Preliminary task, that was really good, As a group we all got on really well with a few rough spots that are now cleared, which always helped during the filming and creation of the final product.
Looking back at the preliminary task, I feel as though my skills have progressed by a large amount, considering I had never filmed/acted in any type of video in my life at all.
For the preliminary task we had to use a number of filming techniques such as Match on action, Shot reverse shot and the 180 Degree rule, in our main product I believe we managed to use most of these other than Match on Action.
Editing the preliminary task... Those were the days when we had no clue about how to edit, turns out it was a whole bunch simpler than we thought it was, however editing the main product still took a good few weeks, overall I believe all the practice was completely worth it however we could have done a slight amount better on some parts of the editing, we had a small talk about taking the risk to improve it and miss the deadline, however decided to keep it as it was and be finished for the deadline.
Being the cameraman, I found myself learning new techniques during filming the preliminary and the main product, such as when panning with a tripod, don't trip over the legs, ill admit it I almost tripped over the tripod when panning around the area, This was just one of the may things I learnt during filming.
Overall I have to admit I did learn a huge amount since beginning the filming of the preliminary task and hope to carry on learning and have a career in the film industry. After 7 activities I can finally say I'm finished... Finally, Thanks and goodbye.
Monday, 13 December 2010
Evaluation Activity 6: What Have You Learnt About Technologies From The Process Of Constructing This Product?
Ok well this has taken some time to get this far, but heres goes this will be mainly pictures of what programmes/technologies we have used.
This picture shows me with the camera, tripod and Mac desktop computer in which we used to edit and compose the music and clips for our film.
This is the programme we used to upload and edit all of the clips and shots, ImovieHD, at first it was alot different and a timely process however during all the practice assignments as a group we all progressed with the stages of editing, Importing was just as simple and plugging the camera into the computer via USB port, playing the film and clicking import.
Garageband, what a programme, it cant get much easier and better than this for composing music, you use pre-recorded clips and add them together to make your own music, We composed all the music on this then edited ontop of the background sound and dialogue in our sequence.
Last but definately not least, Blogger, what i am using to show all of you readers and examiners what I and my group have done to create our media product.
Well only one more evaluation activity to go, I Think I should get on before you all get bored of me!
This picture shows me with the camera, tripod and Mac desktop computer in which we used to edit and compose the music and clips for our film.
This is the programme we used to upload and edit all of the clips and shots, ImovieHD, at first it was alot different and a timely process however during all the practice assignments as a group we all progressed with the stages of editing, Importing was just as simple and plugging the camera into the computer via USB port, playing the film and clicking import.
Garageband, what a programme, it cant get much easier and better than this for composing music, you use pre-recorded clips and add them together to make your own music, We composed all the music on this then edited ontop of the background sound and dialogue in our sequence.
Well only one more evaluation activity to go, I Think I should get on before you all get bored of me!
Evaluation Activity 5: How Did You Attract And Address Your Audience?
How did we attract the audience... Hard one, well lets put it this way the music is the main 'reel' due to the catchy bass and melody, the charaters are then developed from that with either a change of music, the respect they have from other members of the gang.
One of the significant addressing of a character is when Woodrow, the police officer is seen walking out of the shop, there is a very classic 80's cop based song (all songs are made by us on garageband), also his clothing is fairly different to the clothing of the gang's, he has a fairly tight black coat whereas the gang members have very loose hoodies.
Another way we address the audience is the posture of the gang members and their social activities, The posture is a very defensive, yet agressive posture this shows authority yet ready to leave if a larger group/large group of police turn up.
The normal social 'activities' a gang would do are activities such as rapping, smoking, drinking and listening to music, in our sequence we have used cigarettes and what is know as gangster music by other people our age, could also be called RnB or Rap, to address the group as a gang.
Well thats all from me for now, see you next time!
One of the significant addressing of a character is when Woodrow, the police officer is seen walking out of the shop, there is a very classic 80's cop based song (all songs are made by us on garageband), also his clothing is fairly different to the clothing of the gang's, he has a fairly tight black coat whereas the gang members have very loose hoodies.
Another way we address the audience is the posture of the gang members and their social activities, The posture is a very defensive, yet agressive posture this shows authority yet ready to leave if a larger group/large group of police turn up.
The normal social 'activities' a gang would do are activities such as rapping, smoking, drinking and listening to music, in our sequence we have used cigarettes and what is know as gangster music by other people our age, could also be called RnB or Rap, to address the group as a gang.
Well thats all from me for now, see you next time!
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Evaluation Activity 4: Who Would Be The Audience For Your Media Product?
Target audience... well this could be very simple and I could just say teenager's/Gangsters but I dont think that would go down so well when my teacher reads this so, as usual ill have to go into more detail.
Our target audience for this was teenagers getting who started to become involved with being in a gang, also any other teenager's interested in gangster films, This is because gangster films are not only for people in gang's, they can be fairly comical, and serious, for the comical side I believe Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is the right example due to the very comical and hilarious Vinnie Jones.
The good thing about having teenager's as our target audience is that they are very likely to not just go on their own or with just one friend, they are alot more likely to bring their whole group of friends rather than when your 30-40 you may just go with a few friends, however if they disapprove of the film, they will tell people who are planning to watch it in the future it could not be worth seeing.
As I said in a earlier post it must be rated at least a 15+ due to the strong violence, also there is a couple of scene's with things such as smoking which could influence young mind's into thinking it's cool and that will help you be popular and a gangster, which at a younger age, will definately not work, We considered making it an 18+ but due to there not being any offensive language it isn't needed, plus the lower we can get it the larger the possible audience, therefore we shall keep it as low as possible without getting any bad feedback.
As again, I think thats enough from me, Thats all till next time!
Our target audience for this was teenagers getting who started to become involved with being in a gang, also any other teenager's interested in gangster films, This is because gangster films are not only for people in gang's, they can be fairly comical, and serious, for the comical side I believe Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is the right example due to the very comical and hilarious Vinnie Jones.
The good thing about having teenager's as our target audience is that they are very likely to not just go on their own or with just one friend, they are alot more likely to bring their whole group of friends rather than when your 30-40 you may just go with a few friends, however if they disapprove of the film, they will tell people who are planning to watch it in the future it could not be worth seeing.
As I said in a earlier post it must be rated at least a 15+ due to the strong violence, also there is a couple of scene's with things such as smoking which could influence young mind's into thinking it's cool and that will help you be popular and a gangster, which at a younger age, will definately not work, We considered making it an 18+ but due to there not being any offensive language it isn't needed, plus the lower we can get it the larger the possible audience, therefore we shall keep it as low as possible without getting any bad feedback.
As again, I think thats enough from me, Thats all till next time!
Evaluation Activity 3: What Kind Of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product And Why?
OK, to start this I think it should be acted out on the west end, wait forget that this is a gangster film, not a play, in this case I believe our film could be distributed in a lower class cinema, due to it not being the best quality also it would definitely have to have a higher age rating due to violence and some inappropriate scenes for children under the age of around 15.
A thought of a DVD company flowed through my mind but then I came to my senses and realised that we as a group are not well known by any film companies let alone even being in the industry!
There could also be many other places in which to just showcase our film making skills such as in newspaper advertisement and possibly even on radio channels, not forgetting local Television channels and Festivals.
A newly released film, London Boulevard has been showed all over the most popular cinema's in the country, mainly due to advertisement and being launched by a well known label, This film also being of the Gangster genre.
Overall I believe our film opening could potentially be showed in a few cinema's around the local area, but no much further than that mainly due to our understanding of the industry and techniques being fairly basic compared to the other film makers who have, lets say 'Hit it high'.
Well that enough from me for the moment, Enjoy!
A thought of a DVD company flowed through my mind but then I came to my senses and realised that we as a group are not well known by any film companies let alone even being in the industry!
There could also be many other places in which to just showcase our film making skills such as in newspaper advertisement and possibly even on radio channels, not forgetting local Television channels and Festivals.
A newly released film, London Boulevard has been showed all over the most popular cinema's in the country, mainly due to advertisement and being launched by a well known label, This film also being of the Gangster genre.
Overall I believe our film opening could potentially be showed in a few cinema's around the local area, but no much further than that mainly due to our understanding of the industry and techniques being fairly basic compared to the other film makers who have, lets say 'Hit it high'.
Well that enough from me for the moment, Enjoy!
Evaluation Activity 2: How Does Your Media Product Represent Certian Social Groups?
Yet again, more evaluations to do, This time its on how our opening sequence represents the gangster social groups.
Well, the stance used by many gangsters is a very defensive stance showing their authority in the area and normally to show that its their territory you are in, and that you shouldn't do anything to offend their authority.
Another point to make is the clothing, Many gangsters are seen in comfortable clothing such as hoodies, jogging bottoms also known as 'Trackies' these are common gangster clothes simply because they are comfortable, also lets face it, no offence made to any gangsters out there but they are also a whole lot easier to run in compared to jeans.
Another typical convention of a gang is weaponry, such as in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels there are many scenes in which the main gangster characters are seen with some sort of weaponry such as a handgun, shotguns or maybe even a weapon as simple as a knife, In our film we used a fake BB gun, just to be safe from having troubles with the police we informed them we will be using a fake firearm during filming, we planed initially to have a retractable knife but thought 'is there any way to make a knife look fake' just in case the police did turn up, answer to that, No.
The location of our film also represents the gangster group, due to it being a fairly quiet area with many backstreets and routes to escape just in case there is a unexpected arrival of police, which funnily enough occurs during our film.
Well i guess that's enough of me now, have fun!
Well, the stance used by many gangsters is a very defensive stance showing their authority in the area and normally to show that its their territory you are in, and that you shouldn't do anything to offend their authority.
Another point to make is the clothing, Many gangsters are seen in comfortable clothing such as hoodies, jogging bottoms also known as 'Trackies' these are common gangster clothes simply because they are comfortable, also lets face it, no offence made to any gangsters out there but they are also a whole lot easier to run in compared to jeans.
Another typical convention of a gang is weaponry, such as in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels there are many scenes in which the main gangster characters are seen with some sort of weaponry such as a handgun, shotguns or maybe even a weapon as simple as a knife, In our film we used a fake BB gun, just to be safe from having troubles with the police we informed them we will be using a fake firearm during filming, we planed initially to have a retractable knife but thought 'is there any way to make a knife look fake' just in case the police did turn up, answer to that, No.
The location of our film also represents the gangster group, due to it being a fairly quiet area with many backstreets and routes to escape just in case there is a unexpected arrival of police, which funnily enough occurs during our film.
Well i guess that's enough of me now, have fun!
Evaluation Question 1 : In what way does your media product use, develop or challange forms and conventions of real media products?
Evaluation Activity 1
Well in the image to the right, you will see 9 still images from our film, 37 Bullet Boulevard, which falls under the genre Gangster/Thriller, The stills aim to show the use of forms and conventions of a typical gangster film.
Still number 1:
Title Of The Film
This still is the opening title scene, we came up with as much more original idea of folders being dropped onto a policeman's desk, making people think at first its a old school police based film when however it is a Gangster/Thriller.
We chose this still not just because it shows our originality with the title scene, but because it shows the title of our film, 37 bullet boulevard, this is typical of conventions of gangster films, the title also shows the location, which is also alike many other films, such as the new gangster film London Boulevard where the title is also the location.
Still number 2:
Setting/Location
As our location, we chose a car park as a meeting place, the gang was meant to go on a chase but due to active use in the car park, we had to limit our self to the car park, lets face it, we would be in quite a fair amount if one of the actors got ran over.
The car park develops conventions of a gangster thriller because every gang meets up somewhere such as in Reservoir dogs they meet up at a diner, and have a scene of them walking through a car park.
Still number 3:
Costumes/Props
Being a gangster/thriller genre i decided it would be a good idea to have hoodies and jogging bottoms, The hoodies and jogging bottoms both have connotations of comfortable clothing, also easy to run in. The hoodie also has connotations of a sort of shady, subtle and unknown personality.
We used quite a few props, here is a short list of the main props we used :
- Gun (fake)
- Car
- cigarette
All of these props have connotations of gangs, the gun however has connotations of murder, power and authority.
The car, from a gangster view, has connotations, of fast getaway vehicle, however, the car we used, looked nothing like the sort but it was the best we could get, and we decided it isn't the normal getaway car it would just be a car in which we transported large groups of the gang (because it was a large car).
The cigarettes alike the hoodie, have connotations of a shady character because they hide behind the smoke, it also shows the cigarette as a 'macho' accessory.
Still number 4:
Camerawork and Editing
Many gangster/thriller genre films will have this shot type, Its a close up on the barrel of the gun just to emphasise the large 'bang' when the shot begins to fade out.
In our shot the gun is held sideways, to emphasise the gangster's habits and idea's of being different and how they are put into place. This shot is also very in the gangster genre due to the gun being a very gang associated weapon along with knives etc, however we couldn't find a realistic but fake knife and thought it would be just as effective with the gun.
This shot is very common due to it normally involving the main characters, in ours the main Boss figure, Devon acted by will, was the man behind the trigger.
Still number 5:
Title Font and Style
As a group we decided to be quite original instead of just using a normal edited title, we filmed a separate clip in a quite room, made it look slightly like an office and slammed down folders on the table including written by, Produced by and directed by, the last folder was a small brief of a murder case, then panned up to another character (Tom Bates) saying "There's been another one".
This isn't very typical of a gangster film however it shows the view from the police just to emphasise on the amount of murders and fights the gang's have caused.
We named our film '37 bullet boulevard' and the font we used was the same sort as a road sign, showing that the title is also the location of the film.
Still number 6:
Story And How The Opening Sets It Up
The main story line is that the police officer (Woodrow) has raided the gang's warehouse with all their supplies, such as cigarettes, guns etc. The gang pull up in a car park during a normal patrol of their territory and out of the shop walks Woodrow, one of the gang members notices it is him and the fight takes place.
The whole film is based around the gang not being violent to people that have had no problems with them, it's all a revenge story, they are out there to get the people that have problems with them and what they like to do.
The opening also sets up the location for the rest of the planned film, its all around a housing estate with many back streets, and green areas, there is also a gym but when looking at it it can seem like a warehouse which would have worked well for us if further filming was needed.
Still number 7:
Genre And How The Opening Suggests It.
At the beginning of our film when a few of the characters and introduced, the typing used when editing it in seems more like the font the police would use, confusing about the genre until, when a few of the gang members leave the car and are all wearing hoodies and standing in a threatening stance around the boss, Devon.
The shot we used is about mid-point of the film and just before the fight scene which brings in more of the thriller part due to the fast passed music and fairly realistic fighting, the gang member just throw punchs in the general direction of their target, however Woodrow uses slight tactics and hits them in the right place to get them down.
One problem which we couldnt really change was the car it wasnt the as suited to the genre however, we could say that its the spare car that the police dont know is owned by the gang and just used as a patrol car.
Still number 8:
How Characters Are Introduced.
Many of the characters are introduced in the beginning but there is no image of them during the intro, however in the film we have a different soundtrack for when Woodrow (Sam) enters, it is very 80's cop sort of theme, and seemed to work fairly well with the change from a piece that can be associated to gangsters.
The main gangster character (Devon, acted by will) is introduced throughout the film due to his authority and when people reply to him, especially when he asks the Driver for the gun he says "Here you go boss" showing power, authority and respect from other members of the gang.
The shot we used is just as Woodrow walks out of the shop and 'pops his coller' due to the cold, this is also just before the fight between the gang and woodrow.
Still number 9:
Special Effects
We didnt use many effects to be completely honest, we only used a few to dim the first few clips due to being a large change in natual light, all due to the time of filming and discussing problems and how to fix them.
This still was chosen because it shows the edited on credits, and the writting is typed up of what views may think to be a type-writer, which can commonly be associated with the police, again confusing viewers into which genre it may be.
Another effect we used was the gunshot sound nearer the end, we had to search for this off the internet due to inablity to find one on the programme we used for every other sound effect, Garageband.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)