Jakes evaluation

Evaluation

1- When we were making our thriller opening, we wanted to create enigma. We created this by using restricted narration. This was so the audience would want to continue watching our thriller.

We saw this in the thriller openings we studied earlier in the course. When we watched these openings we saw thy used restricted narration when they wanted to create enigma. I saw examples of this in the thriller openings i studied in the first pat of the coursework ,and if used effectively gave enigma to the sequence. Examples i saw this in was Silence of the lambs where the protagonist was working for something, however the audience did not know what was happening therefore creating enigma.

 I also studied The Bourne ultimatum. In this we see the protagonist running from the police when we have no idea what he has done for this to happen to him. We also didn't show the antagonist to allow the audience to be creative with who our protagonist is running from and also creating enigma for who the main antagonist is.

When filming we tried to make our actor keep his head down. This is so the audience would not see his face until he was found on the ground. This is to keep the audience from knowing much about him until they see what situation he is in.We also tried to keep the protagonist in the middle of the shot to make him the focus and seem the most important as he is crucial to the story line of our thriller.

Although our protagonist is a 'good guy' we used iconography and gave him in dark clothes as costume to symbolize that he has a dark past making the audience want to know how he ended up there.we used low key lighting to complement what was happening in the scene when our protagonist was in the woodland. This was as it was a dramatic scene and the low key light was complementary to it.

With hair and make up we used a minimal amount as our protagonist was meant to look like he was going about his regular day, however we did move his hair to the center more to cover his face making him more mysterious. We also used make up when our protagonist was on the floor. We used make up to make him appear more white to make him appear dead, also we used fake blood to give the same illusion.

                                 
B) For our titles we decided to keep it simple and start with our logo in white on a black background. This is so it is very clear who the producers are. It then fades to black and our first scene begins. On this we put the name of our thriller "Vengeance" this is so that the audience would be focused on the middle of the scene for our protagonist running over it. This could slightly shock the audience as it goes from being calm and peaceful to the chase starting. And as the chase begins the title fades into the shot diverting the attention of the audience to the chase.

C) In this screen shot from our opening, you can see that the protagonist lay seemingly dead or extremely injured. This makes the audience wonder what has happened and therefore created enigma.

In a later shot we used a POV. this is to make the audience feel more involved with the scene and see how terrified the protagonist would be and wonder how he got into that situation.

I took inspiration from seven when we were filming for the enigma it creates within the first few minutes. In this picture we can see blood and words coming onto the screen making the audience be confused and therefore creates enigma.

Once again, in the Bourne ultimatum we can see that the protagonist is running from the police. However the audience are unaware what he has done and therefore creates enigma. I took this into consideration and  put it in our own interpretation within our opening.


2- In our opening we used a male actor as it was the most accessible to us to film as the protagonist was a group member, however we also thought it would be best to use a male character as it is a gender stereotype that males are more involved with  trouble making  therefore fitting in with our story line.

When selecting our protagonist we tried to choose someone who appeared older. This is where Callum came in as not only is he 18 he looks much older than others within our age group and due to his facial hair, we could make him look older with make up.

We made our protagonist look as if he was from the lower class as we dressed him in a hoodie and trackies. This was to make it look like he did not have much money and would therefore do regrettable things for money and could suggest this to the audience as they watch the opening. However by doing this we are assuming that people believe this and have social stereotypes towards people like that.

In our chase scene, we showed the protagonist entering a car and driving off. After this another car enters and is running from another person. In this you can see that the protagonist is running and is therefore the other person is in control of the situation.

Later in the opening we used a POV of someone in a vendetta mask who has appeared to capture the protagonist. Although we don't know if he is in a higher class, we inferred to the audience that the man in the mask is very much in control of the situation and has power over the protagonist like in the earlier scene. Also here we tried to make the audience feel empathy for the protagonist as he is in a  hostage situation and also makes the audience feel scared because the protagonist is in a bad situation.


3- A company who would possibly distribute our thriller is an indie company as our thriller is a low budget distribution company. This means a smaller company could possibly advertise it for us. They could possibly get our film onto sites for indie producers or even a few small cinema screens or internet sites.

 A way to have this done is to go to events such as indie wire and pitch our thriller to distributors. However by doing this it would make us lose a large percentage of the revenue generated by the thriller. This means that we could decide to advertise it on our own. This would mean there would be less awareness about our thriller but  more profit would be made as a  private distributing company would not be needed to be hired.

Companies such as dog woof. Another way it could be distributed is through websites which allow users to watch it for free however, it would spread awareness and allow merchandise to be sold to generate revenue. Examples of this consist of YouTube,Vimeo and Netflix which allow people to possibly get awareness.

4- When creating our opening we were targeting a more mature audience as our plot is quite complex and is filled with enigmas making the audience have to think what is happening rather than it being plainly given to the audience. However it could be targeted towards teens as it has a minor amount of gore or violence meaning the age rating would be lower compared to if it did have violence in it.

We were not targeting any gender however it could appeal to men more as it has some action with a chase and has some blood and gore within it which may not appeal to women contrary to what men could want in a thriller.

We were going for something along the lines of the Bourne series as although it is a thriller it still has some instances of action to keep the story fresh and keep the audience engaged. I also took inspiration and targeted people who liked the night manager as is had moments of action and a lot of restricted narration and enigmas much like our opening.




5- When making our film we took into consideration what would make people want to watch and continue to watch our opening. Therefore we came up with something to get the audience hooked and then left an anonymity to the protagonist making the audience want to continue watching. This can be seen by our car chase at the beginning and the close up of the protagonists face with blood on it as he wakes up making the audience wonder what he is going to do making them want to continue watching.

We incorporated flashbacks throughout a long shot of our protagonist laying on the ground. This is to make the audience want to continue watching to see what happens next. Throughout this we used a heartbeat sound to make them think he is still alive as he is crucial to our opening.

The way we used costume was to dress the character in a way in which the audience could relate to him therefore making the audience be more able to relate to him.




6 - Since we began creating our film i have learn much about the technologies used in the production of a film. To begin, before we begun, i did not know much about the cameras used. However now i know about white balance, ISO, and what F scale is. This gives me a greater understanding of the difficulties of using cameras and how to use them the most efficiently.

I also had to use the MACs to edit. Before this, i had not used MACs and it was a learning experience to use them to edit our opening. I learnt how to use garage band and final cut pro. I also learnt how to use Photoshop when we created our logo which the skills could be transferable to other areas.

I also learnt how use the audio equipment. This involves setting up the mic and the right sound level and hooking it up to where it is needed.



7- Since our preliminary, we have had changes to our group since a person left. This meant there was a larger work load placed on each person within the group. However, this meant each persons input could be more involved with the development of the thriller opening. This also meant we had more preparation and less trouble with meeting up and filming. It also meant each person had to use the equipment more and do more meaning our understanding of the equipment was higher than if there was more of us.


 Each person in the group was responsible for different parts. For example Tony was our camera man as he does photography meaning he will know more about cameras and who they work than others in our group. Me and Callum were responsible for the sound editing, we searched the internet for copy right free sounds and music to use within our opening. We used multiple websites to find these sounds. We also attempted to make some Foley sounds however we found sounds which sounded better on the sound websites we used.

When doing the preliminary we used rented equipment from the media room. This meant that we were unfamiliar with the equipment and therefore couldn't use it to its fullest potential and we came across some issues with it However in our final piece, we used our own equipment. This meant we knew how to use it and that we would be less likely to face any problems with it.


In the prelim we had a large issue when our audio equipment did not pick up any sound. This meant that we had to do Foley sounds for the whole thing which made some of the dialogue seem out of place.due to this we decided to go overboard with mics. We had 2 mics one on the camera and one held by myself to record ambient sound.


In our opening, we used flashbacks this was presented by Tony putting a vignette boarder on the shot so that the audience would know when the flashbacks are happening so they don't lose track of what is happening. When we were filming we went through different settings. This meant sometimes the brightness was dramatically different, This meant that in post production we had to adjust the brightness of the shot so we didn't break continuity. Also, the duration of the film was much better. This is due to the management we had when filming. We had a much clearer idea of what we wanted to produce in our final piece compared to the prelim and reaching the required time unlike in the prelim.

<-- Vignette 

Also, In the preliminary task we had an issue when editing. This is because we had to decompress each video file we wanted to use as it was too large of a file. Luckily we learned from this and compressed all of our files before we needed to edit to save time and be mpre productive in our editing sessions.

Title sequences

Title sequence analysis

1989 Batman

As the sequence begins, we see the movie producers and some of the cast. As this is happening, we see a dark place which the camera is panning around in long smooth motions. This makes the audience wonder if its the iconic bat cave or Gothem city. We are then confronted wth bold yellow text giving us the two colours of batman symbol black and yellow. It then pans out whilst continuing to display the yellow writing showing the batman symbol and finally showing the director upon the batman logo.

Star wars IV: A New Hope


The sequence begins with the producing company and continues on to Clearly state the title of the film. The title in in bold yellow text making it clear to the audience and giving contrast to the black background with stars, By using this background they make the audience wonder if the movie is going to be set in space or not. Following this, there is a large paragraph or text which is scrolling up the screen allowing the audience to read it and get information about the film before it begins.

Audience feedback

Once we have completely finished our filming, we are going to show the unedited clips to fellow media students and film students and act what they think. We will do this to improve our footage and see if anything needs to be changed. We will also show them our storyboard and how we plan to edit the shots . This is to see if our goal of creating enigma is achieved and if it sounds interesting or, if anything should be done another way .

Availibility to film

Availability to film

With filming some scenes, we need certain weather so that we don't break continuity. This means we are unable to film some days as it is too sunny or gloomy. We are trying to film as much as possible however, we all work meaning possible filming time is lowered and we also need to get our actors out of the group to be able to film meaning a lot of planning is needed before we go and film.

We also need to consider what the weather was like the day before as the ground in the wooded area could still be wet meaning we could drop the equipment or slip and hurt ourselves.

Changing our Storyboard

Changing our Storyboard

When we first began planning our opening, we planned to have a scene within a hospital where our protagonist first came out of a coma. However we were unable to gain access to a hospital this meant that we had to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new idea for this scene. We came to the conclusion to use a woodland area to make it seem like the character was left there by someone and we plan to have the same idea of waking up from being knocked out for a long period of time. We also planned to have a heartbeat monitor bleeping to start flashbacks, however because of the scene change we are going to use a heartbeat instead.

Pre-production planning

Costume

Within our opening we will be using different types of costume for different characters and
scenes. This is so that the audience can begin to come up with ideas about what type of
person the character is and what they are doing. We plan to buy a hospital gown to show the
audience that our protagonist is injured and is being attended to in a hospital. This suggests
to the audience that he has been injured and needs to be cared for.

We also plan to have casual clothes to show that the protagonist was going
about his regular life when he was ambushed.
We will also have hoodies,bandannas and hats for a flashback of the protagonists memory to

show he could have been involved with some bad people.
We will use a vendetta mask. This is to make the character anonymous.

Composition
When planning our opening we took into consideration our location and if we could get
permissions to film where we planned. Therefore we decided to use a lot of close ups and
extreme close ups. This would also make the audience look at our protagonist and what
state he is in.
When doing flashbacks, we also planned to use point of views to make the flashbacks more
realistic and be able to show information about the story line.
We will also use a focus pull to a weapon to make it seem important.
We placed our protagonist in the middle of the shot in running scenes to show the audience who the main character is without them having any prior knowledge.

Continuity Editing
180 degree rule, SRS, and match on action will be used as much as possible. When making
the storyboard we discussed when and how we would implement them into our opening.




Sound planning
We plan to use sounds from garage band and creating our own folly sounds. This is so that we can get the perfect sound for each shot that we want to have. We will have sounds of a heartbeat
 monitor, a car and fire just to name a few.
We will use a rode mic to record ambient sound an an external mic for dialogue. However if needed, we could do voice overs with the rode mic as it has good recording quality.


Experiments And Rehearsals

When recording we will try different techniques to see what works in our opinion. We will use the storyboard however, if we think something else would be better or we need to change something we would.

Permissions

For filming we will need the permission to film on private property. For proof of permission
we will upload an image of an email,letter or text threads or, a telephone call with the
company whose permission we need to be able to film there. Two group members also called up the Queen Victoria who said there was a possibility we could film there.
Although the Queen Victoria did not allow us to film due to connection with the Burswood Hospital. However, if we are unable to use a hospital, we will change our storyboard a little to be a woodland area to simulate being kidnapped. This would more than likely be owned by the council however if it is owned privately we will have proof of them allowing us to film.

Audience Feedback

When we plan we will ask for ways to improve from people with experience of thrillers and
media studies as a subject. This includes teachers, classmates and current and previous film
or media studies students.

Research task movie 4 (Se7en)

Se7en

In the first scene, we see a close up of a book. This creates enigma as the audience does not know the significance of it yet. The titles are also at an angle and flickering with non diegetic sounds which appear to be distorted. This is used to make the audience know what type of film it is and would make them uncomfortable.

In the next shot there is a close up if two decrepit hands. This connotes that a character is deformed. One hand appears to be lighter than another suggesting someone is torn between two realities a dark path and a lighter one.

In the next shot there is a close up of a man cutting off the skin from his finger tips. This could be so people cannot find his finger tips on things. This connotes that he is a secretive and mysterious person. The props in the sequence also make it seem as if he is a photographer or a detective. This is as he has a lot of photographic equipment and a lot of files which could give the audience information on the character. There is also dark lighting connoting a mysterious and dangerous atmosphere.

After this, there is a close up of someone censoring something. It appears that they are censoring anything unholy. This could mean they are very religious and don’t believe in unholy things. However it could also be him marking the errors in human ways and what he thinks is wrong in society. This also explains why he is in a dark room room segregated from others. This is also linked to another scene of someone removing “god” from a note. This connotes that he does not believe there is a god so he wants to remove it or, he has a god complex where he thinks he is god.

After this there is a close up of the character crossing someone out and then the image turns red and then the message “this will be you” come up individually. This connotes that he has killed someone and is crossing then off of some kind of list. This links to the god complex where he believes he gets to decide who lives and dies. This also suggests that he will not be stopping any time soon connoting he wants to kill everyone.

In the next shot we see someone with something through there head. And after a few shots we see the character putting hair into a bag in front of a picture of a child. This suggests that he takes pictures of those he kills as mementos and takes something of theirs.

In the next shot there is a tracking shot of a shelf of folders. The audience can infer that these are folders containing information of those he has killed. This connotes that it his obsession and he has many issues and makes the audience feel unsafe.

Throughout the scene, the character has been kept anonymous. This could be used to create enigma or could be foreshadowing future events which happen due to the story line.  

Research task movie 3 (Silence Of The Lambs)

Silence of the lambs

To begin the shot there is a fade into an establishing shot of some trees without leaves. This tells the audience what time of year it is giving them more information of where the scene is set. The fog in the background also looks mysterious making the audience wonder what is going to happen next.

In the next shot the camera pans down to show a women running up a hill. A high angle was used to make her appear small and weak. Non diegetic music was also used whilst panning and as she gets higher up the hill there is a crescendo. This makes the audience think something bad is going to happen. There is also diegetic sound of an eagle making the surrounding area seem deserted and the girl is alone.

There is more diegetic sound when the women is breathing heavily. This connotes that she has been exercising and is tired. However she continues running showing that she is strong willed.

When she reaches the top of the hill, we see that she is wearing a F.B.I jumper. This shows the audience that she is a part of the F.B.I and is training for it. In this scene there is also a lot of sweat on her jumper. This connotes that she has been working hard and links back to the idea of her being strong willed.

There is a tracking shot from behind the women as she is running. This is so that the audience feels more involved with the shot. There is also non diegetic sounds as she runs into the fog making it more mysterious.

After this there is a close up of the womens feet as she is running. This makes the audience see how fast she is actually moving. There is also diegetic sound of her feet hitting the ground and her puffing, allowing the audience to know how quiet the surrounding area is and how alone the women is. As she is running the diegetic sound of the leaves crunching underneath her feet also tells the audience what time of year it is and where the scene is set.

In the next shot there is a close up of the womens face. This is used to show the women is focused on what she is doing. Then there is a tracking shot of her until she reaches a cargo net. This makes the audience think that she is taking part in an assault course for the F.B.I. She then climbs up the cargo net. A mid shot was used so the audience could see her struggling connoting that she is tired.

Research task movie 2 (Bourne Ultimatum)

Bourne ultimatum

In the first shot we see a close up of the ground with a fast paced walk. By this we can infer that the character is rushing from something. This shot connotes that it is in a cold country we can see this as the ground is snowy. We also hear non-diegetic sound of the music which is also fast pace and sharp, quick cuts connoting a chase scene.

In the next shot we see a long shot. This makes us see more of the character allowing us to see more of what is happening within the scene. The character also appears to be wearing all black clothes. This suggests that he wants to be unseen by anyone and has a dark personality. The character also appears to be limping; this further suggests that the character is running from something with a sense of urgency as he is continuing to run although he is injured. We also hear the diegetic sound of police cars connoting that he is running from the police.After this it pans to the train station and shows how busy it is. This also allows us to see more of the setting giving us greater knowledge of the environment and where the scene is taking place.

In the next scene we see police officers rush out of their cars and the diegetic dialogue to each other whilst attempting to chase the character. This connotes that the character has done something wrong and is a threat.

After this we see the character jump off a train in an attempt to escape the police. We hear a diegetic cracking sound. This connotes that he has further hurt his leg in the pursuit and we also hear the character cry out in pain. This suggests to the audience that the character is in intense pain and he is desperate to get away as although he is in pain, he continues running.

In the next scene we see an establishing shot which then zooms in to focus on a door. This connotes that the character is attempting to get to that room unseen. The main character then enters a medicine room. This makes the audience wonder why he has this room and connotes that he has done something similar before. He then begins to rush around with a sense of urgency as if he has limited time. This suggests that he needs to find some medicine to help with his injury.

In the next shot we see him pull out a gun and place it in the sink. This connotes that he is a dangerous man and could have shot someone explaining why the police are pursuing him. After this, we see the main character attend to a gunshot wound. This makes the audience wonder why he has this and how he got it.

In the next shot we see the main character losing a lot of blood and begins to see oversaturated and slow motion images. This connotes that they are flashbacks to his past. After seeing these he shakes his head suggesting he want to forget his past.

In the next shot we see the two police officers enter the medicine room where the main character is. Through the diegetic dialogue we can tell that the main character is resisting the commands of the officer and then he turns and knocks out one of the police officers and points his gun at another. Through the diegetic dialogue we can find that our main character is merciful as he states “my argument is not with you.” This connotes that he is after a certain target and does not want to hurt or kill anyone he does not have to.

Research task movie 1 (The Hurt Locker)

Hurt Locker

In the first scene it begins with shot quick cuts and a establishing shot. In this shot we see what looks like a dessert which suggests that it is set in a middle eastern country. There is also diegetic sound with an alarm suggesting that an evacuation is taking place .

In the next shot, we see the evacuation. Long shots are used to give the audience a better understanding of the environment where the scene takes place. The clothes they are wearing also suggest that they are in a middle eastern country and there is also text at the bottom of the screen telling the audience where it is set. The non diegetic sounds of shouting and chaos add to the urgency of the evacuation.

In the next shot, there is an extreme long shot suggesting a chaotic atmosphere similar to the previous scene of the evacuation. The diegetic sound of car horns adds to the chaos and urgency of the evacuation and controls how we as an audience see and think is happening. Then, the camera zooms and pans onto what seems to be a robot. The camera movement is irregular as if it is done with military equipment such as a sniper scope or binoculars as it is shaking adding a sense of knowing which you could associate with the army.

In the next shot we see more people being evacuated. This suggests that it is affecting everyone. However, a few shots after we see a mid shot of what appears to be a man not co-operating with the military. By this we can assume that he has very little except his store and if he was to leave he could potentially lose his stock and be left with nothing.

In the next shot, the military truck fills up the whole shot. This suggests that the truck is very large and that a large disturbance has happened as you would not usually see this kind of military vehicle.

The diegetic dialogue of the soldiers and the fast cuts adds to the sense of urgency. The shaky camera makes the audience feel as if they are in the POV of a solider and in the midst of the action.

Once we see the soldiers get out of the truck, we then see what look like another POV of a different solider or a civilian. By doing this we see the action from different perspectives adding to the chaos as it suggests that it is everywhere and affecting everyone. After this there is a quick zoom out and pan which continues to suggest that someone is watching the soldiers.

After this, we see a POV very close to the ground and shaking. The diegetic sound of the ground crunching beneath makes the scene seem unsafe. This combined with the diegetic sound of voices and livestock suggests that there is a full evacuation and the area is unsafe for anything.

After this, there is an extreme close up of two soldiers. This suggests to the audience that the task they are doing is very difficult and requires intense concentration. In the next shot, we see a close up of one of the soldiers. It then cuts to a POV of some people looking at what they are doing and then returns to the soldier and then returns to a POV of another group of people also watching him. This makes the audience believe that the soldier is suspicious of the people watching as they are standing and watching them as they approach there objective.