FINISHED

So we have come to the end of this project. I have had great fun working on this opening sequence and have learnt a lot from the process of making it. I enjoyed working with my group members and will love to do something similar to this project next year.

Until then...goodbye blog!

Summary

Overall I think our opening sequence was to the best of our ability. It fitted in well with the genre and targeted our audience well. It looked professional and of high quality. If I were to do this project again, I would use more protagonists to make the opening sequence more interesting. I would also re shoot the end bedroom shot where the bedroom door looks like its closing in one shot and then is suddenly closed in the next shot. Finally, I think we could've been slightly more experimental with out shot types as they were all very much the same (straight on), other than that I think our media product would run successful with our target audience and amongst horror fans.

Q7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Preliminary Brief: Film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character. A couple of lines of dialogue must then exchanged between characters & matchon action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule should be demonstrated.
Film Brief: 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 candidates, with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source).

Our preliminary task has created a large impact on our final opening sequence. I learnt a lot from our preliminary task which I bought forward to our opening sequence. The preliminary task helped us with the brief, pre production, production and postproduction.
THE BRIEF
-The impact the preliminary task brief had on the film brief was that we realised we shouldn’t make shots too complicated and be too experimental as it would be hard to edit and would disrupt the continuity.
-We realised we should check whether locations were available and we had permission before shooting there in order to prevent other people from being in the same place at the same time. This problem occured very often whilst shooting our preliminary task because we had a very limited area where we could shoot. Because we were shooting in my house, I was easily able to chuck my parents out for a few hours every time we shot!
-For our opening sequence we had a target audience and could therefore work around it by using our own range or props, characters, costume etc. Finally for the opening sequence we did detailed research on previous successful films in order to make our own successful.
PRE-PRODUCTION
-From our preliminary task we realised research was essential. We drew out a story board many times until we settled on which one worked the best, we used a script as we learnt, from the preliminary task, how smoothly it made the shooting run. If it wasn't for our preliminary tak we wouldn't have thought about actually making a storyboard at all because we wouldn't have known how useful it would be.
-From the tight timing of the preliminary task, we learnt how to use our time efficiently during planning for the opening sequence. Finally we were more creative with shots for our opening sequence as were confident with what kind of shots would look good or bad and how we could edit them.
PRODUCTION
-The preliminary task came very useful in the production of the opening sequence. We learnt to shoot every shot at least three times because once we put our footage onto the editing sweep we noticed many things we didn’t realise whilst shooting.
-We realised the microphone picked up unwanted sounds and that setting up took up longer than expected, therefore we made use of the time we had efficiently when shooting for our opening sequence.
-Finally we were very aware of continuity and we made sure that every thing was kept in the same place for every shot and that the actor had not changed position or appearance between shots. If we didn't do the preliminary task we wouldn't have known the notion of a master shot, how to do cut away shots or match on action shots.
- From the preliminary task we learnt to always say 'Camera ready, sound ready, actors ready, roll camera, ACTION!', before every shot so that it is easier to capture.
-We also figured that running on the action was very useful so that we could cut into the shot, making it look more realistic.
POST PRODUCTION
-Editing for our preliminary task made us aware of how to use the editing computer and the individual timelines. We noticed how flexible the non-linear editing programme was and therfore we were aware of experimenting on other timelines. This made editing sessions much more time efficient.
-We learnt we should name our footage as soon as we’ve captured them to make editing much easier.
EVALUATION
-Reflections for my opening sequence were much more detailed and critical in comparison to reflections for my preliminary task. This is because I had a target audience to get feedback from for my opening sequence whereas we only had other media students to criticise our preliminary task. The evaluation for our preliminary task helped us improve our opening sequence and prevented us from making the same mistakes again.
-I learnt how important audience feedback is, and how it much it helps to improve our sequence.

Overall, we benefited a lot from our preliminary task. We were aware of any problems we would've faced and how to over come them. We were aware of how long the shooting and editing process would take and we noticed how important little things in the production process were.

Overall I think our opening sequence was to the best of our ability. It fitted in well with the genre and targeted our audience well. It looked professional and of high quality. If I were to do this project again, I would use more protagonists to make the opening sequence more interesting. I would also re shoot the end bedroom shot where the bedroom door looks like its closing in one shot and then is suddenly closed in the next shot. Fnially, I think we could've been slightly more experimental with out shot types as they were all very much the same (straight on), other than that I think our media product would run successful with our target audience and amongst horror fans.

Q6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

During editing I learnt a lot about different hard ware and soft ware. The hardwares I used in the production of my opening sequence include: canon mini DV camera, tripod, whiteboards, main batteries, audio equipment (including time clip mics, headphones and board mics), lighting and clapper boards.

Using the headphones was the hardest to grasp onto as it was difficult to remember to listen through them at all times. Our camera was high definition, however we didn’t shoot on high definition tape as it is too expensive and in order for it to be produced in high definition we would need all the appropriate equipment. I would however, like to work with high definition equipment in my next project. Lighting wasn’t an issue for us as our opening sequence was shot mostly indoors. The lighting was bright and focused making the quality look professional.

During shooting I perfected my hand held shots; I figured in order to get the smoothest handheld shot you should hold the camera away from you and take small steps. I also learnt for a zoom out to be as smooth as possible you should hold the zoom out button on the same position throughout the shot. I learnt how to manually switch off the buzzing of the headphones through the camera. The camera was set on auto settings and so we didn’t get to experiment as much with the camera as we wanted to therefore next time I will use focus settings. Below is a list of the main equipment we used and the advantages and disadvantages of them.


The software we used includes the creative sweep package (CS3) which contained Adobe premiere pro, adobe Photoshop and Adobe after effects. I learnt how to use the Mac computer which contained Live Type (which we used for title effects). . In order to create title effects we chose the font ‘dispersion’ and ‘frigid’ to give our titles and eerie mysterious look. In the editing process I learnt many things on Adobe premiere pro.(I.e., capturing, rendering, rasoring, unlinking and linking a clip for the continuity, adding music (diegetic and non diegetic sounds) and how to add transitions onto the sequence.

During editing it’s best to try out each shot of your action with other shots and then choose which one looks best regarding continuity. The flexibility of the Non Linear editing allows us to experiment on separate time lines. I learnt how to adjust the sound on our video sequence by making it louder or softer in various places to smooth the continuity between two shots. I also learnt how to contrasting footage, making it look professional and high quality. Finally I learnt how to get rid of the treble which was the unwanted buzzing sound caused by the camera was very useful as it prevented the audience from being distracted.

Overall, I learnt a lot of new technical techniques. The schools' equipment was very useful and of very high quality making the shooting experience much more productive.

How did you attract/address your audience?

Q5)
In order for a film to be successful it needs to target its audience appropriately. Our film is targeted at 15 to 19 year olds, who are a fan of horror movies. In order to attract our target audience we used many horror conventions giving the audience something they expect. We shot in many dark areas to create eeriness and tension within the opening sequence and we used a teenage victim as it was an ideal role to base a horror movie around. We decided to stick with the original conventions of a horror movie rather than having a unique selling point as we thought the selling point of our movie is the similarities and likeness it has to other successful horror movies. (I.e Halloween, which is based in an ordinary house yet inside it, lives someone rather deadly.) Furthermore we used many close up and extreme close ups. (I.e the zoom out of the eyes which in my opinion, is the most intimate shot in the sequence) creates maximum impact and to really engage the audience with the character in order to make them empathise with her. Contrastingly, ‘Exorcism of Emily Rose’ (2005, Derrickson) has many establishing shots to guide the audience through each step the charater makes. We also had many long shots, otherwise known as establishing shots to create an eerie atmosphere and to familiarise the audience with the location aswell as emphasising how empty the house is. Our opening sequence is very enigmatic in the way it leaves the audience on a cliff hanger wondering what is going to happen next. The last bit of our opening sequence, when the door slams open, leaves the audience in anxiety making them wanting to watch more. This attracts the audience as it involves them with the story line. It also leaves it to their imagination to decide what will happen next. In order to make it appeal to teenagers rather than another age group, we got a young teenage girl to be our actress as this gives the audience something to relate to. We used an old creaky house rather than an office of building as this involves the audience. We had to also make many decisions in order for our target audience to understand the opening sequence without any difficulties. We had to make sure the continuity was invisible, avoiding any distractions which may take away the audiences focus on the film itself. We had to also make sure the lighting was bright enough to prevent unwanted shadows which may have confused the audience. We had to make sure the lighting was spot on in every shot to avoid continuity errors. Sound and volume was another thing we had to alter to make it seem realistic and appeal to its audience. Sounds we had to alter include the soundtrack of the movie being watched on the TV (frame within a frame). If the sound didn't match with the previous shot it would confused the audience and wouldn't look realistic. The soundtrack really keeps the viewer engaged with the sequence. The music’s eerie undertone sets the atmosphere, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
Finally, we had to take out thirty seconds worth of a phone conversation as it would've bored the audience and dragged the opening sequence on for too long. These were all factors we had to decide within our group to make sure we can target our audience in the most efficient way.
Our opening sequence attracted horror fans by its typical horror conventions. It engages the audience and keeps them on the edge of the seat as they urge to know what will happen next. It creates a sense of tension and fear which confirms the audiences’ expectations and therefore satisfies them. The sudden actions and enigma codes I.e the door opening at the end of the opening sequence, gains the audiences attention and therefore keeps them engages throughout the film. Finally we used the Soundtrack- 'Into the Mist' (Internet) to really engage the audience and to create more impact on the horror of the film.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Q4) The target audience for my thriller opening is primarily 15 to 19 year olds, both male and female alongside horror fans, with a secondary audience of 20 to 25 year olds. Films like 'Cloverfield’ (Reeves - 2008)has a niche appeal. For us, the niche audience allowed us to work more towards the controversial topics of revenge and voyeurism. We were influenced by many film clips we had previously seen, including ‘Halloween’ which was based in an ordinary house. ‘Halloween’ is a successful movie amongst teenagers as it includes actors who are similar ages to the audience giving them something to relate to. Our character represents the target audience as she is a teenager. This makes the film more scary and successful as the audience can empathise with her. Before basing our opening sequence on horror I used questionnaires to gauge the market. I noticed that many teenagers were into horror movies and amongst the group this genre was the most popular. Another opening sequence which inspired us is ‘Se7en’ (Fincher, 1995). The opening creates a sense of enigma through identity of the man, similarly ‘Scarred’ creates enigma as the audience don’t know who else is in the house. Our opening sequence successfully targeted our audience (as proved by our questionnaires.) Our opening sequence was viewed by media students and non-media students in year 12 who gave our film opening sequence an average rating of 8 out of 10. Similarly, my 13 year old sister and 19 year old friend were also intrigued with our opening sequence and wanted to know more. Finally, I asked people who weren’t in our target audience (Male: 40 and Female: 28) who said they wouldn’t want to watch the rest of the movie as they have nothing to relate to it and didn’t find it as scary as our target audience did. We reckon this is because our target audience are at the age where they get scared easily. Someone being in your house is fearful in itself and our opening sequence has simply exaggerated the event to really target a certain audience
Teenagers are most likely to consume their films on the web and therefore it is wise to distribute our film to websites (refer to question 3).The age certificate for our film is 15 because it some murder scenes may be disturbing to younger children. Similarly ‘The Omen’ which is has an age certificate of 18 due to the disturbing story line based around a young boy which would not be suitable for anyone under 18 to watch.

‘

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

Q3) Our opening sequence can be shown in various locations such as local cinemas, film societies, art cinemas, websites and film competitions. This would cause underground popularity and we would expect the film to be known by mostly word and mouth endorsement. Because we are working on no budget it would be wise to screen our movies on these options as it would be cheap. The film wouldn’t receive a general release; it would be distributed through ‘Unchained’ productions, a company we created that specialised in producing and distributing small British films to independent cinemas to reach our target audience. A website which may distribute our film is www.firstlightmovies.com which is the one of the internets resources for low budget film makers. An example of a low budget movie which has been distributed via first light movies is ‘Demon Army’ which also follows a horror genre. If we had professional casting men and high level actresses our movie would’ve made it to the big screens as our film does follow all the main stream conventions (I.e continuity and character roles) contained in 'Final Destination’(Wong - 2000) and other successful horror movies. It would be wise to show our film in cinemas such as Enfield ‘UGC’, and Finchley ‘VUE’ rather than Wood green ‘CINEWORLD’. This is because Cineworld shows a range of movies from Bollywood to Hollywood giving our film more films to compete with. The range of movies reflect the area and also gives each individual film a shorter viewing period as many other movies would be in cue to be released. According to our audience feeedback, most viewers expected to see our film in local cinemas.