Dear Moderator

 Dear Moderator
 Good bye thank you for taking the time to  view my blog 
I have  enjoyed this whole experience and have learned a lot through out  the course . I have worked really hard . I hope you enjoy following my growth as a media student

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? question 7

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

From the preliminary task to now i feel that there has been a significant amount of progression from the two products 



I have learnt how to use cross cutting and editing efficiently when creating my preliminary task when i used the cross cutting technique it was not smooth nut jarred as a black screen appeared in between the two different scenes . when creating the flash back i created the fading effect to avoid the jarring and to make it seem more realistic . 
when we filmed the conversation between the two ladies in the preliminary task we had to consider the 180 degree rule and we had to use the over the shoulder shot to show the dialogue between the two characters effectively 

match on match action

shot list

prelim shot list and script 

prelim story board 

When creating our preliminary task we had to create a shot list and a story board  when we were creating our final product we learnt that our shot list had to be more thorough as well as the story board so that we were able to follow the shot list and the story board more accurately then we did with our preliminary task 

screen shots from my prelim task

In my preliminary task i used soundtracks that had already been created / made when making or editing my footage for the final product i used garage band to create the soundtrack  because i wanted the soundtrack to fit the footage substantially i edited the soundtrack whilst watching the edited  footage if any amends were made to the footage i would have to make amends to the sound track  this was essential as i wanted to create tension in significant parts for example when he began taking the documents off the wall the music changed slightly and when he was packing the music built up. when i was creating my preliminary task i did not think of these options i added music that i thought would  fit the mood i did not think of a change in dynamics or tempo .


When we filmed the preliminary task there was no use of a dolly or the tripod; we filmed  free handedly when filming are final product we learned new skill in using the tripod and the dolly how to create different levels and angles and the use of panning from left to right .


when filming the preliminary task we had to consider continuity; we additionally had to consider this factor whilst filming our final product we improved in this factor by keeping things the same; whereas in the preliminary task we had to re film several times, because one of the characters did not carry the book in the right hand; small details like that can affect the continuity of the sequence . So we learned from that experience so that we did not have to re- film several times as it would become a time consuming process.  


  a link to my preliminary task 
http://carmelamorgan.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/preliminary%20task%20final%20cut

How did you attract/address your audience? question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

This is Kenny he fits out target audience because he is between the ages 18-29 Kenny enjoys action thrillers  whether it is a hybrid  such as  action/man on the run thriller  / action/political thriller conspiracy/thriller . our film is a hybrid sub-genre  already we have attracted  our audience because we have a man on the run plot mixed with action and political issues . the films that Kenny likes or are his favourite  are the Bourne trilogy , the 007  , inception , the dark night , batman begins ,enemy of the state and  I am legend , he also enjoys the 24 TV series and prison break . his favourite directors are Christopher Nolan Steven Spielberg 

&Doug Liman . Kenny enjoys watching films that are fast paced and films / TV series  that build tension wisely like 24 

 after watching my film these are the things that he said 
"I enjoyed the film at first you didn't know what was going to happen, because he was searching for things you didn't know whether or not if he was the good guy or bad guy .The music helped build tension because of the beats and drums it came at good parts .  When the flashback came the dynamics of the film changed as you found out more information about the characters and the narrative began to unfold..... the music also built up in the flash back  if this was in the cinema I would definitely watch it the way it ended left us in suspense  yeah it was good "
Kenny enjoys playing and watching football he loves going to the gym as often as he can and he enjoys working in the sound department at N.L.I.C.C

Nasya is between the ages 18 - 44  which is the age bracket for our female audience 
she enjoys watching action thriller  films and comedy's  her favourite action thriller films are the Bourne trilogy and Inception she also enjoys the latest batman films and law abiding citizens 
I asked nasya what she thought of my film opening 
" I thought it was very interesting actually I was surprised to see a female protagonist sooo covered up and  having such a role in this type of particular genre; that made me want to see the film to see if she could be of any use to the male lead other than being  a romantic interest  . I liked the way you created tension within the music you built it up slightly and then it crescendos..... yeah I liked it I would want to see it in the cinema definitely it is interesting to see such a multi cultural cast  in this particular genre well done "

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? question 6

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

 through this media course I have learnt many techniques and skills in constructing various amount of media products . from recreating a scene or opening credits 

when we were creating / remaking the Juno opening credits we had to consider what camera angles we should use that were similar to the original how we would hold the camera what locations we would had to film in . When we had finished filming the footage we had to edit the footage we produced to try and replicate the scenes in the opening however we used a camera and not a video camera so when we filmed longways it appeared side ways in final cut that explains the bad head room given to kamini because of the adjustment process  we additionally had to render the clips each time we made adjustments which was a time consuming process . 
when experimenting with the  effects it was hard to come across the cartoon effect so i experimented with a range during this process i learnt how to add effects and remove them  and experiment with them  .  what I learnt from the filming  process is  that in future sessions we should use the camcorder  instead of a camera  to avoid the complications that we suffered whilst editing the footage .

whilst doing this task we had to  come to create a scene centred around  the title The Accident we had to use our creative skills to come up with a scenario that would fit the title  we had to come up with a shot list and provide a story board  and we tried our best to produce the footage and the shots from the shot - list and story board . when I edited the footage there was a lack of continuity and poor  use of cross cutting  and the narrative was not clear. i learnt that placing the footage on different tracks  in final cut can effect the editing and the final  product 

the more i used final cut and began editing the more progressed in the preliminary task we had to learn how to  use cross cutting effectively we had to  use match on match action , over the shoulder shot , and so on we learnt about continuity and how it is vital when editing to make sure  in this process  is current and reflected through out the  footage in addition i learnt how to embed a sound track into the footage that would  create tension or  fit the mood that was created 


These previous tasks that we had to complete helped me prepare for the editing and planning of my film opening One Step Ahead   we had to make sure that  there was continuity  through out we had to make sure that the cross cutting technique was embedded inside the film and did not seem out of place  we additionally had to make sure the soundtrack suited the film and helped created tension where necessary 

This is the technique that i  used in order to create the flashback sequence in the film opening i learnt how to use the pen tool to 
create  fading or flashing effect when using final cut express  we learnt how to trim footage down so that we could layer different shots/ overlap sequences ; to create a more range of shots and interesting camera angles within our film . i also learnt how to create jump cuts to help emphasize the protagonists urgency and  so that the footage matched the soundtrack .

This is the technology that was used to create the soundtrack garage band when using this technology to create the soundtrack  learnt how to layer different sounds beats and melody's to create the perfect tension building soundtrack 
i additionally learnt how to increase and decrease the volumes of certain tracks to help create the tension at the right moments 

the equipment used to film our film opening 

to film our film opening we used a Sony cam corder though we had previous experiences with using this camera the experiences had were not thorough enough as we had never had any experience with this level of filming. because of our previous task we were able to know about correct framing which came in handy when using the Sony cam corder as we were able to frame our character correctly in the shot . we could only use the camcorder by itself without the tripod for some shots as the camera would become shaky and it would tarnish the quality of the shot 

when we were filming the opening the lighting was essential as we desired for the setting to be dark so when we used the lights we had to make sure that there were no fluctuations we had to keep the lighting consistent throughout so it would add to the continuity. but if he lighting was too dark it would reflect in the quality of the footage .  we attached one of the light s to the camera and used one through the diffuser to give  the correct lighting needed but we had to keep the lighting consistent or it would be obvious to the viewers  . to give the allusion to the audience  that our protagonist was incognito 

the tripod helped steady the camera it additionally  helped shoot shots that we may not necessarily be able to do steadily and as well without it like a panning shot we learnt that using the tripod was more successful than using our hands to do this camera technique 

Using the dolly was useful because it helped us track the character successfully as tracking is more a more successful technique to use than using the zoom button on the camera . however they were some problems that we encountered whilst using the dolly one of those problems were that in a small confined space that we were in we found it a struggle to move the dolly around successfully without it affecting the footage  in addition when we had to remove the tripod for a different shot and attach it again we struggled to make the levels symmetrical and the width of the base as it spanned out to widely . 

This technology helped us to build  upon our knowledge of a practical task given in media ; we learnt a significant amount throughout the process about creating and editing film. We were able to see the effect of storyboards and shot lists and how when on location it is difficult to create some shots  the way that we intended to do , which resulted in some  improvisation of the shots . However we learned after that we are also able to manipulate our filmed  footage to suit us further with effects and trimming . For example when we realised that there would be trouble with a lack of continuity with one our shots we decided to reverse the action so that it flowed onto the next scene correctly and fluently 

Who would be the audience for your media product? question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Due To the presence of a supporting protagonist who is a woman , we may have  consider females as being the secondary target  audience for our film.  we have decided that They would be between the ages of 18 to 44  I have found from film statistics on IMDB for films such as Bourne Identity and Enemy of the State show differing levels of interest from varying ages of females. from the evidence shown below more females between the ages 30-44 watched the Bourne identity  whereas more females aged 18-29 watched the enemy of the state . so making the age bracket for our target audience 18-44 would be ideal  as judging from the results gathered  those ages made up a large amount of the female audience who watched these man on the run / political thriller films .

Bourne Identity

Enemy of the State

from this interview I conducted I found out that are target audience prefer to watch action thriller s whether it is a hybrid or a standalone genre Bourne identity was one of our inspirations for our film opening . one of the people we interviewed mentioned that that was their favourite action thriller .

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?question3

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

if we were given the opportunity to distribute our film  there are  few independent british companies that may be able to  produce and distribute the film . we would have to use a british independent film company because our film would only  appeal to them . the independent film companies such as Momentum pictures  or Film4.

 this is because ONE STEP AHEAD is an independent film with an unknown cast and an unknown director our  props locations and costumes show that the film is very low budget  . Momentum and FILM4 would be the ideal companies to produce because they are known for distributing films for growth rather than achieving a big gross revenue such as larger film distributors such as Warner Brothers or 20th Century Fox do and who are also known for producing big budget films .

 the dark knight by Warner Bro's

20th century fox 

with the right amount of research and the right promotion techniques are film is most likely to be a success  the type of promotion  companies or websites that would enable our film to be a success such as IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, or on YouTube, our film being promoted or rated by these sites could attract audience attention people may want to watch our film or it may alert people that our film is out there  it could also enable the spreading of the release of our to be promoted  film via word and mouth . If film companies are interested in our concept they may attempt to contact us and fund our filming, production and marketing.   in addition to promote our film the production company could produce a website for it  which we could add an official trailer to the site and allow visitors to view information about the film an additionally view the trailer , view behind the scenes of our movie , interviews with the cast and crew and purchase promotional tickets for up - coming events . another technique/ or strategy that we could use is visible product tie-ins so that we can collaborate with companies that are linked to our target audience 
                              


our film is most likely to gain attention and attract an audience  because of the controversy surrounding the narrative racism in a wider society , how the characters are portrayed and the male protagonist that has been framed and targeted because of his racial heritage  the film may receive a significant amount of criticism and people may be interested in finding out what would actually happen  one of the inspirations for our narrative  was season 8 of 24 the tv series

How does your media product represent particular social groups? question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

How does your media product represent particular social groups? on Prezi

: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? question 1

Evaluation 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

we were given a task to construct a film opening for our media course work; whilst we were planning and preparing for the task we had to consider ways in which our product would fit or challenge the media conventions and forms of real media products of the same genre . Below are nine frames of various footage from my film opening in which i feel challenge the conventions and or fit them  our film opening is categorized under  the sub-genres of action/political/crime thriller 

 shot/ frame 1 
to the left is the opening shot, of the film opening ; this fits the conventions of a thriller film because it creates an enigma for the audience , as they may be wandering  why   those pictures  stuck on the wall  or what does it represent ?  this helps grab the audience's attention from the first shot and they may want to continue watching so that they can find out why the pictures are there The dark lighting also contributes to the mystery as dark lighting is usually associated with mystery or danger  . In  most action thrillers; creating tension is essential for keeping viewer / audience engaged  so in our  film opening  we had to consider what we could include in our footage to create tension .As a group we decided to use a panning shot to open the sequence  this is effective as an opening shot as you feel that  the camera is taking you on a journey it is also a close up shot so that the whole wall is  not revealed straight away  so that it leaves an area of surprise for the audience .

shot 2 

framework 2 camera work and editing 
in the second shot / frame the protagonist is revealed to the audience 
he  is searching for something important it is later shown that he was searching for a range of passports . this gives the audience some insight into the character maybe he is running or planning to leave the country his frantic searching shows the audience that he could be in a rush . the editing used in this scene helps 

mid-shot 

As the shots go from a long-shot  to a mid-shot; to a close up of his arm 

close up shot 

We decided to use these shots whilst he was searching because it draws the audience in by getting closer and closer so it can reveal what he is searching for in addition in action- thrillers /man on the run there is often a large amount of fast editing used to communicate the panic expressed by the actor or to mimic the fast action taking place .

            Framework 3 the title of the film 

the effect is  a waving motion that appear on a cu shot of his face

The title of the film appears  in white block capitals  across the screen  this highlights the fact that it is essential for the protagonist to remain one step ahead .We chose not to have the title on a black background because we thought it would be equally effective as one of our inspirations chose to have the titles overlap or appear on the footage and it has proven itself effective . We chose to make the colour of the font white as it fits the basic conventions of a thriller in addition i feel that it would take away from the action going on the screen causing it to be slightly static  .When the title appears on the screen the effects that were applied on the title fit one of the main emotions that are portrayed in the film opening which is panic  the title then fades out into the footage . the title gives the audience a sense of  what the narrative s about without revealing too much of the plot  ; the effects placed on the tile also mimic the words as if the title is walking onto the screen.


 frame four how the characters are introduced
we decided to introduce the main  protagonist to our target audience earlier on in the opening sequence  we introduced him using a long-shot  of him searching for something this is good as it shows the audience that he is up to something and he is not static  he is also alone which could suggest to the audience that he is the central character . the protagonist is also frantic which could suggest to the audience that what he is looking for is important

shot of when the protagonist is introduced

in the opening of the film we also introduced another character using  a flash back which was filmed as  a mid-shot  she reveals vital information about the main protagonist to the audience . The fact that she is alerting the protagonist could hint to the audience that they are friends and she cares about his well being . Though she is a protagonist she is not the central focus of the film opening which could suggest to the audience that the male protagonist is more significant or the central focus of the film.

close up shot of the protagonist's face 

Frame 5 lighting 
 For the majority of the film opening we used dark lighting to highlight the fact that he is incognito and does not want to be found . In this shot he is using a flashlight, which usually does not omit bright light we used a flashlight to add to the concept of him being in  incognito;  instead of using the lights used in the room the protagonist  uses a torch; this could suggest to the audience that he is in hiding . we used blue lights to light the scene so that the scene was not lit too brightly but the right amount so the audience would believe that he is in hiding  .The dark lighting used also adds to the tension created by what is going on; it also gives an eerie  feeling to the film;in addition it also adds to  the area of mystery.  The thriller films  that use this technique usually achieve this very well   .  Because the film is lit so darkly we had to keep the lighting consistent  we tried to achieve this by using  a blue light through a diffuser  we  also attached the light to the camera .

converted loft location 

 frame 6 : setting and location 
We chose the settings and locations carefully
the scenes in which the protagonist is searching and packing were filmed in a converted loft  we chose the location because it seemed secretive and confined and closed in which also mimics the protagonist's feelings  as he is on the run  he may feel confined and closed in by those who are pursuing him . on  the to the left  in the screen shot you can see an inkling of light breeching  through the darkness this could suggest to the audience that his main hope of escape is through the door; it could also suggest that there is freedom  outside in his escape and that his main target in this opening scene is  to escape .

alley way

our  second  choice of location was an alley way  we chose the location because we thought it was secretive and could help convey the message of the flashback well  . in the flash back scene  the character was standing in the middle of the frame to show that she is caged in .and that the information that she is telling the protagonist is top secret . the fact that the scene was filmed in an alley way and not in the open could suggest to the audience that the message is not to be conveyed outside of where they are ,as the walls also emphasize this as she is literally boxed in . the lighting used in this scene shows that what she is saying is helping the protagonist though what she is saying   may not be all good news but she is offering him hope of survival and escape .


                                                                               Frame 7 genre and how the opening suggests it 

frame 7 

In the screen shot on the left there are some features that show that the film  is  classified as  a man on the run thriller film ;as the male protagonist is packing his bags filled with the vital documents, that were located  on the wall; in addition there are a range of passports that are located besides his bag which  could suggests to the audience  that he is leaving the country or plans to leave; the packing creates tension because you may feel that  he may be caught as he is packing frantically.  These factors suggest that this film is also located in the  thriller sub-genre man on the run  the scene is also lit darkly so  it shows that this could be classified in the thriller genre .

pictures on the door 

the pictures that were placed on the wall have reference to the government and pass events that have taken place  this could show the audience that what he is investigating has to do with government issues or has something to do with the government ; this could suggest that the film is also categorized in the political thriller sub-genre .


f

frame 8 flashback effect 

frame 8 special effects:
This frame shows the use of special effects,  i n the particular scene of when the protagonist has a flashback ,of a previous conversation wit h his ex  colleague . Using final cut express gave us the the opportunity to experiment with different techniques and effects . the shot of the protagonist's face is a constant close up shot  we used  different angles of a close up  so his expression could be conveyed across well we also thought that a close up shot of the protagonist  was more convincing when he was going into the flashback this also creates more variations of shots.
 I used cross cutting to achieve the effect of the flashback in addition i also used the pen tool within final cut express to achieve the fading effect  that is displayed in the screen shot  the fading shot focused on the scene with the female character talking using a point of view shot to the male protagonist's face using a range of close up shots . i additionally used an effect on the flashback to make the lighting slightly lighter than the original footage; furthermore i used an effect on final cut express called blur this gave the flashback a shaky effect which corresponds with the emotions that were being conveyed across in the flashback. when the flashback had ended i used an effect on final cut that made the footage play in slow motion .

frame 9

frame 9 how suspense is created 
The final frame shows how suspense is created; the shot is a high angle shot of the protagonist making an escape;  as he running down the stairs sirens are being heard in the near distance ;which tells the audience that he may be caught and discovered . in this shot the exit is lighted showing his route of escape to the audience  it may also suggest that  there is hope of him escaping  unharmed . the darkness behind him suggests that there is no going back which corresponds with the voice over "This is where my life changes ." where the film opening ends is a good way to create suspense as it is left on a cliff hanger ;as he is leaving the premises whilst the sirens are going on it leaves the viewers wondering whether or not he made it out okay.  then the sequence transitions into a black screen as another title appears
this leaves the viewers in suspense  which is essential to create  in most thriller films 


below  are nine key frames that have inspired our film opening  from the nine frames i will pick the essential frames that inspired / influenced our film opening the most 


































frame 1 the title of the film 

the title of the film has over lapped on the footage like our film opening  the title is is in capital letters it is not too bold big and in your face but the lettering is of normal size the title fades in and fades out i think that the title is successful not all titles need to to  be huge or bold to have an impact i noticed the title even though it is small it stands out from the others  . the title should usually give a clue to the audience on what the film is about (the narrative ). without revealing too much of the plot it could also have the audience guessing who is the machinist or what is the machinist.  The fact that the title is not in your face  could mimic the character of the male lead  as he may be weak and fragile  in the movie or not well . other thriller  film openings usually have the title separate

 from the actual footage they would have the title positioned on a black background  the fact that our film title is on the footage challenges some of the basic conventions of a thriller 

 frame 2 
how the characters are introduced 

The character Bourne is introduced  when he wakes up from a flashback and begins to search for some aspirin  the camera shows him from a medium shot the lighting is dark but the visible light is surrounding the character which could suggest  to the audience that he is the protagonist  as the scene begins with him the audience could also assume that he is the central character   the tiles that are shown in the shot could also hint to the audience where he is  in a bathroom . the body language suggests that he is trying to remain calm though he has awoken from a night mare  like our film opening the main protagonist is shown searching for something . the female character is introduced when she hears that Bourne is awake  this suggests to the audience that she is his love interest she is shown worrying about him this fits the basic conventions of a thriller film opening because the story begins to unfold   like with  our film opening the female protagonist  shows concern for her friend  by warning him 

 frame 3 location and setting 

the  location is secluded and secretive  like our film opening it is effective as it creates mystery for the audience as they are wondering why all of those documents are placed on the wall  the lighting is surrounding the wall which shows the audience that the those documents are of relevance or are very important  the way the documents are positioned are organised and not scattered this could suggest that who ever placed them there is thoughtful and strategic

camera editing and effects 

this shot is similar to our ending shot of him exiting before we see a pursuit we as the audience are wondering whether he will make it out of the embassy or be caught by his persistent pursuers in a lot of the chase scenes within the Bourne trilogy there is fast cut / edits this helps create tension and keeps the viewers engaged in my film opening i attempted some jump cuts that would correspond with the dynamic music that was playing . in this screen shot his exit path is highlighted by the lights on the ceiling in our  film opening we decided to light our protagonist 's exit path also .

This shot if from the film  the Bourne Ultimatum when he went into the flash back  the close up shot of his face reveals his emotions as he is experiencing the flashback he looks confused and slightly agitated which could suggest to the audience that this flashback is involuntary . when our protagonist was experiencing  his flash back we wanted to convey across the same emotion or expression we also used a low angled close up shot 

the effects used in this flash back scene is effective as it looks disorientated just like Bourne's memory this flash back appears hazy to reflect the condition of his memory the effect used here makes the flash back appear more effective as it is not clear so it shows the audience that he has trouble remembering exactly what happened in addition the sound  also appeared  disorientated this gave the flashback a dreamy feel  . when it came down to creating the flashback in my edit I used motion blur I did not go over board as we decided that our main protagonist would not suffer from amnesia so the  effect I chose showed that he had no trouble remembering this past event