Film Pitch

Here is Reflection Studios pitch for The Black Widow

Evaluation

While pitching our film, we had a confident outlook on our film and were open to anything the 'Studio Executives' could throw at us. We explained our idea well and in depth making it easy for people to understand. However some people still got confused by the story line so we could have made it abit simpler rather than going further.

However when we went under scrutiny we handled the questions well to explain our idea. We kept calm and answered as well as we could. Overall I think our pitch was very good as we got 'commissioned' by the 'Studio Executives' so people must have liked what they heard.

Sound Editors

A sound editor in a film is the person who put's all the audio into a film, mixing and mastering of a final product. The key elements of this are: Dialogue, Music and Sound Effects. They have to manage the levels of all these.

The first film to have any sound was 'The Jazz Singer' in 1927 there was synchronized dialogue and musical numbers featured. But this still had to be edited by a sound editor using a 'talkie'. As sound in film began to develop, composers shone through and made the film. Here's a link to an interesting new's article about composers being a directors best friend in film processes: Sound Editors, A Directors Best Friend

Sound editing has developed so much now that in the 2013 film 'Les Miserables' the music numbers were all recorded on set, on the day. Well at least the vocals were, the orchestral element was then later recorded and dubbed onto the soundtrack. This was the first time that vocals were actually recorded on the set of a film and is now acclaimed to be one of the best soundtracks of all time. Not only because of the beautiful music scores but because of the amazing sound editors:

Alot of sound editors use foley, which is sound they have made themselves using objects. This was often heard on the radio for radio plays. We even had a go ourselves at making some sounds.

A famous example of this is is the 'Wilhelm Scream' that you might have heard in things like 'Star Wars' and all sorts of Disney cartoons. But these have become a bit of a joke to film makers. However back in the day it was meant to be a serious sound effect. Here's a compilation of where this scream has been used:

I don't think we'd use this sound in our film, as it sounds too comical for the film we want to produce. Well it's used for comedy purposes now anyway so it's not much of a loss from the thriller genre anyway.

I think that sound can really make a film, no matter how good something can look on screen the sound really does make it. Making the sound editor a very crucial role!

Target Audience Profile

Simon Davies is an 18 year old male is currently in his last year of sixth form at Hydesville Tower School (Private School) in Walsall. For two years he has studied Media, Drama, Business Studies and English and is set to achieve high grades to allow him to continue his Business Studies at the University of Edinburgh. 

Simon currently lives with his parents but is hoping to move away when he leaves for university and live in an apartment in which his parents will pay for the rent. In his spare time, other than playing cricket and rugby, Simon likes to go to the cinema with his friends to see films of the genre, comedy, horror, thriller, action adventure and Sci-fi. 

The most recent film Simon has been to see was Gravity with his mates from school. However he prefers the old school thrillers such as Psycho (the original) and Vertigo. Even though his parents are rather rich, Simon has to work on Saturdays and Sunday at the local shop, stacking shelves and serving customers. His parents don't always give him everything so he has to earn some money for outings to the cinema and buying DVD's when they're on offer at his local ASDA. Simon also has to get himself places in his Black Mini which his parents got him for his 17th Birthday; he only recently passed his driving test after failing first time round.

When he's not watching films at the cinema or at rugby training, Simon likes listening to his music, especially Indie, Rock and some Pop Bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Fall Out Boy and Linkin Park. Simon's friends don't agree with his music taste and so has to socialise with his mates about films and games consoles. His friends love the film genres he is into and so they all go to the cinema in their free time; mostly Wednesdays.

Target Audience Research

Film classifications can range from a U to 18 in the UK, here are a brief explanation of each rating:

• Universal product. Suitable for children over 4.
• Use of drugs are not prohibited.
•  Mild swearing is acceptable.
• Sexual relations can be suggested however not shown, other than kissing.

• May have some inappropriate themes for children. Parental guidance is advised for children under 8.
• Mild language can be used (e.g Bitch, Cow)
• Smoking and drinking can be shown however not promoted.
• No detailed violence some blood can be shown. No gore.
• Drugs can be shown however should not give out a positive message.

• Infrequent bad language can be used. The 'F' word can be used.
• Sexual relations can be shown briefly or implied.
• Violence can be shown however not in detail.
• Infrequent drug use can be shown.
• Must not linger on dangerous behavior.

• Strong violence can be shown.
• Frequent use of strong language can be used. The 'f' word can be used more frequently.
• Use of drugs can be shown.
• Sexual relations and nudity can be shown.

• Extremely strong language can be used.
• Strong horror.
• Strong blood and gore can be seen.
• Full nudity and sexual relations can be shown.

We had set for our film classification to be a 12A. The British Film Classification states that 12A/12 films can have infrequent bad language, some violent elements, and some sexual elements. With these in mind we thought that 12A films suggest that children under 12 can see it, however must be accompanied by an adult over 18. If we were making the whole film our's would fit into this sort of infrequent adult situations as the main focus would be on the back story of the characters rather than the actual thriller/murder thing going on.

For our general target audience we have a focus on 16-25 year olds, with a mainly male demographic. This is due the the amount of young men this age that enjoy thrillers and horrors more than other audiences.

These two films 'Old Boy' and 'American Hustle' are both of thriller genre's and like most have main demographic of Males age 16-25. Giving us evidence for choosing this specific target audience

Based on the demographic we researched the average young man and what they appear to enjoy the most. This came down to, films (Thrillers, Comedys and Horrors) music (Often rap or rock) games (GTA, COD etc.) and browsing the internet.

Thrillers also seem to attract those of a higher class too, this could be due to the complexity of some story lines

Early Consideration of Evaluation Questions

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

Our most obvious challenging convention is a female protagonist, however it has started to become more popular. However we also have also challenged an age convention and having a young couple at the center rather than a pair of 20-30 somethings.

How does your media product represent particular social groups? 

Our product will represent teenagers of both genders and how they interact with each other. This will also represent how a conventional Good Girl x Bad Boy pairing will work when conventions and subversions occur.

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

That is unkown at the moment, it depends on the quality of the film and how well it is produced.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

We set out target audience for 16-24 year olds and hopefully that will be our audience for the final product.

How did you attract/address your audience? 

We hope that the actual film will attract our audience as we hope to use elements of classic and modern thrillers to build a wide audience.

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

We will learn and use techniques for film making as we go along. These will mainly be in editing and sound.

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

We will have hopefully improved on our skills as film makers, from writing, to filming and editing. 

Film Narative

When we first got together as a production team, we began to look at a few different ideas that would work as a film in the thriller genre. We began to research the conventions of thrillers and where there'd be a gap in the market for a possible film.

As the process went on we began to look at what would look good as an opening and what marks we could access for the coursework. We had struck with a couple of ideas like kidnap films and stalkers. However we embraced the two ideas and thought of 'The Black Widow.'

Plot

A young couple on the brink of a break up, the boyfriend then pushes his girlfriend to the edge of madness. She does not however only take it out on him, but everyone that has done her wrong in her life; Innocence is ruined, thoughts are betrayed, as her world crumbles apart.

For the opening that we will produce, the murder will remain unknown to the viewer until the very end. There will be some clues suggesting that it is the female character however nothing too over the top.

Pro's and Con's

• We had been given some feedback when we began to discuss our film idea that alot of the ideas we thought were original, had actually been done before.
• Idea of hidden identity will work well, if done correct.
• Locations/Props easy to find (Everyday items).

Film Title Design: Research

Before the 1950's film titles were not very often, or if they were, low quality. But this all changed when sound in films was introduced and titles began to get more elaborate. And then since the 1960's it became an art form in itself, with many critics claiming "Forget the film and watch the titles." There are even a number of blogs/websites that just talk about film titles alone now. One of these is Art Of The Title: http://www.artofthetitle.com/ that gives a history on the titles, reviews and interviews with the people who made them. Well worth having a look at.

Here is a clever video that shows some of the most iconic titles in film making.

Most all film titles have some form of stylised, written words that flow with the film. Typography word coming from the greeks with typos-form and graphe-writing. The end products for alot of typography can be beautiful and this is also considered art now too, with alot of modern artists basing their work around words.

Here is the opening credits to a thriller: The Purge

Overall it really does the film justices and is very visually pleasing. The music is un-conventional giving a sort of comedy element to the opening. However if I have one thing to pick at, it would be the placement of the typography. It would have been clever to have the names appear as part of the already visual text 'security cam' bars. The shots used in this all give the audience a sense of what they are about to see and to some it may be off putting but other may have gotten more interested in it.

So to be quite honest, when I look at titles everything just sort of has to fit together for me. No edging your way round something and also needs to draw me in as a viewer.

Production Team!

So we've settled on a production team name and a (basic) logo, to produce our thriller.

Without further ado, we are, Reflection Studios!

REFLECTION STUDIOS

(Robbie, Lucy and Charlotte)

We decided to call ourselves 'Reflection Studios' as it includes our 3 initials (RLC) in the same word. After a while, we had a light bulb moment and thought "REFLECTION!" this lead us onto our idea for an ident we have that out initials will be 'reflected' onto a lake. We think that this name represents us and our production well as it symbolizes our abilities to create ideas that bounce of and reflect the others views on how something should be.

Film Distribution In The UK

Distribution of a film, is how the film is released and retailed. The film goes through a number of steps when distributed to make sure the film is accessible to the target audience and the worldwide network.

Here's a little animation about how films are distributed in the UK:

Thriller Opening Investigation

As part of my research for thriller openings I analysed two pieces of real media openings. The Black Swan and Sweeny Todd. Here are some screencast's of the two openings with my narrated deconstruction:

Here's an interesting theory that we've come across, that no matter how many film there are in the world they all are variations of 22 main stories. Here is a good little illustration that explains the 22 story paths:

Choosing A Genre To Work With

As a group many of us have been thinking about what genre of film we would be working with for the rest of the year. We researched some films and thought about what the pros and cons of each genre could be. Like this:

And then as a class we compiled all our data together thinking about all the complications and triumphs that can happen with each genre and decided that we would work with the 'Thriller' genre. This is due to the capability of creating something of good quality worth some of the highest marks we are hoping to get for our course. 

Positives of Thrillers: 

• Realism and Realistic Elements
• Set/Props/Costume all relatively easy to assess
• Straight Forward Editing
• Draws Audience In

Negatives of Thrillers:

• Hard to fit action into 2 minuets of coursework

There turned out to be alot more positives for choosing a Thriller over everything else from both the creative side and the filming/acting side of it. So hopefully we chose this genre wisely and our coursework will be the best it can be. Now onto thinking of possible narratives!

Researching Advanced Camerawork: Crane Shots

Here is an example of a crane shot we filmed in class:

This was our first time at filming with a crane to create this type of shot, and for a first attempt at something it's fair to say that it wasn't too bad. It may be a little shaky and rough round the edges (Sometimes the individual being filmed went out of shot) but it got across the idea of how a crane shot is used and what it looks like. Hopefully we will work on this and create are more fluid and better quality crane shot in the near future.

This shot is often used in soaps and drama's when someone leaves a place of significance to the character. Giving a high view on what they are leaving behind.

Manual Focussing

Two key terms that are often used when filming Manual Focus shots are:

Depth Of Field: Depth Of Field is the term used for the distance between the object/s that are closest and furthest away in the foreground and background of the shot.

Focus Pull: Focus Pull is the technique used that transfers the focus of the shot from one object to another.

Here is an example from an actual piece of  media:

During this sequence there is a large number of focus pulls, and manual focusing. It especially becomes clear at around 2:30 while Harry is looking at his mom and 2:40 when Niall looks at his Brother. I think this is an excellent example of how the technique is used and suits the video brilliantly.

Here Some Examples of Manual Focus Pulling 

Manual focussing is a technique used in film making, while the camera is rolling to focus and un-focus accepts of the frame and footage. This technique can be used often  to make the audience focus on a certain things in the frame. 

Film Idents

To put it simply a 'Film Ident' is an opening company logo on any film that is produced. Here are a couple of examples from Universal and Fox:

Looking over both of these 'Film Idents' I feel that they are both powerful symbols of film and media alike of our time. Both of these companies are widely recognised for their idents showing that they must be successful in what they are trying to achieve, however they have been revised over the years to suit the films and the audience that will watch the film.

If you look deeper into both of the idents you might recognise their similarities like powerful, orchestral music and shiny, 3D lettering. This gives the audience a perspective on the film already that it's going to be amazing and brilliant due to the sheer power that the idents give off. Also they are both just over 20 seconds long, for a logo on anything else it can be considered too long. But for 'Film Idents' it seems just the right amount of time. If it was to be shorter then it doesn't have as much impact on the audience and their beliefs for the upcoming feature film.

On the other hand you have smaller film companies, who's idents are alot less extravagant, take Film 4 as an example:

Instead of a big, golden animation, Film 4 went with a simple 'live action' formation of the corporate logo (This is also a version of the Channel 4 company logo, the formation of a number for with separate parts). It's also considerably shorter in time and the music is alot calmer than it's big Hollywood counterparts. This gives the reader a much more relaxed approach to the film they will view.

Opening Credit Research

As a class we gathered data about the opening credits in different genre's of film, by watching them and taking notice of each order that the names/production appears in. We realised that as we looked through the data that in most cases 'Production Associates' are always put first, starting with the studio name e.g universal, paramount.

Next is usually the actors, starting with the 'Major' roles then 'Minor' roles towards the end. Then to finish off people who made the film what it is, this also most the times ends with the 'Director' of the film.


Opening Title Research

However there is a difference between 'Opening Credits' and 'Title Sequences'. Opening Credits are merely just text on a background where as Title Sequences are more complex of that being they are an entirely separate sequence in its own right e.g James Bond films.

This is the opening titles for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World which was part of my research:

As our production team (Myself, Charlotte and Robbie) we were thinking of several ways that we could present our opening credits. We also came up with our production team name of 'Reflection Productions' notice the three letters of our first names feature in the name. This would appear as the first thing you see on the opening credits. This would be followed by:

• Film Title?
• Actors?
• Sound/Edit?
• Producer?
• Writer?
• Director.

This is just a basic idea of a simple some simple opening credits for our coursework. Here's a link to some opening cedits that helped us on creating a simple structure for our works.

http://www.artofthetitle.com/

Tracking Shots

A tracking shot is a type of camera shot/movement that is often used to physically follow a key character/object on a journey using a wheeled tracking dolly and tracks if you wish. This technique is often used to follow a journey, reveal something far away or out of a shot.

Our Example

To create these shots we used tracks and a tripod dolly. We learnt that when performing a tracking shot timing is key and both the camera operator and actor need to consider each others speeds and actions.

Boogie Nights

This is how the shot is used in the opening of the film 'Boogie Nights' it is clear that during this scene they used a dolly to follow around the characters on the dance floor and in the bar. There is very little dodgy camera movements die to the stability created by the dolly.

Three-Point Lighting

Three-point lighting used used during film making to enhance the look and feel of the film. The term three-point comes from the idea that you are using three different lights, Key Light, Filler Light and a Back Light. Here is a simulated example of how it all works: http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/simulator.html

Our Example

This is our example of how three-point lighting is used in the film industry. It is a very important element of film making and can make or break a film. A key light, is the main light used on the person or object being filmed. A filler light 'fills' in the shadows that are caused by the key light. And the back light which is used to make the image look more 3D.

To achieve this we used two 'Red Heads' for the Key and Back lights and used a reflector for the filler light.

Preliminary Task

The Broken Friendship

What Went Well?

As a production team the three of us (Dan, Charlotte and myself) all worked well together to produce our short film. We all listened to each others creative ideas without overpowering each other in our decisions creating and filming the piece. The actual film itself is of a decent standard for a piece of work, including all the given circumstances set for us to perform in the task. This was also thanks to our willing actors who took the time to give us a great performance to create the film.

What Is Good?

I am particularly proud of our work with the camera angles and camera movements, even though all three of us controlled the camera all the shots flowed well. While editing the match on action shots too we found that the actress had done a good job with matching her movements on each side of the door as she enters making the edit near enough perfect. However as the actress exits this was slightly harder to edit due to the movement of her hair as she turns around, we had to match this movement so her hair hadn't magically switched sides. While editing all of the shots, there was little or no continuity.

Did You Follow The Production Rules?

180 Degree Rule - Yes I believe we kept to the rule, as while the two characters were having a conversation we never went past them and round the back of them. Even as the one actress got up to exit we kept the rule enforced as when she began to move we tracked the camera with her so the audience would understand the movement.

Match On Action - I think we performed these edits and shots well, as explained in the previous question. The edits worked well with the actresses movements and the rule was clearly followed as she entered and exited the room.

Continuity - As observed in our film we believe there is no or little continuity errors throughout.

What Went Less Well?

There was no real issue while making the film other that when filming the 'Match On Action' shots there were some issues with the actors forgetting where their hands/feet were placed so that lead us to filming several versions of the same shot. But there was not issue with anything else while filming and editing the film.

What Did You Learn About Making Films and Working Within a Production Team?

When making a film I learnt that you may have/want to do shots more than once to get the film just right, this may be a bit of a pain but all in all it is worth it for the overall quality of the film.  While working in the production team set up you must have to listen to each other, and take on each-others creative ideas. That is really important if you want your film to be the best it can be, if not then the film could be a total disaster and the team could fall apart. Give everyone equal opportunities and also make sure everyone knows what they are doing in the given point.  

Script Research

While writing a script, there are a few things you must remember.

• A SCRIPTS TEXT MUST BE WRITTEN IN A SIZE 12 COURIER FONT.
• SCENE MUST BE SET, BEFORE ANY ACTION. INT/EXT, PLACE, TIME OF DAY.
• FOLLOWED BY A QUICK SUMMARY OF THE ACTION AND STAGE DIRECTIONS.
• CHARACTER HEADER, DIALOGUE/DIRECTIONS

At school when writing scripts we use 'Celtx' to write like a lot of film makers do now too, this software already has everything set up for the screen writer to write up their ideas. This is all the stuff you need, font, headers layout everything you need for a professional looking script. And you can get a free download of it too!

https://www.celtx.com/index.html

Here is an example of how the scripts are laid out from The Wizard of Oz:

As you can see, it ticks all the right boxes of how a script should be. Making it a real quality produced script.

Continuity

The definition of continuity is:
 con·ti·nu·i·ty  

/ˌkäntnˈ(y)o͞oəitē/

Noun The unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time. A state of stability and the absence of disruption.

In media this would mean there is a mistake in the film in which something is not consistent, e.g an object appearing or disappearing in the scene. Here is a short video explaining continuity and examples of this problem:

 

180 Degree Rule

There is a rule in film making that all film makers must abide by, the 180 Degree Rule. 180 degree's is half of a full circle, just think of an imaginary line when filming and not to step over that line where the actor(s) is/are standing. If this rule is broken in can distort and confuse the viewer.

However this idea can be broken, if you travel past the 180 degree line while the camera is still rolling with no edits and cuts to the scene. This then switches the way the 180 degree rule is in placement with actors. Using this idea of traveling with the camera still rolling does not confuse the viewer as they see the movement from one side, to the other.

Lucy

Match On Action

Match On Action is a editing technique where the actor performing some kind of action, however the camera cuts the shot is changed. However the editing is done is such way that the action is fluent and the film makers aim for no continuity. Here's a short video showing an example of a Match On Action from friends:

 

As you can see the movement from all the actors is fluid and fits well the edits. This does take some skill to perform and you may not get it right on the first time. We are encouraged to include match-on-action in our prelim task to show our skill at perform this edit.

Rule Of Thirds

You may have come across the rule of thirds in everyday life but you might not have realised it. This is usually on your cameras and phones while taking pictures or recording a video. Most people (usually younger children) believe that the center of a picture or frame is the most important bit, so they place everything in the middle of the page or picture. However in the world of film and photography it is quite the contrary.

This grid is what you often see on camera screens, and is used as a guideline of placement of objects and people in the frame. The composition of theses things in a frame is very important for the viewers brains and eyes. The more center something is the more intense for our eyes it becomes, (and it's also not the first place we look). A recent music video of a band demonstrates the rule of thirds perfectly. Here is the video and some screenshots explaining the Rule Of Thirds:

If you notice while the guitar is being played, the main body of the instrument is to the left of the frame there is nothing of any significance in the center of the frame. 

As the camera focus' on the singer of the band, Luke, notice he is placed in to the right of the frame and not the center, making the framing less intense to the viewer. 

Even when there is more than one person in the frame, neither are in the center of the frame. Micheal is placed to the very left of the frame meanwhile Luke is just of center to the right. This may be because he is the 'lead' of the band.

As the camera cuts to Calum singing, he is positioned level with the microphone in being just of center. Leaving dead space in the direct center.

Ashton the drummer is also placed to the very left of the frame when he is seen playing drums. The drums are alot more in the center than him. Showing the importance of the instrument.

Even when the whole band is visible in the frame, none of them are in the center of the frame, the bass head is in the center. However it not exactly significant to the shot.

In summary the rule of thirds are an important technique in film making, that is quite subliminal to us as viewers and has integrated into a part of our everyday lives. For more deeper explanations here is a useful website explaining the rule of thirds from a photography point of view http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/rule-of-thirds.htm

Lucy

Editing Cut Types

There are lots of different cut types within film, each giving a different feel to a film. These are:

• Match On Action
• After Action
• Before Action
• Entrance/Exit
• Foreground Wipe
• Look Of (P.O.V)
• Referent
• Linkage
• Split Edit

Even if it may not seem like it, editing really does make or break a film, and can alter the story at any given moment and give a completely different perspective to the audience.

Camera Movements

There are several camera movements described in this video from about 2:20 onwards:


Lucy

Shot Types

Here is a useful video that will show some basic shot types that are frequently used in media:



Establishing Shot: An establishing shot is used to 'establish' where the film is set. Showing the landscape, whether that being nature, buildings etc. to 'set the scene.'

Long Shot: Long shots are used on a character, showing the whole body. Making the audience see the size, shape and wardrobe choices of a character. Helping the audience get to grips with the character.

Close Up: Close up's focus on the whole face of the character, often used to show the facial expressions clearly to the audience.

Over The Shoulder: Using an over the shoulder shot in a film can be used for the audience to see something from the characters perspective.

Medium Close: Features just the top half of the characters body, from the waist up.

Cut-In: Otherwise known as a close up of an object.

Extreme Close Up: Often features just the eyes and nose of a person. Can make the viewer feel intimidated.

Two Shot: A shot featuring two characters in the frame.
_________________________________________________


Hope this explained some of the different shot types!

Lucy

Expected Production Workflow

When creating a film you should be expected to follow a workflow of how your product will be created and exhibited. As a group we created our 'Expected Workflow' of how are product should be created.

Pre-Filming Research

These next few posts will be explaining several filming and shooting elements that all AS Media students should know about before filming their short films. These are:

• Shot Types
• Camera Movement
• Cut Types
• Rule Of Thirds
• Match On Action
• 180 Degree Rule
• Continuity

These posts that will be spread out over a couple of days will explain theses seven different areas and will hopefully get across what each one is/means, how it works. Look forward to them, reader!

Lucy

Welcome!

Hello reader!

My name is Lucy Smith and I'm a year 12 student at Great Wyrley High School, in which I am studying for my A-Levels. This blog will contain my AS Media Studies coursework and pathway to media succession. I hope you enjoy the short films that I will make, posts about different elements of a AS Media pathway and more.

Thanks for reading!
Lucy