Inspiration Films:
The opening to my film is largely base on dance, therefore I looked at some films on YouTube that also focus on dance to see if I could gain any good idea's.
1. Step Up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCsl4JgveVg
At looked particular at the start of this film until 2.15 It was interesting see how they'd used different types of dance, which is what I would like to do with my own piece, and colaberated them together with lots of different shots. I thought the music was especially fitting with the sytle the film was going for as well as the font used for the credits.
2. Billy Elliot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Cm0A0iuA8
I thought this clip was good as it uses dance as away of getting across emotion. This is similar to my opening as my character's need to portray to the audience their difference ethnic backgrounds, plus a passioin for dance which is clearly shown in this short video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYxtkhTD2Xk
This next clips shows Billy Elliot at an audition, I may show one of my dancers at a audtion as a flash back when they were younger. This gives me an idea of what a dance academy looks like, a fell for what happens in the auditions to get in to such a spertiduous school, certain camera shots that could be used (such as the one used at 3:28-3:31) of the ? and lastly how to make the auditonee come across to the audience, who is in this case Billy himself, i.e. nervous, unsure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5BSyJ_vlHo&feature=related
The last clip I think is a really poweful visual image of when Billy as a young boy, haven succseeded leaps into the air - a dance move I will now consider using within my two minute opening.
Inital Idea:
At the start there is a wide over view of a big city, such as London. This creates the illusion that all the character's live in the area when in fact all the remaining filming will be shot in Norwich. I wanted to use this shot of London as I feel it is a more realistic area for dance auditions to be held and it is a place where you can see a lot of different nationalities, unlike Norwich where majority of people are White British. My idea consists of five characters, all from various racial backgrounds who communicate their ethnicities through the means of dance. For instance, a black man who can street dance, a white girl who performs ballet etc (I haven't yet decicded all of my characters.) Each one introduces themselves through the use of a voiceover whilst the audience see each of the them performing their particular tyep of dance. For one of the characters we even see a home video made of them dancing when they were younger. Once they have all introduced themselves there is a wide shot of all five of them walking in a line next to one another, they did not acknowledge one another's existence but it communicates to the audience that although they appear different and come from different places they all share one thing in common, dance. Finally the two minute sequence ends with a shot of a dance school which can clearly be shown to be where auditions are being held.
Target Audience:
As discussed in a previous lesson, I have decided to aim my peice at women between the ages of 15-24 and to those who are in the class of C2DE. This is because I myself am categorised with in this group of people and most of the films I am interested in are aimed at people in this group, therefore I feel it would be easier for me to portray a film for people who fall into this bracet.
Target Actor - what sort of person/look do I want as my actors:
I want to ensure that I use a variety of age ranges in my piece and not to make it predictable by using characters of my own age range. I'd like to use people who are between the ages of 16-35 and also a younger girl who is around the age of eight. As well as this, I would ideally like my characters to come from different racial backgrounds and different class backgrounds.
Who?
5 characters that can dance, a mixture of male and female, of all different racial backgrounds.
What?
Five characters who specialise in different types of dance, who are different races, that all introduce themselves by voiceover and end up all going to a dance audition.
Where?
I want to give the illusion that the film is set in Lodon simply because that is where most dance opportunities arise from, so I am hoping to be able to go to london one day in February to get a nice wide shot of the city. The characters dancing will be shot in a variety of places; In an street allley way, at home in a front living room, in a local bar/club, at a dance studio.
When?
I am hoping to shoot most of film filming in February half term so I atleast have a first draft in order to make any adjustments.
Monday 24 January 2011
Sunday 23 January 2011
Audience
Currently, as well as working on our two minute opening to a film, we're also working on the remaining two aspects of the project - Research and Planning.
This lesson we looked at Audience Research. In particular, we looked at a article that specialises in looking at the cinema market. It contained a table of figures, categories, genders, social classes and age ranges which clearly showed a number of things:
a) Who visits the cinema most frequently
b) Which gender's prefer which type of film genre, i.e romance/comedy/action etc
c) What films are popular with which social class
The table showed that the most frequent cinema goers are those between the ages of 15-24, who are boys and watch action films.
Finding out this information made me think about what age range, gender and genre I should chose to base my own two minute start of a film on. Whether to chose to aim and advertise it to those that most often go to the cinema, or whether to try and break traditions and aim it a a different category. However thinking about it, I felt that it would be better for me personally to base it on something that I was interested in and my own gender and age range as I felt I would enjoy producing it more as I would have an idea or what sort of thing I would like to see at the cinema, whereas I would be unable to do this if I chose an older age range or different gender for instance.
I therefore decided that the audience for my production would be:
- 15-24 years of age
- Women
- C2DE (lower class - students)
Having said this, this is not yet certain and I may decided to change what audience I chose to aim my start of a film on at a later date. Purely as it depends on my overall plot that I decide on and I am also slightly concerned that in choosing this audience, it could also be a negative thing as it could be seen as easy and predictable to chose to aim my production at a category of people of which I am one of. If I was to chose this category I would ensure that the actors/actresses I used were from varied age rangers and backgrounds, otherwise there wouldn't be much variety and not only could it possibly cost me marks, but the people watching it may also find the piece boring and tiresome.
This lesson we looked at Audience Research. In particular, we looked at a article that specialises in looking at the cinema market. It contained a table of figures, categories, genders, social classes and age ranges which clearly showed a number of things:
a) Who visits the cinema most frequently
b) Which gender's prefer which type of film genre, i.e romance/comedy/action etc
c) What films are popular with which social class
The table showed that the most frequent cinema goers are those between the ages of 15-24, who are boys and watch action films.
Finding out this information made me think about what age range, gender and genre I should chose to base my own two minute start of a film on. Whether to chose to aim and advertise it to those that most often go to the cinema, or whether to try and break traditions and aim it a a different category. However thinking about it, I felt that it would be better for me personally to base it on something that I was interested in and my own gender and age range as I felt I would enjoy producing it more as I would have an idea or what sort of thing I would like to see at the cinema, whereas I would be unable to do this if I chose an older age range or different gender for instance.
I therefore decided that the audience for my production would be:
- 15-24 years of age
- Women
- C2DE (lower class - students)
Having said this, this is not yet certain and I may decided to change what audience I chose to aim my start of a film on at a later date. Purely as it depends on my overall plot that I decide on and I am also slightly concerned that in choosing this audience, it could also be a negative thing as it could be seen as easy and predictable to chose to aim my production at a category of people of which I am one of. If I was to chose this category I would ensure that the actors/actresses I used were from varied age rangers and backgrounds, otherwise there wouldn't be much variety and not only could it possibly cost me marks, but the people watching it may also find the piece boring and tiresome.
Thursday 13 January 2011
Coursework - Gaining Ideas
The 4th wall:
The idea that the characters shouldn't speak directly to the camera.
Example when 4th wall is broken:
Pantomimes (audience participation)
Examples of films using the 4th wall:
1. Ferris Buellers Day Off
In this film the teenage boy tricks his parents in to bunking off school for a day. In this particular film using the 4th wall effect works, purely because it makes the audience feel as though they are one of his mates staying with him for the day and getting to know the type of things he gets up to. It helps to break down any barriers by him looking directly at the camera as if he is talking to you personally and helps to keep you involved.
2. Waynes World
In this film, he character(s) look at the camera, which simularly to Ferris Buellers appeals to the audience as the relationship between the character and the audience is very good and seems as though the two are on the same wavelength. They're companions throughout the film.
- By watching these two films and seeing how the 4th wall can benefit, it is something that I may want to think about, especially if I decide to do a comedy or if my film is about the live of just one specific character. Having said this, in order to pull off this technique well, I would need to have someone who has the ability to have a rapour with the audience otherwise this idea would not work.
Voice overs:
The Big Lebowski:
In this film that we looked at which contained voice over we saw the effect of the voice over having a regional accent as it is a form of their regional identity and from doing so we can form certain opinions/stereotypes about the character just through listening to their voice.
Dan La Fontaine:
By watching a clip of famous voice over Dan La Fontaine, this enabled us to catch a glimpse of what it is that makes a voice over individual special and how they really have the ability to add to the effect of the film and intrigue the audience into watching. Furthermore, how by deepening the voice and making it sound authoritive/powerful can go with films that have theme's such as horror or action and how a softer tone which is more upbeat can go with films that have an eliminate of romance and comedy.
Previous Media AS Coursework:
Lastly, to finish off the lesson, we watched clips of previous Media AS two minute films that had been done from other students - either from our own Sixth Form (Wymondham High School) or from other area's within the UK such as Liverpool. As a class we then discussed the good and bad points about each of them and from watching these I came up with the following evaluating points on what to do/not to do for my own production. They are as follows:
- Not to have too much going on. Plot's cane be ruined if they become over complicated.
- To try and use varied age ranges within my production, not necessarily people of my own age.
- If I have credits, try not to write the same name for everything as it doesn't look write. Instead, write who really did them on my blog.
- Not to chose a typical teenage storyline but to try and do something different.
- Lower music (if used) when character's are using dialogue, otherwise they cannot be heard accurately.
- Ensure that the location I chose fits with my plot.
The idea that the characters shouldn't speak directly to the camera.
Example when 4th wall is broken:
Pantomimes (audience participation)
Examples of films using the 4th wall:
1. Ferris Buellers Day Off
In this film the teenage boy tricks his parents in to bunking off school for a day. In this particular film using the 4th wall effect works, purely because it makes the audience feel as though they are one of his mates staying with him for the day and getting to know the type of things he gets up to. It helps to break down any barriers by him looking directly at the camera as if he is talking to you personally and helps to keep you involved.
2. Waynes World
In this film, he character(s) look at the camera, which simularly to Ferris Buellers appeals to the audience as the relationship between the character and the audience is very good and seems as though the two are on the same wavelength. They're companions throughout the film.
- By watching these two films and seeing how the 4th wall can benefit, it is something that I may want to think about, especially if I decide to do a comedy or if my film is about the live of just one specific character. Having said this, in order to pull off this technique well, I would need to have someone who has the ability to have a rapour with the audience otherwise this idea would not work.
Voice overs:
The Big Lebowski:
In this film that we looked at which contained voice over we saw the effect of the voice over having a regional accent as it is a form of their regional identity and from doing so we can form certain opinions/stereotypes about the character just through listening to their voice.
Dan La Fontaine:
By watching a clip of famous voice over Dan La Fontaine, this enabled us to catch a glimpse of what it is that makes a voice over individual special and how they really have the ability to add to the effect of the film and intrigue the audience into watching. Furthermore, how by deepening the voice and making it sound authoritive/powerful can go with films that have theme's such as horror or action and how a softer tone which is more upbeat can go with films that have an eliminate of romance and comedy.
Previous Media AS Coursework:
Lastly, to finish off the lesson, we watched clips of previous Media AS two minute films that had been done from other students - either from our own Sixth Form (Wymondham High School) or from other area's within the UK such as Liverpool. As a class we then discussed the good and bad points about each of them and from watching these I came up with the following evaluating points on what to do/not to do for my own production. They are as follows:
- Not to have too much going on. Plot's cane be ruined if they become over complicated.
- To try and use varied age ranges within my production, not necessarily people of my own age.
- If I have credits, try not to write the same name for everything as it doesn't look write. Instead, write who really did them on my blog.
- Not to chose a typical teenage storyline but to try and do something different.
- Lower music (if used) when character's are using dialogue, otherwise they cannot be heard accurately.
- Ensure that the location I chose fits with my plot.
Monday 10 January 2011
Coursework
Specification:
Idea:
Obviously in order to start filming our open sequences we need to come up with idea of what genre we want our film to be, what characters are going to be in it and the overall plot. As of yet, I have not come up with a set idea, however in class we are going to be looking at the openings of several films which should help me to gain ideas of things that I could perhaps include in my own piece.
'The titles and opening of a new film, maximum of two minutes. All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candiates(s), with the exception of muisic or audio effects from a copy-right free source.'
Idea:
Obviously in order to start filming our open sequences we need to come up with idea of what genre we want our film to be, what characters are going to be in it and the overall plot. As of yet, I have not come up with a set idea, however in class we are going to be looking at the openings of several films which should help me to gain ideas of things that I could perhaps include in my own piece.
Sunday 9 January 2011
Preliminary Video
Including horror based theme;
As mentioned in a previous post me and my group decided that in order to make our short video more interesting, we would make it tell the jist of a story and focus on a specific genre, horror. We achieved this by using the facilities around us and making the classroom look very dark by closing all the blinds, which is evident in the video. As well as this, we also put alot of the chairs on the table and made them look as though they had been distorted. We did this in order to make the environment have a 'rugged' affect to it and make the audience ask questions, such as 'what is going on?', 'where are these people?' 'why is the room like this?' Futhermore, the actresses, in particular the main girl who starts off by running to the building, looks panicked and uneasy, particularly when she looks behind her whilst running. It helps give the impression that someone/something unwanted is following her. As well as this, towards the end there is an intense moment where the girls look intently into one anothers eyes, the silence in the room combined with its darkness plus the way the camera closes in on each of the characters faces definietly gives the impression of a horror genre.
Outcome:
Doing the preliminary task allowed me to do several things;
1. Get used to using the camera equipment
2. Learn how to get various shots at different angles
3. Do some editing, in order to get used to the editing software
4. Learn how to put a genre with a peace of work effectively
Friday 7 January 2011
Preliminary Task
Exam Specification:
Taken from - http://www.ocr.org.uk/download/kd/ocr_9646_kd_gce_spec.pd
Idea:
My group and I have decided that instead of doing something bland which involves just seeing a person enter a room and then sit down and talk to another individual that we would base ours around a theme, this theme being horror. Giving the preliminary task a theme allows us to make it a bit more exciting and to be more creative.
Location:
As we are doing the task in school time we can only use the facilities available to us so have chosen the best location we could. This being one of the schools mobiles which is free at the time slot we need to film in and is the place that can most easily be made to look dark and mysterious which it needs to have with our theme being horror.
Script:Girl running with a limp towards a mobile door. Opens door with difficulty. Slams door shut and looks out of door window checking if anyone is following her. There is another girl sitting on a chair in the room, out of breath, suggesting she has been running too. Girl sits down opposite the other girl, both look at one another out of breath. Both share eye contact and a brief nod. Look slightly relieved that they are not alone.
''It's just us.''
''Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.
Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.
All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source. Both preliminary and main tasks may be done individually or as a group. Maximum four members to a group.''
Taken from - http://www.ocr.org.uk/download/kd/ocr_9646_kd_gce_spec.pd
Groups:
My group consists of four people (the maximum number the exam board allows)
My group and I have decided that instead of doing something bland which involves just seeing a person enter a room and then sit down and talk to another individual that we would base ours around a theme, this theme being horror. Giving the preliminary task a theme allows us to make it a bit more exciting and to be more creative.
Location:
As we are doing the task in school time we can only use the facilities available to us so have chosen the best location we could. This being one of the schools mobiles which is free at the time slot we need to film in and is the place that can most easily be made to look dark and mysterious which it needs to have with our theme being horror.
Script:Girl running with a limp towards a mobile door. Opens door with difficulty. Slams door shut and looks out of door window checking if anyone is following her. There is another girl sitting on a chair in the room, out of breath, suggesting she has been running too. Girl sits down opposite the other girl, both look at one another out of breath. Both share eye contact and a brief nod. Look slightly relieved that they are not alone.
''It's just us.''
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