Media AS Blog: 2011

Saturday, 17 December 2011

Shooting Script

This is the shooting script for my opening sequence.

Some minor changes have been made meaning the storyboard and the script are slightly different. we decided to not include a laptop in our opening sequence because there is a possibility of it getting stolen when filming. We decided to just use a phone instead and make pretend files on that because the phone is less likely to be stolen and is less important to us if it is.This change just means slight changes have also been made to the action but the film is basically the same.

Screenplay Script

This is the Script for the film opening sequence.

My job in the production

I am going to be the director. I am going to take this role because I am not very good at using cameras. I will also take part of the role of editor but we will mostly share that job between us so that we both get a say in how it looks after it's been edited. I think the role of the director would suit me best because I like to know what is going to happen in each shot and how it looks. I think I will be good at this role because I am good at being critical of my own work and I will always make sure that, to me, everything looks good and realistic.

Jobs in Making the Film

There are lots of jobs involved when making a film but because this is only an opening sequence I am going to focus on 2. These are the camera operator and the Director. I have chosen these two jobs because they are the ones that me and my group will be doing.

Location Recce

These are the location recce sheets that tell us how suitable our location choices are.

Animated Storyboard

This is the animated storyboard I made for my opening sequence. I made this to show better how the opening sequence will be filmed.

Character Development and Props

Our first main character, Becca, will be dressed normally e.g. jeans to show that she is a normal person. However we will use an interesting or unusually decorated top under a jacket to show that she is different underneath. She will also be possibly wearing a coat if the weather is cold.

Production Schedule

These are the dates when we intend to film and edit our opening sequence.

Filming	7^th January
Meet up to review footage	9^th January
Additional filming if required	14^th January
Editing	13^th 23^rd 26^th January 6^th February
Additional editing if required	8^th February

Storyboard

This is the storyboard for my opening sequence.

Codes and Conventions of An Opening Sequence

Here is some research into the codes and conventions of opening sequences. I have done this research to know exactly what I should include in my opening sequence.

One main thing used in opening sequences is titles. These are used to show to the audience what company made and funded the film. They are also used to show the audience some of the actor, producers, director and some of the key people that helped make the film. Thriller films, like the one I intend on making, often show the main characters as just being normal people to begin with in the opening sequence and then as the film progresses the audience can see that these people aren’t ordinary at all.

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Who is involved in film production

In film production the company needs to hire a director who makes sure the film looks good whilst it is being filmed. They need a camera crew who film the whole thing and operate the cameras. They need hair and make up people to make the actors and actresses look like the character. They need people to work in the wardrobe department to make sure that all the costumes are perfect for the character. They need editers to edit the film to put the film together and to create special effects.

Where does the money come from in film production?

In the production of the film there is a few ways that the company can make money.

The first way is by private funding. This is when a person or another company takes an interest in the film idea and gives the production compant money to make their film.

Another way the film can get money is from the money made by the production company on previous films they have produced. This means that their new film is completely funded by themselves and they get to keep all profits. This is called corperate funding.

How films are made and released

Films are made by a production company such as Universal. This company are resposible for making the film and editing the film. They are the ones who hire actors, directors, editers e.c.t. The film is sometimes distributed by the production complany, but mostly they are distributed by other companies. There is normally different companies that distribute the film to other countries. This is a good way of distributing a film because it allows it to go out to other countries quite easily. A distributers job is to send the films out to all the cinemas in that country that it is distributing to.

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Mind Map Of Film ideas

This is a mind map I made of ideas to use for my opening sequence.

Questionnaire Results

These are the results I got from the questions below.

Target Audience Questionnaire Questions

These are the questions I intend to ask 3 people from my target audience to see the types of films they enjoy, what they enjoy about them and what I could add to my idea to make it more sucessful.

Target Audience Research

I did this research to see the types of thing my target audience likes.

Research into Institutions

Here are some possible production companies that produce thriller films such as the one I plan on making. One company is Hammer film productions that made films like black widow. Some directors that direct thriller films are Steven Spielberg and Alfred Hitchcock. The film would either be funded by studios, national funding or pre-sales which is when some companies provide money for a film based on the films potential. They then get their money back from selling the film to cinemas worldwide. The different roles in film production are editors, photographers, producers, directors, storyboard artist and a runner.

Wednesday, 7 December 2011

Research into similar films

This is the research I did into similar films to the one I plan on making. I did this research so that I can get a better understanding of the different types of things that are in films of a similar genre so that I can use similar conventions in my opening sequence. These conventions are

- Camera work

- Mise-En-Scene

- Lighting

- Sound

- Editing

- Stylistic Features

- Representation Of Characters

Pitch

This is the first idea of what my film is going to be about. This is only the first idea and after I have done some research into similar films I will do more planning that will show exactly how I would like to film my opening sequence.

Evaluation

By making this prelim I have learnt that when filming I should use an external microphone and I should stop people around me from talking as it creates a distraction from the main characters and main action. When editing the prelim I learnt how to use Adobe Premiere.