Preliminary Task

Feedback for Final Cut

"Your opening sequence was very intriguing, the music in the background was very well used and fitted in well with the theme. The words were quite philosophical and interesting and I definitely would like to watch the rest of the movie as it seems to get me thinking about what's going to happen next, who she's writing the letter to and many more questions rise from the opening sequence! Overall good work and well done!"

Farhath Siddiqui
Age 17 years
College Student

"Especially loved the book at the end, I think it's an awesome effect! Great variance in camera angle and the continuity of each scene is maintained despite numerous cut-outs. Excellent credit/title positioning as it doesn't block any action and suitably chosen font."

Jamie Cash
Age 17 years
Sixth Form Student

"I think the story line is great. I especially love the idea of the flashbacks, whoever came up with that is a genius!"

Kristian Coomber
Age 17 years
College Student

"You had a good use of editing to ensure continuity and also your titles were very effective, the ending especially."

Josh Walker
Age 17 years
College Student

"The voice-over needs to be a bit louder, struggling to hear it. I like how you have used the colouring, it looks really realistic and professional. I also like the shot angles e.g. the one of her walking away from the camera at the start."

Liam Penn
Age 18 years
College Student

Final Cut!

Music

     Music and sound is one of the main ways tension is built in any film, a thriller especially. What we hear on screen really does contribute to 50% of a film and so it was really important that Bex and found the right piece of music for our opening title sequence.

      We first began searching for songs that linked withing our genre. Youtube played a very useful part in this. We then grew to liking piano pieces, with the eerie chords and notes etc, it certainly was fitting with the film. Bex knew of a few pieces she liked and was thinking of doing something with 2 of them. One that caught our....ears....in particular was 'Kiddie Land' by Prelude, the link is as follows;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cePrt0bKp18

      Bex used this and a short piece she created on her samdung touch i-pad table thing to create the piece we not have on our title sequence. 

      However , I just listened to this piece (the link) for the first time and found it so perfectly creepy that I sent Bex a message asking if we should change it, and also our teacher if it is too late to do that!

      Oh we just both think it fits so much better, now having the final cut we are so happy with, this music is perfect! I just need to cut it, making it a little shorter, as currently is it 1 minute too long.

Shooting: The Remaining

      Just a short, semi 'behind-the-scenes' of thought, event, problems, weather and giggles of the day we filmed our opening title sequence: 

    
      Deciding on the location to shoot our short film was something that Bex and I immediately agreed on. (Off to a great start eh!?) We strongly wanted it to not be a heavily stereotypical location, despite the genre, because we wanted to build on the idea of mystery. Sadly what we did not consider was checking whether we would be able to take all of our equipment onto Clevedon Pier and use it to film there. We got there on a very windy Wednesday afternoon, paid to go in (having just eaten lunch on the de-tour we took to get there!) and went to walk through when suddenly we were told tripod's were not allowed on the Pier. Oh dear...! However, you were allowed to film, and take pictures etc, but the tripod was a no go. So, leaving it there, we then had to think how on earth we could film without it! As I was in charge of the camera and all the filming, I was desperately looking for tables, ledges, flat surfaces etc that I could use! But it sure allowed us to play with angles and perspectives! Luckily our opening shot was low down, on the floor in fact, so not too bad a start. 

Our opening shot of Amelia walking down the Pier.

      In particular for this shot, I placed the camera on a table that was ironically perfectly placed in the corner of the upper level of the Pier. Despite it being a distant shot of our protagonist and there being a fair bit in the frame, it has hidden her face, linking with her identity and the fact that the audience still does know what she looks like, or in fact what she is looking at. This perfectly build with the mystery factor. 

      This shot is of Amelia having now seen the photo, and not bending down to pick it up and have a look. The audience having already seen the picture on the previous shot of when it blows up against her feet. When she bends down to pic something up, the straight facing shot of Amelia portrays this perfectly where the audience is able to relate to the previous shot.

      Here, we inserted a panning shot from Amelia's perspective just after she has picked up the photo and is a little confused as to where it has come from. Casually she looks up and across the sea. Ideally here I wanted to show a blurred figure in the distance and for that to be our ghost at the end, but sadly it would have been too small in insignificant due to the scaling of the shot.

      This over the shoulder shot was used so that the audience can see at the same time as Amelia the photo she now holds in her hand. This shot is a carry on from the eye line match between the picture and our Protagonist. 

      This image shows a mid-shot of Amelia and the audience being able to see her reaction to the now scratched out photo as she stands back a little, one hand on the railing and her body slowly turning to the side. I guess you could class this as a reaction shot, when she suddenly turns around having sensed/heard something behind her. You can also see her surroundings as she is not placed in the center of the frame. 

Media Evaluation Questions

Our evaluation questions are as listed :) Up to 20 marks can be awarded for these... :)

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 production?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Production Diary Entry 8

      Today Bex and I worked on the titles and their ordering just before I added them. I have uploaded a video of our work up to date, yet still a few things need doing and touching up. I also need to add in the ident at the beginning of the title sequence :)

• What went well

Organising of titles.

Placing and opacity changing of hand on window.

• What might need improving

Ghostly hand on glass, maybe add other hand, re-do shaping to fit window panes. 

Titles so that all are equal in size.

• Any progression on ideas

Candle flickering in forground, to work alongside with cold, dark feelings at the thought of Amelia writing about her memories, her past.

• Techniques used when editing 

Fades in and out, for effect of flashbacks. 

Overlaying of two videos and opacity changing of one.

Colour presets on flashbacks.

Black and white setting on diary scene to emphasize her reminiscing. 

• How the editing went. 

Overall quite well. Pretty happy with it, the effects used etc and the fonts are good. Just need to add the voice-over!