AS Media Production

Final Outcomes

2010-03-24T12:20:00.004Z

This is my Preliminary Task Final Outcome:

This is my Main Task Final Outcome:

Evaluation: Question 7

2010-03-24T12:16:00.004Z

'Looking back at your Preliminary Task, what do you feel you have learnt in progression from it to the Full Product?'

Before our Preliminary Task, I was a complete novice to recording footage. This included framing, shot types, editing, using the tripod, working the camera, using the editing program. Everything basically. I probably could of used common sense to work things out, but I definitely benefited from the introductory lessons we had to the course.

We were shown the different shot types needed for our Preliminary Task, such as the 180° Rule, Match-On-Action, Shot-Reverse-Shot. And how to frame the shots properly, with head space etc.

We were also given an introductory lesson or two on how to use the editing program, Adobe Premier Plus Pro 2.0. We were shown how to use all the tools and where to save it and how to load it. For the Preliminary Task, Tim and I edited the majority of the footage, and so we had a head start on using the program when it came to the Main Task.

When we finished the Preliminary Task, we went straight into the Main Task. This was easier because we still had the skills from the Preliminary Task fresh in our memories. This was easier when it came to planning our Main Task, and planning the production.

Filming the Preliminary Task was difficult because we weren't the most confident in the beginning; we re-filmed 3 times. However, in the Main Task, we filmed in 4 parts, and used some footage from each session. We filmed over some footage, but used a little form each session, so each session was relevant and used in the final product. We found filming the Main Task easier than filming the Preliminary Task because we had the practice when filming the Preliminary Task.

We found it a lot easier to log and capture the shots because we had already done it before. It was also a lot easier to edit the footage, and we all had a good go at it this time. We were all in the media lessons, as well as editing in our own time; we all know the program quite well now.

It's not just the technical side of things we have learnt. I have learnt how to manage my time better, how to work quickly and efficiently in a group, how to listen and take on board advice as a group, how to do proper research, which is being put into practice now with our exam preparation. I have learnt quite a few things whilst doing the media course and the coursework, all of which will help me when I hopefully do Media A2.

Evaluation: Question 6

2010-03-24T12:15:00.002Z

'What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?'

Evaluation: Question 5

2010-03-24T12:14:00.003Z

'How did you attract/address your audience?'

Evaluation: Question 4

2010-03-24T12:13:00.002Z

'Who would be the audience for your media product?'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRS_social_grade

http://prezi.com/0am13ij-ve9p/

Evaluation: Question 3

2010-03-24T12:12:00.007Z

'What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?'

http://www.prezi.com/vnanregxnnbo/

Evaluation: Question 2

2010-03-24T12:10:00.006Z

'How does your media product represent particular social groups?'

Our media project focuses mainly on teenagers. There are many ideologies for teenagers; the majority of them negative. For example, one ideology is that all teenagers are moody and laze about in bed all the time. Another is how they all want to smoke and party all the time and dabble in recreational drugs and sex. There is obviously some truth behind these ideologies, and that is how society believes and identifies with them. However, we believe a lot of these ideologies through stereotypes and mediation. The media select the information we are given as a society, and we are therefore led to believe the ideas behind them. A good, comic example of a stroppy teenager is Harry Enfield's film 'Kevin And Perry Go Large'. He just strops about the place whining and sleeping all the time.

Another example is a character called Lauren from 'The Catherine Tate Show'. She has to keep her cool by asking 'am i bovvered?'. This adds to the ideology of teenagers having an attitude and acting cool.

These ideologies are quite negative, but there is some truth in them. We have conformed to quite a few ideologies in our project, but this is because there is some truth in them. For example, the girls in the footage are quite fashionable and this conforms to the ideology of young girls being into the latest fashion and trends.
Another one is the killer is male. He is big and intimidating and has concealed his face, conforming to the ideology of it being a man that is a criminal and preys on teenage girls; we could of challenged this ideology of using a female killer, unusual and it goes against the grain.
We have conformed to the fact that the woman is always the victim. The 'Damsel in Distress' and the weak, vulnerable one, who always needs saving, typically by a heroic, masculine man.
An ideology we have unintentionally conformed to is that the lead girl is blonde, and in danger, suggesting that 'all blondes are dumb'. WE did not mean to conform to this ideology, because Dulcie was chosen to act because she was willing and we thought she would be the best at it. However, it has worked quite well because the other girl in the footage, myself, is ginger, and there are not many ginger people in films. There is always a brunette or a blonde in roles. We could of challenged this norm and cast myself as the lead, but as a group, we thought Dulcie would be better.

There are quite a few ideologies we have conformed to, but there are some we have challenged. The recent headlines within the news and the gangs all wearing their hoodies gave teenagers a bad status in society, as most of these hoodied youths aren't dangerous. The girl in our project has a hoodie on, and so challenges the ideology of hooded youths as dangerous, because she is the one IN danger.
Another ideology we have challenged is the fact a group of girls have gone camping. Stereotypically, girls are not outdoorsy and are really into fashion and hair and make-up. Clearly these girls are, but the have chosen to go camping in the woods, stereotypically a boyish thing to do.

I think we have represented the social group of teenage girls quite well. We conform to quite a few ideologies, whether they were intentional or not. The fact they were unintentional proves the point of mediation; of how we believe what information is selected for us to read. We decided to use teenagers because it was realistic to film and shoot, and realistic for audiences to believe them to go camping and have fun, and get into trouble and end up in danger!

Evaluation: Question 1

2010-03-24T12:08:00.014Z

'In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film

This is the definition given by Wikipedia. 'Their plots frequently involve themes of death, the supernatural or mental illness. Many horror movies also include a central villain.' This is true because any viewer who intentionally watches a horror film, know and slightly hope they will be scared.

There are many different elements to a horror film that make it scary. For example, either having a really graphic, gory film where everything is shown freely, or having a subtle film where nothing is shown and there is a slight mystery.
Both can be quite chilling and both can have a positive or negative effect on the audience, depending on your aims as a film-maker.

We did some research into horror films by looking and the opening sequence of 3 other horror style films; 'Shrooms', 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Se7en'. These films helped us to gather knowledge about the type of shots needed to create a certain atmosphere within the footage. For example, the shot of the girls feet running through leaves in 'Shrooms', or the handheld camera shots of people running away from something in 'The Blair Witch Project'. These pieces of footage both represent danger as the characters in both films are running away from something, and the fact that as an audience, we don't know what they are running away from, it keeps an element if fear and unknown in the atmosphere surrounding the film.

A still from The Blair Witch Project, where the characters are running away from something.

A still from Shrooms, the shot of her feet running through the forest. Disembodied and unknown.

Our Title Sequence

2010-02-28T19:32:00.002Z

This is our title sequence, the final draft.
I am really happy with it and think after the months of planning, we have done quite well. There are obviously some improvements that could be made, but I am happy with it and think we have got a good outcome and the hard work has been worth it.

Script

2010-02-25T17:20:00.000Z

This is our script for our Main Task. Alice, Dulcie and I started the script one lesson, and I finished it off at home. There may be some potential faults as I haven't ever written a script before and did not really know if I was doing it correctly because there is minimalist speech in our title sequence. It was hard to do the script, because in the film sequences I analysed there was a lot of speech and I didn't have much to compare it to.

The script will help us keep an order to our film, and will help us when editing. However because there is minimalist speech in our title sequence, the script will be virtually empty of speech so there is little for the audience to recognise with. This will put a slight barrier between the audience and the characters, but the theme and atmosphere over powers this and so the audience understands there isn't supposed to be much speech.

We based our title sequence on this script but we did improvise slightly, and there are different words used in some of the takes when shooting, however we then decided on the correct words and stuck with them. We had to rerecord the sound and match it to what was shown on screen, so that is when the speech was really finalised.

Location and Set Design

2010-02-24T09:32:00.002Z

When we decided to film, we knew we were going to have to film off site.
We originally planned to film at Alice's house and the forest behind it, but on the day we scheduled to film, it wasn't possible.
So, as ALice and I live locally, we knew of some forestry nearby, so in our Monday free period, we went here and shot the footage of the train, prison gate, pond and running scene.

We filmed the board and dark room scene and bag scene at college, for convenience because we were limited for time. However with the exception of the bag scene, they were indoor shots, so we chose suitable locations within the college.

The forestry we chose was was suitable because there was a river nearby and a train track and random scenery. The location looks quite scary but was a good location to film, as there was more going on in the scenery than just tree's and bushes.

In the indoor scenes, it isn't particularly noticeable that it was filmed inside the college. We had the idea of using the darkroom in random conversation one day, it wasn't originally planned, but made the film a lot better. It linked the storyline and made it a bit more interesting.

Equipment Used And Researched

2010-02-24T09:17:00.002Z

We used a Sony DV Hand-Cam to film with.
This was good to use because they are simple to use and were easy to transport about for going off college site to film. The camera was good to use because we did a running scene, which needed a hand-held camera in order to complete the scene and make it believeable.

The camera was easy to use when capturing and with playback, and was just a good camera to use. I am not particularly knowledgeable on camera's, but from what we needed it for and for what was available to us, it was a good choice.

We also used a tripod to hold the camera still when filming most shots. We didn't use the tripod for the running scene, or some other scene's which weren't used in the final edit.

We used the same tape as in the camera before because this saved money and time.

Actors and Costumes

2010-02-23T22:03:00.003Z

Tim

Dulcie

Lainey

Dulcie and Tim are the main actors in the title sequence. I will have a small part answering Dulcie's question. Dulcie and I are part of the group of teenagers who go camping, and we will find the bag belonging to Natalie Grey. There will be some speech asking who's bag it is and wondering who Natalie Grey is. They are supposed to be a group of clueless teenagers camping in the woods, oblivious to danger.

Tim plays the killer. There is no speech required for the killer, because we don;t see his face and don't directly know who he is. the viewer will understand he is male and tall and intimidating because of his physique, but because of these elements, speech would overpower the subtlety of his intimidation.

We chose Tim to play the killer because he is so tall and broad. The fact the killer preys on innocent youth is emphasised by Tim's physique, which is intimidating in itself. Tim will also be available to film whenever we plan to film, so casting was easier because of this factor.
We chose Dulcie to play the unknown girl running away from the killer because she was the most willing and has the right features for it. Long blonde hair and blue eyes, tall and pretty, and she looks like Natalie Grey, only slightly. There isn't too many similarities but there are some which links the unknown girl to the killer and Natalie Grey, like out of the two girls featured, who the killer was more likely to prey on.

The killers clothes are all dark and this shows how he is a dark character. The girls clothes are lighter and fashionable, teenage clothes. They are mainly what Dulcie and myself were wearing that day because the unknown girls are supposed to just be teenagers going camping, casual attire.

Props

2010-02-23T21:04:00.004Z

We are planning to use some props in our title sequence as it helps to explain the storyline. The most important prop is the bag. The bag with the 'Natalie Grey' tag on it. This bag signifies something has happened to Natalie Grey and her bag has mysteriously appeared with the other bags in the wood by the camp. There should be a really obvious shot of this bag, and of the tag, to clearly show the importance of the bag.

Another prop we are going to use is the board the killer has of newspaper clippings. The board will have newspaper clippings of missing persons and have images. The missing persons are all quite young, so the viewer can make the link between the young persons from the board, and the developing photo. Natalie Grey will be shown on the missing persons board. There should be a close up shot of this so the audience can mark the importance of Natalie Grey and the killer, and the bag and the fact she is missing.
We will also have a close up of the killer circling Natalie Grey, so need a marker pen in order to do this. I think a black one would be best suited as it is opaque and is the darkest colour, and the killer is dark and mysterious and sinister; black is quite a sinister colour.

There aren't any major props to be used in the title sequence. The dark room may use props, but these are the proper tongs and equipment used in a dark room.

The props are strictly Natalie Grey based, so the viewer can make the link with her and the killer and her importance in the film.

Music

2010-02-13T15:29:00.003Z

The music used on our title sequence is called 'Ghostpocalypse 4 Temptress'.

It is quite eerie and chilling, and it builds up, creating a little tension.

We looked at quite a few websites to get this music from. It took us quite a long time, but we found it in the end.

Final Lesson

2010-02-12T23:15:00.002Z

We have finally finished a first draft of the Main Task.
It has been quite stressful. Getting it finished on time has been frustrating and time consuming, but it is done. We added some extra things today that wasn't talked about before, but the final outcome is quite good.

We added some natural background noise so that there was more audio than the music. We also added a scream at the end. This is quite a spine-tingling scream thanks to Dulcie! We re-recorded the audio and edited them back into the sequence because the original audio wasn't very clear.

We did a lot today actually. We put all the effects on. We put all of the credits on. We finished the shots and made some shots longer or shorter. For example, Dulcie Running. It is in slow motion, with heavy breathing as the audio. This creates quite a bit of tension and is good because it then contrasts with the speed of the train later and the Natalie Grey tag on the bags.

I am really pleased with the first draft of the Main Task. Hopefully it is satisfactory and it will be the only draft we do, as I really like it. Our group worked well today. It was hard work, but we got it done. This draft turned out better than I thought a week ago, I didn't think it would be that good because we had so much left to do. But, considering how quickly this week has gone by and how much we still had left to do, I am so happy it was completed on time and that it turned out better than I thought!

Credits

2010-02-12T10:33:00.004Z

I didn't know the order in which the credits needed to come onto the screen. So, i went on to Wikipedia and typed in 'Opening Credits'. This is the list that i found, which will help us to complete the first 2 minutes of the title sequence. Tim and Alice had already done this, and Tim saved it on his 'Bookmarks'. He text me and told me, but I didn't understand the text, and so found it myself. It was only later when Tim showed me that I realised. How foolish.

Common opening credits order

While there are numerous variations most opening credits use some variation of the basic order noted within:

(NAME OF THE STUDIO)

- name of the studio that is distributing the film and may or may not have produced it (Buena Vista, Columbia, Lions Gate, Universal, etc.)

(NAME OF THE PRODUCTION COMPANY)

- name of the production company that actually made the film

- name of the investment groups or companies that financed a substantial part of the film (usually credited as "in association with")

(PRODUCER NAME) PRODUCTION or/and (director only) A FILM BY (DIRECTOR or PRODUCER NAME)

- director's or producer's first credit, often "a film by XY or "a XY film"

STARRING

- principal actors, ( Sometimes the stars' and director's credits will be reversed, depending on the star's deal with the studio)

(FILM'S TITLE)

- name of the film

Editing

2010-02-10T20:32:00.002Z

Today was good in the sense we moved our project significantly forward. However, we did have a bit of tension along the way. Our group did not work particularly well today as a whole, but in couplets it was fine. Me and Dulcie found some more music and i think our group has pretty much decided on one bit of music now. Tim can edit music slightly because he does a radio show and has edited music before, so if this music needs editing, we may be at a slight advantage. Whilst we were finding music, Alice and Tim carried on editing the footage.

After the Media lesson, Me, Alice and Dulcie stayed for about an hour and carried on with the editing. We would have stayed longer, but I had to be home in time for a driving lesson and Alice had a lesson in college. Tim went home after the Media lesson.

Us 3 managed to satisfactorily get a lot more shots put on to the timeline and started putting the credits on. We want to put the credits and music on before we start playing around with effects because then we can see how long the sequence is and what the whole thing will look like with credits and audio on. I think effects should be the last thing, just because it is easiest, but i may be wrong and credits may be the easiest thing to finish with.

I have a free tomorrow, so i will be in Media editing the footage more. Hopefully Tim, Alice or Dulcie will have a free at the same time and we can edit together so there is a second opinion on eachothers ideas, but either way i am hoping to get some editing done.

I am slightly worried that this won;t be finished by the deadline, but hopefully it will be and then we can put this project behind us. It has been quite fun to plan and do, and act in and even watching the footage back was quite hilarious. But it has been equally stressful and frustrating.

Editing

2010-02-08T20:27:00.000Z

We carried on editing today. We have built upon the footage we have already got, and made our sequence better. We have had guidance from both teachers on how to improve it and what the pace is like, if we are using the right shots in the right order, and so far, I think everything is going ok.

There were a few unspoken differences, but we worked through that and managed to find some music to use in the title sequence. The music needs to be approved by all the members of group, but we have time to find more music if this isn't the right piece for our title sequence.

We introduced effects to our footage today, and have decided on some that we like and where we could use them. We are aware we do not want to over-do it on the effects because that would undermine the atmosphere of the footage and make it incredibly predictable and cheesy, but there are certain effects that do look good, for example 'ghost' on the scene where dulcie is running as this shot is already shaky cam.

Editing

2010-02-05T20:22:00.000Z

In today's lesson, we got quite a bit of editing done. Tim was a little late to the lesson, but we managed to log and capture the shots from Wednesday's filming and start editing whilst he was on his way from Salisbury.

We all worked well on Friday and we all got involved with the editing. There may have been some creative differences but we worked through them and have hopefully used everybody's ideas in the project and this will be shown with our Final Outcome.

We wrote all the shots down in order of what we wanted so that if anything went wrong, we had the shots already to put back again. Dulcie and Alice found a list of roles needed to be put into the credits such as 'Director' and 'Producer' etc. This will help and make the credits a lot easier when we finally come to putting them in.

Editing

2010-02-03T20:09:00.000Z

Today we had a little panic. As a group, we decided we needed more indoor shots to contrast with the outdoor running, and so we had to grab a camera and finish filming in the college. Our filming occurred in 4 stages; one second half of a media lesson, where we got some footage of the 'missing persons board'. Once when we went off site and managed to shoot the main scenes of the project like the running and the train and Tim in the forest etc. Another time we filmed at the back of the college field, these are the shots with the bags and the Natalie Grey tag, where Dulcie and I are talking. And on the Wednesday we filmed some more indoor shots of Tim in the dark room, developing some pictures, and of Tim's grubby hands. We also shot some footage of Tim drawing on the missing persons board. All of these little indoor shots will hopefully just break the sequence up and disorientate the viewers slightly, which is the feel of the footage we are going for.

We do still have quite a bit left to do, and only a week and half left to do it. We are certainly feeling the pressures of the project and there has been some slight tension in the group, but that's natural and forgotten about now. We are going to hopefully come and do some editing in our free's so we can move forward with the project.

Logging/Capturing/Rough Edit

2010-02-01T19:58:00.000Z

On Monday 1st February, we carried on editing the rough version of our film. We decided we didn't need to film anymore shots and so we had a little bit more time to edit. This calmed our group a bit as we were getting a little stressed over the project and if it would be completed by the deadline. Tim wasn't in Media today, because he was ill, but he phoned me before the lesson and text the college to let us know he wouldn't be in. This was a little frustrating for the group, because Tim knew the programme best and we weren't as comfortable using it. However, because of Tim's absence, we have managed to get to grips with the programme and can now all use it, which has sped the editing process up quickly.

Logging The Shots

2010-01-29T19:54:00.000Z

Today we finished logging the shots and captured them all on the computer. We then all worked as a group and started on a rough edit of shots. By doing one rough, quick edit, it allowed us to see where the improvements had to be made and if we needed to re-shoot some footage. We have all near-enough been present in all the Media lesson since Christmas,and so we have managed to move the project forward, quite swiftly, considering we had a setback before Christmas and not being able to film over the Christmas holidays.

Wednesday's Lesson

2010-01-27T08:40:00.003Z

We are going to log and capture our shots today, and may even be able to start editing them if we work quickly. This hopefully won't take us long, so the quicker we can get a rough copy done, then the more time we have to re-shoot if we need to and edit the final piece.

We managed to get some good shots filmed in some woods near the college. As we are going to have really quick edits, like 1 second shots, we do have quite a lot of footage to use in the final piece.

Filming Off Site

2010-01-25T18:30:00.000Z

Today we went off-site of college and filmed some footage for our Main Task. We now think we have all the shots needed to complete the task, but this can only be confirmed once we have made a rough edit of the footage to see what it looks like.

Today we managed to shoot the bulk of the project. We left the site and filmed and were back on site within an hour. We filmed the essential outdoor parts which we think we needed, like the running scene. We also improvised and filmed some shots, such as:

- 2 different trains going past, in opposite directions, at different times
- the scenery, such as a pond, and the prison like gate underneath the rail line
- running with the camera just capturing the bushes

These shots will be useful hopefully and it gives us more options on what can be put into the opening sequence. Now we can hopefully log and capture our shots and make sure we have sufficient footage in order to make a decent opening sequence.

Filming The Board

2010-01-22T18:39:00.002Z

Today, we were all here and didn't have enough time to go off site and film, so we decided we could get some indoor shots done.

We filmed the missing person board and filmed me eating fruit. We were told that peeling or eating fleshy food signifies like murder and danger and killing. I don't think we will use the shot, but it was funny to film.

We also tried to do some filming in the Dark Room as it was empty, but as soon as we were ready to film, we had to leave as it was needed to be used by Photography Students.

Filming

2010-01-20T09:48:00.003Z

We planned to film on Monday, but Tim had a meeting which cut the filming time in half, and Dulcie hasn't been here. Me and Alice didn't think it fair on ourselves or Tim to shoot some footage with only 2 members of the group working, so we have waited to decide on another day.

We are now planning to film the missing persons board and maybe a suitcase being packed on Fridays lesson. The rest can be shot next week, on Monday, we all have a 2 hour break in which to film.

Main Task Idea

2010-01-13T09:11:00.000Z

We have decided to go with the camping in the woods idea, with a murderer. There will be a group of teenagers going camping in the woods and having a party. Then all of a sudden a random suitcase appears in their luggage pile and it confuses the party slightly.
We plan to use shots of:

- a suitcase being packed for camping
- the wind blowing in the trees
- a newspaper board in the killers house
- a close-up of the suitcase in the pile, belonging to Natalie Grey
- a close up of the newspaper article saying Natalie Grey is missing
- a suitcase being packed, full of knives
- the newspaper articles of other missing people
- a girl running frantically through the woods, breathing really heavily.

This should be edited really quickly and disjointedly, to sort of confuse the viewer, and to create the theme of uncertainty. This will keep the viewer slightly in suspense and make them want to watch the rest of the film to find out why she is running, who Natalie Grey is, and what happened to her.

We are going to start filming as soon as possible, but we haven't seen Dulcie for weeks. We have just phoned her and spoken to her, but she is not in todays lesson because she has a cold. It has been really frustrating Dulcie not being here, because it means that we cant work together as a group properly. However hopefully this will be sorted and Dulcie will be here next lesson.

Analysis of 'Shrooms'

2010-01-09T22:54:00.002Z

The running scene from Shrooms gave us some ideas for our title sequence. Again, Shrooms has a group of teenagers camping in the woods when something goes wrong and it has the same effect on the audience as the Blair Witch Project did. It builds suspense and tension in the audience, and the audience feels like they are there, with the actors.

The running sequence in this has been cut. It flits quickly to other contrasting scenes in the film. This is unnerving for the audience, because although there is a pace and rhythm to the editing, there is also the uncertainty of them flicking between the running and numerous of contrasting shots like the hands and the silhouette. I like this opening sequence. This sequence if edits is cleverly done and i like how they quickly jump to 'random' shots, although after doing media studies, i see they aren't actually random and are organised to create a pace and continuity for the audience. The atmosphere in this title sequence is eerie and scary. It made me feel nervous and uneasy.

The title sequence in Shrooms has more relevance to our title sequence than the Blair Witch Project did.

The lighting in these shots is all dark and mysterious, with lots of fog, which clouds the camera space. This makes the audience feel uneasy because the fog symbolises the unknown because you can't see through it. The lighting is distorted in some shots which adds to the uneasiness of the audience, creating more tension and adding to the atmosphere in the title sequence.

The girl is slim and looks quite pretty, even though we only see quick flashes of her in the shots. She is wearing normal teenage clothes, just jeans and a vest and a hooded jumper. This signifies the audience where she is and why, because she is dressed casually running through the woods. If she had a prom dress on whilst running through the woods, we would be able to understand, as an audience, that something had gone wrong on Prom Night. She has blonde hair, which plays to the stereotype of the American Dream Girl, and I think she will be one of the main characters.

These outdoor, running shots contrast with the indoor shots of people in masks and wielding knives. These shots are dark and scary because only little lighting is used and silhouettes are created. The actors are dirty and grimy and wearing sacks on their head, so we know there is something wrong with these characters because we know it is modern times in American Society because of the girl running through the trees.

There are numerous of shots of the girls feet running through bushes, which dehumanises her because we cannot see her face. We can tell it is the girls feet because of the trousers she wears and the breathing, it matches with the shot of her when her face is shown. This makes the audience feel sorry for her because she is obviously running away from something, and by showing her feet, signifies she is not running fast enough and may be caught.

The diegetic sound heard is the heavy breathing she makes herself, she can obviously hear it, and the rustling through bushes. The non-diegetic sound the audience can hear is the creepy music. When played together, it creates tension and creates an atmosphere for the audience.

The fast pace of the editing and how they contrast also creates an ominous feeling for the audience that disconcerts them and makes the audience feel tension. This will make the audience want to watch the film and see what happens, no matter how uneasy they are feeling.

The mise-en-scene changes in every shot. It is mainly bushes and trees where the girl is running away, but the indoor shots are quite weird. They flit between close-ups of grubby disfigured hands to someone's dirty, bloody face. These distorted anatomical images makes the audience wonder what is going on and why they are disfigured and dirty. It makes the audience uneasy and makes them feel slightly nervous.

Analysis of the 'Blair Witch Project'

2010-01-09T22:20:00.001Z

We have used other films to get an idea for our title sequence. One of these films was the Blair Witch Project. The opening title sequence of this isn't really relevant to our project, however some scenes are.

From 1:08-1:24.

These are the running scenes shown in the trailer. We have based our title sequence on this because of the tension. We liked the shaky cam effect and that you couldn't see their face; that just their back as they ran away from whatever was chasing them. It creates a bit of tension for the audience because it appears as if they are closer to the scary thing than the actors on screen. We liked the idea of teenagers camping in the woods and that something scares them. It could of turned out to be really cheesy, but I don't think the Blair Witch Project is, nor our title sequence.

The lighting is also quite good in these shots because they are at dusk and night fall, which is scarier because the audience can't see as much as broad daylight.

The atmosphere of this trailer is disconcerting and ominous. Quite mysterious really. The scene where Heather is talking into the camera, making her apology to her parents etc, from 1:26-1:34, is good as it adds to the ominous feel of the film. She is saying goodbye basically, so there is clearly obviously something wrong and she is scared she will die. This is implicit in the footage but does make the audience feel uncomfortable and slightly scared for her, a feel which i think would be good to add into our title sequence. This makes the audience feel uneasy and want to help her, want her to be ok, because she is pleading for help directly to the camera.

The diegetic sound heard in these shots is the heavy breathing of the people running and the rustling of the bushes and trees as they run through. The non-diegetic sound isn't played with clips, it is just a steady pounding of one drum, when title sequences are coming up onto the screen. This makes the audience more aware of the clips being played because the attention is put back on the sound in those clips. The pounding of the drum creates a steady beat and creates a bit of anxiety for the audience.

The mise-en-scene changes in every scene. From running away into the forest, to half of the frame being filled with her face. This is strange for the audience because it is such a contrast in framing and zoom, which changes the perspective to the audience.

The editing is quite fast and goes from person to person in an interview like manner and talking about the Blair Witch, and the folklore on it. Then it cuts to the forest where they are arguing and running away and crying into the camera and the audience knows something bad will happen to them in the forest, creating tension. The fast editing is even more disconcerting because it happens fast.

Analysis of Films

2010-01-09T16:06:00.002Z

Whilst we are on the Snow Days, I thought of some films and opening sequences we can analyse to build on our idea. We were shown the opening sequence to 'Se7en' in class and so it inspired us in some way because we then thought of our original idea's. I also think that 'Shrooms' is relevant to our idea, as is 'The Blair Witch Project'. I will analyse the opening sequences or the trailers for these films to show how horror films have inspired us to make our opening sequence.

Snow Days

2010-01-07T15:38:00.000Z

We came back to College on Monday and began discussing when we were available to film. We hadn't discussed a solution to all of us having outside commitments such as work and radio shows throughout the week, so we knew we wouldn't all be able to film outside of college hours.

We then planned to film some indoor shots on Wednesday whilst we were all hopefully in college and this allowed us to get some filming done and not waste anymore time.

However, the college was shut due to Snow and so we missed Wednesday and Fridays lesson because of this. I understand everybody had these days off, and no-one could really progress with their media project much, but some groups had already filmed and were ahead anyway. This was quite a setback, but couldn't be helped, by anyone.

Filming

2009-12-23T15:15:00.000Z

We were supposed to meet on today, but didn't as Dulcie had work. This was a pain because we did arrange for today to be the day we filmed the Preliminary as it was the only day we were all free over Christmas. However, we understand Dulcie needing to work and it was just unfortunate, so it is a good job we planned ahead and made sure there was time to re-shoot if necessary.

Dulcie text me yesterday and explained she had work, so I then texted Tim and Alice. We all agreed we would have to rearrange a time to film when we got back to College in January. This is a little bit of a setback, as it means we can't progress with our Project any further over the two-week break, but we will be able to sort it out when we get back to college. For now, lets just enjoy Christmas!

Planning Main Task Idea

2009-12-11T11:29:00.004Z

Dulcie isn't here, yet again. She hasn't text us to let us know why. We appreciate she lives quite far away, but Tim also does, but he always texts in to let us know if he will be late or absent. Dulcie needs to communicate with the group a little more, because when we have tried to phone her, she doesn't pick up. However, Tim text me, saying:

"Lainey probably gonna be late, fell over on the ice when i was walking to the bus so just chillin here for a bit, will be in by 11.45, sorry but give me a text if you wanna run something past me sorry's x x"

So, me and Alice have had a chat with Reno, and decided our idea is good, but we need to add to the idea so it is more contrived. Our idea is of a group of teenager's camping in the woods, having a party, smoking and drinking with loud music, but then they are all slaughtered. We have based an idea on the Blair Witch Project, where the camera is in someone's hand and they are running, so all you see is the surroundings and their heavy breathing. You won't see anybody dying because that gives away too much of the plot.

So Richard suggested that we need to cut between these sort of shots with another contrasting style of shots. For Example:

- Making a picnic or packing a bag for the camping trip.
- Meeting up with eachother.
- Loading the car with the camping gear.
- The Killer's normal daily life, like shopping, or their boring job.

These are all good ideas, so we are waiting for Tim to get here soon, so we can consult Tim. Meanwhile, we are discussing what films and opening sequences we can look at to research our idea and develop it.

Wednesday's Lesson

2009-12-11T11:16:00.003Z

On Monday, we carried on planning and building our idea's. However, on Wednesday, our whole group was here. We sat down and discussed what idea's would be practical to do. So, we did a complete U-Turn and came up with a whole new idea.

We thought about some scary films we liked watching and the plotline behind them. We liked the idea of a 'Teenage Slasher Film', like Scream, but in the woods, like The Blair Witch Project.

Then we thought about location, and day that would be practical to shoot the footage, so we decided on the Wednesday of the first week of the Christmas Holidays (23rd December). This then gives us the option to look over our footage and re-shoot if necessary. We all decided unanimously this was good and achieveable, so this is the idea we are going with. Now we can start properly planning and producing a story board!

Main Task Potential Idea

2009-12-04T12:00:00.004Z

Today, Dulcie isn't here again. She has text me to let us know that she may have eaten something funny and has been ill, so can't make it in today. Dulcie has missed quite a few lessons now and will have to catch up in her own time. Tim, Alice and I just carried on with planning our Main Task.

We have narrowed it down to two final idea's:

- The abused child.
- The fatal school bus crash.

In today's lesson, we are just updating everything, and making sure we are all on the same page. It's a shame Dulcie isn't here because now she is very behind because things have changed since we last saw her. Hopefully we will all be here Monday, so we can choose an actual idea and get planning!!

Introduction To Main Task

2009-12-02T11:51:00.000Z

On Monday's Media lesson, we had an introduction to the Main Task. This is the brief:

Main task:

The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.

Tim wasn't here as he was at a funeral, We knew this in advance as Tim told us last week. Dulcie just wasn't here; we don't know why. So, after our introduction, me and Alice pitched some idea's. We came up with 3 good ones:

- An old house being haunted by a ghost.
- A child being abused by her step-dad.
- A school bus fatally crashing, the driver is haunted by the ghosts of the children.

We ran these idea's past Tim and Dulcie on Wednesday's lesson, and we all liked them. We are yet to choose an idea that is achieveable.

Preliminary Task Outcome

2009-12-01T20:23:00.000Z

End Of Preliminary Task

2009-11-30T11:48:00.000Z

We have no more lessons on the Preliminery Task now. Friday's lesson was the last one, so we will need to edit and complete it within our own time.

Friday's Media Lesson

2009-11-30T11:42:00.000Z

On Friday's Media Lesson, Alice and Dulcie weren't in. Me and Tim got on with editing the footage. We did quite well and got it nearly completed. We worked well together and were focussed, so worked quite quickly and got most of it done. It was a shame Alice and Dulcie weren't in to pitch their ideas, but I think 2 on one computer worked well. With 4 around one computer, I don't think it would have worked as well, there would have been less focus and more banter, but with two it did work quite well! 4 people on one computer isn't very productive either because 2 people will just be sat watching whole time, even if we did rotate and all have a go at using the computer.

Tim used the computer most of the time whilst editing, because I didn't feel too confident using the program, and Tim has used programs like these before. However, Tim ensured I had a go and helped me learn to use the program properly and assured me it everything was undo-able if we didn't like it. Tim and I worked really well together, and I hope next lesson is just as productive when Alice and Dulcie are here.

Capturing Our Shots

2009-11-26T18:39:00.005Z

On Wednesday's lesson, we were yet again stuck with an unuseable camera. However, we did manage to get around that minor obstacle. Whilst we were waiting for a camera that would capture the shots, we logged the shots. Dulcie wasn't in the lesson, and I haven't heard anything from her, so am unsure why. But Tim, Alice and I, finished logging the shots we were happy to use in the Coursework.

We obviously didn't log the shots of the cast laughing too much, as this had no relevance to the project, but it would make an amusing out-takes roll. After we had logged them, a camera that captured became available and we began capturing the shots. This was an easy, simple process because we worked together and it didn't take us long. We thought we would have to stay behind in our free lesson to complete it, but we managed to get it done! Hopefully Dulcie is here tomorrow, so we can all edit the shots together. This should be done in the lesson, maybe Monday's too, but hopefully we would have finished the first draught tomorrow!!

Mondays Media Lesson

2009-11-24T18:13:00.003Z

Mondays Media Lesson wasn't particularly productive in terms of developing our project, but it needed to be done. We didn't manage to get any capturing done, but we did have a tutorial if you like on using the editing program.

Tomorrow's lesson should go smoothly, because we have logged our shots and now just need to capture them. We couldn't do this yesterday because we ended up with a camera that didn't capture. So, hopefully, all 4 members will be here tomorrow morning and we will have a good camera, and a productive lesson. We will need to spend more than lesson time on this piece of coursework, because the class is aiming to have it finished by Friday's lesson, which won't happen unless we get sorted tomorrow and FOCUS. Which, of course, we will do!

Re-Shooting Our Footage

2009-11-20T16:57:00.003Z

The first lot of footage we filmed wasn't good enough, so we had to re-shoot it. This wasn't too much of a problem, because we planned ahead and made sure we had enough time to re-shoot if necessary, so I think our time management was quite good. In the first bit of footage, there was not enough head space at the top of the frame, and there was too much space in the frame; the characters didn't fill enough of the frame, and there was too much of a gap between them.

We re-shot the footage in today's media lesson. It took us approximately 40 minutes to find a location and shoot the scene again. We took advice given to us beforehand and tried to fix the problems by making sure the characters filled the frame right and there was enough head space. The scene is definitely better, but there are still some improvements that could be made. Unfortunately, we don't have enough time to re-shoot for a 3rd time, so we will have to work with what we have got, which is a lot better than the first lot we filmed.

I was happy with the first lot of footage we shot, but I haven't ever tried to shoot a scene before, so am a complete novice. After we spoke to Reno and he pointed out the flaws to us, I could understand and saw how we could improve it. I have learnt quite a lot today. This will help with our Main Task because now we all have more knowledge about what is expected when making a film.

All of our group were here today, and so we all worked together to complete the coursework. We worked quite fast and I am happy with today's lesson. Tim and Dulcie were in the shots, acting, and me and Alice were behind the camera, shooting scenes. Tim and Dulcie also helped and gave me and Alice input on where to position the camera, on the angles etc. We worked quite well as a group today. We are yet to log and capture the shots we need, but this can be done in Monday's Media lesson, as the whole group should be there.

Filming

2009-11-18T14:09:00.003Z

We were due to start filming today, as we arranged on Monday, but Alice wasn't here. She text me with a reason why, so we can understand the reason, but it was still hard to start filming because ideally, Alice should have been here to help with the technical side of things.

Tim, Dulcie and I sat and wrote the script at the beginning of our Media lesson, so unfortunately Alice couldn't take part in that. Alice was also supposed to play a part in the footage, as the Pupil, so Dulcie stepped in and played Alice's part. We used an empty classroom (with permission) to shoot the footage after we had written the script. I was behind the camera shooting scenes, whilst Tim and Dulcie played their parts (convincingly so!). Both Tim and Dulcie helped me with getting the camera angle correct, and the positioning of the camera too. I think we all worked exceptionally well as a group today and we got all the footage shot.

We had a good laugh whilst filming the footage, it was really quite funny. Tim played his character really well, and Dulcie was good at playing a stroppy pupil too. We will have quite a bit of editing to do, because we had to re-shoot several parts because we kept laughing, but this should be achievable because I think we did quite well with the shots we managed to record.

Hopefully Alice should be here on Friday's lesson, so we will be able to edit the footage all together, the whole group, and learn how to use the program properly. I am looking forward to seeing the final outcome of Tim and Dulcie's fine acting skills once the footage has been edited and finalised.

Storyboarding

2009-11-17T14:56:00.003Z

Over the past week in our Media Lessons, we have been building on our ideas. We have become more knowledgeable about the Preliminary Task and what is expected, to what standard. This will help us create a good, strong Preliminary Task which will help us with our Main Task later on.

Yesterday in class, all 4 members of the class were present. This helped as we were all able to update our blogs to the same point and were able to talk about filming. We have now arranged the day for filming, which will be tomorrow in our Media lesson and a little after if necessary. This gives us the option of re-shooting on Thursday if we have to, as we should ideally have finished filming by Friday's lesson, so we can be taught how to use the editing program. We have all discussed and made the Storyboard together so we are all up-to-date and understand what needs to be done. We are yet to write the Script, but this can be done in tomorrow's lesson as we know what is being said, it just needs to be finalised. We have cast Tim and Alice to act in the footage as we think these roles will suit them best. Me and Dulcie will be behind the camera filming, and in between takes, Alice and Tim can help too. I'm looking forward to finally shooting our first piece of coursework after planning it all. Should be good!

Communication

2009-11-13T12:01:00.001Z

Today, 2 of the group were off sick (literally) and so Only Me and Dulcie were in the lesson and able to work. Alice text me at 9 this morning telling me she had a doctors appointment and would miss the lesson. I text Tim and told him about Alice, and he replied instantly saying he had a stomach virus and also wouldn't be in.

As I didn't have any of Dulcie's contact information, I wasn't sure if she would be in today, but she was! So i gave her our mobile numbers and she is now 'following' our blogs, as i am 'following' hers. This lesson, Dulcie has caught up on the work she missed whilst away, and I have updated my blog and worked on some idea's for the storyboard. It will be easier next lesson, when we are all hopefully present and able to start working properly together in the group.

I think, considering the circumstances, of how every lesson one of our group has been away, we have done incredibly well. We are all communicating and working together and have all had our input. The ill members of the group have caught up easily and I think we already have a really strong group!

Analysis Of Match-On-Action

2009-11-13T11:44:00.000Z

This is an example of a Match-On-Action. Match-On-Action Shots are used to ensure that Continuity is used throughout the whole footage. Match-On-Action also has to stick to the 180° Rule so as not to confuse the audience. These shots may have been shot hours apart, but with the right editing, they flow continuously, which does not confuse the audience. The rhythm and timing must match between the two shots. For example, if a character walks off screen right in one shot, walking slowly and peacefully; shot two should be of the character entering from screen left, also walking slowly and peacefully. This is a good Match-On-Action shot, as opposed to shot two having the person enter from screen left running and panicked. This is not a Match-On-Action, and does not demonstrate Continuity, so would confuse the audience.

Analysis Of 180° Rule

2009-11-10T19:47:00.000Z

This is an example of the 180° Rule. The Rule is used so the audience do not get confused about the characters and where they are stood etc. This example shows how the camera stays on one side of the characters, keeping the same characters on the same side of the screen, even though the camera cuts to a different angle. This is an important, simple rule which isn't obvious, yet would hold some footage together in order for it to make sense. If editors and directors didn't stick to the 180° Rule, the audience would notice and rightly be confused.

Analysis Of Shot-Reverse-Shot

2009-11-09T20:43:00.000Z

This is an example of a Shot-Reverse-Shot. The example starts out with an establishing shot of the office building and then it cuts to a shot of Both Chandler and his boss in the same frame. It is a Long Shot as it allows you to familiarise with the characters. Just before Chandler stops talking, it cuts to a closer shot of his boss. From then on, it cuts to each of the characters a fraction of a second before they start talking, and then to a Reaction Shot on Chandler. More dialogue is exchanged and then it cuts to an Over-The-Shoulder shot to Chandler, showing his reaction.

I think this shot works because the editing shows continuity by showing us the characters that are speaking and then their reactions, whilst the camera cuts steadily closer to their faces at the centre point of the dialogue, only to cut back out again when the conversation is starting to end. I think this example is good because it shows Shot-Reverse-Shot, whilst exampling other shot types, all the while maintaining Continuity.

Potential Preliminary Task Idea

2009-11-09T20:22:00.001Z

Tim and I have decided after a lengthy phone conversation tonight that our previous idea of 2 people meeting on a street corner cannot be done because the scenery lacks an essential part of the task; a character opening a door.

Instead, we ran through some idea's on the phone and decided the most practical would be to shoot the task at the college. We have the idea of a student-teacher conference taking place in an unused classroom at the college. This idea of using the classroom (with permission) gives us the scenery needed to shoot the piece. The characters can walk through the door and sit down opposite each other to exchange some dialogue regarding the students progress. We think this is a good idea because we will be able to utilise our knowledge of the required shots needed for the Preliminary Task.

Tim and I were unable to contact Dulcie and Alice so we still need to put this idea past them. We believe that it is good, achieveable idea that needs to be decided on as a group. We are hoping to see Dulcie and Alice soon so that we can negotiate times that we are free during college to shoot the footage as members of the group live too far away to be expected to stay locally and complete the Task; as transport there and back is not feasable, nor is the time. It is unfair to put any members of the group out and make the task unnecessarily difficult for them, so Tim and I think college time is the most suitable for all 4 members of the group.

Communication Within Group

2009-11-06T12:25:00.000Z

As Alice and Dulcie aren't here, Tim and I emailed them. This is the link to the email (above). They were ill today (06/11/09) and they obviously needed to catch up on information. We emailed them and warned them they may need to catch up in their own time because it would be foolish if they lagged behind at such an early stage in the coursework.Hopefully the e-mail helped them. this is the email:

Hi Alice and Dulcie.

Why aren't you in Media today?
We were sorting out groups and our group is, you two, me, and tim.

We have been updating our blogs too, and we have done quite a bit, so you
will have to catch up with that, possibly in your own time. Me and Tim
have also got quite a few good ideas for the coursework. check out our
blogs.

My URL is: http://laineywhite.blogspot.com/
Tim's is: http://mrtimbiles.blogspot.com/

Look at the posts we have done and do the same basically. Just add your
own idea's.

BE IN THE NEXT MEDIA LESSON!!

Coursework Outline

2009-11-06T11:19:00.001Z

We have recently gotten into groups of 3 or 4. The people in my group will be Tim Biles, Alice Manning and Dulcie Hayward. Tim is good at media, i have noticed in class, so we will have his good ideas and technical knowledge to build on. I think Alice and Dulcie will bring good ideas and lots of laughter to the group, which will make our Coursework task quite fun! I am actually looking forward to this piece of Coursework!

I have had a couple of ideas for the task, but obviously it is a group decision and Tim, Alice and Dulcie will have had good ideas as well. A couple of my ideas are:

2 little boys have done something naughty and are hiding in their bedroom trying to think of a way to cover up their innocent mistakes.
2 women sat having a gossip and just general chit-chat.
A criminal sat in an interview and the policeman comes in and shouts in his face.
a midnight meeting on a street corner doing dodgy deals.

Introduction To Preliminary Task

2009-11-02T17:20:00.002Z

We have been given the brief for our Preliminary Task for the Coursework. The task asks us to shoot a length of footage in which the actors walk through a door; cross the room; sit opposite each other and start a conversation. We obviously have to use a range of shots to emphasise the point of Continuity within the editing. these shots include Shot-Reverse-Shot, the 180° Rule and Match On Action.

I'm quite excited about it because we get to work in groups of 3/4 and plan the piece together. We finally get to do some filming and use the equipment, so it should be fun!!