S2-60 : FILM OPENING PROJECT 2008/9

FINAL VIDEO

2009-03-12T05:16:00.001-07:00

Evaluation Preparation

2009-03-12T04:21:00.000-07:00

Other Resources

.......yar

The Stills below show the key points in the story.

Logo for similar production company:

Ed Neely - Evaluation

2009-03-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

Film Opening Project Evaluation

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Final Cut

2009-03-06T05:25:00.000-08:00

Here is the final cut for our British Social Realism film opening.

Project criteria & What level we think we are working at?

2009-03-05T03:59:00.000-08:00

Our 'Test Screening' suggested that we are working at a Level 3, maybe a Level 4, with a mark between 40-60.
We think that we are a strong Level 3 as we have included both diagetic and non-diagetic soundtrack that we have created ourselves. We researched the soundtrack and found that British Social Realism dramas use upbeat ska tracks, so that is what we tried to create.
A variety of camera shots have been filmed in relevant locations to contrast the two different classes.
we have used naturalistic and realistic costume to fit with the genre.
The titles need to be made smaller and not overlap onto the footage, (stay within the black areas).

Level 3 Criteria:
There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills, holding shot steady, where appropriate.

Plan of changes after recieving feedback.

2009-03-05T03:46:00.000-08:00

Mise-en-scene:
The main comment for mise-en-scene was that the location was a bit too predictable. However unfortunately we are limited to the location we have chosen and also are under time pressure so we cannot make these changes.

Camerawork:
Camera movements too slow, shots held on too long. We have cut them down already, we need to keep them the same so the character footage length is in propourtion. It reflects the characters way of life - higher class, fast paced. Lower class, slower paced.

Editing:
We were asked to make titles smaller and make them more animated, such as moving text. we are going to make the titles smaller but we are not adding effects to the titles as this would make it less naturalistic and would not suit the genre of british social realism.

Sound:
Our sound was said to be too upbeat, we think the suits the routine of the people as one is a up-beat life and the other is rushing which is also up-beat. We based the soundtrack on 'This is england' which also has an up-beat reggae based soundtrack.

Generic Conventions:
There were no comments on improvements for the generic conventions.

Feedback from Test Screening

2009-03-05T03:45:00.000-08:00

Mise en scene - Include a good choice of costume, however less predictable locations would have been a better idea. The alarm was a good prop and also using the mobile phone to contrast the two classes.

Camerawork: There are slow camera movements, however there is a good variety of camera shots.

Editing: the pace of the clips has a good flow that helps to give the viewer a sense of time between the two characters. Need to make the titles a bit smaller and could add some more movement to them such as sliding in. Also, need to make sure titles don't overlap into footage.

Sound: A bit too upbeat.

Generic Conventions: The locations have been picked well for the social realism convention.

Given Level: Level 3, mark between 40-60. Proficient.

Rough Cut

2009-03-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

Here is our rough cut for our British Social Realism film opening.

Soundtrack Research

2009-02-13T05:24:00.000-08:00

Bob Marley - Could You Be Love
It is a good song for our opening sequence because it is up beat and could relate to having a good morning. It has a foreign style of music but suits the genre well as many other social realism films have used reggae in their opening sequences.

Bob Marley - Could You Be Love (Remix)
This one is good like the above one but has been re-mixed to contain elements which british music contains which also links to the film. It contains drum beats which are similar to ones in club music in the UK.

another like this is red red wine - UB40, however we are going to go for more Ska than Reggae because it is more linked to british culture. Also this music is too cheery.

I think to acheive what we want from the soundtrack we need to compose a original piece but we have a clear idea of what we will compose.

Organise Our Filming

2009-02-09T01:39:00.000-08:00

When shall we film?
Monday 9th February - Establishing shot of Higher Class house
Tuesday 10th February - Rest of footage

Where shall we film?
The establishing house shot is to be shot at Conors.
The bus stop scene and shot 3 are to be shot in along Swavesey paths.
All of the inside bedroom and house scenes are to be shot at Ed's house.
Long Road Sixth Form College for classroom scene and walking into college.

Who will be acting?
Higher Class Boy - Ed Neely
Lower Class Boy - Conor Murphy
Higher Class Boy's Parents Voice - Charmaine Christie
Lower Class Boy's Parents Voice - Ed Neely

Props costumes and loctaions

2009-02-09T01:21:00.001-08:00

In our opening we will use different kinds of props, costumes and locations.

Props:
The lower class boys mobile phone
The two beds
Deodorant & Aftershave
Bags

Costumes: Higher class boy Fcuk Pyjamas, Topman T-shirt, Jeans, Nike trainers, Gio Goi hooded top, Lacoste T-shirt, Firetrap satchel.

Lower Class Boy Fila Tracsuit bottoms, Flat peak, Fila bag, Plain t-shirt, Air max's,
Plain Hoody.

Location:
Swavesy
Ed's house
Carlton
Conor's house
Cambridge
Classroom
Longroad

Shot List

2009-02-09T01:16:00.000-08:00

Shot 1: Long, establishing shot of the front of the higher class house.

Shot 2: Medium shot from the side of the higher class boy being woken by an alarm in bed.

Shot 3: Medium, head on shot of lower class boy leaning against wall outside (along pathway). Checks his phone as alarm sounds.

Shot 4: Medium, side on shot of higher class boy sitting up in bed eating breakfast off a tray. He shouts "thank you!" to his mother.

Shot 5: Medium, side on shot of lower class boy's bed. Lower class boy enters room and flops onto his bed. Parents shouting at him in the background.

Shot 6: Medium, side shot of higher class boy looking at himself in his hall way mirror, doing his hair. He dabs on aftershave.

Shot 7: Close up shot on higher class boy's front door handle as he turns it and leaves the house.

Shot 8: Medium, side shot of lower class boy in bed waking up, still in his normal clothes.

Shot 9: Medium shot of lower class boy spraying on deodorant.

Shot 10: Long shot of higher class boy walking into sixth form college.

Shot 11: Long shot of lower class boy running down the stairs.

Shot 12: Long shot of lower class boy leaving the house through the front door.

Shot 13: Long shot of lower class boy waiting at the bus stop.

Shot 14: Long shot of lower class boy walking into sixth form college.

Shot 15: Long shot of higher class boy in class with a spare chair next to him. Lower class boy enters class and sits next to him.

Shot 16: Medium shot of the two boys sitting next to each other and eyeing each other up.

Title: Black background with bold, white writing in capital letters saying 'CLASS' with the same word reflected underneath. This reflection signifies higher and lower class.

Evaluation Questions

2009-02-05T03:38:00.001-08:00

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 the product?

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

2009-02-05T03:03:00.000-08:00

This is our Animatic storyboard for our film opening.

Synopsis

2009-01-29T03:34:00.000-08:00

Our opening is going to show and contrast a well-off teenager and a lower class teenager's routines. The well off teenager will be getting ready for school waking up in his house whilst the lower-class teenager will be coming in from the previous night out. We intend to contrast all of the mise-en-scene and we will accord this to steriotypical knowledge.

Teacher feedback

2009-01-26T01:40:00.000-08:00

Your opening sequence analysis need to be more detailed and they also need to include clips. Your blog needs some more visuals regarding the specific films that influence you.
Your planning posts are very comprehensive and show a strong level of thought and research, which is excellent. Your mood board is particularly good.
Well done, keep up the good work.
The next steps are storyboarding and detailed shot lists.

british social realism soundtracks

2009-01-26T01:36:00.000-08:00

It is difficult to analyse the soundtracks of British social realist films as they are all very different. This is England has quite a lively, loud soundtrack it is reggae based and is not really the same genre as the film. Football Factory's opening music is quite jumpy and again doesn't really fit. The soundtrack is going to have a really deliberate change in it. First the track will include a melody and very little bass while the first character is introduced. But then after the change between characters the music will change as well to more of a street style track with more of a beat in it. This will also show the huge change between the class's of the characters.

Included Microelements

2009-01-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

Location
- House (Ed's)
- Classroom
- Run-Down Street

Editing
- Naturalistic
- Fast Paced
- No Transitions

Camerawork
- Naturalistic

Sound
- Diegetic & Non-Diegetic

- Diegetic:
--Parents in background (shouting)
--Stereo
--Parents Waking People
--Alarm Clock

- Non-Diagetic:
--Soundtrack
--- Contrasts to social class but with smooth changeover
Costumes
- Smart clothes for upper class teenager
- Scruffy clothes for lower class teenager (sleep in clothes)

Lighting
- Naturalistic
- Daylight and Indoor artificial Light
Props
- School Bag
- Beer Can
- Cigarette

Mood Board

2009-01-23T06:21:00.001-08:00

Analysis of Snatch

2009-01-23T06:19:00.000-08:00

Snatch is an action film with a comic element.
In the opening sequence, titles run throughout the screen where the action is happening. As the characters are dressed as Jewish people the music is traditional Jewish sounding music, this sets the tone for the characters. The editing also has a slow pace to make the scene seem calm and casual. However the music then quickly changes as the characters begin a fight to be loud, fast and noisy to reflect the current hectic mood of the scene.

Camerawork and Editing: The opening credits of Snatch set the mood for the film as well as clearly introducing the characters to the audience by putting the characters names alongside freeze frames of the main characters. The pace of the camera shots also quicken as the scene becomes more manic, this matches the soundtrack and reflects the hectic atmosphere.

Soundtrack: The non-diagetic soundtrack matches the action and pace of the editing and acting, so at the beginning when the characters are walking into the building the soundtrack has a slow to normal pace and as the characters break into a fight scene the soundtrack quickens to a fast pace. The beginning of the soundtrack also matches the characters dress as they are dressed as Jewish people so the soundtrack has a Jewish theme to it. The soundtrack also becomes louder as it becomes fast paced in the fight scene to reflect the characters mood and the general atmosphere of the scene at that point in time.

Costume: The main characters are in Jewish costume at the beginning, however it is still realisti costume and the rest of the characters are in naturalistic costume to fit in the with the action genre.

Analysis of Kidulthood

2009-01-23T05:24:00.000-08:00

Kidulthood can be compared to our film opening sequence as both are based around teenagers and are British realism. They are also both based around showing the stereotypical differences and problems with lower and higher classes.

The opening credits also use a mixture of non-digetic and digetic soundtrack to keep realism, the same as our opening sequence will use.

Both also try to show the problems within lower class youth culture.

Analysis of SKINS

2009-01-23T05:16:00.000-08:00

SKINS can be compared to our film opening idea as both are based around teenagers and use characters from both lower and higher classes.

The opening sequence of SKINS is also like how ours will be, showing what the teenage characters get up to, use non-digetic sound track and end on a black screen with only a bold title.

However, being a TV drama, SKINS shows clips of the characters from what will happen throughout the series in the opening credits, whereas our film opening simply contrasts the typical morning of two teenagers to lead into the beginning of the film.

Influence for Ideas

2009-01-22T04:06:00.000-08:00

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1kINWJz6zKk&feature=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ch1B8jj67JM&feature=related

channel 4 Documentary called 'Rich Kid, Poor Kid'
Even though this is a documentary, not a film or drama, it helped us with our idea of contrasting higher and lower class lifestyle.
Like our idea, this documentary also shows the two girl crossing paths and how they react to one another.

The documentary is done contrasting the same gender, so we shall do the same as it easier to visually show the differences between their different lifestyles if they are of the same gender.

Further Planning

2009-01-22T03:35:00.000-08:00

show the difference between higher and lower class
contrasts a higher class boy with a lower class boy
- higher class boy; getting up and ready in the morning - woken by parents, breakfast at table, neatly dressed
- lower class boy; just coming in and going to bed, can hear parents shouting at him, gets up late, keeps on same clothes and ruffly gets ready
higher class boy goes off to college, gets in on time
lower class boy gets in late and is forced to sit next to other boy - this shows the comparison in their attitudes
then scene cuts, black screen and bold title

Conventions of British Social Realism

2009-01-22T03:26:00.000-08:00

based on hightened realistic situations, on real life scenarios
based on stereotypes and social groups
includes social class
shows racial issues
shows gender issues
can be aimed at different aged audiences, such as SKINS is aimed at teenagers and Shameless at young adults and older
natural editing
use of non-digetic and digetic music
long camera shots allow semi-improvised acting - realistic
naturalistic lighting
natural editing, not many effects
can be made into a documentary style
try to address social issues

Plan

2009-01-22T03:07:00.000-08:00

At first we thought that we would produce a Children Adventure sequence, but then we changed to British Social Realism as we think we would be able to produce this better and have more ideas.
This is why we have a lot of Children Adventure analysis, made previous to this change.

Analysis of Romantic Teen Comedy

2009-01-19T02:19:00.000-08:00

Romantic Teen Comedies are generally American films.
targeted at teenagers and young adults
based upon the special interests of teenagers, such as coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst and alienation.
films in this genre are often set in high schools, or contain characters that are of high school age. Sexual themes are also common, as are nudity and crude forms of humour.

Analysis Of Pulp Fiction

2009-01-19T02:17:00.000-08:00

The pulp fiction opening sequence starts with a large surprise to the viewer as a couple appear to be having a romantic afternoon in a cafe and suddenly both jump up declaring they are robbing the café. The scene then freezes on the man and woman pointing their guns. I think this is done to show the anger on the woman’s face and how she is determined for success. The music (pump it) then kicks in, showing the credits in a bright font which contrasts with the lack background. These title credits are simple so the viewer focuses on the busy fast music which is building up the suspense and telling the story of what is happening. The credits change position and transitions regularly, i think this is to keep the viewer interested due to the intro credits being quite long, the music also helps to achieve this. The long credits helps to build the suspense as the viewer is waiting longer and longer to find out what happens in the robbery.

The camerawork is steady and still when the man and woman are sitting at the table and as soon as the equilibrium is broken (start of robbery) the camera zooms up to follow the man who has just stood on top of the seat. However there is not much camera work at all in the opening sequence due to such a short amount of footage.

The editing is minimal because there is only one shot before the titles.

The mise-en-scene is suggestive of a usual environment, both characters are dressed like normal people, acting normal in a normal location. This makes the viewer feel comfortable and un-suspecting before the equilibrium is broken.

The sound is the main part in this sequence.

Analysis Of British Social Realism Drama

2009-01-19T01:48:00.000-08:00

Social realism dramas are dramas which are based around real-life scenarios. They use everyday characters, usually from the working-class. Most social realism dramas are usually urban dramas. These dramas are usually presented steriotypically.
Social realism dramas relate to the viewer's everyday like to interest them or it is the total opposite and they are interested to see how other people live and work.
A good example of a social realism drama is 'This Is England' this film shows how people act and their everyday lives in a rough part of England.

This is England

Released: 27 April 2007

Plot: Schoolboy growing up in England in 1983, He comes across some skinheads after a fight. They soon become his new best freinds.

This particular film won BAFTAs and other awards.

Analysis of Robin Hood

2009-01-19T01:37:00.001-08:00

Robin Hood has a lot of history behind the story. Robin Hood is a figure from English folklore his story originates from medieval times but they remain significant in popular culture where he is known for robbing the rich to give to the poor and fighting against injustice and tyranny. His band of 'Merry Men' are also included in this folklore, a large group of sixty outlaws. He has been the subject of numerous films, television series, books, comics, and plays. In the earliest sources Robin Hood is a commoner, but he would often later be portrayed as the dispossessed Earl of Huntingdon.

There has been many different telling's of Robin Hood including "Robin Hood Men in Tights", "Miss Robin Hood" and the childs animated version. I am going to analyse the animated version of the film. I am doing this just to experiment and look at different ways of making a children's adventure film.

The film starts off with the song and the rooster starting off the story. It as this point that you realize that the film has a narrator. The credits are shown through a story book style to make it more interesting for the films target audience. The Book illustrates the credits through pictures of the characters and then the names of the actors playing the voices. The moving pictures in the credits are also more interesting for children as they don't get bored of lists of names. The sound in the film is also very child like as it is very humerous. The mise en scene in the scene is very colourful all the characters are very brightly coloured. The props in the credits are all musical instruments that the characters are playing along to the music, this brings the music in to the scene even more. The lighting in the scene is also very bright and colourful, this is probably due to the fact that the film is animated and so all the lighting has to be put in and is not left natural. The camera work is very basic although ther are some different depths used. There is no camera work used as it is a cartoon and so there are no recorded images. the effect of a camera however is used as the viewer looks into what is meant to be the viewers eyes.

Analysis of 'Childrens Adventure'

2009-01-19T01:37:00.000-08:00

The Goonies:

released in 1985
an adventure-comedy for children
includes a group of children who are friends going on an adventure to figureout a mystery and get into trouble along the way
includes a monster
includes a "baddies" and "goodies" dynamic

The Incredibles:

released in 2004
computer animated by Pixar
Walt Disney film (specially known for childrens films)
centers around a family
includes superheroes
includes a "baddies" and "goodies" dynamic

How these two films show the conventions of 'Childrens Adventure':

storyline based around a group of friends (who are normally children) or a family - this is so children viewers can relate to the film
the group of friends or family that the storyline follows are the "goodies" - so that the children viewers like them and once again relate to them. it also gives the viewers characters to look up to and be influenced in a positive way
the characters go on a journey to follow a mystery
includes a group of "baddies" to compremise the journey of the "goodies"
the "goodies" realise something about themselves and understand right from wrong, they also become more mature
normally includes fantasy / comedy / light horror (scary scenes for children)
sometimes use mild language

Final Logo

2009-01-19T01:28:00.000-08:00

Here is our final logo, animated in Final Cut.

A Crime Caper With An Ensemble Cast

2009-01-19T01:20:00.000-08:00

The crime genre is a film that contains crime in some way or another. Whether it be a robbery or a drug related crime. There are many different types of crime films including crime thrillers and crime comedies. Allot of crime films are connected to the movements of the mafia. Crime thrillers include films like 'Seven' and "Running Scared'.
A caper is a film with some sort of comedy. It means a prank or trick. When it is included in the crime genre it makes the crime more forgivable and more like a crime comedy than a serious one. Crime cares are films such as Oceans 11,12 and 13.
An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. So the Oceans films are very good examples of crime capers with an ensemble cast as they are crime films that have some sense of comedy and it is more light hearted than some other crime films. The oceans films also all have ensemble casts as the key players in the game always have an equal role to play.

Initial Logo

2009-01-16T06:19:00.000-08:00

Here is our stationary logo created in Photo Shop.
Because none of us new how to use photo shop well, we had to ask for help. When we found the pictures and did the text the next step was to import music and make the feet walk across the screen. After the music was on our project we found that we did not know how to cut so we had a specific part of the music that would go well with this project. Also in our rough logo we could not find how to make the feet walk instead we made them slide. We then thought of using photo shop and copy and paste them to final cut which worked well and which we were satisfied with.

Children's Adventure Film

2009-01-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

Children's adventure films are better known as family films. Some of the most famous of these being Robin Hood and Peter Pan. These films have common story lines such as; an outlaw fighting for justice or the search for something lost for example the Indiana Jones films. The children's adventure film's all contain the same concept as the adventure film except with content that would not be deemed unsuitable for children. Most of these films are rated U and PG but there are some exceptions such as Star Wars Episode 3 and Harry Potter The Order Of The Phoenix wich both recieved 12A ratings.

S2-60 FILM OPENING PROJECT

2008-11-28T05:40:00.001-08:00

Welcome