Video Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVA-xTBeHyM&safe=active

What images do they use?

They're all wearing black which can be used to represent power and mystery. Fire used to represent danger.

How does the images link to the song?

They employ war imagery to imply that they are going to "Run This Town" by force, the town being the industry.

How does it promote the band/singer?

It implies that they are the best or the most powerful.

How does it get you to remember the song?

Throughout the video there is a feeling of chaos which makes the viewer feel uneasy. Purposely uses dark imagery to get people talking and evoke conspiracy theories.

Creativity

How have you tried to facilitate and encourage your own creativity?

I’ve tried to encourage my creativity by brainstorming ideas

 Did you experience limits/blocks on your own creativity?

When making our films we had to be realistic in the props we could get therefore some of our more creative ideas had to be discarded.

 How easy/difficult was it to be creative while still working to the brief?

It’s less easy because your creativity can be restricted in view of the fact you have a brief to follow

 Did working within conventions stifle your creativity?

No.

 To what extent did you need to work with others and ‘bounce ideas’ off other people to be truly creative?

When working with others we were able to expand on our own individual ideas which evoked further creativity.

 How much of your creativity was about trial and error?

Alot

 

To what extent was a lack of confidence an issue in terms of your creativity?
It wasn’t.

 

To what extent was a lack of technical competence/confidence an obstacle to your creativity?
In the editing process it was initially difficult for me to comprehend iMovie due to the fact I’m so familiar to the Windows interface therefore the transition was difficult.

Son Of The Law Audience Feedback

Screening 
We screened our movie to an audience of both young people aged 16-18 and some older people, to get their feedback. As well as this, while screening our movie, we recorded them with the aim of seeing there reaction. After they watched our movie some of them filled out a questionnaire. The results of the screening and the questionnaire  can be found below:

Son Of The Law (Opening Scene)

The opening scene for my main task  

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

Son Of The Law (Main task)
Preliminary task

In the construction of my preliminary task my group, who consisted of Yusuf, Nile and I, used various forms of continuity editing. For example, we used parallel editing, which is crosscutting between scenes happening simultaneously but in different locations, to show the two characters having a phone conversation.

As well as this, we experimented with shot reverse shot to show the two characters having a conversation face to face. An over the shoulder shot was used in this instance. This was successful in view of the fact we didn’t break the 180 rule. 

Another form of continuity editing we used was match on action, which allowed us to give the impression of continuous time. This was executed well but I think the cuts on the match on actions should have been faster. 

We also attempted a dolly shot in my preliminary task to show the antagonist walking away. However, this didn't turn out as well as we would have liked due to the fact the when wheeling the dolly, which we had made using an office chair, my camera wasn't stationary therefore the shot was shaky which wasn't my intention.

In my main task my group, who consisted of Daniel, Nile and I did several things differently. For example, the location was both an exterior and interior (various locations) whereas in my preliminary task my entire movie was shot inside (one location). Therefore we encountered different problems for example; in my preliminary task the sound quality was good however in my main task the wind made my sound quality poor. 

setting of main task

setting of preliminary

Consequently, we had to add in several post-synchronised sound such as door slams, heart beating, breathing etc. As well as this, the sound also differed in view of the fact while, the entire sound of my preliminary was diegetic sound in the form of dialogue, in my main task we had a non diegetic soundtrack that was incorporated into my film to add suspense. Another way filming of my main task differed from the preliminary task was that my main task had an establishing shot that set the scene of the park.

The movies also differed because in my preliminary task we used a tripod for all the filming but in my main task in order to create a sense of realism we used handheld camera to create shaky cam. Shaky cam was also used to reflect the emotions that the protagonist was experiencing.

In contrast to my preliminary task, which had two characters, my main task only had one character was given prevalence to emphasise his importance. This allowed the audience to immediately acknowledge who the protagonist was so they could build a relationship with him from the beginning. Another camera technique employed in my main task was a tracking shot showing the protagonists feet as he ran. Another difference was in the main task a 360 shot was used to reflect the fact he was searching for a way out. Finally, the lighting of the final product of my two tasks differed. In my preliminary task all the light in the shot was from a natural source or inside lighting. However, in my main task, due to the fact we shot at various locations at different times of the day we deliberately used artificial lighting. As well as this artificial lighting was used to create low key lighting to build suspense.

However, the final product of the two tasks did share similarities. For example, I was able to apply the match on action technique I learnt during the construction of my preliminary task, in the construction of my main task.

The subtitles that the knowledge we learnt how to make during our preliminary task influenced  our decision to use subtitles as a reference to time in our main task.

What have I learnt?

Overall, the difference between the final product of my Main Task and Preliminary Task was evident for several reasons. Firstly, we only had a limited amount of time to film our Preliminary Task which meant that the filming and planning process of production was rushed. On the other hand, when filming our Main Task we had a longer time period to film. As well as this, unlike our preliminary task we collectively took into account the Mise En Scene of our film for example the location was carefully planned and the costume of our main character was also planned. This differed from our Preliminary Task where we could only film in school which meant our characters had to be in uniform which made our film less realistic. Furthermore, the final product of our main task was better because due to the longer time period to edit and film we were able to research sound, camera work and editing and opening titles. As a group, we learnt that in order to have an effective final product there must be consideration of Camera Work, Editing, Mise en Scene and Sound.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

As revealed by the presentation, although they may be positives if our movie was distributed by Universal, I believe it would be more appropriate if our movie is distributed by a company like Momentum who specialise in distributing independent movies within the UK. Due to the fact our movie has an unknown British cast and lead and is set in London, with low setting costs choosing Momentum would be good as the movies they've distributed have had significantly lower budgets than Universal.

The 7 Types of Psychographics

Below is a video I made describing the different types of Psychographics:



Psychographics is the study of personality, values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles. below is a description of the 7 Psychographics.

Resigned	Rigid, strict, authoritarian and chauvinist values, oriented to the past and to Resigned roles. Brand choice stresses safety, familiarity and economy. (Older)
Struggler	Alienated, Struggler, disorganised - with few resources apart from physical/mechanical skills (e.g. car repair). Heavy consumers of alcohol, junk food and lotteries, also trainers. Brand choice involves impact and sensation.
Mainstreamer	Domestic, conformist, conventional, sentimental, passive, habitual. Part of the mass, favouring big and well-known value for money 'family' brands. Almost invariably the largest 4Cs group.
Aspirer	Materialistic, acquisitive, affiliative, oriented to extrinsics ... image, appearance, charisma, persona and fashion. Attractive packaging more important than quality of contents. (Younger, clerical/sales type occupation)
Succeeder	Strong goal orientation, confidence, work ethic, organisation ... support status quo, stability. Brand choice based on reward, prestige - the very best . Also attracted to 'caring' and protective brands ... stress relief. (Top management)
Explorer	Energy - autonomy, experience, challenge, new frontiers. Brand choice highlights difference, sensation, adventure, indulgence and instant effect - the first to try new brands. (Younger - student)
Reformer	Freedom from restriction, personal growth, social awareness, value for time, independent judgement, tolerance of complexity, anti-materialistic but intolerant of bad taste. Curious and enquiring, support growth of new product categories. Select brands for intrinsic quality, favouring natural simplicity, small is beautiful.(Higher Education)

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Evaluation of technology used

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The above data was concluded from data gathered during research. I learnt that the action movie genre had a demographic of males who seek adventure and escape hence why our movie targeted the psycho-graphic group of The Explorer and The Aspirer. When making our film we had to take into account the Psychographic group we appealed to hence why we added  a suspense building soundtrack and made the action start straight away immediately evoking our audiences attention.

How does your product represent particular social groups?

How does your product represent particular social groups?

Main protagonist is a young black person aged between 16-17 who is running away from something. The target market, who are also the same age, may relate to the situation as there is a popular view shared amongst young people that young people, particularly black, are stigmatised by the authority.

The main protagonist is wearing clothes stereotypical to young people; a hat, tracksuit and trainers. His age may represent his vulnerability. Vulnerability of young people emphasised by the point of view shot and shaky cam which reflects his panic. At the end of the scene when protagonist opens door he is shown in a high angle which implies that he is below in authority of the person and implies that young people have less power in society than older people. Due to the fact he opened the door oblivious to what was on the other side, without looking through the key whole or asking who is there, fully well knowing that he is being followed, the suggestion is that young people don't think things through. However, this view is subverted in view of the fact the protagonist was shown using a low angles in various parts of our movie, which represents his position of power and may reflect young peoples growing responsibility in society. Finally, the fact that the protagonist is the only character the audience sees during the opening scene the implication is that young people are becoming more independent.

screenshot from Attack The Block vs Our movie

Attack The Block was a British Sci-Fi action movie that was also set in London and featured a young black male lead. As you can see from the picture above, the characters attires are similar. The protagonists of our movie and Attack the block are also similar in view of the fact they are independent.

Son Of The Law Movie Script

How did you attract/address your audience?

Below is a still from my movie with added analysis of Mis En Scene and Camera Work (In Black font). As well as this, I have explained how the choice of shot was influenced by Blumer and Katz' Uses and Gratification Theory (In Red Font with the definitions in Blue).

As revealed by the analysis of the still above, despite the genre of our movie being Action Thriller, we intentionally subverted from the traditional way that the genre is perceived by the media and alternatively adopted a realism approach, similar to the movie The Bourne Identity.

Finally, we attracted our audience by hosting a screening of our film which can be viewed here.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our movie was set in two locations. The exterior setting of the movie, which is set in a park subverts with stereotypical setting of action movies which are in big city areas. We chose a park to create an effect of urban realism which is a prominent aspect of our film. The second location was an interior.  It was a flat in an estate which was influenced by the film District 13 which also was had an estate setting.

The protagonist is wearing clothes stereotypical to young people from an urban city which makes the situation more realistic and appeals to the target market. As well as this, The boy is wearing all black which can be associated with bad and mystery which adds to the suspense as the audience isn't sure how to feel about him. The costume of the protagonist; tracksuit, hat, trainers and a hat, suggests he’s from an inner city area which is where most action movies are set.

Our movie subverts from the traditional conventions of the action genre in view of the fact, as opposed to being set in congested big city, as the majority of action movies are, the opening scene is set in a park. However, our movie does conform to the genre in view of the fact, the movie cuts straight into the action with the initial shot being the protagonist running. The audience is invited to immediately feel suspense.

The sound of my movie opened with symphony that built increased in pitch to create anxiety. This was preceded by fast paced music that got quicker in pace as the movie went long to reflect the building of suspense and to invite the audience to feel tension. This is stereotypical to the action genre which uses music parallel to the scene.

Point of view shots are used on several instances during the movie with the intention of drawing the audience into the protagonists’ world and to make the audience emphasise with the situation so they can experience the emotions that character is feeling which creates tension. As well as this, there is a close up of his feet to emphasise the fact he’s running. Tracking shot of feet invites the audience to follow the protagonist on his journey. Shaky Camera was used to create an effect of realism and reflect his emotions. This decision was inspired by other action movies, such as District 13 and Bourne identity which incorporated urban realism in their films. Fast cuts were also used to represent the pace to represent pace of movie.

The font is block capitals to add emphasis to the words. As well as this, the font is very simple so the audiences’ attention is not subverted from the action. This title for our movie was chosen because this shade of Blue represents knowledge, power, integrity which our protagonist seeks and will find by the end of the film. More importantly blue is the colour of the law which is therefore appropriate to our film.  Alternatively, the colour blue may be used to broaden your perspective in learning new information or to seek solitude and peace. The title is written in bold capitals, on an all black background, to draw attention and add emphasis to the name. However, it can be argued that our movie subverted from the tradition conventions of this genre in view of the fact when inserting our credits we chose to slowly cut black screen whilst the action was happening to leave the audience on a cliff hanger which will build tension as they anticipate what will happen next. This was inspired by the movie Mr and Mrs Smith which also cut to black screens to build tension.

 

We decided not to add any special effects in our movie because it may have conflicted with the realism that we attempted to portray.

When choosing the name of our protagonist we was inspired by the sci-fi action film The Matrix, which decided to give their characters names with subliminal means for example, Morpheus
In Greek mythology, is the God of dreams. In the movie, he is the leader of the rebel forces who fight to awaken humans from a dreamlike reality called The Matrix. As well as this, the main character Thomas Anderson name is Neo which is an anagram for One, In the bible Thomas denied Jesus so the implication is that Thomas Anderson is in denial that he is the one. In our movie Son Of The Law, our main character is called Ryan Lawson. We chose the because Ryan means king and Lawson is a pun for son of Law so the implication is that as the rightful king he is going to liberate the law.

Sound Research

Sound Research

When filming the exterior scenes of our movie the wind made the sound quality unsatisfactory. Therefore, in order to acquire high standard sound, we have decided that the majority if not all, of our diegetic sound has to be post-synchronised. As well as this, the post-synchronised sound will also add emphasis to particular sounds. So I've begun searching for Sounds online and came across a website called SoundBank were you can download and listen to sounds. Below are the sounds that I have found that will be included in our end product. However, we must be decisive when we decide what sound to include in order to maintain a sense of realism.

Breathing:

Banging On Door:

Door Slam:

Open Door:

Close Door:

Keys:

Breathing:

Heart Beat:

City ambiance:

Anxiety atmosphere:

Climbing Stairs:

Running:

(Source: Banging on door: Knock door, Door Slam: Door slam, Open Door: open bedroom door, Close Door: Close Door , Keys: Keys, Breathing:Breathlessness 2, Heart Beat: Heart beat 5 [http://eng.universal-soundbank.com])

Attack The Block vs Transformers 3

Research the way one recent film four films were marketed and compare it to the way a Hollywood Blockbuster was.

Attack the block marketing campaign focused on using forms of Viral marketing to create an online hype, as opposed to other methods due to their low budget. Attack the block was mainly advertised online on websites that young people from UK visited. However, Attack the block was also advertised on posters and Bus Stops within London.  In contrast, Transformers 3 marketing campaign was of a much bigger scale. A 30 television advertisement for the film aired during Super Bowl XLV on Fox on February 6, 2011 with targeted a mass audience. As well as this, Transformers was advertised on Billboards, Bus Stops, Buses, Online, in Newspapers and many of media platforms globally.

There was an evident difference between publicity of Attack the Block and Transformers in view of the fact Transformers was a heavily financially endorsed blockbuster while Attack the block was an independent movie. Transformers 3 followed two successful films in it series so therefore already had awareness. Lead actor Shia LaBeouf, was a renowned award winning actor who had starred in various successful films prior to his involvement in the Transformers series. Therefore, his fans would watch the film. He also featured in various TV features, targeting a mass audience, in particularly Interviews and chat shows were awareness for the movie was dramatically increased. As well as this, the movies cast consisted of famous people such as singer Tyrese Gibson and fashion model Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley who both had headline news articles during the time. This differed from attack the block which had relatively no publicly prior to its release until it got good critical reception and was re-released.

Similarly, there was a significant difference in the promotional campaign of Attack the Block and Transformers 3. Using a website as their main hub, Attack the block were able to link to other pages which could be shared on various social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. The website was also where the trailer could be viewed. The also had an online game which could also be shared through social networking. The aim of this was to create an online hype and to target their audience directly as they know a high proportion of youth use these social networking sites. Popularity of the film could be increased dramatically as people pass it on through word of mouth. This was an effective method of promotion and also cheap. On the other hand, Transformers 3 opted for a financially big promotional campaign. The movie endorsed the new line of Hasbro toys which were transformers characters. They also had there trailer featured on various prime time TV spots and in cinemas worldwide. As well as this, there was a Novel, comic book and video game produced after the release of the movie which boosted its popularity. The promotional costs brought the cost of producing and marketing the film to a total of $270 million.

Transformers 3 was produced by a major production company Paramount Pictures; known for various blockbusters, whereas Attack the block was produced by a collective of smaller production companies; Big Talk Productions, known for films including Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, produced the film with Film4, The UK Film Council and StudioCanal. The difference in production of the two films is revealed by the fact, Transformers: Dark of the Moon's production cost was reported $195 million which was more than the entire budget of Attack the block which was $8 million. However, the productions were similar in view of the fact both movies had focused on creating special effects.

In conclusion, the marketing of Transformers 3 was significantly better than Attack the block as it was heavily financially endorsed, part of a successful series and produced by a major producer. On the other hand, Attack the block was an independent movie which had a relatively small budget of £8 million dollars compared to Transformers 3’s budget of $195 million.

How was Attack The Block distributed and exhibited compared to Transformers 3

Attack the Block

Attack the Block

Inspiration: These movies took inspiration from the sci-fi genre as well as from the current situations youth encounter, such as knife crime and gang culture, which made the film more relatable to their target market. “The plot was inspired by an event where the director was mugged himself, and after adding the science fiction angle into the plot, Joe Cornish interviewed various kids in youth groups in order to find out what kind of weapons they would use if a real alien invasion occurred.”

Director: The movie as directed by Joe Cornish and was his directorial debut.

Producer: Nira Park, James Wilson who specialise in British films

Script: The script was also written by Joe Cornish. Attack the Block is set on a council estate in South London on Guy Fawkes Night, and, with some coming of age themes, the plot centres around a teenage street gang who have to defend themselves from predatory alien invaders.

Cast: Representative of the film's plot and location, most of the cast were young, relative unknowns, and local to the area. However, the film did feature some well-known British comedians such as Nick Frost.

Studio: Studio Canal UK Film Council Big Talk Pictures Film4 Productions. Distributed by Optimum Releasing initially then after critical reception an American distributor picked it up.

Budget: £8 million

 

Exhibition

Market Research Survey: Main Task

UPDATE: Below is the results of the Survey

Title Sequences

What is the purpose of a title sequence?
Title seuqences are used for several puporses. For example, they help an audience assoicate a genre to the movie, introduce the movie and signify that the movie is about to start. As well as this, title sequences can inform an audience about the characters or setting.

What was different in how text was used in zombieland than other films?
The way text was used in Zombiland differs from other films because the text was incopareted into the film with the intention of creating futher engagement with the audience and allowing the text to interact and entertain and become a character.

How has the designer of blue valentine tried to emotionally engage with the audience?
The desinger of the Blue Valantine emotionally engaged with the audience by attempting to create a message through imagery and using rhythmic music that reflected the story. As well as this, they incopareted stills to add a nostalgic feel to the sequence.

What editing techniques has blue valentine used?
They took the shot out of focus, took lens of camera to enhance the camera and create a better look. As well as this, they edited in rhythmic music to reflect the story and romance film, added stills to make title sequence more nostalgic.

Production

Main Task Filming Review

MAIN TASK FILMING DATES

Weather on filming dates

Friday 8th February

Location: Clissold Park Stoke Newington

Filmed long and medium shots of main character running past the camera which you see in the film. As well as this, filmed establishing shot and wide shots.

Wednesday 13th February

Location: Clissold Park Stoke Newington

Nile riding a bike filmed tracking shots of protagonists feet running to feature right at the beginning of our film to show that my character was actually moving. Also filmed shaky cam point of view shot with protagonist running with the camera and looking at Nile as he ran past. 

Friday 15th February

Loction: Stamford Hill

Filmed protagonist running inside the house doing the match on action through both sets of doors and running up the stairs to the flat. Filmed establishing shot of block of flats that was left out of the final cut. While inside we filmed dialogue between protagonist and sister using the lights and microphone that we brought with us. In doing this we used an over the shoulder shot, shot reverse shot and had to be aware of the 180 degree rule. Most of the dialogue was left out as the sound and image quality was unsatisfactory. We filmed the knocking of the hand on the door and  reaction shot of protagonist. Filmed high angle shot of protagonist looking up as he opened door to imply that he is below the antagonist. Filmed antagonist but then decided that he shouldn't be included in the final cut so protagonist remained anonymous to build mystery and suspense common to thrillers. Filmed close up/Cut in of antagonist's hand when he knocked on the door.

ROLES

Daniel Anthony: Actor, Director and Editor

Nile Williams: Producer, Editor, Cameraman and Sound Researcher

Nathan Ihemadu: Research, Lighting, Secondary Cameraman and Blogger

MAIN TASK FILMING ACTORS, COSTUME & PROPS

Actors

Ryan Lawson: Daniel Anthony

Sister: Girl 

Antagonist: Nile

Props

Gloves

Black Clothing for protagonist (Hat, Tracksuit, Bodywarmer, Trainers)

Keys to flat

Analysis Of Film Poster: Welcome To The Punch

Blumler and Katz (1974) - Uses and Gratification Theory

Surveillance - Becoming aware, informed and educated about the world around themPersonal identity - shaped by hating/relating to specific characters.Personal relationships - with the media and with people about what happened in the media.Diversion - escape and entertainment

Film and You

Main Task Storyboards

Below are the storyboards for our main task

Opening title sequences that influenced our film

Mr and Mrs Smith

Mr and Mrs Smith's title sequence influenced ours movie in view of the fact when inserting our credits we chose to slowly cut black screen whilst the action was happening to leave the audience on a cliff hanger which will build tension as they anticipate what will happen next. As well as this, we had similar font and block capital letters.

How Changing The Shot Order Changed The Story?

I randomly picked screenshots from two movies; The Dark Knight and Skyfall. Then I put them together in a sequence to make a story. Doing this I learnt that you can change the story of a scene by changing the shot order so when I edited my main task I knew if something didn't go well we could always alter the story by changing the shot order.

Shot List

Below is the shot list for our main task

Call Sheet

Below is the call sheet for our main task film written by Daniel.

Camera Work and angles research

Skater dolly shot can be used to track the protagonists feet as he runs/walks.

Action point of view shot as he runs so the viewer can experience what is going on from the characters persopective and thereforre emphasise witht the situation .

Lighting ideas for Main Task

Notes on lighting

Lighting in my main task is going to be mainly hard lighting and natural as the majority of the scene takes place outside during the day time, which is stereotypical to the action genre that we are trying to convey. However, we may consider using lighting in one of our indoor scenes, for example a backlight which would enhance the dramatic tension the protagonist is experiencing and allows the audience to share this tension. We aim to expose the main character while drawing the viewers’ attention away from the background so they can concentrate on the main character. Alternatively, we can do the reverse and light the background while the character remains in darkness adding to the mystery of the characters story. An example is the picture below.

Main Task Floor Plan

Below are the floorplans I made for our main task.

Transitions

A film transition is a technique used in the post-production process of film editing by which scenes or shots are combined. There are four main types of transitions. Cuts, fades, wipes and dissolves. Different transitions may be used to create different effects. For example, a dissolve may be used when a character is telling a story. 

Cuts:  A cut is the most common way to join two shots. It is the most basic in that the film undergoes no special processes to perform a cut; the two film strips are simply played one after the other.

Fades: A fade occurs when the picture gradually turns to a single colour, usually black, or when a picture gradually appears on screen. Fade ins generally occur at the beginning of a film or act, while fade outs are typically found at the end of a film or act.

Wipe: A wipe involves one shot replacing another, travelling from one side of the frame to another.

Dissolve: Like the fade, a dissolve involves gradually changing the visibility of the picture. However, rather than transitioning from a shot to a colour, a dissolve is when a shot changes into another shot gradually. Dissolves, like cuts, can be used to create a link between two different objects, a man telling a story, and a visual of his story, for instance.