Main Task - Post 4a - Plot development

Synopsis
Film name - Poker face
Genre - Action
Target audience - 15+
An undercover detective faces another challenge as his girlfriend is held captive by the same mafia squad who killed his father, intense action from the start.

Dwain Jefferson, an undercover cop is on yet another case, as he hunts down a mafia squad holding his girlfriend captive at her own will. Dwain constantly searches for clues that may lead him to the whereabouts of the mafia squad and his girlfriend. The mafia squad want nothing but Dwain's father million pound fortune, will Dwain eventually have to give up his fathers money for the sake of his girlfriend? Or will the mafia squad torment Dwain and his family at the same time as gaining the jackpot sum of money?

The opening scene will be the opening credits (Dwain is in an office looking at pictures of him and his father as well as his girlfriend. Names of the actors, director, cameraman etc, will appear on post-it notes across Dwain's desk). This will be followed by the mafia squad in a room playing poker as they have Dwain's girlfriend captive, Dwain phones them and eventually finds them as he bursts through the door, the opening sequence is then followed by the name of the film.

Main Task - Post 4 - Group meeting

We have held a group meeting and after evaluating our research we have come to the conclusion that we will stick with the action genre, seeing as majority of our random people said that action was their favourite genre of film. We too brainstormed what we want our film to be about and also what the opening sequence will consist of.

Description of film
Dwain Jefferson (Danny Warwick), an undercover cop is on yet another case, the same mafia squad (Jack Cotton, Charlie Holden and Ben Howard) who killed his father and once held his mother captive have come back for his girlfriend, Dwain wants her back but all they want is the rest of the million dollar fortune left behind by Dwain's dad. The mafia squad torment Dwain to the max by eventually capturing several members of his family along with his girlfriend, but will they get him too?

Opening sequence description
The opening sequence will consist of the opening titles as well as Dwain in an office sobbing over the loss of his father, then we cut to the mafia squad playing poker whilst Dwain's girlfriend is captive, Dwain breaks in and then the title 'Poker Face' appears.

You may recognize similarities between our possible film and the film 'Taken' We all agreed that this film is what we were going for, we liked the idea of a set of people holding family members of an agent at their own will. Where in the film 'Taken' a group of foreigners kidnap Liam Neeson's daughter, we take a spin on it where a mafia squad kidnap an agents girlfriend. So I suppose the film 'Taken' influenced our ideas a fair bit.

Main Task - Post 3 - Research into opening sequence designs

Kyle Cooper interviews
He believes that the present title sequences set the tone/scene for the film about to be watched, he says that once watching the opening sequence of a film you are fully focused on the film itself and nothing else. The opening titles also set the tone for the film, so if you are liking the look of the opening titles then you will probably like the film. He says that the opening sequence often sets expectations for the film overall.
Kyle Cooper talks about 3 main title sequences that he did, 'Darkness Falls' Se7en' and 'Spiderman 2'

Kyle talks about the first title sequence that really had an impact on him was the opening sequence for 'The dead zone'. As it was very simple typography, the music was well used and 'mysterious'
He says a title sequence is great when it can capture the main characters obsessions, like 'Scouts' treasure box.

Kyle Cooper interview part 1
Kyle Copper interview part 2

For our film we want to take some of what he has said on board, we want it to set the tone for the film and instantly grab the audience. However we want it to be more about the build up to the potential actual film.

Main Task - Post 2 - Choosing your genre

Looking in the London metro newspaper on 6th December 2012 I noticed an article that showed the figures for the top grossing films in the UK ever. Seeing as me and my group were still undecided of what genre to choose for our opening sequence I looked at which genres performed best in the UK box office over the years. The top ten varied from Skyfall to Toy Story 3, Mamma Mia to Harry Potter, and also Avatar to Lord of the rings.

From reading this article I noticed that the new James Bond movie 'Skyfall' made a significant breakthrough considering to this day it has only been in theaters for a month or so it is officially the top grossing film in the UK ever to this day. So from this I know that 'Skyfall' is a very successful action film, whilst the second and third best were Avatar (Sci-Fi/Adventure) and Titanic (Romance) respectively. I notice that action films tend to be very popular amongst the British public, as I followed up my first research by looking at the top grossing films for 2012 on http://boxofficemojo.com/. This website gave me the figures for the top 100 grossing films in the UK for the past year. Shown on this website too, Skyfall dominates the table this year, but it was followed by The Dark Night Rises and also The Avengers (noticeably both action).  

As a group at the moment we are leaning over towards action because it seems to be very popular with people in the UK, especially in the past year, but we will conduct further research and ask various members of the public to fill out a short questionnaire that should in turn help us make our decision more clear.

Questionnaire

So as a group we created a nice and short questionnaire that we hope would help us into deciding what genre of film to make our opening sequence about. Below is a sample of our questionnaire that has been filled out by one of our random people. The questions on the sheet varied from 'What is your favourite genre of film?' to 'How often do you go to the cinema?'. With questions like these we made sure that the questionnaire was short and to the point as well as being fairly easy for our random public to fill out.

Above is a questionnaire that I asked one of my neighbours to fill out, to categorize him I would place him as a middle-aged man. We as a group asked around about 30 different people of various ages in order to get the best possible results that would in turn help us decide and make the most appropriate opening film sequence. My neighbours response was what I had expected, due to the previous researches showing that action films were the most popular amongst the British public. The trend continued with the rest of the random people and we tallyed it up as a total and from the 37 people that we asked to fill out our questionnaire, 22 said that action was their favourite genre of film. The other possible genres to chose from varied but in second it was comedy.

Main Task - Post 1 - Conventions of an opening sequence

When it comes to opening sequence there are a lot of conventions that you would expect to see in them. In any genre, the same conventions are likely to appear. Be that the name of the film, the cast/crew members, or a background to the film itself. I will look at two opening sequences from two different genres during this task.

Below are a list of conventions that I would expect to see in an opening sequence.

• The films title
• The production company's name
• Details of the cast and crew
• An overview of the setting for the film
• Information regarding the mood and tone of the film
• The theme tune/soundtrack for the film
• An introduction to the main character and supporting actors
• Codes and conventions that would appear in the genre of film, for example I would expect to see explosions in an action opening sequence.

Batman - The Dark Knight Rises
The first opening sequence that I watched was the recent Batman movie 'The Dark Knight Rises'

• The first convention of an opening sequence that I noticed was the productions company's name and logo, this is important because it lets the audience know what company produced the film.

• The second convention that I noticed was various names of the cast and crew appearing in the opening sequence, the person behind the film is usually first to appear seeing as that person (in this case Christopher Nolan) thought of the film.

• Another convention that I noticed was that the general idea of the opening sequence was that it was based around the idea of mystery and clue solving. This is a good idea as the film is about batman who takes on the role of a superhero and detective. In this shot we notice the Batman logo and also the place of setting (Gothan City).

Here is the actual opening sequence for the film 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Forest Gump

The second opening sequence that I watched was 'Forest Gump'

• The first convention that I noticed was the production company responsible for the film, it shows Paramounts name clearly and also its logo. This is important as it clearly shows the audience what company produced the film.

• The second convention that I noticed was the name of the person who directed the film. This is important as it lets the audience watching know who is responsible for the film that they are about to see.

• The third convention is similar to the second, in that this one lets the audience know who is in the film, in this case it is Tom Hanks who stars as Forest Gump.

• Here we see Tom Hanks as Forest for the first time, the camera floats down and pans across to him sitting on a bench, this convention introduces us to him and the film.

Here is the actual opening sequence for the film 'Forest Gump'

Post 12 - Independent Work Towards Targets

In preparation to the main task I have looked to meet the targets that I set in the previous post in the build up to the main film. So for example for Specific, I have been onto youtube to watch the opening sequences for certain films that I like

Post 11 - Targets

Overall the short film was a success, and we will probably work together in the main task seeing as we worked well together. However I feel that there is always room for improvement and so have set myself targets that I would like to reach within the main task, I will use the SMART principle to make myself targets for the next task.

S-Specific
I need to be specific in what I want to achieve in the next task. For example 'What exactly do I want to achieve in the next task?'. So in answer to that I want to be able to make the opening of an action film, complete with opening titles. I want to be able to continue to co-operate with my group mates, just as I did in the first task. I also want to develop an understanding about opening titles and the openings of films.

M-Measurable
I want to be at certain points in the course at certain times, for example 'What do I want to achieve in a week?' In reply to this I want to make as much progress as possible in a week, with my two week timetable I calculate that I have 5 lessons over 2 to work on my blog, whilst the other 4 are allocated to the exam preparation. And so I would like to make considerable progress in each of these, by this I mean do a practice exam question every week, as well as trying to do as much blog work in and outside of my lessons.

A-Achievable
I need to make achievable targets thats can be completed fairly easily, but not too easy because thats not much of a challenge. I would like to achieve a B grade overal in media, trying to get in the top two bands for both the exam and the coursework. Personally I do not think that achieving a B grade is out of the question, I think that it is achievable. To achieve this target I will need to remain focused throughout the main task and work to the best of my ability.

R-Realistic
I too need to be realistic about what I want to achieve in this main task, For example 'What would be seen as a 'sucess' in the main task?'. In reply to this I have already accepted that my opening sequence may not be the best as I have very little/no experience in making opening sequences, but I would like to make a fairly decent opening sequence with my group members.

T-Time-Bound
I need to think about 'How long it will take to do all of the pre-production, filming, and post-production?'. And so in answer to that I think that this should all be done by the start of May at the latest. This all needs to be done by them to allow time for preparation for the exam. We should start the filming segment of the main task by the end of January.

Post 10 - Evaluation of skills developed

Below is a link to our final preliminary film, I have linked it because the youtube video icon does not appear to be able to locate our film.

Click here to see our preliminary film 'Sugar Rush'!

I think that overall the preliminary task has been a success for our group, we have all developed  and enhanced various new skills during the preliminary task.

Technical skills
When it comes to filming, all of it is pretty much hands on. All of us in our group were fairly good with technology before the preliminary task began and that is probably why we found it rather easy. Charlie took charge of the camera as he had previously had experiences with handling cameras similar to the one used in the preliminary task. So he found it fairly easy to maneuver and navigate the camera as well as the tripod.

Creative skills
Before we began filming we all sat around and brainstormed our group ideas on some paper, with four minds at work who all get along together it is fairly easy to brainstorm good and efficient ideas. We all popped in with good ideas and we all had an equal input into what the short film would be like.

Personal skills
I have usually always been good at working in a team and so a task like this preliminary has merely improved my communication skills a little, I usually like to take the lead and give out orders without seeming too bossy, but the people in my group seemed to look at me for guidance because I did the subject as a GCSE and have always had a passion for Media studies.

My personal work
I feel over the course of the preliminary task I have worked well but could have worked a little faster and more efficiently, I usually have a good work ethic to get things done, but to be honest I feel I have slacked a little in the preliminary task. I will look to improve my work ethic for the main task.

Pre-production
I felt that pre-production went well, we all took on different roles to get pre-production finished. I took on mainly the script as I have had previous experiences of script writing in the past and I wanted to improve on my skills of creating a storyline and putting it onto a page.

Production
I felt that production went well, not great however. I felt our overall team communication was good and this helped up

Post 9 - Post-Production

This has been done on our domain computer at school.

Post 8 - Production Report

Report of  'Sugar Rush' production
How did the shoot go?
After our pre-production material was complete we set out with our filming equipment, shot lists, storyboard and our scripts. We took the items mentioned because they were essential for making a successful short film, the filming equipment was used because the camera was used to shoot the short film, the tripod was used to hold the camera in its designated place, and also the camera bag was used to carry spare tapes/batteries just in case they ran out whilst filming, the shot list and storyboard came in handy because we could get the most accurate shot sizes from our storyboard onto our camera by having them aside, and finally the script was needed because our two actors may have needed to quickly look over their lines/directions for the particular shot/scene. We were now ready to start, and after a second to set up we were able to film. Every time the shot changed we stopped filming so that we could edit them together later, and after every shot we captured our two actors would quickly look over their lines/Directions (if they had any) just to refresh themselves. Our two actors very rarely had to do this so it made the filming process much quicker than anticipated, it still took a while to film however because we had to do a few re-takes for a few shots because someone in the shot may have done something they were not supposed to do.

What problems do you encountered?

We had a fairly successful shoot, but on a few occasions we experienced a few problems, for example on a few occasions we would need to re-shoot a shot because something unexpected occurred, for example a person unexpectedly walking into our shot, or one of our actors messing up their lines slightly, or we just had to re-shoot a shot because we felt that we could do better than the last take. However a problem that did occur that we only realized after filming and during editing, once Danny answers his phone whilst filming the wind actually blocks the words that come out of his mouth at one point. 

How did you overcome the problems?

We overcame the problems mentioned by merely shooting the affected shot again. And in reply to the wind problem we did not realize this until editing, and so we just decided to leave it and make sure that this does not happen again.

How well did you work as a team?

I thought that we performed very well as a team. Before the task had started we got into groups and brainstormed, after this we assigned group roles. I was the script writer and director for the film, Charlie was the camera man and main editor (even though we all participated in editing our film), Ben was our actor and Danny was our other actor. Once it got to the actual filming stage we communicated well to create the short film, I took control of the storyboard and script and so I directed the two actors and told them what they should be doing and what they should be saying. 

Post 7 - Additional Pre-Production Information

Above are the technical and location recce for our group, we had to take pictures of our settings for the location recce and we had to consider some major points in the technical recce before filming, such as the lighting situation (we did not need any lights on due to the fact that we would be filming in daylight), we also had to consider whether the temporary classroom we intended to shoot in would be available to film in at our time of asking, the good thing for us was that we gave plenty of notice to the rooms main owner and so we were able to film as scheduled. We too had to consider the weather for the day of filming, we checked several weather forecasts before shooting and we made sure that there would be no cause for concern due to bad weather on the potential day of filming. I made the location and technical recce whilst the other group members performed various other pre-production roles.

Above is the Mise-en-scene description for our group, for this we had to consider the five main components of mise-en-scene before filming, just to see what components we had to consider. Ben made the mise-en-scene description for the group.

Above is the prop list and group roles, pretty much self explanatory it shows the props needed to film and what roles we all took up within the group. I made the prop list and group role document. 

Above is the shooting schedule, made by Danny and Charlie.

Post 6 - Shot List and Storyboard

Here we have the shot list behind our group, we stuck to the design given to us on the blog but obviously imputed our information into the columns respectively. We had to use the same amount of columns in the shot list because they had to match.  

Storyboard

Post 5 - Jump cuts, over-the-shoulder shots, cutaways, and point of view shots.

Jump Cuts - A cut to later action from one filmed scene to the next, creating an effect of discontinuity or acceleration. Jump cuts are often used to create an immediate transition from one shot to the next. Here (below) is an example of a jump cut.

Over the shoulder shot - This shot helps to establish the position of each person, and get the feel of looking at one person from the other's point of view. It's common to cut between these shots during a conversation, alternating the view between the different speakers. Here (below) is an example of an over the shoulder shot.

Cutaways - this is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually, although not always, followed by a cut back to the first shot, when the cutaway avoids a jump cut. Here (below) is an example of a cutaway shot. 

Point of view shots - also known as a POV shot, this is where the camera is showing what a certain character sees, by filming from their point of view. Her (below) is an example of a point of view shot.

Post 4 - Script writing

Here is the script for our group. We intend to use techniques such as the shot reverse shot whilst sticking to the 180 degree rule. In our preliminary task we will use the camera techniques mentioned in our filming to show that we know and understand how to use these techniques from continuity editing. The script is fairly short as the film is only supposed to be short. We sat around and brainstormed the ideas before I took centre stage and wrote the script shown above, I chose to do this because I have previously had experiences in writing scripts before and so it was not much of a challenge for me to write down the directions and dialogue whilst sticking to the traditional script format.

Post 3 - Continuity

Continuity editing is editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. Establishes a sense of story for the viewer. To see more information on Continuity Editing Click Here!There are several sections in continuity editing, they include 180 degree rule

180 degree rule
180 degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene. An imaginary line called 'the axis' connects the characters together by keeping the characters on the same side for each shot in a scene. For more information on the 180 degree rule click here.

Shot reverse shot
A film technique wherein one character is shown looking (often off-screen) at another character, and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer unconciously assumes that they are looking at each other.
For more information on shot reverse shot click here.

Match on action

Match on action is a very sinple but essential tenchique, where the perspective of the camera changes during a scene and the scene continues to flow.
For more information on match on action click here.

To show my understanding of the 180 degree rule, I have taken 3 photographs of my fellow pupils talking with each other, making sure I stick to the 'invisible line' in the 180 degree rule.

Here you can see that both people in each of the photos always appear on their respective sides. As we can see this, the 180 degree rule has not been broken.

Post 2 - Storyboard Drawing, Shot Sizes and Framing

Storyboard Drawing, Shot Sizes and Framing
Post 2 Section A

Here you can see that I have drawn seven frames to show the different shot sizes used in Media, I have drawn an Extreme Close-Up (ECU), a Close-Up (CU), a Medium Close-Up (MCU), a Medium Shot (MS), a 3/4 shot, a Medium Long Shot (MLS) and also a Long Shot (LS). As you can see from the picture, as the shot size gets larger the headroom space becomes larger, the horizon line appears to move up the body, and the background becomes more visible.

Section B

Here in Section B I will be showing my understanding of Shot Sizes further by taking photos of myself in the frames shown above in Section A. In addition to this I will attempt to stick to the 'Rule Of Thirds'.

Here is my version of an Extreme Close-Up (ECU).

Here is my version of a Close-Up (CU).

Here is my version of a Medium Close-Up (MCU).

This is my version of a Medium Shot (MS).

Here is my version of a 3/4 shot.

This is my version of a Medium Long-Shot (MLS).

This is my version of a Long Shot (LS).

Click here to see what the 'Rule Of Thirds' is about. 

Section C

Here in Section C I will be showing how to go along with the 'Rule Of Thirds', I will show this by showing some good and bad examples of how the rule is applied to some pictures.

As you can see here, the 'Rule Of Thirds' frame is in place for me to take a photo, ideally for the 'Rule Of Thirds' to work you need to align the second line down of the square along with the eyes of your picture, in this case an Extreme Close-Up (ECU). The third line down in the square then should line up roughly where the mouth is, the first and last horizontal lines should then complete the picture, in this case the first line should be where the forehead is, and the last should be below the chin.

Preliminary Task Introduction

In this preliminary task I will be looking to create a short film that will demonstrate certain filming techniques. I will be working in a group with no more than 4 in total, so 3 others as well as I. Building up to filming I will complete certain tasks on my blog, they include learning about/showing my understandings of storyboard drawing, shot sizes and framing, showing my understandings of the elements of continuity editing, writing a script for the short film, showing my understandings of camera techniques, devising a storyboard and shot list, and also completing a location/technical recce, risk assessments, shooting schedule, mise-en-scene description, and finally cast, crew, equipment and props lists. After doing the tasks mentioned I would have gained enough understanding of the task to film a very good short film, the short film must include some of the  technical elements mentioned in the pre-production tasks. The short film requires us to film two characters, as one sits down ready for the other, whilst the other character comes and opens a door, crosses a room, and sits opposite the already seated character, they exchange dialogue and then the character who previously walked in then walks out again. Whilst sticking to these actions we must demonstrate our understandings of match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule, all of these are from continuity editing.