AS Media CourseWork 2019

Tuesday, 7 May 2019

CCR Questions for PT2

1. How does your product USE or CHALLENGE conventions?

(Think sound, lighting, narrative structure, editing, camera work, symbolism and iconography)

Our Film "The Babysitter" uses and challenges the film conventions in many different ways. The opening scene already gives away that something dangerous may occur due to our main actor cleaning a knife; a weapon. This already puts a thrilling sense to our film and tells the audience of what may by ahead. The sound throughout this film does not include a lot of dialogue however music does play a huge roll in creating suspense. I put music into my final edit quite early on in the film to try and give it as much room to build up. This worked very well in creating a suspenseful tone. We used darker lighting in this film to try and create more of a curious feel. We used a lighter, having the actor hold this lighter and not have any studio lights set up. This worked well and looked good on camera even will the dark lighting. The narrative story went well and everything flowed together. The only other part in this film that did not flow well was the part when the actor receives a gun. We did not show this and therefore this part of the film was quite confusing for the audience. The editing of this film was very standard with no color correction, however I did use an after effect of the gun flash. This took a while to do put overall looked well of the final edit. The camera work was very standard throughout the film and did not change much. The symbolism that is in this film includes:

Knife
Gun
Hood
Face Mask
Dark Clothing

2. How does your product engage with audiences?

Our Film engages with the audience due to the different types of shots we did and the connection between the main character and her little sister. This connection is broken when there is a home invasion and the little girls life is in danger. This engages with the audience if some of the viewers have little sisters or other family members. The flash backs that we used were to show the bond that has been developed between the two characters and therefore make it more relate able to the audience, this would help to engage the audience more. With the use of many different thriller conventions we put the audience on their seat. Some of these conventions include:

Dark rooms
Guns
Knifes
Weapons
Flashbacks
Music
Creepy TV noises
Doors creaking

3. How have your PRODUCTION skills developed throughout the project?

My production skills have increased greatly due to this film. Mainly because of the use of after effects and learning how to use that software in order to accomplish what I wanted to achieve creatively. I had to research how to do certain effects and therefore I increased my knowledge in this certain area. My pre-production skills also increase greatly due to being introduced to different areas of work. I learnt more about how to draw up a story board and what it takes to direct. I also learnt a lot about different lighting techniques. Lighting was a big part of this film so that had to be well done. This pushed me to preform better and therefore the overall image looked better, due to better lighting. Learning more about directing was an amazing experience. I got to discover what it was like to be a director and the responsibilities it takes. This included acting, leading, working with the camera operator and much more.

4. How did you integrate technologies into this project?

The different technologies that I put into this film include:

After Effects
Gun Flash
Smoke Title Effect
Masking
Basic Editing

These certain technologies helped me to create the film that we have now. The gun flash took the longest to create and then the smoke Title effect. These took effects were made with After Effects and took multiple lessons and study breaks to complete. However it made the film much more enjoyable and better to look at overall. These two effects were a first time for me so I had to search up how to do them and watched the tutorials for these effects. We used the blue light of a TV screen in order to give the blue hue onto the actors face when shooting. This worked very well and created a spooky sense to the film. When the lights go out the actor pulls out a lighter so she can see where she is going. This lighter looked very good on camera due to the darker background and having the lighter be the only source of light. We also used a drone to get some shots of the flashbacks and also some shots of the opening scene. However I chose not to put any of these shots into my final edit, because I felt like they did not fit in with the genre that we were trying to go for.

PT2 PLANING

Concept:

Our concept for this film was to be in the thriller genre and all of it would be filmed in one location. The idea was that a kidnapper would break into a house and try to kidnap a child who was asleep. However the little girls sister was also in the house because she was babysitting her. The older sister would try to stop the kidnapper and the film would end. The title would be "Home Invasion" or "The Babysitter." Our target audience is mainly aimed at young adults/adults. Our Plot Synopsis went like this:

EWS -->

Over the shoulder shot of MC cleaning dishes -->

Wide shot showing little girl heading to bed -->

panning shot that changes the location to the little girls bedroom and have the MC walk in and sit on her bed -->

Dialogue happens between these two characters and the MC says goodnight and exits -->

TV scene where the MC is watching TV and a dark figure walks past her through the window (music starts here) -->

loud noise occurs and the MC gets up to see what it was -->

lights go out (power) -->

MC gets Lighter to see -->

MC walks slowly to check and see if the little girl/her sister is okay -->

MC stops at the door which is now open (was closed earlier) MC spots a teddy on the floor and a flashlight (MC gave the teddy to the little girl when saying goodnight to her) -->

MC shines the light on the little girls bed and see that she is not there anymore -->

this triggers the flashbacks to occur and we see the MC pushing the little girl on a swing -->

next flashback is of the MC and the little girl having a water fight together -->

Scene changes to the MC rushing out of the house with a gun in hand -->

Next shot shows the dark figure carrying the little girl over his shoulder while she is screaming for help, he puts her in a car -->

the MC lines up a shot and takes it -->

the dark figure falls down as he has been shot in the back -->

shot showing the little girl banging of the car window as the MC runs to open the door -->

The two reunite as the film ends.

Practicalities of Filming

1) How realistic is your idea?

Our idea is very realistic due to the location being filmed close together, having only three actors and not a complicated script/story board. With barely any dialogue the actors will have no trouble learning a few lines and acting them to one another. In regards to editing there is not much different to the PT1 assignment only that we have to include an after effect. This may be challenging at the start, but with some research it is easily attainable.

2) Any Health and Safety Issues?

No there are no Health and Safety issues due to all the shots being manageable and not involving any risk or injury. No actor is going eating anything in this shoot so there is no need to worry about allergies or any food poisoning.

3) How easy will it be to find actors & locations

It will be very easy to find actors for this film due to 2 out of the three actors being related to a member of production. The third actor is found being a friend of one of the members of production. The location has already been sorted because we will be filming at one of the members of productions' house. No other shots will be filmed anywhere else.

Conventions:

knife
TV
Light
Power
Gun
Music
Chase Scene
Close ups
EWS
180 Rule
Match-on-action
Contrast between happy and sad
Lit up house ---> dark house
Flashbacks
3 gun shots (actually ended up being one)
Glass
Little girl in the car (played by Aria Ironside)
Main Character pressing on the glass car window (played by India Ironside)

Tasks/Roles for PT2:

Story Board - Addison
Script - Ella
Shot List - Gilmark
Location - Ella
Props - Gilmark
Talent - Ella
Filming Equipment - Addison
Film Schedules - Addison

Production:

Equipment Check - Ella
Audio Operator - Ella
Lighting - Addison
Camera Operator - Gilmark
Location Shot Set Up - Gilmark
Director - Addison

Our Treatment

A

TREATMENT FOR

"HOME INVASION"

Prepared by: AGE Productions = Addison Saxby, Gilmark Manyere and Ella Ironside

DATE: 30/3/2019

It is proposed that the film will be of 1 to 2 Minutes duration, and that it will be filmed at the following location: 93D Potter Road RD2 Albany Coatsville Auckland North Shore. The reason we have chosen to film at this location is that it is based in a rural area and it is also a very open house with lots of room to get the right shots. We wanted the rural location so we can give it more suspense being away from civilisation.

This Film will include the following conventions of thriller films:

Knife - dangerous item and implies danger.
TV
Light - Low light will force the audience into not knowing whats there and this will build suspense.
Power - Power going out can give the effect of a jump scare almost
Gun - shows danger and also sets the ending up well.
Music - suspenseful music builds the scene
Chase Scene - The chase scene in this film will be very small and delayed but still there.
Close ups - will force the audience into not knowing what is in the background and this can build suspense.
EWS - sets the scene up well and also can give information to the audience about what is going on.
ECU - Extreme close ups can build suspense because we can see the actors full facial expressions. E.g Scared, Happy.
180 Rule - we will have to be very careful when filming this short that we used the 108 rule well and make sure that we get it all correct.
Match on Action
Contrast between happy and sad - this is a very big moment within our short film because it shows a boning moment between our Main Character and Little Girl. It also intensifies how serious this problem really is.
Lit up house ---> Dark house
Flashback
3 Gun shots/1 Gun shot
Glass
Little Girl inside the car
Main Character pressing on the glass
Bonding moment has to highlighted during the flashbacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEGrCLz-q-s

Our Brainstorm:

Party
moody character
upbeat character
shot
kidnapping
knife symbol
no face on the kidnapper (not shown)
music
birthday
contrast between happy and sad (flashbacks)
Flashbacks
Main Character
Family setting

StoryBoard:

MOOD BOARD

This is a good picture to show what our kidnapper should look like when we first see him through the window.

This is what the bullet hole in the car will look like if we choose to use it. This will have to be done in after effects.
|
->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bO0uIemnVQ

This is what the glass will look like after the second shot if we choose to use it. This will be done in after effects.
|
-> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4840RvMZbQ

The gun will look something like this and we will also use a push back motion to give the actor something to react to.

The knife that will be shown when our main character is cleaning dishes will look like this.

We want to have the kidnapper have a mask like this underneath the hoodie to hide his face.

This effect will be used to show a gun flare and will have to be put in using after effects.

->https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsViAvVYoMQ

We want this type of shot to be our opening shot of the house and also our EWS.

To show the first piece of thriller

All of this planning is put into this link:

https://prezi.com/view/Gn7Ld1mqT7WEmEJxX5q7/

Final Edit:

Wednesday, 24 April 2019

Term Break Homework Assignment

1. "Searching"

The plot of searching is when a 16 year old daughter goes missing and her father tries to find her using clues in her laptop.

The opening sequence for "Searching" displays a very good way of establishing who the characters are and what their relationship is to one another. The entire opening sequence is shown mainly through a computerized style. To show who the different characters are there are different profiles on the computer. The opening sequence changes from account to account as we learn more about the different characters. Margot who is the daughter learns how to play piano with her mum. We see this because the father is filming them practicing and puts it on the family computer. This same style is shown all the way through the opening sequence which includes Margot growing up, family activities, emails and the news of the mother having cancer. This shows the audience the first bit of conflict within the story. The film would want the audience to have some remorse for the family mainly because they have seen the family grow together. Now to have one of them with a sickness, it would really make the audience feel for what the characters are going through. The film shows that the mother has passed very well, by using a calendar. The calendar shows a date for when the mother is supposed to come home but is then deleted to show that the mother has passed. The opening sequence then comes to an end by showing the father editing a poster for the mothers funeral. This opening sequence is very engaging because it shows us as the audience the growing of a family. It shows many things a family should go through and also things a family shouldn't go through. This opening sequence would definitely catch the audiences attention to continue watching the rest of the film. The fact that we see the mother pass away also grabs the audiences attention because we want to find out what happens next.

The Thriller codes and Conventions shown in the opening scene to the movie are shown in a different by effective way. There is no set "camera shot" in the opening scene, rather a compilation of "home video" style of footage all packed together. This is very different than the usual montage opening scenes we see in other movies. The audio in this opening scene includes some light music in the background with some computer clicks and also the audio from what is being recorded on the home camera. The music changes from a light happy theme to a sad dark one, when the audience discovers that the mother has passed away. This gives the audience a good indicator that something bad has happened and immediately they give sympathy towards the characters. The mise en scene in this opening scene is very repetitive, but in a good way. The use of family photos of them growing is used often but it does show a lot about who the characters are and what they are like. For example we see a photo of the family together every time Margot starts a new year at school. The family is all together until the mother does not appear. This use of the photo every year also gives us a good indication of how old the characters are, and therefore can show us what they may be going through. The editing in this opening scene is almost like a slideshow which reveals who the family is and what they like to do. There isn't many quick cuts in this part of the movie mainly because we are still trying to figure out who all the characters are. All in all this opening scene doesn't show a lot of suspense or tension, like some other thriller movies. However it definitely sets up the style of the film and who the characters are. This way when the audience does see the thriller side of the movie they find it easier to understand and they have a better knowledge of what is going on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzUDyNo6Dlg

2. "Bird Box"

The opening sequence in the film bird box shows two ladies driving along a busy road. The people around them start to make lots of bad decisions with their driving (red light running) We can see here that things are starting to change and suddenly an explosion goes off. This forces the two ladies to run a red light to try and get away. The lady driving the car then seems to see something on the road and is asking to herself "what is that?" The other lady in the passenger seat doesn't see what the other lady is looking at. Suddenly the car starts to move violently, driving side to side and on the wrong side of the road. The car then comes to a halt by smashing into another car, flipping onto its roof and sliding to a stop. The lady that was driving the car crawls her way out with the passenger following right after. The pair look at each other for a moment before the lady that was driving walks into a truck speeding down the road and gets run over. This opening sequence is very suspenseful and right away we can see that this film is a thriller. The audience is engaged by how much action there is right from the start and also would want to know why people are making strange decisions (like running a red light, or worse, getting hit by a truck.

The majority of this opening scene is filmed in a car so the camera shots are limited. There are your basic close ups, match on match, 180 degree rule, and over the shoulder. The only shots that are different to those are ones showing what is happening outside. Nothing is really special about the camera work here, everything is very basic. The audio in this scene is normal dialogue between the characters and also the sounds of the car and the sounds of what is happening around them (cars passing, cars beeping etc) The editing definitely carries a lot of the thriller side of things. The visual effects team would have needed to create multiple explosions, blood effects, artificial crying, and car crashes. Things effects really sold the movie to be a thriller because of what we were seeing. The mise en scene in this opening scene shows a small town with busy streets, there are crashed cars on either side of the road and small fires and explosions. These additions to the mise en scene really do help with making audience see that this film is a thriller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0-5BWUtesE (little bit of language in this clip)

3. "Get Out"

The opening sequence to "Get Out" shows a man walking down a road on the phone to what sounds like his girlfriend/wife/partner. He ends the call and continues down the sidewalk. He starts to talk to himself about where he needs to go (what street he needs to walk down) As he is doing this a car passes him. He doesn't take notice. However the car then turns around and stops right next to him. Now he notices it. He starts to walk again and then the car slowly follows. This is when the man realizes that he is being followed. So he does a 180 degree turn walks back the way he came stating "not today" The camera follows him as he walks off the sidewalk and onto the street. Here we see that the car door is now open and the man looks towards the car. Then suddenly he is grabbed from behind and is being held in a choke. A few seconds pass and the man appears to go limp (he has passed out) The attacker then drags him towards his car and put the passed out man in the boot of the car. This opening sequence engages the audience by having no cuts and it being a continuous shot. The audience gets to see exactly what is happening and can almost predict what is about to happen. The fact that the attacker drives off with someone in his boot pushes the audience to try and watch what happens next and therefore finish the film. The setting is based at night time as well and this engages the audience because they have to look closer to see what is there and this therefore engages them more.

The camera work in this opening scene is one continuous shot that shows what is happening. The shot changes from wide shots to close ups to mid shots etc. The camera work shows everything that is taking place and what is about to happen to our character. The audio is very limited in this scene, there is very little dialogue. The main character is the only one who talks and mutters under his breath. The only other bits of audio is the car noises and wildlife. The editing is basically non existent in this opening scene because it is a continuous shot however there could be some color correction to make the night scene look even more dark. The mise en scene on this scene takes place in a suburban area and there are houses all around. The main character walks along the path and this is where the story unfolds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsrufxLGClk

Thursday, 11 April 2019

Rough Edit for PT1:

Sunday, 7 April 2019

Representation Essay for Down Town Abby

1. What groups are being represented to us?

The groups in that are being represented to us in this extract are those that serve in a large mansion that needs maintenance of not only the house itself but the those of a higher class that live in the house. The different characters that maintain the mansion include multiple butlers, cleaners, chefs, groundskeepers, and maids. All of these different roles have a part to play in making the mansion run smoothly and that those who own the mansion enjoy living there. It is easy to point out those who are of different class than the rest. Those who are your average maid and butler do not normally have a say in what they are doing, they just get told what to do and they have no input (3:33) However there are some classes in the working groups that do more and manage more than the rest. These people normally have control over a certain group such as the maids or butlers, a good example of this is at the time code I mention previously (3:33) There are also other groups such as the boy in the bicycle that doesn't appear much but plays a big role in setting up the episode (due to bringing in the newpaper) The other roles that are in this extract include the ones of a higher class. We do not see many of them however we do know that they are there due to the bells that indicate that they are awake and would like to be served. This is a real good way of comparing the upper class to the lower class.

2. Are the messages challenging or conforming to what the media usually portrays in relation to this specific group?

The messages in this extract that challenge what the media is saying on a day to day basis may be the fact of the lower class doing all the work and the upper class not doing anything. People could argue that this is unfair labour, however the upper class is paying for the lower class to do certain jobs. The media could also attack this fact by saying that the pay is not adequate for what those in the lower class are actually doing. However modern day media can not really comment on how the lower class is being treated or paid mainly because this is a completely different time period and many things have changed since then. By watching this I did not see anything wrong with what the lower class was doing, they are getting paid for work just like the upper class does. The media has definitely changed the way we think because most people would say what the lower class was doing was inhuman and no one should be treated like this. However like I said before it is just people doing work and getting paid.

3. How are the 4 technical elements used to send a message about the characters and who they represent in society?

The four technical elements include Camera work, Audio, Editing and Mis En Scene. These four elements can make or break good film. The camera work in this extract was done very well because it shows where the scene is set, clearly shows what the characters are doing, and is pleasing to the eye. The first shot we get is of a van passing through a street. This shot shows that something is coming and the audience may not know what it is. A few shots pass and we get our first EWS of the mansion (Establishing wide shot) This shot shows where the next few scenes are going to be and where it is set. After an EWS we can cut straight into what the characters are doing. This includes showing them waking up, cleaning, preparing food, tidying up rooms etc. A clever way in which the show put all of these things I listed above was by having a continuous shot of one of the maids backs and have the actor walk around doing their job. This was a clever way of showing lots about the characters life and other characters lives. It showed them in their every morning routine (which doesn't look very pleasing) The audio in this extract plays a massive role in give the viewer an insight to what the characters life is like. In the scenes of the characters cleaning and getting ready for the morning there is a lot of audio of the workers rushing around. A few examples of this is at 2:27. The editing in this extract does not include lots of quick cuts mainly because no tension or suspense needs to be built. There are a lot of long shots that do not have many cuts in them and many shots that do. There is a mix of shot variation in this extract there is a bit of everything in it. The mis en scene of this extract is done very well and shows the setting off. Big rooms with lots of furniture and plants are common, this is because the producers want to sell the idea of the audience being in a huge mansion with lots of space. This affects the maids and butlers because they have to walk further and therefore this makes them more tired. Through these 4 technical elements we can see that the maid and butlers represent the lower class and what they had to do and still have to do in order to make a living. All of these elements help the audience try to relate to what the characters are experiencing. From the camera work showing the maids working, the audio so the audience can listen the sounds of cleaning, the editing to show different areas of work, and the environment that the workers have to work in (mis en scene)

4. How do the 4 technical elements work together to create meaning?

The 4 technical elements create meaning in this extract because they show what the characters have to go through on a day to day basis. The camera work in the scenes showing the maids work is much different to the camera work showing the upper class waking up. The camera often shows the maids working hard and fast and then shows the upper class doing things slowly and without much effort. The audio when the maids are being shown is very up beat and quickly paced however when the upper class is show the audio is much quieter and slower paced. This shows a contrast between the two classes and helps the audience understand the differences. The editing when showing the workers may have very fast cuts and little screen time to different actors however the upper class shows longer shots and gives more time to the actors playing the upper class. The editing in this extract includes a comparison to the workers and upper class by showing what the two are doing a the same time. One is working hard away cleaning or cooking and the other is just rolling out of bed. The mis en scene is also a good way of comparing the two classes. There is one scene showing the bedroom of two maids, they are sharing one room and both their beds are single beds (small). The other shot shows the upper classes bedroom and we can see that there is more space, just one person in the room, and has a bigger bed. These points show meaning between the two classes through the 4 technical elements.

Tuesday, 2 April 2019

A