Thursday 26 April 2012
Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to your final product?
Shot Comparison
The shot on the left, taken from my prelim video is out of focus, badly lit and distorted. whilst the shot on the right shows, taken from my opening title sequence, my progression by displaying the shot clearly in focus and tinting colour and using lighting to my advantage.
During the Prelim task I found it difficult to light a shot properly and edit smoothly. I hope that I have now learned how to create film in a more professional manner after creating my title sequence. The most difficult task for me was organisation as mine has always been desperately poor so making shooting schedules and storyboards helped me create a simplistic form of organisation I was able to stick to. I tended to use minimal dialogue as after watching my preliminary video i felt the audio didn't sound quite right and would sound worse in exterior shots.
Shot Comparison
The shot on the left, taken from my prelim video is out of focus, badly lit and distorted. whilst the shot on the right shows, taken from my opening title sequence, my progression by displaying the shot clearly in focus and tinting colour and using lighting to my advantage.
During the Prelim task I found it difficult to light a shot properly and edit smoothly. I hope that I have now learned how to create film in a more professional manner after creating my title sequence. The most difficult task for me was organisation as mine has always been desperately poor so making shooting schedules and storyboards helped me create a simplistic form of organisation I was able to stick to. I tended to use minimal dialogue as after watching my preliminary video i felt the audio didn't sound quite right and would sound worse in exterior shots.
Question 6
Question 6 - What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Camera: 6.1 Sony Handycam Tripod
www.Youtube.com
www.Blogger.com
www.Blogger.com
- Through the process of creating this piece I was able to learn how to use a video camera in a more professional fashion in order to film. I used Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 in order to edit my sequence. In order to create this blog I had to learn to use Blogger and to help uploading and watching videos for research I made use of video sharing site Youtube
Question 5
Question 5. How did you attract/address your audience?
Beverley said that she would post this video here
Beverley said that she would post this video here
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Questions 2 - 4
Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?
1. The social group that our film represents is that of people with authority. We chose this group as i felt that how people use authority was interesting. This has been studied throughout film history in gangster films, war films and the political thriller which is what we chose to study. Instead of looking at how power corrupts we felt it would be more interesting to look at the struggle for power and its uses for both good and evil and the eventual loss of power.
2. The first shot taken from 'All the Kings Men' (2006, Zaillian) shows Sean Penn's character in the midst of a ferocious speech, he is dressed in a grey suit with a black tie. Whilst the politician in my piece is dressed in the same way (the reason for which I have given earlier) he is a calmer presence on the screen. I chose to make my politician a calm calculating figure in reference to the communist leader Joseph Starlin's quiet demeanor but evil intentions.
3. To represent authority within our opening sequence we contrasted a politician who is at the peek of his powers with a 'lone' assassin who seemingly has no authority in society. The politician wears a suit that represents power whilst the assassin dresses shabbily portraying is lack there of. We concentrated heavily on the assassins feet as he takes of smart leather shoes and walks barefoot which foreshadows the death he brings to the film and also hints at a rejection of society. This again remains in contrast with the smart suit shoes that the politician wears.
Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Credits:
Story Productions - Production company
Joe Pleavin - The assassin
Thomas Steen - The Politician
Editor - Ruairi Campbell
Director - Ruairi Campbell
Name: James Leveson
Age: 27
Location: British, European
Likes: Film , Music, Politics
Dislikes: Trash TV
Films they enjoy: Political thrillers, crime films and film mate for a more mature intellectual adult.
TV shows: West Wing, The Wire and The Sopranos
Music: The Sex Pistols, The Libertines and Billy Bragg
I feel this person is my ideal audience member has he his life appears to revolve around all things political like his music, film and television taste whilst he also enjoys watch film. As a 20 something without children he also has money and time to spare which enables him to visit the cinema with friends. He is also a modern European man which widens the area in which the film can be targeted
1. The social group that our film represents is that of people with authority. We chose this group as i felt that how people use authority was interesting. This has been studied throughout film history in gangster films, war films and the political thriller which is what we chose to study. Instead of looking at how power corrupts we felt it would be more interesting to look at the struggle for power and its uses for both good and evil and the eventual loss of power.
2. The first shot taken from 'All the Kings Men' (2006, Zaillian) shows Sean Penn's character in the midst of a ferocious speech, he is dressed in a grey suit with a black tie. Whilst the politician in my piece is dressed in the same way (the reason for which I have given earlier) he is a calmer presence on the screen. I chose to make my politician a calm calculating figure in reference to the communist leader Joseph Starlin's quiet demeanor but evil intentions.
3. To represent authority within our opening sequence we contrasted a politician who is at the peek of his powers with a 'lone' assassin who seemingly has no authority in society. The politician wears a suit that represents power whilst the assassin dresses shabbily portraying is lack there of. We concentrated heavily on the assassins feet as he takes of smart leather shoes and walks barefoot which foreshadows the death he brings to the film and also hints at a rejection of society. This again remains in contrast with the smart suit shoes that the politician wears.
Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
- A production company is a company that invests money into the film in order to gain a stake in the film. The production company we made called 'Story Productions' related to the fact that my name is Ruairi (Rory) and my friends name is Thomas Steen. So I added Steen to Rory to create 'Story'
- A distribution company is the company that helps get your film to its audience whether it be online, in cinemas or on DVD. I would imagine due to my films small scale and lack of star directors or actors I would have to either try and gain a small independent distribution company or release the film online to gain awareness for it in hope of drumming up enough interest to get access to a larger distribution company
- Films that i think are similar to me are 'All the Kings men' and 'The Ides of March'
- To get finance for my film I would ask the local council for a grant or try and get one from the lottery fund if all this fails i would try and set up a fundraiser in the local community
Credits:
Story Productions - Production company
Joe Pleavin - The assassin
Thomas Steen - The Politician
Editor - Ruairi Campbell
Director - Ruairi Campbell
Age: 27
Location: British, European
Likes: Film , Music, Politics
Dislikes: Trash TV
Films they enjoy: Political thrillers, crime films and film mate for a more mature intellectual adult.
TV shows: West Wing, The Wire and The Sopranos
Music: The Sex Pistols, The Libertines and Billy Bragg
I feel this person is my ideal audience member has he his life appears to revolve around all things political like his music, film and television taste whilst he also enjoys watch film. As a 20 something without children he also has money and time to spare which enables him to visit the cinema with friends. He is also a modern European man which widens the area in which the film can be targeted
Question 1
Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The Title: I chose the simple title of 'The Politician' as it gives the audience the genre, main character and narrative focus of the film in a simplistic way. It also reminds me of my favorite films like 'The Godfather' which stick to plain titles.
Font and Styles: The font and style I chose for most of the titles was plain and simple as not distract from the film. Whereas, the last credit of the director and the film's title is lined with red which of course hints at blood and violence to come.
Location: The assassins introductory shots take place in a dingy alleyway full of dirt.
Location II: The politicians intro is in a cleaner brighter place with a tint of green which hints towards his weakness to greed
Costume:
The politicians suit is purposefully a reference to Sean Penn's character 'In all the King's Men.' It also references the characters grey area, his morality. Whereas, the assassins clothes are strange and less formal. His clothes mismatch in style and colour whilst his lack of shoes references The Beatles album 'Abbey Road' in which Paul McCartney didn't wear any shoes leading many fans to believe he was actually dead.
Lighting: I tried to always make any shot with the assassin involve a small section of white bright light to tell the audience that maybe this assassin wasn't totally evil.
Characterisation: The audience his never shown the assassins face to add to his mystery in this opening sequence, so a characterisation his quite hard to analyse. However, the politician is given close ups and long lasting shots to emphasize his importance and to let the audience study his face and make them trust him.
Camera angles:
When a prop was used that I felt important to the narrative of the film I made sure to give it a close up. Whilst i tried to always give the politician a low angle shot so it would give him a greater presence. I also hid the obstructed the camera's view sometimes as to give the shots a handheld quality.
Visual effects:
The "BREAKING NEWS" banner at the bottom of the shot helps created a realistic press conference in which the politician can give his 'great speech. I also tinted the politicians scenes heavily with green to relay his greedy desire for power to the audience in a subtle manner.
Genre: I think by showing the politicians speech the political thriller genre i am trying to portray is highlighted.
The Title: I chose the simple title of 'The Politician' as it gives the audience the genre, main character and narrative focus of the film in a simplistic way. It also reminds me of my favorite films like 'The Godfather' which stick to plain titles.
Font and Styles: The font and style I chose for most of the titles was plain and simple as not distract from the film. Whereas, the last credit of the director and the film's title is lined with red which of course hints at blood and violence to come.
Location: The assassins introductory shots take place in a dingy alleyway full of dirt.
Location II: The politicians intro is in a cleaner brighter place with a tint of green which hints towards his weakness to greed
Costume:
The politicians suit is purposefully a reference to Sean Penn's character 'In all the King's Men.' It also references the characters grey area, his morality. Whereas, the assassins clothes are strange and less formal. His clothes mismatch in style and colour whilst his lack of shoes references The Beatles album 'Abbey Road' in which Paul McCartney didn't wear any shoes leading many fans to believe he was actually dead.
Lighting: I tried to always make any shot with the assassin involve a small section of white bright light to tell the audience that maybe this assassin wasn't totally evil.
Characterisation: The audience his never shown the assassins face to add to his mystery in this opening sequence, so a characterisation his quite hard to analyse. However, the politician is given close ups and long lasting shots to emphasize his importance and to let the audience study his face and make them trust him.
Camera angles:
When a prop was used that I felt important to the narrative of the film I made sure to give it a close up. Whilst i tried to always give the politician a low angle shot so it would give him a greater presence. I also hid the obstructed the camera's view sometimes as to give the shots a handheld quality.
Visual effects:
Genre: I think by showing the politicians speech the political thriller genre i am trying to portray is highlighted.
Saturday 17 March 2012
Research and Planning
Research and Planning
Prelim video
Conventions of the crime genre:
Conventions of a political thriller include:
The power struggle - I have chosen to focus upon the idea of power in my opening sequence as it is
a subject that, especially in politics, that occurs outside of the general public's view. Also by looking at how the rich and powerful of our society use their power to control the masses this gives my film added importance due to our countries current financial and social context.
Titles:
The crime genre's use of opening titles throughout the years, much like all film, has changed dramatically. For instance in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' (1972, Coppola) the film starts at a slow pace building a clear idea of context, character and genre. However it is my belief that due to higher pressures being placed upon filmmakers they have begun to transform opening sequences. They have achieved this by accelerating the speed in which information is given to the audience. This "acceleration" in pace is aimed at hooking the audience quickly, it shares similarities with modern film trailers. This is perfectly showcased in 'Fast Five' (2011, Lin) the film begins with a rapid car chase, explosions and a prisoner escaping, this of course greatly contrast with 'The Godfather' as that begins with a slow conversation between two men in a dimly lit room.
Mood Board:
Media Institutions research:
A company who might distribute my film is Columbia Pictures as they distributed both 'The Ides of March' (2011, Clooney) and 'All the Kings Men' (2006, Zaillian) which both share many similarities with my own piece including genre, themes and look.
Age Certificate: I feel that my film would be a 12a as the plot contains only a small amount of violence and no sexual content however it may include bad language and the use of weapons.
Audience Research:
Results: The results show that over 50 percent of people we asked would watch a political thriller although our results were limited due to the restrictive access we had to a varied audience.
Storyboard:
Organisation of resources:
Costume Ideas:
This costume had to be unique enough to highlight his importance to the audience but also have a sense of normality so he is able so blend in.
The politician had to be dressed formally due to his position of power
However I feel he had to wear a grey suit to suggest his less than clear position
within the films narrative.
Props:
Scheduling:
Prelim video
Conventions of the crime genre:
- A blur between good and evil
- Power
- Sex and violence
- greed
Conventions of a political thriller include:
- A power struggle
- Corruption
- Hierarchy
- Good vs evil
- Characters with contrasting ideologies (Western based philosophies tend to be presented positively within mainstream film.)
The power struggle - I have chosen to focus upon the idea of power in my opening sequence as it is
a subject that, especially in politics, that occurs outside of the general public's view. Also by looking at how the rich and powerful of our society use their power to control the masses this gives my film added importance due to our countries current financial and social context.
Titles:
The crime genre's use of opening titles throughout the years, much like all film, has changed dramatically. For instance in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' (1972, Coppola) the film starts at a slow pace building a clear idea of context, character and genre. However it is my belief that due to higher pressures being placed upon filmmakers they have begun to transform opening sequences. They have achieved this by accelerating the speed in which information is given to the audience. This "acceleration" in pace is aimed at hooking the audience quickly, it shares similarities with modern film trailers. This is perfectly showcased in 'Fast Five' (2011, Lin) the film begins with a rapid car chase, explosions and a prisoner escaping, this of course greatly contrast with 'The Godfather' as that begins with a slow conversation between two men in a dimly lit room.
Mood Board:
Media Institutions research:
A company who might distribute my film is Columbia Pictures as they distributed both 'The Ides of March' (2011, Clooney) and 'All the Kings Men' (2006, Zaillian) which both share many similarities with my own piece including genre, themes and look.
Age Certificate: I feel that my film would be a 12a as the plot contains only a small amount of violence and no sexual content however it may include bad language and the use of weapons.
Audience Research:
Results: The results show that over 50 percent of people we asked would watch a political thriller although our results were limited due to the restrictive access we had to a varied audience.
Storyboard:
Organisation of resources:
Costume Ideas:
 | |||
| Assassin's Costume |
 |
| The Politician's Costume |
However I feel he had to wear a grey suit to suggest his less than clear position
within the films narrative.
Props:
 |
| A handgun used by the assassin |
 | |||
| Shaver used by The politician |
Scheduling:
 |
| A shooting schedule |
 |
| A shot list |
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