Preliminary Task and Evaluation

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

In my group I worked with Pip and Antonio for this task. We decided as a group that we were all going to take part in the acting, the filming and the editing, this was because we felt this would help us to achieve the best that we could with our preliminary task.

2. How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use?

We planned our sequence by making a storyboard for our task, this showed us the exact location of the shots that we needed to get and also the timings of them so we then knew how long each shot had to last for and we also then knew which shot we had to film next.

3. What theorists did you think you could apply to your task?


4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

We had to take in consideration where we were allowed to film and where we weren't, for example we had to ask a member of teaching staff if we could film a scene in their office. When shooting we had to make sure that we did it during lesson time so that there was no unnecessary people in the background of the shot. When editing we had to make sure that we put all of our footage in the correct place and we also had to make sure that we saved it into the correct area so that when we came back to edit it again at a different time, it would still be there to continue on from.

5. How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well and with hindsight what would you improve/do differently?

I believe our sequence was quite successful, this is because we managed to get all pf the footage that we had planned to get, we were able to use all of the locations that we wanted to and also we managed to film everything we needed to in the time frame that we were given, therefore we didn't get behind with any of the editing.


6.What did others say about your production?

Others in our media class said that our preliminary task had a very good storyline which matched well with our genre type. They also said that the different music clips that we used were a good choice as they linked together well and they got the audience's attention straight away.

7.What have you learnt from completing this task?

From completing this task I have learnt how to film correctly with and without a tripod, and also how to zoom in and out on the camera to add effect. When editing, I learnt how to add a voice over into the scenes and also how to add only certain parts of songs in, for example: when we only wanted the rapping part of a song we clipped it so it was only that part in the background.

8.How will learning be significant when completing your final film opening?

From what I have learnt from this task I will be able to take these new skills and put them into my final film opening to make it even better than this task. From the skills that I have learnt from this task I will now be able to film with a better quality for my final opening and I will also be able to edit much better.

Preliminary Task

Today we began to plan our preliminary film task.
The genre that we got for this task was action.
In the group we have decided to use all of us as actors and we will be the three main actors throughout the film, we thought this was a good idea because we wouldn't have to rely on anybody else, and it also means that we could get our task done quicker.
Because our genre is action, we decided to base our film on a school girl who has a precious necklace from her Grandmother and she thinks this is the only reason it is special, however one of the teachers at the school wants the necklace for another reason. The teacher hires a hit man to get the necklace for her (this is the main part of action in the film) and his way of getting into the school is by pretending to be a delivery man. After waiting for the right time, the hit man took his chance to get the necklace off of the innocent girl, to do this he had to tackle her as the girl seemed to have a few fighting skills that she threw at him, when he got the necklace off of the girl he left her laying on the floor and gave his boss a call to let her know he'd done what she asked, he then ran off with the necklace to give to her.d                        

Project Diary

Day 1:
Today we picked the genre of our film out of a hat and we got Action. We then had to think of an idea of what our film is going to be about and once we'd done this we created our storyboard for our preliminary task. By doing a storyboard it made sure that we were prepared and planned for our filming task.
Day 2:
On our second day of our preliminary task we began to film. As  a group we decided to do all of our filming around our school's grounds which we believed would make it much easier for us to film and also save us a lot of time. We decided to film our first few shots outside the front of the school and also in the dining area and the toilets. We all had a go at filming on this day because we all had to be in a scene at one point.
Day 3:
Today was the third day of our prelim task, we still had a few more shots to film and we decided to film these down link corridor and also down a staircase. We had to make sure that we included all of the main type of shots that we needed, for example on this day of filming we managed to film a tracking shot of Pip walking along the lockers in the corridor and the camera was following her.
Day 4:
Today, Renae was the main camera woman because she didn't need to be in any of the scenes whereas Pip and Ant did. Today we had to re-film one scene a couple of times because at the start we couldn't get the timing right.
Day 5:
Today was the fourth day of our prelim task and we've managed to get all of our filming done and we only have editing to do. We decided to do our editing as a group as we felt that this would ensure that we all had the same footage and also it meant that we could include all of our editing skills instead of only one person's. However, this also means that we can only do something once we have all agreed on it.
Day 6:
Today we had more editing to do, and to make our prelim better we have to add music in to make it more suspicious, however we're struggling to all decide on one track that we like. We know that we need something like James Bond to create suspense but we can't seem to find one like this at the moment. For the first scene we have chosen to use the song: Writing on the wall by Sam Smith, we think this goes with the first scene because it is a simple and innocent song which is like the girl in the first scene however it has a hidden message which again is like the girl because her necklace is her hidden message. We then decided on the Avenger's theme tune for the start of the action part in our film as it builds up the suspense for the audience.
Day 7:
Today we are finishing off our editing for our preliminary task, we have mainly finished all of our editing such as putting our effects and transitions in, and now we just have to decide on a few more music tracks to ad din to fit with our genre and the image that we are trying to show.  We decided against the Sam Smith song as we feel it doesn't mix well with the other songs we have chosen this is because it is a lot softer and therefore doesn't really mix well with our genre. We've decided to use an action instrumental for the middle scenes to make sure that the audience isn't bored when watching the scenes that don't have any dialogue in, it also creates suspense when leading up to the main part in the film.
Day 8:
Today is our final day of editing our preliminary task, we have used a few different music tracks: we used 'the sound of war' in our opening scene, we used this track because it sounds enticing and gets the audience interested right at the start. For the second shots we used the song 'sucker for pain' this is because there's some rapping in the song which shows his rebellious side. We then used 'suspenseful background music' this was to again create suspense for the audience. The next track that we used was 'avengers', we used this track because it relates to our genre of action. The last tack that we used was the 'suspenseful background music' again, this was to show that the hit man has got away with his actions. We have also added in a phone ringing audio to make sure that the audience understand exactly what is going on. We also added a voice over in to help the audience to know what is going on.

Shooting schedule

Dncing Animals Practice Edit

This was my first project on premiere. On this project we had to choose a song that we thought went best with the clips. I chose this song because I feel that it was really upbeat and lively like the dancers. I also had to choose where to put the clips in to make sure that it mixed well with the music. I had to ensure that there was no blank screens in between the clips so I had to make sure that we cut the clips at the correct time and that I merged them together correctly.
From doing this project I learnt how to use the software and I know feel I am more experienced and prepared for future projects.

Independent vs Mainstream Film

Fast and Furious 7 vs The Riot Club

1. Fast and Furious 7 was distributed by universal. The film has many production companies, these include: Original Film, One Race Film, Media Rights Capital, China Film, Relativity Media- usually a film company will use different company’s to help produce the film because they all specialise in different things.

The Riot Club was also distributed by universal. However, unlike the mainstream film , this film only had one production company and that is Blueprint Pictures.

2. The budget of Fast and Furious 7 was 190 million dollars. The budget of The Riot Club is unknown, this could be because the film actually lost money so they therefore don't want to publish their budget.

3. Fast and Furious 7 made 353 million dollars, which is a very big profit and it's clear to us that the film was a massive success.

The Riot Club made 3.5 million dollars, as we don't know their budget we can't tell if they made a profit from this production or if they actually lost money. But, we can see that they made almost 350 million dollars less than the mainstream film made. This clearly shows the difference (in money) between an independent film and a mainstream film.

4. The production companies for fast and furious are very well known and they have produced many other famous mainstream films. As well as the production companies of this film, the distribution company (Universal) is also a worldwide, well known company.
The production company of the independent film The Riot Club isn't very well known, this could be why this film is an independent film because it doesn't have a well known production company which could be why it's not a well known film like the mainstream film- Fast and Furious 7.

5. The mainstream film that I have chosen has 5 different production companies unlike the independent film I have chosen which only has one production company. Another difference between the two films are that the mainstream film made a huge profit from the production of the film, but the independent film didn't.

6. The two films that I have chosen were both distributed by the well known, worldwide company: Universal.

7. The production company 'Original Film' also made the series of prison break as well as Fast and Furious 7 and many other famous films, the series of prison break was a very successful series the same as all of the Fast and Furious films have been. This shows that this production company is very successful in producing good films that the public love.
The production company 'Blueprint pictures' which is the production company for the film The Riot Club, also produced a film called 'The Outcast' this isn't a very well known film either, the same as the independent film I have chosen.

8. The main genre of film that the production company 'Original Film' produces seems to be action. We all know that all of the Fast and Furious films share the same genre of action, and also the famous series: Prison Break also has a genre of action.
The main genre type for the film production company 'Blueprint Pictures' seems to be varied.
Considering the genre type that a production company specialises in is important when making a film because you want  to choose a production company which is interested in the genre of your film and also that is going to make your film the best that it can be.

9. Universal is the distribution company for both of the films I have chosen to talk about, and as these two films are very different from each other, it is clear to see that this institution appeals to a variety of different audiences.

10. I feel that the production companies for the mainstream film that I have chosen outperform the one production company for the independent film that I have chosen. This is because the mainstream film was more successful in every way and also, the mainstream film had 5 production companies which made it more famous whereas the independent film only had one which could be why it wasn't as popular. 

Juno Filming and Editing Task

Props

• Juice Carton
• Red Hoodie
• Tripod
• Camera

Location

Outside and around the grounds of Great Baddow High School.

Evaluation Questions

Overall, the filming for our Juno project went really well, we managed to get all of the shots that we needed and we also got the timings of each shot correct. In some shots, like the tree shot for example- the tree in our video lasts longer on the screen than it does in the original Juno video, we should try to improve our filming accuracy for next time.
I believe that my storyboard was accurate as we followed it throughout the whole of the filming and without it we wouldn't have been able to get any shots finished. Our storyboard had the timings on each part which really helped us when trying to get the timing correct for each shot.
In our group we were all very good at finding the correct locations to film and we was all very quick at getting the shots done therefore we didn't waste any time, this was one of our strengths. Another one of our strengths was getting the correct props prepared for the video, we managed to get a red hoodie which was exactly like the original Juno video and we also managed to get a juice carton which wasn't exactly the same as the original video but it was very similar which made our video better. With using the tripod, we could get a steady shot without having any shakiness which made the quality of our video much better. Without the correct props we wouldn't have been able to get the footage accurate.
One of our weaknesses was that in some shots we didn't make them last for the correct amount of time so when editing we had to stretch them out slightly which allowed us to make them the correct amount of time. Another one of our weaknesses was matching the setting to the video, for example we had to take some time to wait for a car to drive past to get the footage correct. Also, in some shots we didn't manage to match the timing correctly to the original Juno video which made our editing job a lot harder to do because we had to try and stretch some shots out so make them slower to try and make both the videos match at the best that we could.
We successfully managed to get all of the footage that we needed for our project, this then made it much easier for us to be able to upload our footage onto premiere, and then all we had to do was edit it, to make it match the original Juno.
With premiere I learnt how to add the 'find edges' effect onto my footage which I found was the best effect that matched the original Juno video effect. I also learnt how to blend it to a certain percentage so that it wasn't too black and white and so that the colour matched the original Juno video colours. Also with premiere, I learnt how to add in another video onto the footage that I have already imported, I had to add in the original Juno video into the corner of my Juno video so that it is easy to compare them both, this was tricky at first to get them both to play at the same time but once I managed to do it, it made my work look a lot better.
With the camera I learnt how to do a panning shot and I also learnt how to zoom in and out to get the effect that I wanted.
I think that most of the filming went well because we managed to get all of the footage we needed. I also think that my editing on premiere went well because I was able to add in the correct transitions and also add in the correct effects to try to match the original video as best as I could.
From doing this project I learnt many new skills on premiere such as how to add different effects in a and also how to make a shot last for longer, this was a very helpful skill to have as on one of my shots it didn't last for the same amount of time that the original Juno video lasted for, so then i had to try to make it last longer so that it matched the original video correctly.
For my next production, I will aim to make sure that every shot is done to the best that it can be and I will also make sure that it lasts for the correct amount of time that it is supposed to. I will also make sure that there is no unnecessary distractions in the background, for example in my first shot of my Juno video there is a member of the public going into his house in the background, and although this wasn't really a problem for us as a group, it still wasn't in the original Juno video so it therefore shouldn't be in my Juno video.

My Film Production Logo

This is my film production logo.

Juno Filming and Editing Task Storyboards

This is my storyboard for my Juno filming and editing task. As you can see there is 17 shots that I have drawn, having an image of these shots allowed us as a group to be able to film our Juno video as accurately as we could. Also included in each shot is the timings, this really helped us as a group to be able to know how long each shot needed to last for in order to make it match the original Juno video. Underneath each shot I wrote a description of what was happening in the shot, this was important to do in case one of my group members couldn't understand what the drawing was, which would then mean they could read the description and we could get on with the shot, doing this also saved a lot of time.

Institution- Logo, Big/Small budget

What is the main film going audience?

The main film going audience is teenagers to 35 year olds. This is because teenagers like to have something to do at the weekends or after school with there friends so the cinema is a good way to socialise and enjoy their time withe their friends. This is also the same for people from the age of 20-35 who may not see their friends as often as school children do, cinema is a great way to be able to share their interests.



How do cinemas make most of their money?

Cinemas make the most of their money in three ways. One of the main ways is through selling tickets for the people to be able to watch the film. The ticket prices are usually quite expensive but of course people pay it because they want to watch the film. Another way the cinema makes money is by selling snacks, if the cinema stopped selling snacks then the wouldn't be in business. For a £5 popcorn it only costs them roughly around 50p. A £3 coke costs the cinema only 10p to make. Think how much profit they get from the amount of people that buy these snacks.
The third way that they make the most of their money is through on screen advertisements. Cinemas get paid to show new films trailers before the film that is about to be shown starts, this is why there is usually between twenty to thirty minutes of these trailers before the film starts because the more the cinema show, the more money they will make and of course they want to make the most that they possibly can.

How do you get a film into the cinema?

To get a film into the cinema it can be very hard, especially for an independent film industry. A common option chosen by film producers is entering the huge international film festival such as Toronto for example. They would then need to be selected for these A list international festivals which would then give the film a huge opportunity of being seen. If their film is chosen by one of the festivals then it will be seen by the worlds distributors and then if your film is up to their standards then they will bid against each other to gain the rights to have your film shown in their country. Unfortunately some are never noticed and won't get bidded on.




What does a distributor do?

A film distributor is in charge of the marketing for the film. Distribution deals play a big part in the financial side of a film. The distributor may set the release date of the film and also how the film will be shown, for example they will decide whether the film is shown to the public through the cinemaor whether it is just for home viewing (DVD).