Evaluation Activity 3

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


Description of my Production Company
I called my production company 'Freedom productions' as I was inspired by the meaning of being free to speak your mind and not have any boundaries and this is portrayed through the films and the messages being put across to the audience watching. I also felt that it sounded proffesional, and wasn't complicated for the audience. I had a number of ideas for names beforehand but I felt that this fitted my film well. 
My production company will be used to produce products from adverts to films, it may also create a minority of large productions but these will be used to draw in a larger audience and bring more media attention to the company. 


What does a Production Company do? 
A production company is responsible for funding physical production of new media, performing arts, film, radio or television programme. Low budget films have a small budget to be used on actors, crew and special effect teams whereas a large film will have a bigger choice of cast and team and so will have a bigger effect on the industries. My film would be a low budget film and so I would need to be very particular on what cast I would use. Most companies can also chose their cast and who directs as they have a set budget and in some cases the actors/actresses have their own company to control their own career and to boost their names on and off screen. 


The idea of a distributor and who that might be and why.
A distributor is an individual or organisation that re-sells, sublicenses or helps to release films onto the big screen as they are well known by wide audiences and are reliable. Types of distributors include;

• Paramount pictures 
• 20th Century Fox
• Universal pictures 
• Lionsgate films. 

One distributor that would help me in connection to my thriller could be ScreenGems as they have distributed films such as 'When A Stranger Calls' which is also a horror film. 


Where the money might have come from for a film such as yours?
For a film like mine, the funding would either come from the UK film council (where they would want a percentage of the takings) or from a producer, or even banks that deal with funding for the films. Whereas  if I was to fund myself, finances would come from my own pocket. 


Why the various people are named in the titles, which jobs appear in title and in what order?
In my film I did not inform the audiences of the actors, producers, editors, etc as I was rushed for time for finishing the editing of the film. If I made the film again I would make sure they were included as they all contribute to the making of the film and without them it would not be possible. The producer would be the first name to be seen as they are the most important part of the making of the film and without them the film would not exist. The actors would then appear as they are introduced on screen and ending with the editor as they would make all the finishing touches to the film and capture the actors participation to the film. 


What your film is similar to 'institutionally' (films which are released in the same way)
Institutionally films that would be released in the same way as mine would be 'Prom Night and 'Se7en'. 'Se7en' is very similar to mine s in both there are flashes of clips, abstract camera shots and the credits are white on a black background to draw attention to the people mention and doesn't distract the audience's attention. Also the production company is overlapped onto the film instead of being  against a plain background. The only difference is that all the editors and production team are introduced in the credits and the title isn't at the end of the opening and so it doesn't bring it to an end unlike my film. 

Evaluation Activity 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation Activity 1

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

The title of the film

Trapped; If you feel trapped, you are in an unpleasant situation in which you lack freedom, and you feel you cannot escape from it.'

I chose 'TRAPPED' as my final choice for the title of my film as it was bold and summed up the whole summary of the story in one word.  I feel that with alot of horror films, singular words are used to make more impact. For example 'The Unborn', 'The Strangers' and 'Phsyco'. In the past the title would be edited and shaped to seem more interesting but in modern-day films, the background and fonts used are very basic and leave the film itself to the viewers own imagination. I placed my title at the end of my opening sequence as I feel that the title brings the 'opening' to an end and at this point lets the viewer decide if they want to watch more or they may feel that the film is not what they expected..

Title font and style

I chose a simple, white, large font together with a black background to make the title easy to read and so the audience has no distractions to look at other 5than the title itself. I decided to put a hyphen at the end of the word to create an effect as if the word is being extended, I also felt that it made more of an impact than leaving it without any punctuation whatsoever. The whiteness of the lettering also gives it a 'glow'. I chose a centered alignment for my title so that it was immediate and the audience wouldn't need to focus their view to a certain point of the screen. As you can see in the title examples above, this effect is used numerously to make sure that the audience is not distaracted by the 'quirkyness' or amount of design put into the background, it simply pulls together what is going to be seen in the film and the wording giving clues into what may happen in the journey ahead.

Setting/Location

I knew from the beginning of my planning where my location for the filming was going to be. I chose the Darenth Pavilion on Green Street Green Road. From passers by it looks like a deserted field and an empty building and so I felt that it would fit perfectly to the plot of my film. I had to adapt to the weather change as it snowed during the period I was going to start filming, but when I viewed the end product I felt that it added to the 'eery' effect as the colour scheme only consisted of darkness and the backdrop of snow. The lighting from the building also helped to create shadows from the characters onto the walls and made the characters themselves a shadow too. I liked the fact that the snow was in some places untouched which showed the footprints of theopening character to show she was alone.

Costumes and props

During my filming I had to make sure that my character had the same costume each time she was filmed. For the 'enemies' costume I wanted to use a balaclava to hide the majority of her face so that only her eyes were seen but I could not get one in time so I compromised and used a scarf to cover her face which gave the same effect. 

I only used one prop in the whole of the filming and that was the knife at the end. I felt that I couldn't pretend to stab the knife and that the clip needed to be as realistic as possible. I used the biggest knife I could that would be stereotypical 'killer's knife'. 

Camera work and editing

Before I began filming I created a storyboard of the shots I was going to use and how they were going to be shown in my film. This helped me to know exactly what I wanted in the frame and helped me chose which would be the better shot.
I feel that at the beginning of the scene I should of used a tri-pod to make the shot steady as I thought that the 'shaking' camera effect would make it eery when infact I don't feel it was an advantage at all. I feel that at some points the audience lost themselves and had to wait for the camera to adjust back to a steady focus. I feel that the wipe between the following shots were not a good choice of cut as they jolted the clips too much and rushed the clips into eachother. I also feel that where I had cut the clips the film ran smoothly at points, for example the frame when the character is being followed around the corner into the frame of her rushing past the camera. 

Story and how the opening sets it up

The film is about a girl who is being followed by someone, although no one else can see this person but her. She creates illusions in her head of images and noises that to others are quite disturbing. She gradually pushes herself to her limits and finds herself wondering whether life is worth living whilst being stalked by an 'unknown'. 


- what audience may feel? 
- talk about the story of the opening. 
- how it will help the film open..
- what i could do in the film? 

Genre and how the opening suggests it

I chose to use thriller/horror as the genre of my film as I felt that I could use alot more varied shots to keep the clip moving at a fast pace and to keep the audience 'anticipated in their seats'. I also felt that I could experiment more with my editing and horror films are very popular in the modern day industry. The opening to my film has an audio in the background which I felt had an eery feel to it and also blended with the zooming towards the actress. I purposely filmed when it was getting later in the evening to reduce the brightness of the surroundings to give it an eery/spooky effect.  The setting of the opening also suggests this by the secluded atmosphere and the audience knowing that the characters are alone and cannot escape their situation. 

How characters are introduced

My film opens by introducing the main character and using a following shot showing her walking towards a secluded building. There is no dialogue throughout the opening to keep the audience's attention on the transitions and editing to build up tension. 

Special effects

Trapped'



Introduction. 

For my main pitch, I have chosen to do a horror film opening. I feel that with the use of different angles and shots I can make the viewer feel agitated and at the end of the scene feel that if there was a 'next clip', they would want to see it. To prepare for this task I looked at clips on youtube of previous footage of horror to influence my own idea.
I chose my previous idea of using 'Trapped' as the film name is short and stubborn but it also creates an effect of mystery and what's behind the name. The opening scene starts with a panning view of the scenery surrounding an abandoned building, the main character is then introduced on a bench and is then shown feeling like they are being watched. Quick 'flickered' shots are shown surrounding them and they decide to go into the building, they are followed down the corridor, the intensity of the scene increases when another actor enters the scene with a balaclava over their face. They then chase the 'panicked' actor towards a dead end door. Only to find that at the end of the scene the panicked character escapes through the door before being stabbed with a knife. The title appears in the center of the screen leaving the audience to wonder how they escaped and what happens through the door. 

Production Schedule.

For the start of my production schedule I created a storyboard to help me know exactly where I was going to film from, and where the actors/actresses need to be in each shot. I then checked to see if I needed a script for any parts of the scene but there are only natural sounds so it wasn't needed. I then made sure I had a shot list so when I came to actually filming I knew exactly what I was going to do. So together with the shot-list and storyboard I was completely ready to film. I then made sure that I had actors/actresses ready so when I came to film I had no mis-haps. As it has snowed I feel that this has added to the effect of the film as it gives a blank canvas and so creates and 'eery' effect. 


Storyboard
I drew a storyboard so that when it came to filming the shots I knew exactly what did and didn't need to be in the picture. I also knew which way I needed to pan and if the speed needed to increase or not.

Shot list

Shot 1 - Film outside abandoned building with random shots. 

Shot 2 - Low angle at bottom of hill of grass.

Shot 3 - Low angle shot of actor on bench staring at phone.

Shot 4 - Following shot of actor walking towards building. 

Shot 5 - Pan side to side over field.  

Shot 6 - Film towards door, as actor gets closer, camera starts to shake. 

Shot 7 - Move at a slow pace towards the door at the end of the corridor, the camera will then increase with the shake.

Shot 8 – Actor opens door slowly.

Shot 9 - Pan from left to right, as if to 'panic'. It will then shake more intensely.

Shot  10 - Actor runs past the camera from the side. (x2, one from each side) Repeat 3 times as if to be a flashback. 

Shot 11 - Another actor appears from the door on the left corner of the corridor. 

Shot 12 - From above left panning towards door.

Shot 13 - Following shot of actor’s footsteps towards door. 

Shot 14 - The actors then run towards the camera.

Shot 15 - Close up of each actor’s faces. 

Shot 16 - Shot from behind both actors and then to the right hand side and followed into a shot in front of them.

Shot 17 - Flickers of odd scenery shots shown from low and high angles. 

Shot 18 - As the first actor reaches the doorway a close up is shown of the chest down of the front actor.

Shot 19 - Close up of knife being drawn from actor behind's pocket.

Shot 20 - Shot from behind of actor stabbing the knife forwards.

Shot 21 - Shot of knife going towards camera. 

Shot 22 - Shot of just the door.

Shot 23 - Close up of the actor in the balaclava’s face looking straight into the lense.

Assets List

Black clothing; balaclava.

Daytime clothing.

Torch (for shadows to appear)

Knife.

Fonts.

I looked at a number of different fonts on 'dafont.com' and here are some samples I thought fitted the theme of my film.  

Sample 1 - 'wired saji'
Sample 2 - 'capture it'
Sample 3 - 'luhyouone'


Sound Effects.

The main sounds used in my film will be natural. Mostly being heavy breathing and footsteps, and at the end will be a slam of a door. I am still looking at copyright-free music that will suit the theme of my film. 

Preliminary Task



 Continuity Task.


I created a scene involving a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character. They then had to exchange a few lines or dialogue. I then had to edit this to make the clip flow into one another, I also had to demonstrate the use of shot/reverse shot and match on action in the clip.


Script.

(Camilla enters room with Sam sitting on chair and she sits down opposite)

Camilla – Hello,

Sam – Hi,

Camilla – What you doing?

Sam – Reading…

Camilla – Cool. How’s your day been?

Sam – Mmmm…

Camilla – Cool. What you doing tonight?

(Sam slams book down)

Sam – Excuse me I’m trying to read here!

Storyboard.




Shot list.
Shot 1 - 
Shot 2 -
Shot 3 -
Shot 4 -
Close up.


Production Schedule.
To begin this task I drew a storyboard of each of the clips, to show which camera angles would be used and to know exactly what will happen in the shot. I then created a script that the actors would follow, we then took the camera out with us and managed to film the whole clip in one lesson without needing to go  back to film some parts again as there were no faults with the clips we got. We then began editing in the following lesson, although I wasn't in this lesson I knew how to put all the clips together and how to make the shots flow into each other.

Fiction Film Ideas.
At first when it came to thinking of pitches, I became stuck for ideas and so I looked at numberous openings to give me influences and ideas.


Pitch 1.. - 

'Trap Door'

For this idea I thought that I could have the scene starting at the end of a black corridor aiming towards a door with a light shown on the other side. There would then be shadows rushing past walls as the camera gradually moves towards the door. There would be a soundover of screams and screeches and a character would start running towards the door (running towards the camera) having an uncomfortable and panicked expression. Lights would flicker and violin-like music would start to increase in volume as the tension builds. When they reach the door the character would grab the handle and slam the door, and the lights would go off on their own. The titles would then appear...
Influence...

Pitch 2..
'Searching'
I thought that I would like to do a light weight film as I felt that it would be more challenging to make the audience feel connected with a less dramatic film, so I chose a love film. I would like the actor to be walking through a park surrounded by couples and look as though they are searching for someone, I would like the scenes to switch, then showing a woman looking for someone, they then brush past eachother and it then switches to scenes in towns where they are always near by eachother but never notice it. The audio would be very upbeat but slow paced to make the audience feel like they are drifting along with the scenes. The cuts would run smoothly and the scenes would be filmed outside. 
Influence...


Pitch 3..
'Liar'

For this idea I felt that I would stay along the lines of horror but include a bit of teenage situations to make the audience feel more connected. Although the beginning wouldn't fully include all characters, it would start by showing a girl in the middle of a group of friends and laughing and then a male character would appear and whisper in her ear, her face would drop and they would both leave the location. The next clip would show them walking into a wooded area, and music would start to appear in the background, he would start pushing her and asking her for the truth, but she would not know what to say or what to do. The girl would then walk off a little in front to have a think, in this time the boy would take a knife from his back pocket and stab her. He'd then repeat lines like 'how does it feel to be stabbed in the back' and would walk away from the body. But she would then come back round and give an evil stare at which point the title would come up and the picture would fade into blackness.
Influence...

Evaluation
Filming
From the filming process I have learnt how to use different effects and shots to create different moods in a scene. I also found that using different objects could be used to make shapes in the background of clips. 
I have learnt how to organise and direct film crew to make sure they are not in the clips I am filming and to make sure they are all doing the jobs they are expected to do. I found that our clip was easy costume-wise as the characters were very casual. Our actor; Jordan decided that it would be best if he made his costume scruffy as his character was in distress. We found that some props were harder to find than others like the rat, which we was very lucky to find. 
It also helped to know what camera angles we were going to include in the film opening as that way we could get the shots caught on camera quicker and we could begin editing sooner. 
It was extremely important that we made a storyboard of the clips and camera shots as when we was outside the classroom filming we knew exactly what we needed to film and how we was going to do it. 
Time management is extremely important as if you don't spend enough time on the planning and preparation for the sequence, the end product won't be of the best quality. I feel that the filming took too long and so we didn't get enough time editing, I feel that next time I will make sure that the time is managed better so that I can get more work done. 
I feel that whether the skill is minimal or exceptional, there should be acting skills brought to the project to make the scenes feel convincing and to make the piece look professional. It also helps as you can teach someone to say lines, but being able to have the right expression and quick reaction is more difficult. Being professional about the filming is also key as laughing and not taking it seriously could effect the look and 'mature' feel of the film. 
Patience also plays a big part in the project as if something went wrong, the problem would be resolved a lot quicker and in some cases, not having a lot of patience could result in arguments in the group, meaning the filming process would slow down which wouldn't help at all. It also helps working with reliable people as the project would need to rely on people turning up to the shooting of the clips on time, and if they didn't that piece of film would have to be resumed at a later date, just as above, the filming process would slow down. 
The location of the scenes is extremely important when it comes to getting the right look for the filming. It helps to bring out the setting in the clip and help create the right 'mood' of the film. Weather conditions can affect the process of filming and in some cases, precautions would need to be taken to protect the film equipment. In some clips for example, the sky might need to be overcast so research would need to done to check when the weather would be the nearest to overcast as possible. Comfort would also need to be checked before filming. For example you wouldn't want to cast someone to play a dark character but when they come to film in the dark woods they may have a phobia of the dark and so they would not be suitable to act that part. This would need to be checked before the filming proceeds. 


Editing
All of my editing was done on Adobe Premiere Pro.