Final Cut

Here it is, the Final version of Treachery! I know you have been waiting so long for this, so grab that popcorn and your drink and enjoy!

Evaluation Question 7

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

So question 7 is based around our prelim task which is one  the first filming tasks that we showed you. 

So here is it, I know you want to see it again but this time i'm going to pick bits out of it and talk about it.

00:08 - At the start of the Prelim film we had one of our male actors walking down from the top f the corridor this is clearly to long and boring and could have been done much better.

00:37 - When making the match on action we had to change the position of the camera as we only had one, this meant when we edited we had to make the clips match. Unfortunately this didn't work and it made it look like our actor walked through the door twice.

00:46 - The first clip of the shot reverse shot is poorly done as you can hear me saying action before the actors started talking, if we had waited another second this could have been prevented.

01:01 - Right at the end of the film the actor looks at the camera this isn't professional as the actors need to make out that the cameras aren't actually there.

Okay so I have picked out some parts of our Prelim task that were really poor, so now i'm going to see if we improved in our final cut.

00:19 - In our prelim task like I said before we had our actors walking for way to long but this time we made it short so it didn't get boring for the audience.

00:34 - For the final cut we I made sure that we said action then waited until the actors tarted talking, this made sure that it would be more professional and would help us a lot in the editing stage.

01:20 - Unlike our Prelim match on action in the final cut we made sure that it was smooth and looked like we hadn't done two different shots.

Differences in the planning stages -

Shooting and Editing - For the prelim task we had 2 hours, 1 hour for filming and 1 hour for editing, this meant that we was very rushed and didn't have time to plan everything out properly. For the Final cut we had 2 weeks for both editing and filming, this meant that we had time for planning and also had time to make sure everything was at the high standard that we wanted. 

For the final cut we had to make a script, treatment, animatic and a storyboard. We didn't get to do any of this for the Prelim.

Making a script made sure that our actors knew what to say and where to be when filming, it also meant that we could make our film more professional and not make it up on the spot.

The treatment made us plan the film out very rough, we could then use the treatment to add more ideas to the actually script and storyboard.

The storyboard was there to help us draw out the shots that we wanted to have in our film and also was sort of pans, tilts etc were gonna be happening in that shot.

The animatic was helpful for us to show our drawings from the storyboard but also add the dialogue that we wanted as well. 

Due to us not having a chance to make these for the prelim task it meant that the final cut was a lot more successful and worked much better than the original task.

What I have learned about myself - 

I have learned that I can give ideas that are useful and help other members in the team.

I have learned that you have to be calm and sometimes not say what you think when working in a group.

But last of all I have realised that filming can be great and is always fun but sometimes working in a group can also mean that some people end up doing more than others.  

Evaluation Question 6

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

Overtime the internet has advanced, it hasn't always been what you expect. There were 2 stages Web 1.0 and Web 2.0

Evaluation Question 5

How do you attract/address your audience?

One of the hardest things to do as a film creator is to attract an audience to watch your film. The only way for a film to be successful is for the public to watch it. You need to find out what people want to see, if you create what they want then they will be more likely to watch the film.

Our film "Treachery" has the obvious things such as cliffhangers, tension and suspense. We tried to include the things that the public would like to see in a thriller.  

Gender:

The audience always expect the a male character to be the one known as the villain in our case this is Adam meaning that we did not go against the stereotype. As well as that we had the villain going after the male this would leave the female alone and vulnerable for him and this is what Adam wanted.  

Soundtrack:

The soundtrack is a major factor when it comes to a thriller. You can create lots of tension from a soundtrack and can also keep the audience of the edge of their seats. We used a very joyful underscore at the start of the film due to both character being very happy, throughout the film the underscore changes showing that something is going to happen but the audience don't know when.

Camerawork

Camerawork can make a big difference for how the audience see the film. Poor shots can change the meaning or make it not clear to the audience this can confuse them and make the film not as good. 

Pace of Editing

The pace of editing can have an impact on the film as well. If the pace of editing is fast then this can portray drama but on the other hand slow paced editing can make the audience thinks that everything is okay but then out of nowhere something could happen. In our film the pace of editing increases when our main actor goes down the celler. 

Production Values

These are very important for a thriller film. For example the lighting in a thriller film is normally very dark, you can see this in the cellar scenes in Treachery. As well as that there is the setting, the setting for our film was in a house tat was old and slightly creepy, you wouldn't expect to see a thriller film based in a fairy castle because that wouldn't be appropriate for the genre.

Problems when it comes to attracting viewers

Due to our production companies being so small we cant attract big celebrity actors to play the parts in our film, as we cant afford the like of Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. Big stars attract people to watch the film, because people want to see that certain actor.

Evaluation Question 4

Who will be the audience for your media product?

This is all based around the rating of our film and what is involved, and if you forgot about my Target audience profile then I recap it in this slide show. Hope you enjoy.

Evaluation Question 3

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

Instead of you having to read blocks of text I decided to help you out an use youtube to answer this questions. Question 3 is all about how your film is distributed but first you need to know the process and what distribution is so below will be a video which will explain this to you! So grab some popcorn and a drink and enjoy.

 

Our Distributor

I hope you enjoyed the video but now I get to tell you who is distributing our film. Bolt Studios is our distribution company and will be showing Treachery world wide.

Treachery will be in cinemas in February of 2018 as we feel that is a good time to release our film due to lack of film being made at that time. Also it gives us enough time to promote the film using Facebook and other social media platforms as well as adverts on tv. Youtube will be a very good way of getting it across with millions of users everyday.

Other companies that work in this market are the likes of Walt Disney Studios, Sony and Time Warner. These all distribute films to the public and there is many more.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation Question 1

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

In this question we decided to do something much more entertaining than reading a page of words. It's a screencast! Hope you enjoy.

Rough Cut (Peer Feedback)

So we finally got to show our films to the class. After we had done this we all watched it again and gave some feedback. The video below will be our film and also comments from the class, we had to shout out stop and then the teacher would pause the film. We then had a chance to comment on what we thought needed improving. This feedback would help us to re-do parts of the film.



Firstly the class mentioned that our foot steps were out of time, to change this we will slow down the footsteps in final cut or use different ones to make sure they fit and work better. As well as that we got feedback saying that they pan was taken of the subject which we was trying to show, to cage this we will either re-film it or cut it and change the shot completely.

Secondly they picked out that the shot of Dom at the door was uneven and caused didn't show the full shot, also there is a reflection on the wall from pour clapper board that shouldn't be there this also got picked out by the class. They also picked out the fact that our actor was standing at the door for way to long and it went on for to long.

Thirdly when the girlfriend opened the door she didn't greet him in a very good manner they should have maybe hugged or at least den something that shows their relationship. Also we needed to add a sound effect on the door as it is closing. As well as that the music stops very quickly in the scene this is not professional and makes the film look worse.

The actors look at their phone this is very obvious and is showed to the audience. We need voice overs to make this better and to show that it is clearly a relationship not a friendship. The acting doesn't show that they are in a relationship.

You cannot tell that they are boyfriend and girlfriend this is a serious issue in our film, the acting should have been more structured by us to show this better. It is very staged.

The shot was very low this was because we didn't want to cut the head off the actors but it also gives off the wrong opinion to the audience. The dialogue needs to be much more convincing as they don't come across as they care about what is happening. This is a error by us because we didn't give them clear instructions.

We needed more sound effects for when they are walking around the house. The editing cut of grace going up the star is was a b it off they was way to obvious to the audeince. We need to make the story line much more obvious to the audience. The shots were rushed and made the film looked rushed.

Rough cut

Well I know you all want to see our rough cut for Treachery, so here it is. Hope you enjoy.

Title and Ident Construction

As a group we all contributed to the production company name as well as the film ident name, these were Perception Films and Bolt Studios.

How we created our idents

We used a piece of software called After Effects by Adobe. This program allows you to make moving images for film idents. We created them in this software then put them into our film.

Our idents

Our original idea for this was to have a blinking eye as that fits with perception very well. But unfortunately we couldn't get this. We then liked the look of the film reel, and this also fits as they were used to see the film back in the days of reels of film.

For Bolt studios is was very simple we wanted a lighting bolt and thats what we got this clearly fits in with the name of the company.

Editing

After we had filmed the opening to Treachery it was then time for us to start editing. Below is some screenshots our editing using Final Cut Pro.

I contributed to both session of editing that we had, due to lessons and commitments we all worked around each other. Me, Sam G and Rhea did all of the editing on a day when we had all free lessons. The following day we all worked again but I had to leave and came back after school to complete the editing. I added and cut the shots down. Rhea did the voiceovers and the underscore and Sam did the voiceovers and sound effects. Just before we finished me and Sam G did the titles.

This is near to the start of the editing process, we had added the shots and voiceovers and then the underscore.

This is near the end of the editing process. By this point we had completed everything and also added the titles as well.









This is our group starting the editing process. We all contributed and all attended when we needed to.

Shooting on location (diary)

25th January 2017 - This was the first day that we started filming for Treachery. We first did the shots down in the cellar as only one of our actors could be there on this day.
  

This is me and Rhea standing at the bottom of the cellar, getting a shot of Dom walking down to hear what the big bang noise was. As well as that Sam stood at the top to tell Dom when to start.

26th January 2017 - This was the scone day of filming for Treachery. We did the tracking and establishing shots on this day because we chose to only have our male actor for these shots.

This is Me, Sam and Rhea preparing the tracking shots outside the front of the house. Me and Sam set up the shot while Rhea was explaining to Dom what he needed to do during it.







30th January 2017 - This was the third shooting day for Treachery. We started the shots with both our actors in them.

This is the living room which we will be filming the majority of the film. I was filming the shots, Rhea was directing and Sam was on continuity and lighting. Both our actors were involved in this and they had to learn lines for the scene as well.






6th February 2017 - This was the fourth day of shooting for Treachery. We had to change our actor, due to difficulty of getting to location.

We had to re-film some of the parts in the living room scene. it was easy because we had already done it and had it planned out. Grace was our new actor a learnt the script straight away.







8th February 2017 - This was the last time we filmed before we edited the rough cut. We had to get the last shots with Grace and Dom. We filmed the parts in the main hall part of the house and also had to re-film one of the shots outside.

Shooting Schedule

For our film to be successful we need to create a Shooting Schedule. This is for the directors and crew to use when they are on set. It contains the shots, where the shots are being taken, who needs to be in the shot, what props will be used and the time and date. it is very useful when you are filming as it keeps you on task and keep you to a specific time frame. The cast can also use this to know when they are needed and at what time.

Here is our Shooting Schedule:

Actor Release form

In order for us to legally use to images and voices of our actors then we have to get them to sign a Talent release form. This shows that we have permission.

Risk Assesment

To keep all the crew and equipment safe we have to complete a formal risk assessment. This will mean that everyone is aware of the dangers that are on set and can be make sure other people know of these risks.

The risk assessment has to include the risk detail, severity of risk, likelihood of the risk, prevention of risk, who is at risk and who is responsible.

Animatic

So after reading the Animatic research post I guess your here to see our version for Treachery.

Well here it is.

 

Animatic Research

An animatic is the animated version of the films storyboard. It is created after the storyboard has been made and shows the storyline of the film, Using the storyboard with background music and sounds. This is a method used by film makers to ensure their film idea is working and flows well.

There are a list of important conventions and they are the following:

• Shot drawing
• Camera angle
• Camera movement
• Shot size
• Sound effects
• Soundtrack
• Film Ident's
• Film titles

Technology as changed so much over the years and so has animatics. They first started with the storyboard laid out all in order using special effect but know with all the editing system that are available it is easier and more technical.

Animatic are now still images made into a film format with music over the top and also with dialogue and sound effects involved as well.

The advantages of making an animatic is that the director will know how long the shot needs to be and what camera angles and movements need to be in the shot. He or She will watch the Animatic and use it to make the film.

I will know add some examples of animatics that I have looked at:

The video above shows both the animatic and the film.

Storyboard

This is our storyboard for Treachery. It is 8 pages long and has all the shots that we will use in it.

Storyboard Research

The storyboard is an important part to a film. It is a series of drawings that show the entire film. These pieces of art can be pages long, and are always very detailed. As well as the images there are other things that the artist needs to consider including camera movements, shot types and other things that show what the audience will see when the film comes out.

I have researched other storyboards and these will help me and my group complete our storyboard for Treachery.

Below I have added some screenshots of a professional storyboard for the film Star Wars.

Props research and Props list

In any film that you watch there will be props used. Every film has some sort of prop whether its as simple as a phone or a broomstick in a witches film its still a prop. Below I will explain the research we did about props.

Why we research props?

We need to find out what props are available and if we can get them for when we need them to film. Also if we don't research then we don't know whether the prop will be the right one to use. As well as that if we use the correct props it shows the audience and gives them a better understanding of what we are trying to get across. If we research then we don't get the audience confused which is our overall aim.

The props we have chosen

IPhone - As a group we decided that a IPhone would be a good choice for a prop as both characters in our film are between 16 and 18 and a common stereotype that is associated with that sort of age is that they are always on their phone and don't stop using them. If someone see's you with a IPhone you would be classed as "well off" which is common wen people see Apple branded items because they are well known for being a expensive brand. As well as that we have chosen this because it is easy to access for when we need it.

TV Remote - As well as the IPhone we have also chosen the use a TV Remote as a prop. Another stereotype that people give when talking about teenagers is that they are moody and watch TV all day and we wanted to show this in our film. The TV Remote is a LG and this is a common remote that people would recognise easily when they see it. 

And last of all our Official props list which will be embedded below ...

Costume Research

We chose youthful, casual clothes for our actors as the audience will be able to detect their age straight away when they see them as well as that it is accessible to our actors, we need to take that in to consideration because we are not the biggest of companies and wont be able to afford to buy clothes for our actors. They will have to wear the same clothes when filming because if they change then their will be continuity errors in our film.

The male actor (Dom Ewen) will be wearing a plain t-shirt, plain jeans and any socks. We try to avoid any patterns on clothing due to continuity errors. What these costumes represent? Due to the clothes that we have Dom in we expect the audience to think he is just a normal teenager, but when people think of teenagers stereotypes kick in e.g. violent, aggressive and dangerous.

Our female actor (Emily McCarthy) will be wearing specific clothing as she has let us know in advanced what she can wear. It will be a Adidas grey top, Black jeans and pug socks. This is also like Dom's but because it's a girl they don't get the same stereotypes. Girls are seen as more innocent then boys. If an older person spoke about a girl they wouldn't say they are aggressive like they would if they were on about a lad.

These costumes show that our characters are defiantly part of the youth social category as they are wearing clothes that show this. As well as that is shows that they are materialistic and this is a stereotype with many teenagers nowadays because they want the best outfits and clothes.