Evaluation Q8: Progress Report

I feel that I have learnt alot through this process. Here are the main things I have learnt:

1. The camera and the equipment- I learnt the ins and outs of using the camera and all of its equipment (tripod, lights, memory cards, flip camera). We used all of these to film our bag swap, our prelim, and our final thriller opening. Also I learnt about focus, how to set up right frame, and the 2/3 1/3 rule.We also used the flip cameras to record us talking about something related to our film to make our own video blog and also to record the audience feedback sesion.
2.  Blogger- I learnt to blog, and the ins and outs of blogger. This was usefull because it helped us with our video, we posted research and it allowed us to keep in touch with our group members on research and other information relating to our thriller. I learnt how to post and embed videos, photographs, to change the theme of our blog, and to post blogs.
3. iMac and its programs- I learnt to use the iMac, which to my knowledge are completely new computers that were brought in for this year. Using the iMac allowed me access to programs like Final Cut Pro, Sountrack Pro, Live Type, Quicktime, Handbreak. All of these programs were used in order for our thriller to be put together. Final Cut Pro, is were we edited the clips and put them all together. We used fades and dissolves (although they all might not have been used in the final clip), i learnt about rendering, i also learnt when all the clips are put together how to export them for Live Type and Sountrack so that we could do the sound and titles. On Sountrack I learnt how to add sounds together, and i explored all the different sounds that were on the system that were relevant to the thriller genre, and also how to save the sound and import it into Final cut Pro to add to the clips. On Live Type I learnt how to add titles and change the colour and position and explored the different fonts and again, save it so i could import it into Final Cut Pro. Once finish the editing I had to export the video as a quicktime movie, and then use Handbrake to convert it into an .mp4 file for Blogger.com. Through all of this I used QuickTime Recorder to record all of the things we were doing, the editing, the sound and the titles.
4. Teamwork And Organisation- We learnt that we had to be very organised (e.g. timetable to film, planning and research, blogs, deadlines) and we had to work as a team in order to execute our task succesfully.
5. Theory- I learnt all about the more theoretical side of media. The camera angles and the focus (for the camera), diegetic and non-diegetic sounds (sound and video), titles and fonts (titles), editing, costumes and props which are essential to all videos, to have something realistic and credible and to think well of all of the props used and their meaning in the video (mise-en-scene).

Overall I think it was a very good expirience, and even though many may not see the best editing (we were not that big on editing) or the best story line, I think we did well and we kept in mind that the task was a thriller opening and not a trailer to a film. I think we could have extended it more, maybe hear police cirens or someone at the station talking about the murder but all in all i think we kept in mind what we learnt, we actually did an opening as opposed to a trailer (like some other student films may have done), and we kept it clean, clear and simple opening!

Evaluation Q4&5: Media Institution

Post-production is part of the filmmaking process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, videos, audio recordings, photography, and digital art. It is term for all stages of production occurring after the actual end of shooting and recording the completed work. 

Post-production is, as a matter of fact, many different processes grouped under one name. These typically include:

• Editing the film
• Writing, (re)recording, and editing the soundtrack.
• Adding visual special effects
• Sound Design, Sound Effects, Music, a process known as sound re-recording or mixing.
• Transfer of film to Video or Data with a telecine and Color grading.

As per usual, post-production takes longer than the actual filming. 

Within post production we have exhibition and distribution. This is the final stage, where the film is released to cinemas or to consumer media (DVD, VCD, VHS, Blu-ray) or direct download from a provider. Most films have a website, movie posters and trailers. The film plays at selected cinemas and the DVD typically is released a few months later. 

In our case we have a blog were we keep up to date with all the goings on and with our research. We have also decided to make a website to go with our movie as we wanted to go through all the post-production stages. 

We have done the editing, added all the sound and the titles. We posted our final opening sequence on Blogger. We then decided to use other forms on Social Media; YouTube, Vimeo, and links to them on; Facebook and Twitter. We also made a website for our movie, as we found in our research most films have a website (Our Website: www.deadlinemovie.tk ). 


From this we can assume that our distributers would be the forms of Social Media mentioned; YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Vimeo. The film is supposed to be distributed to cinema chains, and in our case Dead Line was screened and premiered at 'The Screen On The Green' on the 5th of April 2011 to an audience of 180. Lets also not forget that the film is then to be released on DVD (the date of the DVD release is currently unknown), and a total of 200 DVDs will be out. 


In order to reach a global audience you do not necessarily need money as many short/student films have proved, all you need is the best and most accessible forms of social media. In our case we used all the social medias mentioned above and we also made our own website to spread it to an ever wider audience. 

The Official Dead Line Thriller Film Website
www.deadlinemovie.tk

Evaluation Q7: Technologies

During this As Media Studies course we have used various different types of equipment, programs and forms of social media. 

We were first introduced to the cameras and the rest of the equipment; the JVC and the flip camera, the lights, the memory cards, and the tripod.

We (Group 11) had a couple of issues with the memory cards and realize how important they are. All our clips are saved onto them, they are unable to be stored on the JVC camera itself. We used the tripod to ensure that the camera did not shake while filming, which gives the video a sleeker, more professional look. We used the flip video camera to make video blogs. We also used an SLR (not from the college) to take photographs of us when we were filming. 
When we were first taught how to use the cameras we filmed a 'bag swap' which is also up on our blog (http://thriller11group11.blogspot.com/2011/01/bag-swap.html ). 

At the same time we were introduced to the Macs and Blogger. 
We were taught how to blog (using blogger). This was useful as it helped us to keep some sort of record of ideas, research, and to keep in touch with other group members. We blogged mainly about the thriller and things related to it, however on occasionally we did blog about other things like adverts (camera angles), title sequences (fonts) and/or films we had watched. All these things were also related to the thriller but in a more indirect way. After having filmed the 'bag swap' we were taught how to use the programs on the Mac. We began with Final Cut Pro (to edit the clips and put them all together), then we went on to Sound Track Pro (make the sound for the film), and then onto Live Type Pro (to put the titles onto the film). 

Evaluation Q3: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our thriller opening is particularly aimed at women aged 20 to 40 as the storyline of  our thriller is something which catches their attention. It is not necessarily the fact that they may relate to the character but it may be that they feel that they want to watch it because it gives them an insight into a story with a character like this or maybe they just enjoy crime thrillers like Laura (the girl in this video) and her friends. Laura and her friends are students, and with our research most of our audience will be students and older women.   

Evaluation Q2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Alia talking about a movie still

What we tried to do with Dead Line is not necessarily try and represent a particular social group but to explain the story of someone who is a prostitute and a murderer. What we want to make clear is that we are not saying that all people in this profession are killers but we wanted to make a story that would capture peoples attention. With thrillers you don't necessarily have to go with the exact reality, you need a bit of exaggeration, and we wanted to make this character a cold blooded killer. This is a story of a prostitute who kills a large number of people she sleeps with and leaves a scarf as a way of giving detectives an idea of who it is but not exactly revealing her true identity, which is what we tried to do with most of the film and the characters in the first two minutes.

Evaluation Q1: Forms And Conventions

Above you can see various shot from our thriller opening and from that of Seven. We integrated the use of close-up shots that show the detail of the character. We thought this was a good type of shot to use because it hides the identity of the character but at the same time allows the viewer to see something of them. What I mean by that is that the viewer is in a way seing their identity by their hands for example (your fingerprint is a form of identification) and it allows the audience to see things of the character that they would not really focus on if they saw her fully. Also we had our titles to the side of the screen, this relates to both the Stepfather and Seven. In Seven you have the titles in the centre but the go well with what is on screen, and they are not very 'in your face' titles, they are more discrete. In the Stepfather the titles are also to the side of the screen, they are discrete and simple. The title of the movie blends in with what is in the background, it is, like Seven, a discrete title. There shot were the hand is hanging out is similar to the stepfather when the viewer is shown the people that have been murdered, however, we decided again to hide this persons identity leaving it a mistery to the audience, we thought this might make them want to keep watching to reveal the identity of these characters.

Also there is a shot were she is putting make-up on which is a very similar shot to when the guy in the Stepfather is seen in the bathroom mirror when he is in a way trying to hide his identity by shaving,etc. which is what the girl in Dead Line is doing, not changing identity, but putting make-up on to try and show that nothing is going on, she is trying to act normally.

Evaluation Q6: Audience Feedback! (2)

In order to get audience feedback we decided to use different forms of social media. We posted the video up on YouTube and posted the link to it on Twitter and Facebook so that people can view it and comment on it! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrmwjq0gdGg&lc=CIO1JrQPSUnVwflO6QGyJty3s8QM-2X72gOpiahbDt8&feature=inbox

We have had quite positive comments! Here are some screen shots of the comments on YouTube!

Likes & views a few days after
publishing on Youtube

The comments on YouTube

Some of the comments put into a Wordle

Evaluation Q6: Audience Feedback!

Today we had an audience feedback session. We played our thriller opening and got everyone to comment on it both on paper and on camera. After the clip had ended we began a small discussion on what worked and what did not in our thriller opening. Here is the recording of the discussion:

A Wordle of the audience feedback session

The Process: The Ideas

We first started with the idea of a young girl who plays an innocent killer and decided to call the film Sinful Wings. At first it seemed like a good idea, well it did the way that we imagined it turning out. However, what we had imagined and our end product were completely different. When we began editing on a Tuesday, we found we did not have enough footage and our footage was not as good as we had imagined. 


We had to make a quick decision and chose to re-film the next day. Putting aside the issues we had on this day, our recordings came out quite well and we were definitely happy with it. It took us a little longer than we planned to edit the clips but when we finished we decided to get on with the sound. It was fairly easy as we had decided pre-editing what kind of things we wanted to include, sound of the objects like the glass on the table, the make-up brush (also) on the table, and the street, which are the main examples of this. We also decided to have a constant sound throughout the opening. Once we finished with the sound we went on to the titles which were also simple to get done as we had also previously planned it. 


The changes between Sinful Wings and Dead Line:
We stripped away the innocence, but we still needed to use the same idea so we continued with the same character and tried to make her more serious, to try and make the audience take her as a character more seriously and really keep her in line with the idea and actions in the story. She is supposed to be a killer and maybe the wings did not really help the audience see her that way. 


The idea of the tittle:
The hand in the background, holding a phone, is one of a man who has been murdered and in his last moments attempted to call 999 for help. He is already dead and like the Pink Panther, she leaves something behind, as a calling card (which was another title idea) but the idea is for her to leave something in the crime scene that would not help anyone get hold of her or make it harder for investigators or police to find out the story. We have played with the words for the title, dead (as in physically dead) line (as in the phone line) and it could also mean that the young girl has a dead line to mean but also using the other meanings hence the separation of the words. 

FINAL CUT: (DEAD LINE- Opening title sequence)

Here is our finished opening title sequence for 'Dead Line'! 

Rough Cut for 'DEAD LINE'

This is a rough cut of the first 2 minutes of our movie 'DEAD LINE', it does not have sound or title sequences and the editing used in the rough cut does not match the editing used in the real FINAL clip as we decided to change a few things. 

The Editing Process: Print Screens

Here are some screen shots of us editing our clips, adding sound and title sequences to them.

Editing the thriller opening on Final Cut Pro

Editing the sound on Soundtrack

The finished sound for 'Dead Line'

Issues filming for thriller opening for 'DEAD LINE'...

As we had to re-film we could not afford to pay for the same room we had before for the previous film in the hotel. After watching back the clips on 'sinful wings' we decided to change quite a few things and needed more clips. The location was in the home of one of our group members. We used this person's room because she had laminated flooring which we really wanted to use as we thought it had worked well when we filmed in the hotel room. 


So as we arrived to the house we were all just taking about how to film and getting ready etc. When getting the camera and equipment ready we saw that the memory card for the camera was missing as we had left it in college. We tried to get hold of a memory card but we were unsuccessful. We asked neighbours as college was significantly far away from the location, but we could not get hold of one and were forced to go back to college. 


We made our way back to college to collect memory card then went back to the location and filmed, which took us about 2 hours. This time we made sure we had enough clips, so we filmed each part 3 or 4 times to make sure we had enough clips.

Music Choices...

The music in a film plays a very big part. The music emphasis an action. This also suggests the genre and sets the mood for the film before it is fully watched. Automatically when we hear a scary sound in a film we quickly think that it is going to be scary. A unique opening of a thriller movie that really inspired me of the music and sound is in 'The Stepfather'. At the beginning we hear the children singing 'Silent night' and we hear the music behind it, then it switches into a dark slow creepy odd sound when we see the people layed on the floor. Which at first we think the man is all innocent until we hear the bad music. I Think this is a clever way because it does not give much away and puts the audience in been confused in a way in what to believe if the guy is innocent or not.

As this really inspired our group we thought of putting a childish song at first to match with the character and then slowly change it to something very dark, slow and creepy.

Music Choice

Watching other thriller films I've seen that many of then have a peice of music throught the film with sound effects to really emphasise an action.

In the opening of The Stepfather (2009) The character switches on children singing 'Silent Night'  howver, the sweet angelic song is embedded with odd creepy music which portray the characters sick twisted mind.
As it is asthough he targets something innocent and makes it mortifying.

PLACE THE OPENING OF THE STEPFATHER HERE


In the movie 'HIDE AND SEEK' I saw that there was a creepy piano instrumental throughout and maybe the use of string instruments. As the film goes on , the music gets louder and faint voices of the characters re heard but you can still hear the music.

(HIDE AND SEEK 2004)

Music plays a big part in not only thrillers but all movie openings as it suggest the genre and sets the mood for the film before it is fully watched .

TITLE IDEAS

Because we have changed some of the concept of our initial idea - Sinful wings
we decided that the title does not go very well with the concept of our film as we did not use wings in our final film. And also we thought it sounds less appealing when said aloud.
the creative minds of my group  enabled us to find many ideas to choose from such as:
ROOM 3
DEADLINE
RED LIPS                                                                                                  
                                                  

                                                       And so may more.

Our final decision for our title is....
DEAD LINE as the characters door number is '33' and it will made clear at the end of the film.

It is important to not give away the film with the title as the storyline of the film will be predictable and therefore, less enjoyable.

SALT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A THRILLER TITLE THAT DOES NOT GIVE AWAY THE FILM FROM JUST HEARING THE TITLE.

 BY JUST HEARING THE TITLE SALT, MANY PEOPLE WILL BE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT THE FILM IS ABOUT AND WHY THE WORD 'SALT' HAS ANY RELEVANCE.
'SALT' IS THE SURNAME OF THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE FILM. AND IT IS ABOUT A CIA AGENT... NOT ABOUT CHIPS!

ESTABLISHING SHOTS

An establishing shot in film establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects.It is usually  a long shot at the beginning of a scene indicating where, and sometimes when, the scene takes place. Estalishing shots usually use famous landmarks such as; NEW YORK CITY and the EIFFEL TOWER.




We've an establishing shot in our film in order to show the audience where exactly the character is. In this case, she is in a house in a 'posh' area. We then zoom in to a window implying that the character is in the room. There is then a match cut of the character inside the building.

(PUT ESTABLISHING SHOT OF OUR FILM HERE)

An establishing shot is usually short at about  three seconds - however long enough for viewers to acknowledge the scene.

In the film :Wake in Fright  it pans over the vast desert landscape of Australia, with unsettling music to convey that the desert is a dangerous place. it lasts for about half a minute. An establishing shot of this length would be wearisome if it is placed after the film had started, because by then the film should have been established.

(Wake in Fright     Establishing  shot)

Examples of Match-Cuts!

This year in As Media Studies we looked at various edits, but one of the main ones used in and throughout our thriller opening is a 'match-cut'. We have them at the beginning when the character picks up the pills, picks up the glass of water and puts it down, picks up the lipstick and puts it back on the table, picks up the brush and throws it on the table again.
Also when the girl turns around and drops the scarf, we cut straight to the scarf landing on the ground. We have taken this from 'The Stepfather' and ' Se7en' movies, because we believe that match cuts are more common in thrillers, and it helps keep the audience alert. 

Music Choices!

In terms of music and sound we are undecided when looking at music to play throughout the clip, however for small things such as when main character throws the make-up brush on the table or when she walks across the floor of the room in high-heels we are clear that we need to find sounds to represent the sounds these actions actually make. 

Editing progress!

Today, 17th of March 2011, we began editing the clips we have from the previous day we went out filming. We have not had a chance to finish editing the whole movie but we have done a rough-cut of it and feel that at the moment it is going quite well. 

And the 'rough-cut' is up on the blog, it is one of the more recent posts!