EDITED: EVALUATION : Q1

EDITED: EVALUATION: Q7

 Q7: LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE FULL PRODUCT?

DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT YR 12

At the start of year 12, we were asked to do a short preliminary task.

This was a much more basic task that had a few requirements but they were much less demanding than the final product. In our preliminary, we had to make a short ‘film’ of a character walking across a room, opening a door, having a conversation and then getting up and leaving. This then had to be edited in a style that was continuous and smooth. 

As this was right at the start of year 12, this seemed quite a daunting prospect to me in the sense that this was a completely individual task that we set to show our skills and ability when it came to planning, filming and editing. To me, the edit was the thing i was most worried about. The fact that i would be left alone to explore Premiere and edit by myself was a challenging idea but become rewarding as i was able to see how far i had come in comparison to my preliminary task but, as we got into the project, it became much more easy to me and I enjoyed the filming and the editing became a challenge that i was excited to complete.

I can look back at this now and see how simple and easy it was. Comparing this to my thriller, it was so much easier to get an appropriate amount of footage that would fit into the time scale from a few angles, edit them and make it look smooth, which I assumed would be the case with our thriller but I soon saw that this was definitely not.

  
DEVELOPMENT OF EDITING

 

To me, it is fairly easy to see that the editing of both of my productions differ, hopefully in a positive sense. To me, my preliminary is slightly jumpy and isn’t as smooth as I may want it to be. I have edited it in a way that doesn’t fit very smoothly, re watching it now I can see all the small parts that parts of the edit that definitely are not right.

I used all of these small errors to help make my thriller edit seem much more professional. For example, I made sure that if I cut through dialogue, I edited it in a way that made sure there was no change or dip in sound that would make it obvious that I had cut the clip where I had.

In terms of techniques, being left to my own devices to edit my thriller alone gave me much more freedom to experiment with cuts, effects and transitions allowing me to make my own mistakes and learn what looked best in certain elements of the production.

IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Research and planning became a huge part of the creation of my final production. It was very clear to me that without full planning and doing research before hand I wouldn’t be able to create something that would fit with the genre, themes and requirements of the task itself.

In terms of research, it was hugely important to look at other media texts, many of which we had studied in class and some I had investigated further in my own time. Looking at other films of similar genres and styles was really helpful in the sense that it gave me pointers as to where I should and shouldn’t go with certain aspects of my own film. Looking at films like ‘Essex Boys’ and ‘Layer Cake’ helped me to gain initial ideas for my characters and look further into the way I wanted them to look and act.

Planning was essential when it came to my thriller. Without the in depth planning we did, I feel I wouldn’t have had the chance to make the mistakes I had made and been able to put all of my ideas into a 2 minute clip. Planning helped me to lay all my ideas out in one place, look back at my research and go into more depth with ideas that I thought would fit best with the genre and the requirements of the task.

HOW IS THRILLER MORE CHALLENGING? 

Many aspects of creating the opening of a thriller were much more challenging compared to that of the preliminary task. There was a fairly large amount of extra requirements for the thriller than the preliminary task and the editing of the final task was much more strenuous and time consuming than the preliminary.

There is a lot more to consider in the making of my thriller, you have to think about locations, costumes, a script, conventions and connotations. In terms of my preliminary task, there was very little planning when it came to things like this. For example, there was no research done before hand, costumes weren’t planned and decided and many of the connotations created by body language and the way it was edited weren’t considered.

This was obviously the complete opposite in the sense that I personally wanted to take many of the minor details in my thriller and make them as key as possible to create enigma and create connotations of my characters that hopefully link with many aspects of a thriller film.

Costume was a huge part of this in the sense that in my preliminary task, there was no ‘costume’ as it were, it was just what was worn on the day, whereas in the case of my thriller, I wanted to look at other media texts and get an idea of costumes used in films of similar genres to help my opening as effective and professional looking as possible.

PRODUCTION (THE SHOOT)

The shoot of our thriller was much more challenging than that of the preliminary task. We had to follow some of the rules and basics that came with the filming that we did for our preliminary but this time, we had a lot more freedom in terms of what we filmed, where and when. This of course provided challenges for us in terms of all members of our group not being free at the same time, especially as we didn't film during school hours When we knew we would all be in the same place at the same time. 
in terms of our actual shoot, as a group we got the right amount of footage in enough angles and types of shots as we needed as we had planned many of the angles and places that we wanted to film, this was mainly down to our planning and further research. this allowed us to see what would and wouldn't work so we could test ideas and choose what worked best and looked most effective.

POST-PRODUCTION (EDITING) 

Again, the editing of this task was slightly more demanding than that of the preliminary but the freedom of this allowed me to chop and change clips and edit in a way that allowed me to test out certain aspects of my footage and pick and choose what i felt looked best. This allowed me to develop my editing skills and independent learning, as i was learning new 'skills' whilst trying to make my edit continuous and seem realistic. 

COMPARING THE 2 TASKS

Looking back at both of my tasks, i can see an improvement in many aspects including the composition of the shots.  

FIGURE 1

 

FIGURE 2

Figure 1 is a still from my preliminary task, where the composition i have used has cut the back of one the character's heads off. Looking at Figure 2, i have kept both character's heads completely in shot and used a slightly more inventive angle rather than just filming straight over on of their shoulders.

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 3

Figure 3 shows my a basic angle that was used to establish character. Looking at Figure 4, it shows a more tilted angle which helps to not only establish character but also the situation and the environment in which the characters are in. Using more developed angles has helped to make my film seem much more professional and less childish than the first edit. By using shots that were seemingly more intricate and difficult to capture helped me to create a final product that was of a much higher standard than that of my preliminary task. 

THRILLER ROUGH CUT

THRILLER PLANNING : FONTS

Fonts are a hugely important factor when I comes to the opening of a film. If the font is wrong, it can completely alter the first impression that is given by the opening. 

In our film, we have chosen to use fonts that are particularly ‘gritty.’ This fits well as we are attempting to create something that is along the lines of British Gangster which is in itself a particularly ‘gritty’ theme.

We decided to name our film white noise, to present the title, I wanted to choose something that could be seen as particularly formal but didn't seem as though it was an approachable font. This is why I looked at 2 fonts called ‘Google Spies’ and ‘Slaves Only Dream To Be King.’ These are 2 fairly similar fonts which will help to create similar connotations and images. To me, the second of the two fonts stands out and matches the theme much more than the first.

In my final decision on what to choose for the title of the film, I went with ‘Slaves Only Dream To Be King.’ This was simply based on the fact that it was a much less structured font. It seems much less put together than ‘Google Spies’ which, to me, seems to fit much better in the sense that both characters in our film are presented to be crooked. I also like the idea of animating this font slightly so there is an almost jittery movement which can make the font itself seem more fragment and put together.

The name of our production company was similarly important in the sense that this is one of the parts of the film that has the potential to ruin the intended theme of the film and similarly, if we were trying to present our business, using a type face that completely contrasts the theme of the film could potentially make you seem unprofessional and could leave your film being seen in a sense that is unprofessional.

I have chosen 3 similar fonts that, again that are slightly eroded. I felt like the idea of disintegrating, eroded fonts were ones that would fit very well with the connotations and personas we were aiming to create. At first I wasn’t sure what sort of font would fit well for this particular title but decided something that was slightly more structured than what was used for the overall titles but still had a sense of decay would fit perfectly as it makes the name of our production company seem slightly less important than the title of the overall film and in my opinion, this is easily achieved by using something on a much smaller scale that seems more formal. The 3 fonts I’ve chosen have these formal but eroded features in an attempt to establish a more serious tone for the company.

Out of these 3 fonts, I have chosen to use ‘Waste Of Time.’ This is a font that is much more simple than the others and only has touches of the erosion, leaving it legible but  giving it an edge that fits well with our themes and ideas. 

 Lastly, I looked at fonts that would be suitable to appear when characters are being introduced. For this, I wanted a much more professional font that would be completely legible, making every word that appears, seem like a stand out statement. With this in mind, I’ve chosen 2 fairly basic but ‘stand out’ font. The first being a much more archaic and elegant font, which in my opinion wouldn’t be one that gelled well with the film. With this in mind I then chose my second font which became my chosen font to incorporate into my film. This, to me, is a font that seems much more abrupt, which is what I wanted, making characters names and other details focal points. Using upper case letters in this is something I was interesting in trying which became an idea I want to take through the whole of my use of fonts in the edit.

To me using upper case is a much more intrusive and abrupt way to add titles and to me this would fit perfectly with my ideas for the film. This is why I chose my second choice of font and chose to use it in upper case. To me, my second choice stood out to me as a much more neutral but stand out font as there are no unneeded extras to distract away from the basic intentions of the title. This to me is a much smarter, more clean idea.

FINAL CHOICES

DISCUSS THE WAYS IN WHICH THE EXTRACT FROM OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH CONSTRUCTS THE REPRESENTATION OF CLASS AND STATUS USING CAMERA SHOTS, ANGLES, MOVEMENT, COMPOSITION, EDITING, SOUND, AND MISE EN SCENE.

DISCUSS THE WAYS IN WHICH THE EXTRACT FROM OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH CONSTRUCTS THE REPRESENTATION OF CLASS AND STATUS USING CAMERA SHOTS, ANGLES, MOVEMENT, COMPOSITION, EDITING, SOUND, AND MISE EN SCENE.

The extract from Our Friends in the North shows 2 couples in confrontation over a meal in a busy restaurant.

The composition of this extract leaves the character’s faces constantly in the segments of the shot that comply with the rule of thirds. This makes sure the viewer’s eye is always drawn to the key parts of the clip making sure no vital parts of body language or speech are missed. Keeping their faces in the rule of thirds also allows the viewer to see where the power lies. If a person’s face is on the point where 2lines cross then that draws the viewer’s eye to that point, making it the focal point of that shot which emphasises power by making sure attention is kept on that character. At the beginning of this extract, all four characters seem to be on a similar level of control and power with all four of them, when in shot, being on the cross points of the lines that occur when using the rule of thirds. As this clip goes on the shots become much more claustrophobic and this doesn’t apply anymore. Now, instead of all four characters being on the cross point of the line, there is now no more than one person in shot at a time that aligns with these thirds, emphasising power. This links to class in the sense that when the clip becomes more intense, the composition of the shot changes. The working class characters are seen being off theses cross points whereas, the lady of middle class stays in the focal point of the frame.

This links well with the types of shot used. Class is shown very well when it comes to the confrontation part of the extract. The working class people are shown in a high angle shot type, making them seem small and inferior compared to that of the middle class, being shown in a lower angle shot, making her seem much more powerful than people of the working class. This pattern is continued throughout the extract until the end when two of the working class characters are seen to be getting up and leaving the table. This is when there is almost a complete change in roles. The camera pans up to leave both working class characters overlooking the middle class with a low angle shot in place which then cuts to the opposite side of the table with a high angle shot.

This shows how effective angles can be in a shot. Especially when establishing a character. The use of high and low angle shots not only creates tension in the confrontation but also highlights the way in which the class system worked at that time, first off showing the working class and below the middle, physically shown by using high and low angle shots. There is the occasional tilt shot which helps to emphasis the confusion the characters are feeling when comments are being made about things that the other half of the table may not agree with.

 We also see a master shot being used in this extract which is essentially a shot that is referred back to multiple times. This creates an interception between the classes that have clearly been established. This master shot takes the attention from the heated confrontation, created by the angled shots. This then links to the mise on scene in the shot.

The mise on scene is used very efficiently in this extract in terms of costume and set. The costume in this clip is very effective in establishing the class of the two parties. The first party who are seated are seen in a suit and a dress that seems fit for the occasion. As the second party is seated, the woman can be seen wearing a much more formal costume, thus belittling that of the working class. Similarly the setting allows the idea of class to be established easily. Linking back to the idea of a master shot, the setting works in a way that allows a master shot to take place that completely intercepts the conversation and creates a diversion in the conversation. This helps to establish class in the way that the only people that are seen to be talking to the staff member and actually listening to what he has to say are that of the working class, the lady of middle class seems to ignore him, holding her stare.

The sound in this extract is used effectively in showing class in terms of the accents used. The working class are seen to much less well rounded accents, using slag and language they feel is appropriate that may not be considered in the same way by someone of a much higher class. This is almost the complete opposite of the way the middle class are portrayed. She speaks in a manner that is associated with someone of a much higher class. Not only just she speak more highly but she also is much more wary of her surroundings in the sense that she politically corrects things that people of the working class say that she doesn’t think are correctly. Sound is used in a way that creates tension in a similar sense that when the confrontation between the 2 groups becomes more intense, the background and diegetic sound levels drop and the conversation becomes the focal point of the clip, rather than their surrounding which in a way almost contrasts with the idea of representing class as it almost puts every person in the situation on the same level. 

DISCUSS THE WAYS IN WHICH THE EXTRACT FROM ‘SKINS’ CONSTRUCTS THE REPRESENTATION OF GENDER AND POWER USING CAMERA SHOTS, ANGLES, MOVEMENT, COMPOSITION, EDITING, SOUND AND MISE EN SCENE.

DISCUSS THE WAYS IN WHICH THE EXTRACT FROM ‘SKINS’ CONSTRUCTS THE REPRESENTATION OF GENDER AND POWER USING CAMERA SHOTS, ANGLES, MOVEMENT, COMPOSITION, EDITING, SOUND AND MISE EN SCENE.

In this clip we see characters Cassie and Sid in confrontation over lunch. They’re seen to be sitting opposite each other at the table and are in conversation about eating.

Cassie and Sid are sat in a way that allows them to be seen sitting directly in the segments that are part of the rule of thirds. This is a compositional technique that allows power to be emphasised or make a person seem the opposite. At the start of the clip, both characters are seen to be in similar segments implying they have the same levels of power and authority. As the clip goes on and the confrontation becomes more intense, the positions in the thirds change. Sid remains in the same third, directly on the line that your eye is drawn to but as Cassie becomes more agitated she is no longer on the same level. Composition is similarly key in looking at the actions of both characters. Cassie as a person is out of the powerful view point but her actions are not. When she is messing about with the food and showing Sid what she does to convince people that she has eaten, her hands are in the area that the viewer’s eye is automatically drawn to.

Similarly, the camera angles in this clip are just as important as they help to belittle Cassie’s character and time goes on. Again, as she becomes more agitated, Sid’s character is seen to be more authoritative. When looking at both of them, there are multiple different angles used but the most prominent ones used are the low and high angle shots. Sid is made to look as the he is looking down on Cassie and she is looking up to him. This connotes power in the sense that Cassie is showing a weakness to Sid and he is using that to his advantage, making her look weak and himself more powerful. Similarly, the clip shows many shots that may seem distorting or confusing. As the intensity of the clip increases, so does the shot variety and amount of different angles used. The tilt shots used create more of a theme of confusion and make what Cassie is doing seem even more confusing.

The shot variation helps to make the clip more confusing and distorting, there are lots of jump cuts as the scene goes on which again, help to create a more confusing scene. As Cassie gets repeatedly more wound up, the cuts become more erratic and frequent. The fast and frequent cuts create a more intense atmosphere, this this also seen in the way that the camera cuts from Cassie’s hands and her actions, to her face, to Sid’s face and repeats this in an ongoing cycle. The cycle enhances the idea of Sid’s power over Cassie, Cassie’s weakness when it comes to eating but also the confusion both characters are feeling in the situation. As the situation intensifies, the shots become less wide and we can see more close ups and extreme close ups. These reiterate the severity of the situation and allow us to see how both characters are feeling and how the situation is effecting both of them. In terms of Sid we see him becoming increasingly more confused and lost in her actions but Cassie seems to become more excitable and lost in herself and her actions rather than being confused like Sid. The extreme close ups help us to gain a more in-depth view of the character’s feelings and immediate reactions to events.

The editing of this clip links hugely well with the shot variation. This clip is edited in such a way that makes a scene more distorting than it may be if it was edited in a much less erratic way. The speed in which the shots change and the characters are viewed from different angles is an example of a good way editing can be used to distort and confuse a viewer.

The movement in this clip is important in the sense that without the erratic movements, the clip would lose intensity and the severity of the situation would be missed. Movement is hugely important in drama as it reinforces situations. For example, in this clip, if shots were cut in a smooth and rational way, it would lose effectiveness and seem much more light-hearted. In the case of this clip, the jumpy movements and quick cuts reiterate the effectiveness of movement. Movement used in this way really highlights the power difference between the 2 characters but also shows weakness more than it shows power. The movement helps us to focus on Cassie making her weakness more apparent but also giving her strength to open up about something that she feels in personal which then shows us an almost contrasting part of her personality showing that she’s also incredibly power hungry and wants to be able to ‘fit in’ but it’s almost as if she’s been suppressed and this is almost an outburst which is reinforced by the movement of the camera.

Mise en scene is a huge part of creating effect, especially in this clip. The setting of it is hugely important as it enhances the intensity of Cassie’s actions. As both characters sit in a busy canteen surrounded by busy people who seem to be paying no attention to their conversation. This to me intensifies the scene as it highlights the agitation Cassie is feeling as she seems to become increasingly more aware of her surroundings and her actions and movements become much more frequent. This links alongside the amount and speed of the cuts that begin to occur as her personality changes. Mise en scene is effective in the same sence in terms of their costumes. Sid wear dark, baggy clothes, with the darkness of them connoting more strength. Cassie’s clothing seems to be the exact opposite of this, being lightly coloured and tight fitted, making her look much more well presented, implying she is more aware of people’s opinions and more conscious of her surroundings and Sid’s the exact opposite.

The sound of this clip is not a huge feature of this clip but the way in which the sound is edited is key in showing the power Sid has over Cassie. Cassie’s voice is much quieter and more fragmented that Sid’s who’s voice stays cool and calm and seems to be much louder and more over powering than hers.

THRILLER PLAINNING: LOCATIONS

LOCATIONS

I chose to film my thriller in an area that would represent many of the connotations that i wanted to link to my film. 

I wanted to film somewhere that was very bleak and i could use alongside a cold colour pallet to increase the sense of bleakness and the idea of entrapment even though this is a fairly wide open space.

This wasteland area was perfect for that in the sense that it allowed huge asses of open spaces for shot that can establish the location but also has a smaller confined space that allows shots to be created that can feel claustrophobic,

Isolation was a key idea i wanted to bring forward when i was filming and i feel like this location is perfect for that in the sense that i can use location establishing shots that make sure the person who is watching can see that there is just vast amounts of open space surrounding the area that the characters are situated in. 

I also wanted to use an area that was inside someones house to make it seem like one of my characters does have a normal every day life. Using the inside of someones house would work perfectly as we could use this and then film the character leaving just before he gets kidnapped.