as humans can no longer give birth. A former activist (Clive Owen) agrees to help transport a pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

The intro uses many forms and conventions of the cinematic world.

Firstly camera movement begins at a high angle on the coffee shop, filled with civilians watching the news the angle emphasis the emotion as it shows they are overpowered and scared. The shot covers the whole shop as you can see the worried expression on each and every one of them. Through the group a character (Clive Owen) barges through and the camera slightly tracks him, this signifies he is a possible main character. The camera cuts to the T.V to show that it is the news they are watching and then back to the crowd, this is the only cut in the opening sequences, this is because the scene is at a slow pace and not a great deal is happening and we it allows to focus on the words more so we can understand some of the story. Once he has bought a coffee the camera follows him out this fully gives us the information that he is a main character. From out the shop the camera pans right, this establishes the setting, we now understand that we are in London with the double decker bus. We follow the character again (Clive Owen), this time the angle is at a person height. He stops and the camera pans round the back of him, so it is facing the other way. There is an explosion and the camera tracks in back to the shop, the camera is jolting as if someone is running to show the effect it has had.

Throughout the opening scene there is not a great deal of editing, the camera only ever cuts twice. The use of the lack of cutting is so our concentration is not taken away from the news, because the news gives us a vital insight to the movies plot.

The opening starts with silence, this gives a quite eerie atmosphere to movie in general. After the Title credits we are left with a pitch black screen, then after a few seconds an off screen diegetic sound enter, it is a news bulletin. The words and story are very serious such as ‘illegal immigrants’. Then we are told about the main story about the killing of the youngest person, this is very peculiar story. The noise then becomes on screen diegetic as we are introduced to the first scene. We see people sad because of the story, we are told he is 18. This is strange. A non diegetic sound is introduced, it is a violin playing this enhances the sadness of the story. From the coffee shop we follow out to London city were diegetic is frequently used, we hear cars, beeps and yells. We know that we are in a main city. The sound is at its climax when the explosion goes off, this is very loud and unexpected. From the explosion we are left with a ringing noise, this is an effect which emphasis the atmosphere and creates realism.

The cinematography in the this film intro is genius and i really enjoy the theme they had around it. Firstly the colour and lighting is with distinctive, the colour is very dull and is flowing throughout it gives a clear image of how they think London will look and is very believable, everything is grey and concrete and smoke everywhere. The main props used in this sequence are the T.V, the coffee, the whiskey. These props tell us a lot of what character is like and what movie is about, the whiskey tells us that Clive Owen could maybe be a drinking and maybe depressed.