Friday, 26 April 2013
The final editing process
Its the 26th April and our media coursework deadline has finally come to a close. Unfortunately today we had a few minor hiccups with the final editing of our film. When watching our opening sequence, we realized the music at the end of our film, didn't fade naturally and it cut off abruptly. When adhering to this problem, the media file crashed; this meant we had to relocate the old audio file- which unfortunately did take some time. But luckily the music is now working smoothly.
Today we also realized that we had to add in our production company logo, and "working title films" we did this so that our opening would conform to the conventions of a real media product. In the final process when looking at our old clips, we realized we didn't add one in, this allowed the film to flow better.
Today we also realized that we had to add in our production company logo, and "working title films" we did this so that our opening would conform to the conventions of a real media product. In the final process when looking at our old clips, we realized we didn't add one in, this allowed the film to flow better.
How did we attract/address our audience? ACTIVITY 5
In our opening sequence we can see a clear similarity between our opening shot and the opening credits with the American sitcom "New Girl". This is useful because the target audience for our film is similar to that of the American sitcom.
The music in our opening sequence
we wanted to make it our aim to find a sound that our audience would enjoy. The song we chose by King Dinosaur- Grown up. We decided to go for song which had a happy- up beat vibe reflecting Jess's personality and nature. The music is similar to that in the Juno opening sequence and New girl opening credits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW3LEVGQ-lE&safe=active Link to New girl opening
In our research we had a look at the film, Uptown Girls. The opening in both filmsand opening includes an animal. Having an animal wake you up, is humorous and this comparison highlights our genre of romantic comedy's.
Another British rom-com i looked at was Tamara drew, in this opening sequence you have little idea of the story line and it doesnt give anything away about any of the characters. Unlike in ours, you are introudced to Jess and through her actions the audience can learn a little about her. One similarity between the "Tamara Drew" opening and our "Jess" is the font type. Both in a traditional white font.
In the opening of Legally Blonde i can also see a similarity with Jess. They both represent their genre and target audience because it attracts a young females with the application of make up. This reflects the personality of both characters Elle (Legally Blonde) and Jess. In both you see the characters in there daily routine getting ready although Legally Blondes Elle is much more glamorous.
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Thursday, 25 April 2013
Evaluation Activity 3
Definition of a Media institution: A media instiution is an
established, profit based organization, that deal in the creation and
distribution of advertising, entertainment and information services.
From my research its clear that if a film doesn't secure good distribution will end up going straight to dvd and this means the film wont get back the money invested.We chose Richard Curtis as our director because he has worked on films such as Bridget Jones diary and Notting Hill. These two films attract our target audience and are also Romantic Comedies. Richard Curtis is a prestigious director so we guessed that if he was to direct our film he wouldn't struggle to gain distribution.
We decided to make our own production company called SBG FILMS. This is our logo:
If this was a real company we would hope it to be similar to companies such as Studio Canal and or Universal pictures.
From my research its clear that if a film doesn't secure good distribution will end up going straight to dvd and this means the film wont get back the money invested.We chose Richard Curtis as our director because he has worked on films such as Bridget Jones diary and Notting Hill. These two films attract our target audience and are also Romantic Comedies. Richard Curtis is a prestigious director so we guessed that if he was to direct our film he wouldn't struggle to gain distribution.
We decided to make our own production company called SBG FILMS. This is our logo:
If this was a real company we would hope it to be similar to companies such as Studio Canal and or Universal pictures.
Activity 7
When comparing my preliminary task to our opening sequence i can see a definitve difference in quality. This was probably to the fact that when filming our preliminary task we did not use a tripod.
The preliminary task helped us a group develop better ideas about using camera angles, in our opening sequence of "Jess" we used a few more professional camera angles. In the shot below, we used an over head shot of "Jess" struggling to pull up her tights. This highlights to the audience a little about "Jess"'s ditsy nature.
Another technique we used, was match on action in our opening sequence. Match on action is a continuity editing technique normally done in three stages. We used match on action to show the process of Jess opening and going out the door.
In our preliminary task we used a wide/ Long shot showing Brandons entire figure and the lcoation in the back ground
The preliminary task helped us a group develop better ideas about using camera angles, in our opening sequence of "Jess" we used a few more professional camera angles. In the shot below, we used an over head shot of "Jess" struggling to pull up her tights. This highlights to the audience a little about "Jess"'s ditsy nature.
Another technique we used, was match on action in our opening sequence. Match on action is a continuity editing technique normally done in three stages. We used match on action to show the process of Jess opening and going out the door.
We also used an over shoulder shot in "Jess", similarly like our preliminary task. Over the shoulder shots are used to show a characters perspective.
Being new to using media equipment as a group we were bound to break a few of the technical rules. The prominent one was the 180 degree rule.
Evaluation Activity 1
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The purpose of an opening sequence is to establish the mood and visual character of a film and introduce the viewer to all or some of these elements:
- Characters
- Locations
- Narrative/Plot
- Themes
- Visual
- Genre
In our opening sequence we see our main character "Jess" going about her daily routine. In our planning process, my group and I contemplated whether we should have any other characters within our sequence. In the end we then agreed it would work effectively if we had "Jess" alone, because it helps the audience identify the main character and focus on "Jess"'s attributes. This is a convention followed in many romantic comedy's for example in Juno and Bridget Jones Diary. Conforming to this convention meant that our opening sequence didn't give much of our plot away.
The music in our opening sequence was used to highlight some of our genre. The song we used felt matches our romantic comedy. To find a non copyright track; we spent a good few days on Soundcloud trying to find the perfect match. The song we used in the end was found under the "indie rock" catergory. The chosen music can also suggest some of "Jess's" musical interests as well.
Our opening sequence was filmed in a flat in North West London, we asked our actress Connie Martin whether she was comfortable acting in her own environment. She replied with "Yes yes of course, in fact acting within my environment would make my performance all the more effective" with this it was then decided we would film the opening sequence here. This was useful because then we then didnt have to labour over finding props and costume. Connie Martin also said "I found it easier to relate to the character of Jess within my space" When filming we included shots of the interior of Jess's home such as her bedroom and kitchen. We thought about the mise en scene quite alot, so of course some of interior had to be rearranged to create an effective representation of our genre. We also decided not to have an establishing shot of our location because we wanted the focus to be entirely on our character Jess.
When adding in our credits we felt it was important for the titles to tie in with the appropriated shots, for example when Jess is gputting on her make up; we have "Make up by Cerys Celeste Walsh" We did this throughout our opening with our wardrobe manager, and the company that would of provided the dog.
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
activity 6
In our planning process i had to quickly adapt to using the blogging tool, bloggger. Being unfamiliar with blogger at the start meant as a group we started a little behind with the planning process.
The camera we used was the Sony- Handycam. This was the first time I have ever used a camera so it took a while to get adjusting too.
Another website that i had never used before, was soundcloud; although it seems like a pretty simple website, it took a while to understand the concept of refining our searches.
The other programme that we had to learn how to use was adobe premiere. We used this programme at our school learning centre; where he had to quickly adapt to editing our film.
Another website that i had never used before, was soundcloud; although it seems like a pretty simple website, it took a while to understand the concept of refining our searches.
The other programme that we had to learn how to use was adobe premiere. We used this programme at our school learning centre; where he had to quickly adapt to editing our film.
Monday, 22 April 2013
PRODUCTION COMPANY LOGO
When making our film, we decided to create and use our own production company called Sarah Bg films, after playing around on a few different applications we resorted to paint. Paint is a simple windows tool but when experimenting we found out it actually looks like a real production company logo.
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience
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| Aged 19-27 fashionable women. |
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| 16-19 Female teenager |
For our opening sequence we wanted our audience to be trendy, young women. iThe character Jess in our film works for a local magazine.
We also think Our film has a multi audience as it can reach out to teenagers as well as young adults. This is why i decided to create two mood boards.
We also think Our film has a multi audience as it can reach out to teenagers as well as young adults. This is why i decided to create two mood boards.
In the first mood board, i chose images of rather expensive make up- brands such as YSL and Chanel these are both quite expensive so i thought this linked to our target demographic.
The type of music i think our audience would be interested in would be less mainstream. In the mood boards below you can see some of the music i'd imagine they'd listen to.
In my mood board some of the artists i have chosen are the weeknd, florence and the machine, Azealia banks and Haim. I think that this is reflective of our audience because we wanted our film "Jess" to be seen as a typical British romantic comedy. And quite often low budget films do not reach out to an audience who expect a mainstream through line.
Monday, 8 April 2013
Activity 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups? PART ONE
EVALUATION ACTIVITY 2
Jess is the main character in our film hense we chose her as our vocal point in our opening sequence, the sequence follows Jess in her typical daily morning routine which includes getting ready, waking up, brushing her teeth etc.
Jessica day from "New girl" as representation of a social group would be described as a group of quite out going people who are fairly direct in their movements. You would imagine she is from a typical nuclear family with a stable background.
In the next series of posts, i am going to post two pictures; one of our actress Connie Martin comparing with Zoey Deschanel in New Girl. This will be used to see the see similarities and difference between both characters and will be used to show how and where as group we got the basis of our interpretation for a Romantic comedy in our opening sequence.
Jess is a twenty-something happy go lucky type character, so our target demographic was similar to of"Friends" and 2 Broke girls". We based our characterization upon the fictional character in New Girl. In the program the majority of her costume is girly, with a feminine dress sense.
We had Connie in a dress, that is quite short, simarlily to Jessica Days costume in New girl.
Through our character Jess's dress sense we were able to demonstrate some of her cultural background- we imagine Jess to be Lower- middle class, in every way our actress Connie Martin fulfils the stereotype of twenty something london girl. She has an iphone and is very trendy. In 2013 today nearly every young adult is in possession of a smart phone of some sort, this suggests to the audience Jess's age. In other teen dramas, such as 90210 smart phones are frequently used.
After watching a few episodes of "New girl" with the rest of my group (Albeni Urul and Emily Elbousserghini) we took a few notes on the characterisation of the character Jess.
The way we interpreted Jess was that she is a bubbly woman in her late 20s, she has an immature nature which makes her very humorous. She loves the arts and enjoys writing, reading and making stuff. Her "ditsy" nature is portrayed through her clothing, in several episodes she is seen in spotty pyjamas, so when doing our test shoot with Connie Martin we decided to take a few photos of our Jess doing the same, with spotty pyjama shorts. A film which also features a young woman wearing quite garish pyjamas is Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones Diary, in the opening sequence of this she is seen crying and singing in immature pyjamas.
In the end when we got down to filming, due to technical issues we were unable to use the spotty pyjamas so "Jess" ended up wearing slouchy clothing which also can be used to reflect her docile and lazy nature.
Link to the opening sequence of Bridget Jones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk2A9xwale0&feature=player_embedded
The opening scene of 'Bridget Jones Diary' prepares the spectator for the film. It shows a woman who seems to be in a personal crisis. It is pretty clear that the crisis is happening in her personal relationship to the other sex. She is looking for a partner who would lighten up her life. The expectation is raised that the film is about how this crisis will be solved, with a happy woman at the end of the film.
Our actress Connie martin ended up being a perfect to suit for our character, she has a similar hairstyle to Jessica day in "New Girl". In our opening sequence there are no other characters featured therefore the audience are pretty much unaware of her relationship with others. But if this film was to be fully produced again we would refer back to our initial stimulus of "New Girl" - in the programme Jessica Day, tries to start a new life after a shocking break up, the program follows the story of her trying to find herself.
Screen grab from our opening sequence, in this scene you can see that back of Jess's dress is not fully zipped up, we did this purposefully to suggest her "scatty" nature.
In a lot of American young adult dramas it is stereotypical for young lady to have a pet. The most common is the dog, in our opening sequence we felt it was funny to use the dog as a significant member in the order of Jess's morning routine. A film that features a dog is Legally Blonde starring Reese Witherspoon, this film is also a romantic comedy aimed at teens to young adults. Having a dog is seen to be quite girly so through this it could represent a particular social group.
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| Connie Martin who stars as Jess |
Jess is the main character in our film hense we chose her as our vocal point in our opening sequence, the sequence follows Jess in her typical daily morning routine which includes getting ready, waking up, brushing her teeth etc.Jessica day from "New girl" as representation of a social group would be described as a group of quite out going people who are fairly direct in their movements. You would imagine she is from a typical nuclear family with a stable background.
In the next series of posts, i am going to post two pictures; one of our actress Connie Martin comparing with Zoey Deschanel in New Girl. This will be used to see the see similarities and difference between both characters and will be used to show how and where as group we got the basis of our interpretation for a Romantic comedy in our opening sequence.
Jess is a twenty-something happy go lucky type character, so our target demographic was similar to of"Friends" and 2 Broke girls". We based our characterization upon the fictional character in New Girl. In the program the majority of her costume is girly, with a feminine dress sense.
We had Connie in a dress, that is quite short, simarlily to Jessica Days costume in New girl.
Through our character Jess's dress sense we were able to demonstrate some of her cultural background- we imagine Jess to be Lower- middle class, in every way our actress Connie Martin fulfils the stereotype of twenty something london girl. She has an iphone and is very trendy. In 2013 today nearly every young adult is in possession of a smart phone of some sort, this suggests to the audience Jess's age. In other teen dramas, such as 90210 smart phones are frequently used.
After watching a few episodes of "New girl" with the rest of my group (Albeni Urul and Emily Elbousserghini) we took a few notes on the characterisation of the character Jess.
 |
| Jessica screen grabs from the US TV SITCOM |
The way we interpreted Jess was that she is a bubbly woman in her late 20s, she has an immature nature which makes her very humorous. She loves the arts and enjoys writing, reading and making stuff. Her "ditsy" nature is portrayed through her clothing, in several episodes she is seen in spotty pyjamas, so when doing our test shoot with Connie Martin we decided to take a few photos of our Jess doing the same, with spotty pyjama shorts. A film which also features a young woman wearing quite garish pyjamas is Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones Diary, in the opening sequence of this she is seen crying and singing in immature pyjamas.
In the end when we got down to filming, due to technical issues we were unable to use the spotty pyjamas so "Jess" ended up wearing slouchy clothing which also can be used to reflect her docile and lazy nature.
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| picture of Connie with dog who features in opening sequence |
Link to the opening sequence of Bridget Jones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk2A9xwale0&feature=player_embedded
The opening scene of 'Bridget Jones Diary' prepares the spectator for the film. It shows a woman who seems to be in a personal crisis. It is pretty clear that the crisis is happening in her personal relationship to the other sex. She is looking for a partner who would lighten up her life. The expectation is raised that the film is about how this crisis will be solved, with a happy woman at the end of the film.
Our actress Connie martin ended up being a perfect to suit for our character, she has a similar hairstyle to Jessica day in "New Girl". In our opening sequence there are no other characters featured therefore the audience are pretty much unaware of her relationship with others. But if this film was to be fully produced again we would refer back to our initial stimulus of "New Girl" - in the programme Jessica Day, tries to start a new life after a shocking break up, the program follows the story of her trying to find herself.
In a lot of American young adult dramas it is stereotypical for young lady to have a pet. The most common is the dog, in our opening sequence we felt it was funny to use the dog as a significant member in the order of Jess's morning routine. A film that features a dog is Legally Blonde starring Reese Witherspoon, this film is also a romantic comedy aimed at teens to young adults. Having a dog is seen to be quite girly so through this it could represent a particular social group.
For this activity i also decided to look at "Tamara Drewe" a low budget british romantic comedy and other " Happy go- lucky". Happy-go-lucky is a british comedy drama written and directed by Mike Leigh, it focuses on cheerful and optimistic primary school teacher and her relationship with those around her. Both of these films follow the story of down to earth Brunette girls, so it falls under a similar category to "New Girl" and our film "Jess. In both films the women are middle class girls who haven't really got a sense of the world yet, this is a through line in our film.
If we were to make our full film we would take inspiration from all the films and use them to create our own romantic comedy. In Happy-go-lucky the main character is seen to be quite indecisive, messy and clumsy. So in our opening sequence we had "Jess" looking for her phone and then by the end finding it in her oven; demonstrating her scatty nature.
In our opening sequence, the music we chose is happy and light; after watching Happy-go-lucky trailer, i noticed that our opening shared a similar vibe due to the music. This music suggests a young happy social group; the immature tune demonstrates an immature naive mindset.
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In our opening sequence, the music we chose is happy and light; after watching Happy-go-lucky trailer, i noticed that our opening shared a similar vibe due to the music. This music suggests a young happy social group; the immature tune demonstrates an immature naive mindset.
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