Learning about Prezi's

For the evaluation, in question two, you need to use the programme Prezi, which I have no idea to use, so therefore i decided that i would use the tutorial on the Prezi website to teach me how to use the software. I learnt by the step-by-step option so that i could really understand how to use the programme for when it comes to that specific question in the evaluation. Here is the link for the website that i have used.

http://prezi.com/learn/getting-started/

Research and Planning Feedback Sheet

I recieved another Research and Planning Feedback sheet, during my parents evening last week, which shows me what I need to improve in this aspect of the coursework. All the tasks that have been set are still in the 'Proficient' column, so therefore i will try and improve my marks and make some of the ticks into the 'Excellent column. Here is what my teachers recommends me to do over the half term, to improve my blog:

Research into similar products and a potential target audience - Some conventions work (more target audience)

Organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props - Reports for progress

Work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding - show more

Presentation of research and planning - Your presentation is getting better but early work not enough

Time managment - More focus

Quanity of posts - You could be doing more

The feedback that my teacher left was: More presintation aspects.      15/20

I feel that overall, I could be improving my blog over the holidays to achieve the most marks that I can. I need to improve my presentation mainly and the quanity of posts that are needed.

Progress Report 2

I last did a progress report during the christmas holidays, in which I felt that i hadnt done enough posts. However, i feel that to this present moment that i have kept up to date with posts with what is going on in my group. Our group has filmed the opening to our thriller film successfully and edited it completly. We are now in the middle of the evaluation, which we have already completed some of the questions.

Progress report on filming session 4

Due to the fact that our group was unable to all meet together to film the last filming session for our thriller film, as there was confusion with the original day. I have seen the film clip that was taken during the time, and I think that my group did extremely well with the filming, involving many different angles and camera shots.

Progress report on filming session 3

During our third filming session, we filmed an actor marching that is supposed to mimic a clip of person that was in the army, marching. The filming session was the shortest one that was taken, with the end clip lasting no longer than 8 seconds. I thought that this filming session, also went very well, with our group able to get the clip that we wanted without taking many camera shots. With asked the actor if he could march for us, seen as he attends army cadets and knows how to march and already has the army uniform. The thing that I would say that we could improve is the location, as we filmed it in the school premises but this was due to the short amount of time that we had. A recommended location that we could use that would improve the film is the Carver Barracks or a scene similar.

Progress report on filming session 2.

During our second filming session, we filmed the News Report, which overall I thought was a great success. We took about 8 shots of the same news report so that we could chose with one best suit our thriller film, without any distributions, like background noise or mistakes in the speech. If we were to film this again, I would recommend that we made sure that the actor learnt the lines that were given so that there would be as little mistakes as possible. We could do this, by giving the actor the lines previously, so that he could learn the script instead of reading the script by the side of the camera.

Evaluation

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

Two Pairs of frames where we have used the forms and conventions of real media products:-

In our thriller film, this is where the main character (Charlie) makes a cup of tea. 

In the tv series, Dexter, this is where the main character makes coffee.

We have used these pairs of images as it shows the conventions of a thriller film in both the TV show 'Dexter' and the opening of our thriller film. It shows the conventions as making a cup of tea or coffee is an every day event, therefore as its used in a thriller theme, it shows the conventions. 

During the film, we have used food colouring to make the impression of blood in a sink. 

In Psycho, during the film there is a camera shot of blood going down a bath drain.

During our first filming session, we poured the food coloring into the sink to make the appearance of blood, this shows the conventions of a thriller film 'Phycho' in relation to the opening of our thriller film.  

Two pairs of frames where we have developed the forms and conventions of real media products:-

This is a clip taken from Save Private Ryan. 

 We have developed our clip from the previous media clip by using the 'Desaturation' effect to give it a past tense appearance.

Developing the army theme, we used an effect to change the original filming so that it looks like our clip was taken in the past, therefore we have developed the conventions of a thriller film.

This clip was taken from the film 'Children of Men'. The news report was featured in the opening scene of the film. 

We have developed the news report by making our version fit the whole screen so the viewer will only see the news report, this is because we only wanted the viewer to see news report rather than the television that its also filmed on. 

We have compared our film to 'Dexter', which is a TV series. This is because the Dexter is the genre that we hoped to achieve. Therefore, this is why our opening scene of the thriller is compared to Dexter. 

We have challenged the forms and conventions of real media products

2. How does your media product represent particlar social groups?

Evaluation Question 2 on Prezi

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

http://nfgsmedia.wikispaces.com/Hyperion

 

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

• Our main audience is a 38 year old male named Simon.
•  He has no children and has a girlfriend he has been with for 3 months. 
• He goes to Sci-Fi conventions and loves the film 'The Matrix' and has seen the trilogy 68 times.

•  He is middle class and lives in a small town near London.
•  He is right wing and votes conservative because they tax richer people less and he is well off. 
• He loves our film because it is set nearby to where he lives.
•  He is quite well off because he stayed single most of the time and he likes to save his money. 
• He doesn't keep himself fit but is quite skinny and tall.
•  He moved out of his parents house when he was 25 years old. 
• He listens to 70's progressive rock because that is the music he grew up with and doesn't understand the music of today. 
• His parents were well off and paid for his university fees. He went to a modest university doing a computer science bachelors degree. 
• He works as a IT technician in an office and has worked there since he graduated from University.
•  His favourite hobby is painting army figurines and his girlfriend doesn't understand why he does it.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

This is an image of the camera we have used to film. Th camera is a Canon, in which we used to film the whole of our opening thriller. When we first started using the cameras (during filming the preliminary) we didn't know how to use the cameras, so from then till now, we have gathered a lot more understanding.

This is another image of the Canon camera, taken with a close up shot. 

This is an image of the mac we used, and on it, a picture of our blog.

This is an image of the tripod we used to ensure as to the best of our abilities so that the filming was steady. 

This is another image of the tripod we have used. Again, during the filming of our preliminary we were unsure how to use the tripod, but since then we have used the tripods well.

This is another image of the computer we used to do most of our work on.              

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

Progress report on doing the evaluation 1

So far we have done most of number 1 getting the images to compare to our film. We have done most of number 3 and 4. We are have done number 5 and 7.

Progress report on filming session 1

I thought that our first filming session went quite well, with what our group was trying to show, with all the different scientic experiments. I liked the different ways that we created all the effects with the food colouring mixed with the water. In one of the clips, there is a part of the film where the red food die was poured in the sink, which left a blood splatter effect. I thought that the camera work was at a high standard in regards to our fist filming session. I was pleased with the overall outcome of the filming that was done in the first filming session.

Sound For News Report

We have noticed that when we filmed our news report, the camera picked up lots of background sounds. So we have been looking at ways to get rid of it. We have been trying out using a noise gate on the sound which gets rid of the background noise, when our news reporter is not speaking. We have been experimenting with the use of the parametric EQ to try and get rid of the background sound when our character is speaking. So far, we aren't very successful, because it sounds quite robotic. But the hope is that if we play background music, then the unwanted background sounds will be inaudible.

Results of Font choice survey

We have chosen font number 3 which is the most popular one on our survey and is our favourite.

Questionnaire for the font choice for our title sequence

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Film Name and Fonts used in title sequence

After much deliberation, we have decided to call the film: 'Unfortunate Incidents'. We have been researching different fonts to use for the title sequence using a website called www.dafont.com, which lets the user look through a variety of different fonts, and then download the chosen font. Here are a few we have been looking at:-

News Report

We have been preparing to do our news report for a quick scene in our main task. To give a sense of authenticity, we have made a background that looks like it could be real.

Our news reporter will be sitting in the lower middle area to give the news report.

Certification by the BBFC guidelines

We believe that our film will be rated 15 by the BBFC, and here is why.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour - We will adhere to this as there will be not endorsement of any discriminatory language and with behaviour, our main killer, is brought to justice and therefore there is no endorsement of any bad behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable - We will adhere to this as as there will only be drugs that are affecting our character in a very bad way. Therefore, there is no encouragement.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised - We will adhere to this as there will be no sadistic or sexualised menace or threat.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised - This is adhered to because there will be no dwelling detail that could be copied and easily accessible weapons will not be sexualised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest  terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable - There will be no aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language, so this rule is adhered to.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context - There will be no nudity, therefore the rules are more than adhered to. 

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely  to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable - This is adhered to as there is no sexual activity in the film.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds - Adhered to as the film is appropriate to 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification - There will be no dwelling of infliction of pain/injury, it will be not very gory as it will just focus on quickly killing without any strong, gory content. No sexual violence.

Some of the content on this page was recieved from the BBFC website.

Script for News Report in main task

The News report will have a screen in the background with, in large text, 'London Network News'.

The News reporter will be wearing a smart suit.

For the background of our news report, we found this stock photo, which we could use:

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Communications_and_N_g263-Digital_Earth_p25978.html

To ensure that our news reporter will be always looking towards the camera, and not towards a script, we will have on large sheets, the entire script, that will be held next to the camera, so that our news reporter looks like they are looking at the camera.

'Turns on TV'
News Reporter:- 'At least 5 women between the ages of 18 and 25 have been reported missing in the area of North London. Images have been caught on CCTV of a suspect that is, male, believed to be aged between 18 and 23 that appears to be around 6 foot.'

Credits of our main task

At the start, we will have our main logo come up.

It will then come up with 'Presents, in association with 'Big films limited'

An 'Awesome film production'

Ben Smith

Sam Ruparelia

Amelia Quinn
Alex Pleasance
Josh Beaumont
Chloe Phillips

'Film Name'

Casting by Joey Josephson

Music by Will Hamilton

Edited by Bob Charlick, Imogen Heath and Eva Bobworthy

Produced by Matt Newby, Anthony Govey and Marisa Debarso

Written by Charlie McKendry

Directed by Teresa Green

Storyboard of main Task Version 2

Costume

The clothing that will be worn in our opening of the thriller film, will have to be the correct costume so that the audience knows what is happening. In the location of the Lab, the actor will wear a white lab coat with a white mask. During the news report, the actor will wear a smart suit, whilest reading out the news of the scientific expriments in the army. Charlie would wear casual clothing, like every day clothes, as he is at home, just watching the news with a cup of tea. During the opening of the thriller, there will be a close up of the army uniform, so that the audience will also realate to the army theme.

These are just a varity of clothing that the actor could wear during the filming of the opening thriller.

Location

During the opening scense of our thriller film, we have decided in our group that we are not going to have many locations as any more than 2 scenes would be too much for the first 2 minutes. The main plot is with the main character being tested on during his time in the army. We thought that we should have a scientist lab to create the experiment side to the story line. We will ask to use our school lab for the filming, so after christmas when we begin to film, we will seek permission.

Another scene would be a living room, where the main character, Charlie, would be watching television on a news report. We should film this in one of our houses, so it is more realistic. Once we have filmed it, we will edit the news report into the television.

These are the only two scenes that we should really have, as it would be too much in the first opening 2 minutes, however if we feel that there needs to be another little scene in a different location, when we begin filming, then we should add it in.