Thursday, 22 April 2010
Evaluation Over Look
Evaluation is worth 20 marks.
Questions
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5.How did you attract/address your audience?
6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
For the Evaluation I will be aiming for Level 4 (16-20 marks)
Mohit Jhanji
Questions
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5.How did you attract/address your audience?
6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
For the Evaluation I will be aiming for Level 4 (16-20 marks)
Mohit Jhanji
Monday, 19 April 2010
Comparing Our Old Final Video To Our New Final Video
ROUGH CUT.
Looking at your first rough cut, there were many problems with our video. The first being that it was too long. The maximum we were aloud was 2.12 seconds and maybe an extra couple of seconds with title sequences and other bits and bobs such as special effects. Eventually we cut this down by taking away 1 extra shot and the special effect before that saving us a total of 4 seconds. Another problem was that sounding was a problem. We had sound changing suddenly from a up beat to a slow and sad song. Getting audience feed back, we saw that it was a totally different to what the first song we played was Going on to the final cut, we took out the second beat of music, and left the upbeat one at the beginning as we thought it engaged the audience. Also at 0.37 seconds of the video you could hear background sound of the clip which was a plane and other bits and bobs. This was resolved by splitting scenes and decreasing the sound of that particular clip through iMovie. The fourth problem we faced was some clips jumping and not looking continuous.Adding in more special effects helped resolve this problem.The last problem we faced was a major one.The problem was a key scene in our 2 minute opening thriller. It was when Mr Carlos who was played by Amar Pandya received a phone call from Tony his guard man at the house. The audience feedback told us that they could not understand what was being said so straight away we thought a voice over had to fix this.So in the end we used Garage band to create a recording and then mime it in with what was said. This scene can be seen at 1.35 in the final video screening. In all we changed a lot through the rough cut and the final cut we've come a long way making sure we listen to our audience and making the final product spot on, as you will see from the audience feedback.
FINAL VIDEO.
Looking at your first rough cut, there were many problems with our video. The first being that it was too long. The maximum we were aloud was 2.12 seconds and maybe an extra couple of seconds with title sequences and other bits and bobs such as special effects. Eventually we cut this down by taking away 1 extra shot and the special effect before that saving us a total of 4 seconds. Another problem was that sounding was a problem. We had sound changing suddenly from a up beat to a slow and sad song. Getting audience feed back, we saw that it was a totally different to what the first song we played was Going on to the final cut, we took out the second beat of music, and left the upbeat one at the beginning as we thought it engaged the audience. Also at 0.37 seconds of the video you could hear background sound of the clip which was a plane and other bits and bobs. This was resolved by splitting scenes and decreasing the sound of that particular clip through iMovie. The fourth problem we faced was some clips jumping and not looking continuous.Adding in more special effects helped resolve this problem.The last problem we faced was a major one.The problem was a key scene in our 2 minute opening thriller. It was when Mr Carlos who was played by Amar Pandya received a phone call from Tony his guard man at the house. The audience feedback told us that they could not understand what was being said so straight away we thought a voice over had to fix this.So in the end we used Garage band to create a recording and then mime it in with what was said. This scene can be seen at 1.35 in the final video screening. In all we changed a lot through the rough cut and the final cut we've come a long way making sure we listen to our audience and making the final product spot on, as you will see from the audience feedback.
FINAL VIDEO.
Looking at Theories And Comparing Them To Our 2 Minute Opening Thriller
* Todorov
Did A.M.U.H Productions use this thoery?
- No we did not.
- Why?
- Todorov's theory is based around three main sections which are Equilibrium, Disequilibrium and Solution.
Looking at the Equilibrium it showed we didn't have one, as audience could not pick up something bad was going to happen, looking at the music it also did not help as it showed no sense of bad vibes.
In the end we did have a Disequilibrium as our main character shows up to see his enemy from the past who he was betrayed by.
Solution comes through the whole move ending and seeing the next scene.
As we did not have all three aspects of the Todorovs theory it was clear we could not say we had used it in our 2 minute opening of a thriller, but in-all got a great concept still from using a range of shots and music and dialogue.
* Propps Thoery
Did A.M.U.H Productions use this thoery?
- No we did not
- Why?
- Propps theory was that there should be at least 8 main characters in a movie.
As we only had to make a 2 minute opening thriller, our video did not need to contain many characters, we thought if it did it would become to confusing. Looking at many thriller movies today, you can see that there are not many characters and mostly just contain a antagonist, protagonist, maybe a right hand man,a heroin and maybe 1 extra main character. So looking at our movie from a wider point of view we thought we would keep it simple. As we did not make the whole film we could not decide on how many more characters we would introduce.
Did A.M.U.H Productions use this thoery?
- No we did not.
- Why?
- Todorov's theory is based around three main sections which are Equilibrium, Disequilibrium and Solution.
Looking at the Equilibrium it showed we didn't have one, as audience could not pick up something bad was going to happen, looking at the music it also did not help as it showed no sense of bad vibes.
In the end we did have a Disequilibrium as our main character shows up to see his enemy from the past who he was betrayed by.
Solution comes through the whole move ending and seeing the next scene.
As we did not have all three aspects of the Todorovs theory it was clear we could not say we had used it in our 2 minute opening of a thriller, but in-all got a great concept still from using a range of shots and music and dialogue.
* Propps Thoery
Did A.M.U.H Productions use this thoery?
- No we did not
- Why?
- Propps theory was that there should be at least 8 main characters in a movie.
As we only had to make a 2 minute opening thriller, our video did not need to contain many characters, we thought if it did it would become to confusing. Looking at many thriller movies today, you can see that there are not many characters and mostly just contain a antagonist, protagonist, maybe a right hand man,a heroin and maybe 1 extra main character. So looking at our movie from a wider point of view we thought we would keep it simple. As we did not make the whole film we could not decide on how many more characters we would introduce.
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Garage Band Analysis
What is sound?
there are two types of sound, digetic and non-digetic sound. Digetic sound being the sound where the cast can here while preforming and non-digetic sound being the over sound which can't exactly be heard. sound is the sensation of hearing a noise which makes us believe and react in many different ways. sound can also have a positive and negative impact on films, this is why the correct sound should be used. for example having a fast paced sound while showing slow movements could be very disorientating for the audience, whereas if you were showing a fast paced clip while playing sound with the same pace as the clip they would go hand in hand creating an effect which could capture the audience. For our 2 minute thriller clip, we have decided to use garage band. This is were we can combine a mixture of effects to eventually produce the perfect non-digetic sound. Also garage band allows to slow nd speed up the sound aswell as playing around with the pitch nd tempo.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Final Cut Basic Tutorial
To get to grasp with Final Cut, a software on the Apple iMac's we were shown to use, I have watched many tutorials to see how to get around problems and how to do basic stuff on there to help me and others. The video I found most helpful was 'Final Cut Basic Tutorial' this video gave basic foundation of buttons, and tools that could be used.
After watching the tutorial it helped me learn so many important things when using Final Cut, and the good thing is, If I forget I can always refer back to my blog and look up information that is proving to be hard on the software. Another excellent tip we were given by our teach was to try out the apple website, and from there go on to software and find the tutorials. this was also helpful for other software's such as iMovie. - Mohit Jhanji
After watching the tutorial it helped me learn so many important things when using Final Cut, and the good thing is, If I forget I can always refer back to my blog and look up information that is proving to be hard on the software. Another excellent tip we were given by our teach was to try out the apple website, and from there go on to software and find the tutorials. this was also helpful for other software's such as iMovie. - Mohit Jhanji
Meeting March 15th
Today we met up and had a discussion about what we were going to film again and what things needed to be re done completely. We first decided on a day which we were all free and we could shoot, and luckily enough we thought the next day was perfect! So now that was out the way we decided on what had to be re-shot and what scenes we would do completely again. after long discussion it was clear that the first 3 scenes were perfect. From arriving to the villa, there on everything had to be shot again, as some old scenes did not look continuous and there was not enough suspense present.With all ideas on paper and us ready to shoot we began the wait for the next day.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Group Discussion - Saturday 6th March
On Saturday 6th of March, we began to shoot our first few opening scenes. the first scene we needed was at Heathrow terminal 5, we began shooting when were interrupted by one of the security members asking us for a permit. we replied in the sense we did not have one, nor did we know we needed one. So on the Saturday we did not shoot. Humzah Sarwar took the liberty of contacting Heathrow Airport and talking to the Manager of security, to grant us a permit in such short notice. luckily for us we succeeded and were granted a permit from BAA Heathrow for a duration of 30 minutes. The insuracne cover was £5,000,0000, but with the sweet talk of Humzah Sarwar we walked away with a zilch insurance cover.
Friday, 5 March 2010
Jigsaw Character Analysis SAW Movie
Jigsaw, one of the main characters in the brilliant film which includes 6 parts 'SAW'. jigsaw is a man who goes through alot in his life and further on does very mentally disturbing things such as, playing games in order to survive or die. Jigsaw picks on people who do not appreciate life and do bad things such as.. cheat,crime,drugs e.t.c.
Use of props and costumes in the film were used very well as jigsaw never showed up himself to the victims instead used a toy puppet with a recorded clip to follow...
Jigsaw is a very freaky character in the film, the story does revolve around the mysterious games of jigsaw which makes the film an all time best thriller. Adding to this in the film we see allot of blood and very disgusting games played which include human bodies being ripped apart and etc.
Use of props and costumes in the film were used very well as jigsaw never showed up himself to the victims instead used a toy puppet with a recorded clip to follow...
Jigsaw is a very freaky character in the film, the story does revolve around the mysterious games of jigsaw which makes the film an all time best thriller. Adding to this in the film we see allot of blood and very disgusting games played which include human bodies being ripped apart and etc.
Red Herring
A red herring refers to a device or diversion used to distract the onlooker from the original idea. Red herrings are often seen in films, adventure games, and puzzles. However, the most common use for a red herring is in literature, especially mystery and thriller stories.
Simply put, a red herring is an item which has no use in the story except to distract the reader from the real culprit. The red herring can take the form of a character, which the reader may believe to be the killer, only to discover later that he is innocent. Or it can take the form of an item which readers believe to be the clue to a discovery, but which turns out to be worthless.
Red herring is used in many different ways to confuse viewers or show them a glimpse of danger during a scene, in our thriller scene we have used this at the start of the clip where the character is followed by a car and immediately the viewers think a chase may begin, but nothing happens at the time.
Simply put, a red herring is an item which has no use in the story except to distract the reader from the real culprit. The red herring can take the form of a character, which the reader may believe to be the killer, only to discover later that he is innocent. Or it can take the form of an item which readers believe to be the clue to a discovery, but which turns out to be worthless.
Red herring is used in many different ways to confuse viewers or show them a glimpse of danger during a scene, in our thriller scene we have used this at the start of the clip where the character is followed by a car and immediately the viewers think a chase may begin, but nothing happens at the time.
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Godfather Film Review
Rarely can it be said that a film has defined a genre, but never is that more true than in the case of The Godfather. If The Godfather was only about respectable Mafia types, it would never have got aso many awards. The characteristic that sets this film apart from so many of its predecessors and successors is its ability to weave the often-disparate layers of story into a cohesive whole. Any of the individual issues explored by The Godfather are strong enough to form the foundation of a movie. Here, however, bolstered by so many complimentary themes, each is given added resonance. The picture is a series of mini-climaxes, all building to the devastating, definitive conclusion, which happens to have a big shoot out which results in other Don's being killed.
The film opens in the study of Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather, who is holding court. It is the wedding of his daughter Connie, and no Sicilian can refuse a request on that day. So the supplicants come, each wanting something different - revenge, a husband for their daughter, a part in a movie.
The film has three parts in total, the godfather a thriller/action film isnt a very common type of thriller that we see today in cinemas, it has a very unique way of approchinging the thriller genre. the story line doesnt hold a genuine thriller scene were people are usually murdered and the antagonist usually is a step behind the protagonist. Here In Godfather Mario Puzo has developed a very strong story line which has a gangster status, there isnt much killing going on in the film, however the suspense the storyline brings is utterly amazing the way the film grips the audience makes it a thriller, at times where the main Don is talking it does his voice and his faciaql expressions make you think how can a man like this be so powerful? However you realise during the duration of the film that it is possible for any man to become powerful, or succesful in some cases, not mattering how big or small the person is.
The film opens in the study of Don Vito Corleone, the Godfather, who is holding court. It is the wedding of his daughter Connie, and no Sicilian can refuse a request on that day. So the supplicants come, each wanting something different - revenge, a husband for their daughter, a part in a movie.
The film has three parts in total, the godfather a thriller/action film isnt a very common type of thriller that we see today in cinemas, it has a very unique way of approchinging the thriller genre. the story line doesnt hold a genuine thriller scene were people are usually murdered and the antagonist usually is a step behind the protagonist. Here In Godfather Mario Puzo has developed a very strong story line which has a gangster status, there isnt much killing going on in the film, however the suspense the storyline brings is utterly amazing the way the film grips the audience makes it a thriller, at times where the main Don is talking it does his voice and his faciaql expressions make you think how can a man like this be so powerful? However you realise during the duration of the film that it is possible for any man to become powerful, or succesful in some cases, not mattering how big or small the person is.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
AS Media Coursework Specification
A S Media Coursework Specification
The specification describes areas that should be covered throughout the journey of the making of your audio piece of coursework. These sections are
The mark Scheme...
20 marks- Research and Planning
Research and Planning are looking through different thriller contexts and bringing them together to help you with the next stage which is planning. Research should be conducted by the individual to help them gain a better idea of their task ahead and give them realistic ideas for the coursework. Planning will be conducted after the research is all in place and you are ready to create you coursework.
60 marks- Construction
Construction will be assed in other words on the filming and all other aspects to do with filming. The group will be assessed on team work and will work together to make the best piece coursework possible. students will be assessed on camera knowledge for example, camera angles and routines e.g. match on action.
20 marks- Evaluation
The evaluation will conclude the piece of coursework, here you will discuss what went well and what could be improved over the journey of the coursework. You will discuss if the piece of thriller coursework produced meets the specification.
The specification shows that candidates should make an opening to a movie which should last no more than 2 minutes, and only 10 percent more if needed. The theme of the movie should be 'thriller'. A 'thriller' movie is suspenseful adventure story or play or movie.
At different stages, candidates should also create a blog and keep record of everything done with evidence to provide. On the whole candidates should take each task seriously and achieve to best of their potential.
Preliminary Task
This will be a task that should be completed by all students, for the video clip you will not be marked down, but instead, if you do not complete the video clip that has been asked for then an reduction of 15 mark will be appointed to each group member.
The preliminary task is a small scene of a person walking into room and sitting down and then having a conversation with other characters, different media aspects will be appointed to the task that should be used.
The specification describes areas that should be covered throughout the journey of the making of your audio piece of coursework. These sections are
The mark Scheme...
20 marks- Research and Planning
Research and Planning are looking through different thriller contexts and bringing them together to help you with the next stage which is planning. Research should be conducted by the individual to help them gain a better idea of their task ahead and give them realistic ideas for the coursework. Planning will be conducted after the research is all in place and you are ready to create you coursework.
60 marks- Construction
Construction will be assed in other words on the filming and all other aspects to do with filming. The group will be assessed on team work and will work together to make the best piece coursework possible. students will be assessed on camera knowledge for example, camera angles and routines e.g. match on action.
20 marks- Evaluation
The evaluation will conclude the piece of coursework, here you will discuss what went well and what could be improved over the journey of the coursework. You will discuss if the piece of thriller coursework produced meets the specification.
The specification shows that candidates should make an opening to a movie which should last no more than 2 minutes, and only 10 percent more if needed. The theme of the movie should be 'thriller'. A 'thriller' movie is suspenseful adventure story or play or movie.
At different stages, candidates should also create a blog and keep record of everything done with evidence to provide. On the whole candidates should take each task seriously and achieve to best of their potential.
Preliminary Task
This will be a task that should be completed by all students, for the video clip you will not be marked down, but instead, if you do not complete the video clip that has been asked for then an reduction of 15 mark will be appointed to each group member.
The preliminary task is a small scene of a person walking into room and sitting down and then having a conversation with other characters, different media aspects will be appointed to the task that should be used.
Final Destination 3
In the film “Final Destination 3” we can quickly discover that it is thriller film due to the media concepts used. This film contains alot of suspense which keeps the viewer engaged and makes them want to watch more. It also has alot of blood and this makes it more interesting to watch. Final destination uses a number of media concepts such as imagery and sound to emphasis certain areas of the film.
The 3 scenes in which the media concepts are used effectively and reinforce that it is a thriller move are...
1.This picture shows the scene where the 2 girls are baked to death inside a sun tanning machine. This is evidence of the film being a thriller as it makes the audience sit on the edges of their seats and is full of suspense.
2.This picture shows the beginning of the film where the students are on the rollercoaster as it is all falling apart causing them all to die. This is evidence of the film being a thriller as it has alot of adrenaline running through the viewer because they know what is about to happen and are getting anxious.
3.This picture shows the scene where the man doesn’t belie the vision and then gets killed while exercising. This is evidence of the film being a thriller as there is suspense and some blood.
The 3 scenes in which the media concepts are used effectively and reinforce that it is a thriller move are...
1.This picture shows the scene where the 2 girls are baked to death inside a sun tanning machine. This is evidence of the film being a thriller as it makes the audience sit on the edges of their seats and is full of suspense.
2.This picture shows the beginning of the film where the students are on the rollercoaster as it is all falling apart causing them all to die. This is evidence of the film being a thriller as it has alot of adrenaline running through the viewer because they know what is about to happen and are getting anxious.
3.This picture shows the scene where the man doesn’t belie the vision and then gets killed while exercising. This is evidence of the film being a thriller as there is suspense and some blood.
Analysing Opening Credits : Se7en
The opening credits of Se7en can send out many messages. Immediately with the music being put in creates a dramatic effect on us as viewers. With the high bass of the music it is so powerful that audience are supprissed. We also see a book with pages being flicked through; giving a sort of messages to the readers, as if time is nearly up, the end of the book is coming. We also see disturbing images that relate with horror and put the audience out of their place on the seat. A clear image we see is the chipping of the skin on the finger by a blade instantly, it makes the audience turn their heads and give them an insight and clear conclusion that the movie is a horror/thriller.
After a every high peak of sound, another name is displayed of who has helped with the movie giving a rhythm and an continuous feel of scene to the opening credits. The font has been chosen to suit the genre of the film. The colours black and white are used to give an idea of darkness and plainness to show the audience it is a very suttle, yet vibrant film. Blood is used to also show the clear meaning of the film and cause a contrasting effect on audience after the black and white. If you watch the whole movie, the opening credits will give away clues that no audience member would realise.
Analysing Opening Credits : The Tudors
The opening scene of “the Tudors” was very entertaining and keeps the viewer engaged as it is telling as story as well as using dramatically olden day type of music. The music used represents the time period in which the film is being made in and puts the viewer in the mood and mindset. As well as this by using the strong picture of the empty throne at the beginning it symbolises the film is going to be about power, control and almost a fight for the throne. Mixing that with the strong speech in the beginning holds the viewers attention.
Another aspect of these opening credits was as they introduced each of the characters an image of them was shown, this can be effective as it is not only introducing the character but is making the opening scene more interesting and allowing the viewer to know the actors name and appearance in one go. They also show a small few second clip that shows the character in action, this allows the viewer to remember them throughout the film. In the introduction of the movie; they also use flash images which may be representing death as they mix this with the sound of someone drawing for a sword. Overall I think that the opening of “The Tudors” is very engaging and interesting, it makes the viewer want to watch the film more as it has a strong opening.
James Francis Cameron
James Francis Cameron was born August 16 1954 and is a Canadian film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and inventor. He wrote and directed Terminator (1984 ) which made $78 million , Aliens (1986) , The Abyss (1989) , Terminator 2 : Judgement Day (1991),True Lies (1994) , Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009).
In Total Cameron’s directorial efforts have made approximately $1.7 billion in North America and $4.41 billion worldwide, which therefore makes him one of the highest-grossing directors of all time. Cameron made the world famous films Titanic and Avatar, which are the 2 highest grossing films of all time and grossed more than $1 billion in the worldwide box office. Cameron frequently uses these actors and actresses Michael Biehn, Jenette Goldstein, Lance Henrikson, Bill Paxton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cameron also was the first director to film both a $100 million film (Terminator: Judgement Day 1991) and a $200 million (Titanic 1997) movie. Cameron’s most famous thrillers were Avatar and the Terminator.
In Total Cameron’s directorial efforts have made approximately $1.7 billion in North America and $4.41 billion worldwide, which therefore makes him one of the highest-grossing directors of all time. Cameron made the world famous films Titanic and Avatar, which are the 2 highest grossing films of all time and grossed more than $1 billion in the worldwide box office. Cameron frequently uses these actors and actresses Michael Biehn, Jenette Goldstein, Lance Henrikson, Bill Paxton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cameron also was the first director to film both a $100 million film (Terminator: Judgement Day 1991) and a $200 million (Titanic 1997) movie. Cameron’s most famous thrillers were Avatar and the Terminator.
Steven Allan Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer, in a career that has covered a period of over 4 years his films have taken up a number of different themes and genres.Speilbergs early films were mainly science fiction and adventure, which then, began to address issues such as the Holocaust (A Holocaust Szemei 2000), Slavery, War (Wagon Train 1957) and Terrorism. Spielberg also teamed with George Lucas who created Star Wars and was Spielberg’s friend.
Spielberg directed the action adventure film, Indiana Jones- Raiders of the Lost Ark who was played by Harrison Ford. It became the biggest film at the box office in 1981, and received numerous Oscar nominations including Best Director and Best Picture. In 1993, Spielberg directed Jurassic park, which for a short time held the record as the highest grossing movie of all time, but did not have the universal appeal like his previous films. He produced and directed Schindler’s List (1993), which was a film about the Holocaust. He won best director at the Oscars, and also got an award for Best Picture. In the mid-90s, he helped to find the production company DreamWorks, which was responsible for many box-office successes.Speilberg directed the thriller Jaws which then went on to get 3 Oscars.
Spielberg directed the action adventure film, Indiana Jones- Raiders of the Lost Ark who was played by Harrison Ford. It became the biggest film at the box office in 1981, and received numerous Oscar nominations including Best Director and Best Picture. In 1993, Spielberg directed Jurassic park, which for a short time held the record as the highest grossing movie of all time, but did not have the universal appeal like his previous films. He produced and directed Schindler’s List (1993), which was a film about the Holocaust. He won best director at the Oscars, and also got an award for Best Picture. In the mid-90s, he helped to find the production company DreamWorks, which was responsible for many box-office successes.Speilberg directed the thriller Jaws which then went on to get 3 Oscars.
Audience Research
As the research was coming to end, we thought we needed more than our views and our research. We needed different opinions and thoughts from other people. So we decided to create a questionnaire and find out what interested us for our coursework video clip. We printed an amount of 20 questionnaires to distribute.
We decided we had to ask a range of questions so we could use it to our advantage and use peoples opinions and encrypt it in to our piece of coursework. We not only asked question that related to us and our coursework, but asked question to do with research around the thriller area, for example ‘’How often do you watch a thriller film?’’
Questionnaires & Results Presentation
We decided we had to ask a range of questions so we could use it to our advantage and use peoples opinions and encrypt it in to our piece of coursework. We not only asked question that related to us and our coursework, but asked question to do with research around the thriller area, for example ‘’How often do you watch a thriller film?’’
Questionnaires & Results Presentation
First Step To Mission... Coursework
The First Step...
The first day begining our coursework involved many things we had to do. These consisted of making our groups, understanding mark schemes for the task, how to use a camera, creating a blog spot, how to use editing software and researching and watching previous thriller movies/videoclips.
The mark Scheme...
20 marks- Research and Planning
60 marks- Construction
20 marks- Evaluation
The Group...
• Mohit
• Humzah
• Usman
• Amar
The Software/Hardware Cornered how to be used...
• Apple(Mac)
• iMovie
• Garage Band
The first day begining our coursework involved many things we had to do. These consisted of making our groups, understanding mark schemes for the task, how to use a camera, creating a blog spot, how to use editing software and researching and watching previous thriller movies/videoclips.
The mark Scheme...
20 marks- Research and Planning
60 marks- Construction
20 marks- Evaluation
The Group...
• Mohit
• Humzah
• Usman
• Amar
The Software/Hardware Cornered how to be used...
• Apple(Mac)
• iMovie
• Garage Band
Understanding What a Thriller Was..
So today was another lesson, not the fact to be missed that we had to crack on with our thriller task. Today's lesson we learnt about understanding what the actual term ' thriller' meant. We viewed many videos and pictures to understand how directors made there film so different but yet so to the point of a thriller that a viewer could not resist watching. Understanding how colours and scary picture can emphases the screen shot even more by adding basic foundation to the scene.
One of the video's we watched was an opening to a famous thriller called 'Se7en'...
When we analysed this video, we saw that the director used a various of colours , sound, lighting and pictures to create the dramatic scene. The sound emphasises each screen shot building up the sound and the suddenly dropping when we see something bad. This plays with the minds of the audience preparing them for such a scene, and then this leads of the whole movie becoming a 'thriller' arising a suspenseful atmosphere. Colour used in the video is mostly red, this symbolises blood and in the end gives a clear distinction of threat.
One of the video's we watched was an opening to a famous thriller called 'Se7en'...
When we analysed this video, we saw that the director used a various of colours , sound, lighting and pictures to create the dramatic scene. The sound emphasises each screen shot building up the sound and the suddenly dropping when we see something bad. This plays with the minds of the audience preparing them for such a scene, and then this leads of the whole movie becoming a 'thriller' arising a suspenseful atmosphere. Colour used in the video is mostly red, this symbolises blood and in the end gives a clear distinction of threat.
Friday, 19 February 2010
Preliminary Task
Basic outline of the ‘Preliminary Task’
The preliminary task was scene with continuity. The basic plot of the scene was a character opening a door and coming in, sitting next to or in front of other character(s) and having a conversation. For this task there were requirements of 3 shots to be used. The 3 shots asked to be used were
Shot/Reverse Shot- is a shot used my many cameramen, the meaning of shot reverse shot is a character shown looking at another character.
180 degree rule- is a famous rule used by many directors; the basic concept of the 180 degree is if two characters are shown in a scene they should have the same left/right relationship. If the camera passes the line of the 180 degree line then the cameraman must show the movement of the camera to the other side. (The picture you can see describes the 180 degree rule)
Match on Action- is basically in other terms the continuity of the scene. If there is a cut in a scene, the next bit of clip must carry on were it left of.
Our Planning/Story
Our story was basically a teacher holding an detention on the weekend. The children are messing about in class room, but are interrupted by a fuming teacher. The shot suddenly cuts to the teacher closing the door and storming in. He walks over to the table and sits down and begins the conversation with the children.
Roles:
Camera Man: Humzah
Actor 1:Mohit (Teacher)
Actor 2:Amar (Student)
Actor 3:Usman (Student)
Editing:
Coming to editing the film was not so hard. We sued the apple software called iMovie. This is where we cut out scenes we has made a mess of and de -creased sizes of clips that were too long. We also added animation in-between cuts through the clips to add more an professional effect.
The preliminary task was scene with continuity. The basic plot of the scene was a character opening a door and coming in, sitting next to or in front of other character(s) and having a conversation. For this task there were requirements of 3 shots to be used. The 3 shots asked to be used were
Shot/Reverse Shot- is a shot used my many cameramen, the meaning of shot reverse shot is a character shown looking at another character.
180 degree rule- is a famous rule used by many directors; the basic concept of the 180 degree is if two characters are shown in a scene they should have the same left/right relationship. If the camera passes the line of the 180 degree line then the cameraman must show the movement of the camera to the other side. (The picture you can see describes the 180 degree rule)
Match on Action- is basically in other terms the continuity of the scene. If there is a cut in a scene, the next bit of clip must carry on were it left of.
Our Planning/Story
Our story was basically a teacher holding an detention on the weekend. The children are messing about in class room, but are interrupted by a fuming teacher. The shot suddenly cuts to the teacher closing the door and storming in. He walks over to the table and sits down and begins the conversation with the children.
Roles:
Camera Man: Humzah
Actor 1:Mohit (Teacher)
Actor 2:Amar (Student)
Actor 3:Usman (Student)
Editing:
Coming to editing the film was not so hard. We sued the apple software called iMovie. This is where we cut out scenes we has made a mess of and de -creased sizes of clips that were too long. We also added animation in-between cuts through the clips to add more an professional effect.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Monday, 8 February 2010
Analysing Opening Credits : Memento
The opening credits to this film help promote the fact that it will be a thriller movie in many ways. Firstly the music used in this scene sounds very mysterious and creepy, this sets the scene for the rest of the film as it makes the viewer think that the film will be all about mystery. The colours used in the opening credits were black and white, they show that the film may just be of 2 sides and not anything in the middle. It also makes the film seem dark and brings uncertainty into the mind of the viewer.
The main image shown in the opening credits are of sand being blown off card that have the names of all the directors and producers of the film, this could symbolises that the truth will be uncovered and creates a sense of mystery. The opening credits are not very interesting as they are repetitive and make the viewer bored and get a bad impression of the film. As the end of the opening credits approaches the tempo of the music slows down and it becomes long and drowned out. This could show that the film may also contain some sort of slow and painful type of death. Overall this opening sequence is not very effective because it does not grab the viewer’s attention and hold onto it. It is also very repetitive which can make the viewers lose interest before the film has started.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Group Discussion 4th of February...
As a group we discussed how we were going to structure our research tasks amongst ourselves, we came to the conclusion that we would each take about 2 tasks from the check list and complete them over a period of 3 days. Once this was done we would all meet up on the 08/02/2010 to discuss all of our research we had been assigned to and pass it around so all members of the group had this on their blogs.
MacGuffin
MacGuffin was created by Alfred Hitchcock it can be referred as a hidden catalyst which moves the plot on to create scene or ending with a twist. It can also be referred as the engine that sets the story in motion. It can be anything or nothing at all. In The 39 Steps, it is "secrets vital to your air defence"; in Number Seventeen it is a valuable piece of jewellery, while in The Lady Vanishes it is, in the most perfectly abstract of all Hitchcock's MacGuffins, a coded message contained in a piece of music. Examples of these are in the films such as:
The top secret plans in The 39 Steps (1935).
The eponymous statuette in The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The letters of transit in Casablanca (1942)
The uranium in Notorious (1946)
The case with glowing contents in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
The "government secrets" in North by Northwest (1959)
The stolen $40,000 in Psycho (1960).
The stamps in Charade (1963)
The Death Star plans in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Many people may pre-vay this media concept as a cliff hanger shot used by cameramen, but in actual words it is something that creates meaning for the nest scene.
The top secret plans in The 39 Steps (1935).
The eponymous statuette in The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The letters of transit in Casablanca (1942)
The uranium in Notorious (1946)
The case with glowing contents in Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
The "government secrets" in North by Northwest (1959)
The stolen $40,000 in Psycho (1960).
The stamps in Charade (1963)
The Death Star plans in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Many people may pre-vay this media concept as a cliff hanger shot used by cameramen, but in actual words it is something that creates meaning for the nest scene.
Analysing Opening Credits : True Blood
After watching the opening scene of “True Blood” there are many ways in which it supports the fact that it will be a thriller based film. The Scene opens with an image of a dead animal under dark and swampy waters; this makes the viewer feel like the rest of the film will be associated with death. The scene then carries on through a number of short flash images that show a number of disturbing images as well as taboo subjects. One such image of a woman that is in her lingerie may be a taboo subject as women should not be showing large amounts of their body’s, as well as this there are images of women smoking, pole dancing and taking part in sexual activities.
The title of the film is “True Blood” an image contained in the opening scenes that supports this is the image of a young boy eating something which is made to look gruesome, the young boy is shown with blood all over his face which makes the viewer feel reinforced that the film will contain blood within it.
Furthermore there are images of dead animals and animal carcases which show that the film will contain alot of death. The music being played in the background is called “Bad Things” which reinstates what the film may be about; it makes the viewer feel that the film is going to be full of suspense. As well as this by using flashing images it could showing that death will be quick and that the film will have alot of different things going on. True Blood has a good opening to a thriller as it gives an overview of what the film will be about as well as showing that it will be full of suspense and tension. Furthermore it still plays the traditional view of an opening scene as it introduces all of the people involved in making the film.
Todorov & Propp’s Thoery
Todorov's theory: Todorov proposed a basic structure for all narratives. He stated that films and programmes begin with equilibrium, a calm period. Then agents of disruption cause disequilibrium, a period of un-settlement and disquiet. This is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonists and a new equilibrium brings the chaos to an end. The simplest form of narrative (sometimes referred to as ‘Classic’ or ‘Hollywood’ narrative).
Propp's theory: Vladimir Propp’s theory was formed in the early twentieth Century. He studies Russian fairytales and discovered that in stories there were always 8 types of characters evident. These are: the hero, the villain, the donor, the dispatcher, the false hero, the helper, the princess and her father. He did not state these characters were all separate people e.g. the provider could also be the helper. There are only 8 different character types and only 31 things they ever do. Once you have identified the character type (e.g., the hero) it’s easy to guess what they will do (save the maiden, defeat the villain, marry the maiden or whatever) because each character has a SPHERE OF ACTION. This is easily relatable to films and programmes today.
Propp's theory: Vladimir Propp’s theory was formed in the early twentieth Century. He studies Russian fairytales and discovered that in stories there were always 8 types of characters evident. These are: the hero, the villain, the donor, the dispatcher, the false hero, the helper, the princess and her father. He did not state these characters were all separate people e.g. the provider could also be the helper. There are only 8 different character types and only 31 things they ever do. Once you have identified the character type (e.g., the hero) it’s easy to guess what they will do (save the maiden, defeat the villain, marry the maiden or whatever) because each character has a SPHERE OF ACTION. This is easily relatable to films and programmes today.
Alfred Hitchcock
The acknowledged master of the thriller genre he virtually invented, Alfred Hitchcock was also a brilliant technician who deftly blended sex, suspense and humour. He began his filmmaking career in 1919 illustrating title cards for silent films at Paramount's Famous Players-Lasky studio in London. There he learned scripting, editing and art direction, and rose to assistant director in 1922. That year he directed an unfinished film, No. 13 or Mrs. Peabody. An early example of Hitchcock's technical virtuosity was his creation of "subjective sound" for Blackmail (1929), his first sound film. In this story of a woman who stabs an artist to death when he tries to seduce her, Hitchcock emphasized the young woman's anxiety by gradually distorting all but one word "knife" of a neighbour’s dialogue the morning after the killing.
Here and in Murder! (1930), Hitchcock first made explicit the link between sex and violence. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), a commercial and critical success, established a favourite pattern: an investigation of family relationships within a suspenseful story. The 39 Steps (1935) showcases a mature Hitchcock; it is a stylish and efficiently told chase film brimming with exciting incidents and memorable characters. Despite their merits, both Secret Agent (1936) and Sabotage (1936) exhibited flaws Hitchcock later acknowledged and learned from. Hitchcock would return to the feminine sacrifice-of-identity theme several times, most immediately with the masterful Notorious (1946), a perverse love story about an FBI agent who must send the woman he loves into the arms of a Nazi in order to uncover an espionage ring.
Here and in Murder! (1930), Hitchcock first made explicit the link between sex and violence. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), a commercial and critical success, established a favourite pattern: an investigation of family relationships within a suspenseful story. The 39 Steps (1935) showcases a mature Hitchcock; it is a stylish and efficiently told chase film brimming with exciting incidents and memorable characters. Despite their merits, both Secret Agent (1936) and Sabotage (1936) exhibited flaws Hitchcock later acknowledged and learned from. Hitchcock would return to the feminine sacrifice-of-identity theme several times, most immediately with the masterful Notorious (1946), a perverse love story about an FBI agent who must send the woman he loves into the arms of a Nazi in order to uncover an espionage ring.
Saul Bass
Saul Bass born on May 8th 1920 was an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, but he is best known for his design on animated sequences. In his 40-year career he worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, these included Hitchcock, Stanley and Martin Scorsese for Alfred Hitchcock, Bass provided effective, title sequences, employing kinetic typography, working with John Whitney, and in Psycho. It was this kind of innovative, revolutionary works that made Bass the film maker he was. His later work with Martin Scorsese saw him move away from the optical techniques that he had managed to begin and move into computerized titles.
Moving on Bas had helped in the directing the highlight scene of Psycho, the hugely edited shower-murder sequence, he used his initiative mind to direct such a scene making it perfect to every second that was shot. bass became notorious in the industry after creating the title sequence for Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). The subject of the film was a jazz musician's struggle to overcome his heroin addiction, a taboo subject in the mid-'50s. Bass decided to create a controversial title sequence to match the film's controversial subject. Bass was responsible for some of the best-remembered, most iconic logos in North America, including both the Bell Telephone logo (1969) and successor AT&T globe (1983). Other well-known designs were Continental Airlines (1968), Dixie(1969) and United Way (1972).
Moving on Bas had helped in the directing the highlight scene of Psycho, the hugely edited shower-murder sequence, he used his initiative mind to direct such a scene making it perfect to every second that was shot. bass became notorious in the industry after creating the title sequence for Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). The subject of the film was a jazz musician's struggle to overcome his heroin addiction, a taboo subject in the mid-'50s. Bass decided to create a controversial title sequence to match the film's controversial subject. Bass was responsible for some of the best-remembered, most iconic logos in North America, including both the Bell Telephone logo (1969) and successor AT&T globe (1983). Other well-known designs were Continental Airlines (1968), Dixie(1969) and United Way (1972).
Friday, 5 February 2010
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Thriller conventions
Thriller conventions are things related with a thriller and characters in a thriller, it also describes the type of thriller the move is. E.g. crime.
The main points that were taught were...
• The thriller has a genre in itself, something called a sub genre. This can consist of many themes such as murder, crime, drama & conspiracy etc.
• The music is there to build up excitement for the viewer
• An protagonist is the ‘good guy’ in the movie
• An antagonist is the villain in the movie
• The thriller movie will make audience feel uncomfortable through the opening scenes of the movie.
• Lighting will help the director emphasise the movie’s aspects
• Strong vibrant colours are used to help portray different scenes
The main points that were taught were...
• The thriller has a genre in itself, something called a sub genre. This can consist of many themes such as murder, crime, drama & conspiracy etc.
• The music is there to build up excitement for the viewer
• An protagonist is the ‘good guy’ in the movie
• An antagonist is the villain in the movie
• The thriller movie will make audience feel uncomfortable through the opening scenes of the movie.
• Lighting will help the director emphasise the movie’s aspects
• Strong vibrant colours are used to help portray different scenes
Thursday, 28 January 2010
More on 'Thiller' Movies
Thriller movie genre's are created with mostly suspense. Your nearly left at the edge of your seat at the cinema, as many dramatic scenes all squashed in to one, making it a never ending action packed arena.
There are also many types of genres, often named sub genres which are...
• Action
• Conspiracy
• Crime
• Disaster
• Drama
• Erotic
• Legal
• Medical
• Political
• Psychological
• Spy Thriller
Example of an Thriller ...
There are also many types of genres, often named sub genres which are...
• Action
• Conspiracy
• Crime
• Disaster
• Drama
• Erotic
• Legal
• Medical
• Political
• Psychological
• Spy Thriller
Example of an Thriller ...
Introduction of Equipment
The equipment was also introduced to us; this included such things like the video camera and tripod. We were taught how to place the camera on to the tri pod and then assemble the tri pod itself for the right angle and movement.
To help us using the camera a task was set to create a video about anything and then uploading it to the iMacs and using the editing software in iMovie to edit them. This helped us to see how the leads worked and how videos were uploaded. Also getting to grips with different types of animation.
To help us using the camera a task was set to create a video about anything and then uploading it to the iMacs and using the editing software in iMovie to edit them. This helped us to see how the leads worked and how videos were uploaded. Also getting to grips with different types of animation.
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