Group: Candidate Numbers

Jamie Surgenor: 6271

Tom Bennell: 6072

Elliot Noble: 6230

JS: Evaluation Questions 1-7

http://prezi.com/34yjolyijm37/media-studies-evaluation-questions-1-2-3-and-6/

http://prezi.com/qfxljdsaldn-/group-questions-4-5-and-7/

EN: Group 5 Question 7

Group: Group Tasks

http://twgsbmedia12asgroup5.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/js-evaluating-preliminary-task.html http://twgsbmedia12asgroup5.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/group-wilderness-wood-reflection.html http://twgsbmedia12asgroup5.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/tbfinal-piece.html http://twgsbmedia12asgroup5.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/tb-reccie.html http://twgsbmedia12asgroup5.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/group-pitch.html http://twgsbmedia12asgroup5.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/group-pitch-treatment.html

TB:Final Piece

JS: 20/4/12

In recent days, myself and other group members have been finalisng our evaluations ahead of todays deadline. This has involved using prezi for answering the questions, which is makes our work look professional and presentable. To use this ICT effectively will satisfy a part of the criteria on the mark scheme for the evaluation.

Group: Media Evaluation Questions 4,5 and 7

http://prezi.com/qfxljdsaldn-/group-questions-4-5-and-7/

EN: Media Studies Evaluation

Questions 1,2 and 3:

Q.6 What have you learnt about technologies from the process of making your film opening?
Before embarking on the AS Media Studies course I had never used a camera, editing software or set up a blog. In the planning stage of the cource I learnt how to set up a blog on blogger.com and to creat my own posts, using stills and embedding clips. On top of this i learnt how to collaboratively work on a post and to give feedback.
In the premilanary task I got to grasps with the fundamental cramera techniques. This included making sure the camera was in focus, how to record and how to play back our footage. On top of this I learnt about camera saftey and how to stop it getting damaged. While our group was shooting our film opening, I took an active role in the camera work. This meant I filmed many of our scenes using equipment such as the handicam, tripod and the track and dolly. However I did come across some technical issues such as the limitations of the equipment while filming, such as unsteady shots with the track and uncentered shots on the handicam. Our group overcame these problems creatively by doing such things as laying boards down on the ground to make a smooth runway for the track, and even using a skateboard to follow the actor while running (to create a centered handicam shot).
After the filming stage, we moved to the editing and exporting phase. The software we utilized was Premiere Elements 9.0. Firstly we had to transfer our files from the camera onto the computer. I connected the film card to the computer using a usb port, and then copyied them to the D: drive. From there the process was simple, I selected all the files using the "get media" button and shifted them to the timeline. I learnt that the editing process itself was quite a slow process, to achieve the right cutting rate and to cut in continuity. I placed all the shots on the timeline consecutively, made a rough cut at when they should end and start, then make finer cuts after that. What I learnt from the  preliminary task was to add a 3 seconds on the tape before the shot started to make this process easier. Overall I edited much of the final film opening including the fast paced running sequences. We originally put the whole opening into black and white, to connote the time it was set in, however we felt that it made many of the shots unclear, so instead we settled with a slight saturated effect.
On top of the conventional software I also made the score for our opening by using Cubase 4. Here i used several plugins which I munipulated. I added effects to this such as filters and reverb, and exported as a MPEG which I then trasfered to the timeline on premier. From there I cut to fit the film, and adjusted the sound accordingly. I also created special fx using cubase 4 such as a reverse cymbal and heartbeat.
When we felt that our production was complete the last stage was to export it. I did this by pressing share, then computer and changing the settings to an MPEG and to MPEG2 1440x1080i 25, with the share workarea bar only button selected.

Copy of Media Studies Evaluation on Prezi

TB:Evaluation Questions

Evaluation question 1 on Prezi

Evaluation Question 2 and 3 on Prezi

Evaluation: Question 6 on Prezi

Group: Questions 4, 5 and 7 on Prezi

JS: Group Shoot 18/3/12

This was the most productive date yet we have had for filming our media coursework assignment. In Sevenoaks, we filmed in a 'container' that was situated on a barn. This was a perfect location as it was what we had pictured prior to finding this setting. Here, we had many interesting camera techniques/ shots as well as the use of low-key lighting. We can now spend the final days editing our piece and ensuring that the soundtrack is complete, which will aid the tension and drama which we believe will be created in our opening.

The view of the container from the outside

TB: 14/03/2012

Today we finished editing our running sequence, except for the tracking shots which we have so far been unable to do as the equipment was not available. We are planning to do this on sunday along with our interior section of the opening. We are aiming to have completed filming entirely by sunday and can focus the last week on editing.

JS: 11/3/12 Group Shoot

On this shoot, we completed the majority of the running shots, that involve our 'detective'. We used the steadicam frame as our specialist equipment that created an excellent POV shot, that connotes panic and fear. We will soon be editng this, before going on another film shoot this week. At the weekend, we will be using the track and will aim to complete all of the shots, to maximise our time editing.

Running shot featuring character 'Detective Noble'

JS: Lesson Feedback 7/3/12

Tom and I are close to completing our animatic. This will help us to envisage our shots and this will provide us with a template to work on when filming. Elliot is making progress on the soundtrack. We have collectively found some interesting non-diegetic sounds we wish to incorporate into our production; such as the siren/ drone in There Will Be Blood (Thomas-Anderson, 2006), which successfuly created an eerie atmosphere. Furthermore, we have finalised our choice on what fonts we would like to use - 'capture it' and 'rough typewriter' are the two we have chosen from 'dafont.com'. Finally, we have completed our risk assessment and call sheet for when we film this sunday afternoon.

Daniel Day-Lewis in 'There Will Be Blood' (Thomas-Anderson, 2006)

Research & Planning - interim grade

Well done - this blog is a proficient record of research and concept development, with some evidence of excellence. Your pitch was exemplary and clearly evidence of lengthy discussions as a group, with explicit references to how your research informed your concept development. You did this well verbally as well as using the prezi as a visual aid, however the blog does not have a written record of those conversations taking place - nor do you comment on each others posts.

The key research tasks are there (apart from audience research and analysis of results?), however for a high L4 you really do need to be posting more regularly, all 3 of you, using it as a detailed record of how your storyboarding process goes, organisation of shoots, reflections on technical issues, use of camera, recording sound, editing. For example, you post your technical analysis, but don't reflect and summarise findings and clearly state how this process goes on to give you ideas and inform concept development. I also need to see this as evidence during production of how each of you, as an individual, is contributing to production.

At the moment, this is evidence of a low L4 - however I would hope that you would improve on that in the next few weeks - a strong and promising concept.

EN: Technical Analysis

V For Vendetta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCiGyaSPRhI

Camera	Duration	Mise-en-scene	Camera Effect
Big Close Up	0.00-0.06	Focus on TV, plus Big Ben in background	Zooming Out
Mid Shot	0.06-0.10	Movie set style room. Low lighting	Stationary
Extreme Close Up	0.10-0.14	The use of inside of mask, to the reflection in the mirror.	POV shot
Close Up	0.14-0.20	Out side of mask. Low key lighting.	Tracking Shot from protagonist to wall.
Close Up	0.20-0.27	Juxtaposition of lady’s mirror from the masked characters mirror.	Transition from fade from black to a different location.
Medium Close Up	0.27-0.30	Low key lighting of lamp, emphasis on mirror and makeup.	Stationary
Medium Long Shot	0.30-0.32	Low key lighting emphasises light from TV.	Stationary
Medium Long Shot	0.32-0.35	Used in juxtaposition to female’s bedroom.	Still
Close Up	0.35-0.37	Emphasis on mirror.	Still
Close Up	0.37-0.38	Highlighting mirror and mask	Still
Close Up	0.38-0.42	Shot of TV	Still
Medium Close Up	0.41-0.44	Emphasis on Female Body	Still
Mid Shot	0.44-0.48	Highlighting clothes and female character	Still
Close Up	0.48-0.52	Low key lighting, emphasis female body	Panning Up

This analysis has helped me learn what shots and how camera movement is used to establish a scene, as well as building tension while doing so. It also shows how contrast can be very effective in creating juxtaposition and binary opposition, to establish different characters in a film opening. This will help us as our group wish to juxtapose the scene of the killer and the detective.

Group: First film Shoot

Our first film shoot for our film opening will be on 2nd March 2012. This is an ideal time because in the afternoon we have a double lesson, with lunch immediately before. This gives us three hours to go out and film and test various shots. Also, this provides us with time to test whether the 'container' in our school is a suitable location to film or not. If we choose to film at an early date like we have, this gives us time to decide whether our plot can be relistically portrayed, and if we wish to continue with our original plan. It also gives us time to decide if our 'special' shots will be successful or not.

Group: Evaluating Pitch

Strengths: We believe that our pitch was detailed and covered all the areas we needed to. Our main strength was our film research and showing what we have learned from it. Films such as American Psycho (Harron, 2000) and Memento (Nolan, 2000) were key influences for us, and we showed in the pitch how we are going to implement parts of these films into our opening. Additonally, another strength was our plot. We demonstrated our convoluted plot in the pitch and it received a positive feedback.

Weaknesses: Our main weakness was not producing photos from a reccie. Showing these photos would have given the audience a greater understanding of our location, while also helping them to visualise our story. Also, our treatment could have been refined, with the key points to our plot shown, instead of large amounts of writing. This would have enabled this part of the pitch to proceed quicker, to save time to expand on other parts of our pitch

From this, we have learned the importance of planning our work thoroughly. In the future, we will time our presentation to ensure that an even amount of time is spent on each topic we speak about, while this will also give us a stronger indication of how long our presentation will be. We will continue to research thoroughly for future presentations, because this was a significant reason why our pitch was deemed successful by the audience.

TB: Reccie

This is the bridge where we intend to use a tracking shot, following a running detective.

This is the narrow path that the detective will run down after the bridge.

Group: Wilderness Wood Reflection

• From our practice day at Wilderness woods, we have been able to get used to the equipment we might use in our actual opening.
• It also gave us the chance to explore another style of location that we were not considering shooting in. 
• In this case it made us feel confident that we are chosing the right style of location with our choice of an industrial/urban area.
• It has given a chance to test some of the specific shots/camera techniques we are intending to use and see if we are able to include them.
• The only obstacle that was present the day we were shooting was the snow. Rather than see it is a draw-back, we chose to try and include it positively and embrace it is a unique oportunity.
• We were happy with our choice of shots and our location so the only thing we will do differently next time, on our actual shoot is to manage time better.
• Durning editing we will have to put sound of top of what we have filmed. This is something we have not tried in full detail.  

Group: Pitch - Treatment

Group 5 Treatment Of Our Film Opening on Prezi

Group: Pitch

Group 5 Concept on Prezi

JS: Evaluating Preliminary Task

Strengths: In our first filming piece we have completed, we have successfully integrated a variety of shots, as we have all become more confident when filming. We believe that we have successfully created tension in this task, while also concisely revealing the plot.

Weaknesses: Our editing could have been finer, while a few shots disrupted the flow of continuity. Over a period of time and with more practice/ experience, we believe that we can improve our editing skills for our final piece.

Targets for improvement: We would like to use after-effects when editing for our final piece, which will help significant shots stand out. Furthermore, we will aim to have a faster cutting rate for our final piece, because this is a convention of a thriller film. In additon, we will try to find actors who would be willing to play roles in our final piece, because with better actors, there will be an increased realism/believability to our work. In conclusion, this has been a valuable learning experience that will enable us to improve for our thriller opening.

Group: Pitch For Greenlight

Audience Feedback:

Approved Ideas

• Complex but well thought out plot
• Our research and planning was thorough and reflected our idea
• Use of enigma
• Unique, inventive locations

Points To Reconsider 

• Who the actor should be
• Ensuring that there is an authentic film aesthetic
• Filming in the dark
• If the location is in a suburban area, as houses and people would ruin the suspense

JS: Technical Analysis

Sin City (Miller and Rodriguez, 2005)

Camera	Duration	Mise-en-scene	Camera Effect
Medium Long Shot	0.24-0.35 (11 seconds)	The most prominent feature of mise-en-scene here is costume. The red dress is the only thing which is in colour. This makes the woman here appear desirable, like a femme fatale, which is a convention of noir.	Ther medium long shot positions the woman in the middle. This makes the character stand out, as if she is someone of importance.
Two shot	0.35-0.50 (15 seconds)	In a location with low-key lighting, the new male character approaches from a position with light. This connotes that the character appears innocent and may be the progonist.	The two shot represents both characters as smartly dressed, to which the audience infers that they are both significant characters.
Over the shoulder shot	0.50-0.52 (2 seconds)	The female's non-verbal language shows an expression that has connotations of happiness. This suggests that the woman finds the man approaching desirable.	This puts the male protagonist in control of the conversation, as he has apparent authourity over the woman.
Close-up	0.53-0.54 (1 second)	The prop here is a cigarette from a packet. The effect of this is that it draws the two characters closer together.	The close focus on the prop further adds to the feeling that the characters are getting drawn to each other more.
Over the shoulder shot	0.54-0.59 (5 seconds)	The expressions of the female character again connotes joy and pleasure, as she is talking to the male protagonist.	This again provides the male control over the woman in their conversation.
Eyeline match	0.59-1.18 (19 seconds)	The faces of the characters appear lighter. With this, the audience can infer that they both love each other.	This slower cutting rate emphasises that the conversation is the most important part of the scene, as it is the thing that the audience should focus on.

Close up	1.19-1.20 (1 second)	Another prop is introduced - the lighter. This is the sympol that represents that their love might just be sparking into life.	The brief cut to the lighter further reiterates that the focus of the scene is on the two characters and little time is devoted to other parts of the scene which is not focused upon the developing conversation of the two characters.
Close up	1.20-1.31 (11 seconds)	The female's eye colour changes to a bold green. This suggests that she is blown away by the charm of the protagonist.	This shot provides undivided focus upon the face of the female, before she turns away. This gives her increased prevalence despite the male driving the narrative.
Two shot/ slow zoom in	1.31-1.59 (28 seconds)	The non-verbal language of the woman here connotes guilt, as she believes the words of the male where he states her concerns and worries.	The slow zoom in intensifies the audience's focus on the exchanging words between the characters, as the audience feel the first element of tension/ a dark theme.
Eyeline match	1.59- 2.05 (6 seconds)	Again, it is the facial expressions which convey the most meaning in these shots, as their faces show passion and a likning to one another.	The eyeline match empahsises their drawing to one another, as the audience can infer that a kiss may soon occur between them.
Close-up/ two shot	2.05- 2.40 (35 seconds)	Here, the audience can see that when the two people kiss, they are presented to the audience as if they appear in a comic-book. This kiss confirms the audience's generic expectations from a typical comic-book, as the hero kisses the damsel in distress.	Desptite sound having a major impact on building tension, e.g selective sound of gunshot and piano music, camera has great effect also. The close-up suggests passion between the duo, before the red-hering occurs - him killing her. This was an extreme surprise to the audience as a classic convention of noir film occured.
Mid-shot/Zoom out	2.40- 3.16 (36 seconds)	On this occasion, you can not see the facial expression of the charcter who killed the woman (femme fatale), to which the audience can infer that he may feel guilt, though this is not shown. This conforms to a thriller convention that te main male protagonist is 'hard-boiled' and does not reveal emotions.	The zoom out here represents the size of basin city, and how this situation is just one of possibly many more. This creates the sense to the audience that the location should be feared and is corrupt.