Opening sequence- Hunter's Moon

Shot list

This is the shot-list we used when filming. We planned the shots we would film before we went out to shoot to ensure that we got our desired result as efficiently as possible. This also enabled us to share thoughts on what shots we thought would be effective and listen to others ideas, meaning when we were shooting, we had the best possible order of shots and everyone knew exactly what the aim of the day was.

Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In this question I talk to actress Lauren, who plays Zoe in the media product. To answer this question we talk about which social groups may be able to relate to Zoe and how we have tried to appeal to this social group by recreating similar characteristics. This therefore helps us explain what particular social group our media product represents.

Question 3 What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The link below takes you to a prezi presentation which talks about



https://prezi.com/s7e7djv99g9x/edit/#0_0091823 

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

For this question I filmed an interview in which I asked general questions to 3 people about what films they were in to; then let them watch our media product and asked what they though of it. This allowed us to understand if it appealed to multiple genres, or people who just like horror/thrillers.

Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product.

To answer this question I have spoken about my pre-production, production and post production. Talking about how technology improved my final media product.

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

To answer this question I spoke about  how the editing, shot types and quality of sound and lighting progressed from preliminary to main task in an audio podcast.

Production plan

For our opening sequence, we had to ensure that all members of the group were available for filming, therefore is was crucial that a production schedule was accurate. When making the schedule, we made sure everyone could make the filming dates and were clear on what the plan was. It also helped us organise which props, costumes, and equipment had to be bought on each shoot, meaning that we never forgot anything, enabling filming to go smoothly.

Production schedule

Friday 31st March

• Aim- Finish shooting 'Zoe' finding body in forest
• Actors needed- Lauren Hawtin, Ruari Ward, and Ciaran Northwood
• Costumes- Lauren Hawtin: sports top, bra, jacket, running leggings and trainers.  Ruari Ward: hoodie, joggers and vans.   Ciaran Northwood: black t-shirt, jeans, black shoes.
• Props- Radio, hair band, headphone.

Schedule 

9am-10am:  Actors get in to costumes and make up's done.Check spare battery and SD card.

10am-12pm: Shoot scene

  

Storyboarding

The group and I came up with scenes that we thought woule create a good opening sequence. This enabled us to visualise what other members in the group were wanting and enabled us to develop each other's ideas to get the best possible result.

Production schedule

Friday 3rd February

• Aim- film 'Zoe' getting ready for run
• Actors needed- Lauren Hawtin
• Costumes- sports top, bra, jacket, running leggings and trainers.
• Props- Radio, hair band, headphone, candle, duvet cover and pillow cases, girls coats, and bags.

Schedule

9am-10:30am: prep bedroom to make it look like 20 year old woman's room.

10:30am-12:30pm: film 'Zoe' getting ready

12:30pm-1pm: break

1pm-2:30pm: film 'Zoe' going down the stairs, stretching and leaving house.

2:30pm-3pm: pack up.

Filming.

Production schedule

Friday 20th January

• Aim- film Zoe running through village and finding body.
• Actors needed- Lauren Hawtin, Ruari Ward, and Ciaran Northwood
• Costumes- Lauren Hawtin: sports top, bra, jacket, running leggings and trainers.  Ruari Ward: hoodie, joggers and vans.   Ciaran Northwood: black t-shirt, jeans, black shoes.
• Props- Radio, hair band, headphone.

Schedule 

9am-10am:  Actors get in to costumes and make up's done.Check spare battery and SD card.      

10am-12pm: Film Running scene through village.

12pm-12:30pm: lunch break

12:30pm-2pm: Shoot Lauren finding body.

               

Ciaran in makeup getting                  Shooting 'Zoe' finding the body.
prepared.

Special effects makeup

Our media sequence did not involve many props, but did include one of the actors having special effects makeup. Ciaran played the body that is found by Zoe in the woods. In order for the audience to understand that he was dead quickly, we thought putting a gruesome gash on his neck would be sufficient,

In order to create this effect, we used PVA glue and cotton wool to build the base on Ciaran's neck, after that we used a combination of red, brown, and black paint to create the bloody look. Just before we shot the scene in the woods, we put fake blood around it, to give the most realistic, best result.

It was important that this was done to the best of our ability as it had to look realistic, in order for the audience to recognise that it was a wound, therefore allowing them to understand that 'Zoe' had found a dead body.

Casting Shots

When thinking about casting the character of Zoe, we wanted her to be pretty, but be able to portray a characteristic which suggests to the audience that she is different in some way. We considered 3 potential people that could play the character Zoe: Elena, Amelia and Lauren 

From these images, our groups favourite actress was Lauren as we felt that her body shape was perfect as it shows she is athletic, which would be expected of a werewolf. Also after seeing another image of Lauren...

We could see how her eyes would be perfect to portray the sense of the supernatural, due to the unusual colour, this will help attract the attention of the audience.

Location Scouting

When finding our location to film our opening sequence, it was key that we could film 'Zoe' going from a public area to suddenly an isolated environment. In order for us to get the perfect surrounding we visited may sites, such as Bicester, Tackley, Stonesfield and Combe. An example of the problems that occurred when scouting are shown here when we went to Bladon:   

We first looked in Bladon to film our media product, thinking out running sequence could be created on the path, and through the forest. We went to have a look there, but realised that the forest was too dense and would be difficult to get any decent footage. Also there wasn't a clear public place close by, neither was there enough path to create a good, continuous running sequence.

We then decided to look in Yarnton, which turned out to be perfect! The path leading to the field would be great for some of the running scenes; then the field and forest was perfect for shots we were planning to do to create our intense atmosphere.

Pictures from Yarnton




This location would be perfect for the shots we are planning to shoot; the long path leading to the empty field and forest will be perfect to create the effect that 'Zoe' is completely isolated, away from any help if needed. Also when shooting in the forest, the lighting through the leaves, and the dense forest around 'Zoe' will create a tense atmosphere, which will result in the audience feeling worried for 'Zoe's' welfare.
In post production, we will be able to effect our media product with grey-scale, to further emphasis the eerie impression we are trying to make on the audience. The use of grey-scale will make our location look even more dramatic.

This shows how this area can be edited to become the perfect location to create the strong terror 'Zoe' is feeling, therefore making our audience empathise with her, feeling her adrenaline and terror.

Questionaire

I asked 20 people what was there favourite genre film was from a choice of 5: Romantic, Comedy, Sci-fi, Horror and Thriller. These were the results: Romantic= 4  Comedy= 6, Sci-fi= 1  Horror= 4 Thriller= 5.

From this, I have learnt that even though people enjoy romantic comedies, they would also like a horror/thriller film. For my media product, I think romantic/ comedy would be difficult to provey in a 2 minute opening, as the comedy may not be humorous for everyone, and trying to show romance and love would also be difficult as there would be little time to provide the audience with the deep love the characters would have. Therefore I have concluded that my media product is going to be Horror/Thriller. The suspense can be easily created by close ups, washing out the colour and a intense sound track to create a intriguing opening piece.

Planning

Today, me and group started planning things we need to take to filming and shots we are wanting to use. We have decided to film at Ruari's house, but we are going to have to make his bedroom look like a girls one, therefore me and Lauren are going to bring: duvet covers, candles, girls clothes to put in the room, and our makeup bags to put on the desk. As the character is a werewolf, we realised that her room was likely to be quite bare, due to the lack of emotion the character has; this is why we are planning not to bring photos, or other sentimental things.

We've made sure that Lauren has a costume which she will not have to change when going out another time filming, so that our media product flows and has continuity. We have decided she will be looking like a runner, therefore she'll be wearing trainers, leggings, sports bra, white tshirt and a runner jacket.

Representation of disability Coming down the mountain

Representation of disability Coming down the mountain

In this write up I am going to talk about how mise- en scene, sound, camera work and editing shows disability in ‘coming down the mountain’

In the opening of the clip, there is an aerial shot of two teenage boys room. The side that the down syndrome boy is sleeping on, is messy with different coloured clothes, posters and toys, showing he is immature, and incapable to be tidy. Also his maturity level is shown through the way he is sleeping, as he looks like a baby sprawled, further contrasting his maturity against his brother. His brother’s side of the room is tidy, neat, and mature. His side has a colour scheme of black grey, and he is sitting up acting and looking like a teenager. This shows the juxtaposition between the boys emphasising how down syndrome affects him.

In the closing of the clip, there is a medium shot of Ben on the bus with people fighting around him; the shot focuses on his face looking nervous and him trying to avoid the people hitting him. This creates the impressions that he is vulnerable on his own and feels unsafe. This impression is also furthered by 'Ben's' body language as he is holding on tightly to the handle in front of him, creating the sense of insecurity. This shows that down-syndrome has affected his capability in acting and functions like someone normal, as shown in a later shot of a man just rolling his eyes, clearly not affecting him the same, scared way as ‘Ben’.

The representation of disability is also represented by showing that it can affect anyone. The setting in which ‘Ben’ lives is a block of plain flats, this gives the impression that he does not come from a rich family, and they are normal people, showing that a disability can affect anyone and any family.
This is also shown through the diegetic sound in the scene, as the audience discover that the parent’s jobs are normal, and they lead a normal life, but ‘Ben’s’ disability does affect the family dynamics, since he gets away with misbehaving, and ‘David’ then takes the punishment.

The representation of disability is also shown though what happens when the family go on holiday’s in flashbacks. The editing of shots speeds up, showing snapshots of events that happen on holiday that are affected due to down syndrome. One example of the this is when the props of the ice cream and kite are used to show the hierarchy between the brothers- Ben stands and eats his favourite ice cream, while David is up a tree getting a kite out of it.

Sound is also used to represent that living with someone with down syndrome is repetitive, and potentially tedious. When David is explaining the factors of living with someone with down syndrome, a soundtrack in the background is playing the same song which sounds very repetitive and annoying, suggesting that David’s life feels like this due to the impact ‘Ben’s’ down syndrome has had.

The representation of disability is also represented through sound when ‘Ben’ is at school. At home time, all the children are running around and being loud and having a laugh, whereas ‘Ben’ is standing there, not interacting with the children, or acknowledging the petrol scenario happening. This shows that he is unable to relate with the children’s sense of humour and the way they act due to his diasability.

Evaluation questions.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
This question is asking me to give examples and to explain the forms and conventions that are used in my open sequence. Therefore using film language to explain reasons for certain shots, angles, edits choices and mise-en-scene. Ways in which I am thinking of answering this question is through: radio review, interview with the crew, or Directors commentary.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
For this question i have to talk about potential social groups I could have chosen, and why a chose the social group i have for each character. Also i can deepen this concept with how their social group may effect the audiences watching, and their first interpretations they have of the characters. Ways in which i can answer this question are: audiences first impressions, what the the cast think, interview with main character and the reason they think they were casted.


What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
In this question i have to define what genre my media product is, and research movie distribution businesses, that are known for supporting similar films to the one I created. This could be answered by: doing a voiceover with visuals and exmples, interview with producer, or comparing other films with our media product to see if there are similarities with other films

Who would be the audience for you media product?
For this question I have to discuss my target audience and the reasons why; to do this I would need to discuss elements of the film that add up yo create a certain genre. To answer this I could: interview the Director, interview audiences about genre's they like and if they would enjoy ours,or doing a visual with voice over of a group of people to see there reaction.(writing down on paper what genres they are usually in to, what they think about ours)

How did you attract/address your audience?
This is requiring me to talk about what advertisement could be used to reach our target audience, and how we could potentially appeal to other audiences. To do this I could: make a potential trailer for the film and analyse it, make a powerpoint with examples of advertisement which i could take tips from and apply to my media product.

What have you learnt about technologies from the  process of constructing this product?
For this question it is requiring me to consider the variety of technology I used to create my media product, discussing my pre-production, production and post-production technology. I can do this by doing a power-point on the range of equipment that was used, create a short tutorial on the equipment i used and how to use it,

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
This question is asking me to compare my preliminary task, and my media product now, discussing things that I changed, and learnt through the preliminary task  so that my media product could be better as I had learnt from my mistakes. To answer this I could, have a group discussion with people who have watched both clips, seeing if they can highlight improvements, an interview with the director, asking how the preliminary task helped film the media product.

The Hobbit- behind the sound and music

This Video provides the audience with information and evidence of how the sound effects and soundtrack was created for the Hobbit film. I think its very well made as it makes clear that a lot of time and effort has to be put in  to get the perfect sound for the scene, to enable the audience to have the magical experience which is created by the sound. One example of this is when they explain that they wanted a new sound for the new goblins, so spent a lot of time making sure the sound they created was perfect sound so that the audience would understand the sense of fear that the hobbit felt. Watching this helped as it helped me understand that when I am filming my opening title sequence, I need to make sure that there is enough time during editing to make sure that the sound is perfect to give the audience the right experience.

Trip to BFI

With the whole of my class, we went to the British Film Institute in London and listened to a Cambridge lecturer talk about what he thinks works for opening sequences, and tips that can help allow us to get out best grade- using animation, making sure that you turn up on set with all the props, equipment, people you need. Also if someone doesn't show up when they they were meant to, you need to carry on and shoot without them, as that is precious filming time.

Also there was an interview with actor and director Dexter Fletcher. We watched three of his opening sequences to films he had directed and then after spoke about what he did to prepare for them, and why he decided to use certain camera shots and music.

 For example when watching the first film he directed 'Wild Bill', it was very easy to obtain tips, as he had a low budget and was something that my group could possibly create. He told us how he wanted to introduce most of the main characters and the relationships they shared in the opening sequence, to enable the audience to have a clear picture.

I found my trip to the BFI very useful and inspirational; I learnt many different possible techniques which i could use for my opening sequence, also the lecturer reinforced some of the guidelines needed to be followed to meet the examiners requirements.