Rough cut.
Friday, 27 February 2009
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Construction: Editing
Editing.
Once the camera work had been completed I edited the different clips. First I cut the clips down into a rough cut of where the shots will be so they are in order. After this, starting from the start, i took time to edit all the scenes so they matched up as much as i could get, keeping continuity throughout.
Once all the clips were in order and matching our storyboard, I started to edit the colour of the CCTV shot. This i used filters and desaturated it. As well as this i used a blur filter to make the quality of the camera poor. I made a recording red dot which you usually see in recording with the date and time using 'final draft'. This gave the CCTV shot authenticity and made it look very realistic.
After this i decided to make it as though the policeman was watching Jill as he talks to her through head phones. To do this i superimposed the shots of Jill walking down the stairs onto the laptop in the background of his shot. I then filtered it to make it look 3D and on the laptop. I did this for each shot of him, and in the last shot, once Jill had finished walking i put 'computer off' on the laptop using 'final draft'.
I then inserted the track we had all chosen to use in our opening. It is very British and a good convention for the film. At first i started it with the footsteps at the start, but then i realised that it had more effect if it was silent and then the music kicked in after. I also stopped the music halfway through while 'Tony' opens the briefcase. This create suspense and is quite humorous. It is also a common convention of a British crime thriller. Once i had edited the volume of the music so it is easy to hear the libretto over the music i decided to show a 'L-cut'. I decided that to delete a shot of the policeman and just hear his voice was also very strong for a convention.
To improve the gangster circle shot i put in freeze frames and desaturated them with a filter. Using a typewriter effect I made a British convention for the names, this made symbolises a police report..
Lastly i put in the names and roles of our group to make it look more realistic, and opening to a movie.
Construction: Film day
All the research has been done. We have planned out the filming and storyline and have all the informationwe need to start filming.
The filming.
First day of filming consisted of Fraiser and Anna doing their scenes. In the first shot I used the dolly and improvised without the tripod as it was too high for the shot. Instead i fixed the camera onto the dolly so it was level with the feet. The shot of the camera moving infront of the police was quite the same, using the dolly and tripod to keep it looking professional. For the CCTV shot i stood on a stable surface with the tripod as high as I could get it.
Second day I filmed the gangster scenes. Using the dolly i circled around the table of poker players many times so i could use these to cut and edit. For the close up circle shot of their faces i used the tripod and carefully spun it round.
The filming.
First day of filming consisted of Fraiser and Anna doing their scenes. In the first shot I used the dolly and improvised without the tripod as it was too high for the shot. Instead i fixed the camera onto the dolly so it was level with the feet. The shot of the camera moving infront of the police was quite the same, using the dolly and tripod to keep it looking professional. For the CCTV shot i stood on a stable surface with the tripod as high as I could get it.
Second day I filmed the gangster scenes. Using the dolly i circled around the table of poker players many times so i could use these to cut and edit. For the close up circle shot of their faces i used the tripod and carefully spun it round.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Research and Planning: Script, Storyboard and Animatic
Now I had all the information and research I could get I decided it was now time for our group to make the script and storyboard. First we made the script, by using final draft AV. We entered the scenes and speech with any extra information we thought we might need along the way.
And then I made the storyboard working with the script and shot list we made.
After the storyboard I looked for music to put with it into an animatic. I found a upbeat song on songpro and uploaded it onto the animatic.And the finished animatic showed us how long our movie will approximately.
After the storyboard I looked for music to put with it into an animatic. I found a upbeat song on songpro and uploaded it onto the animatic.And the finished animatic showed us how long our movie will approximately.
Research and Planning: Shooting schedule
After our group found all the teachers acting in our film and discussed when they are free to film we made the shooting schedule.
Research and Planning: Meaning behind our shapes
I suggested to have a dominant colour and shape in our film opening because it emphasises the mood and atmosphere of the scenes.
BLACK: inconspicuous, to open the door to mystery, to prepare for the unknown and a restful emptiness
CIRCLE: Complete, Infinity, Life circle and Never ending
BLACK: inconspicuous, to open the door to mystery, to prepare for the unknown and a restful emptiness
CIRCLE: Complete, Infinity, Life circle and Never ending
Research and Planning: Camera shots and their definitions
I then decided to find out the exact definitions for the shots that we are considering to use.
Viewpoint- The apparent distance and angle from which the camera views and records the subject.
We may use this to show the view of the police officers, as though the audience is there as the police officer experiencing what they are experiencing.
Two-shot- A shot of two people together.
This will simply be used to establish who’s in the scene.
Selective focus- Rendering only part of the action field in sharp focus though the use of a shallow depth of field.
This will be used instead of a close up on the chips. It will show the action in the background.
Following pan- The camera swivels to follow a moving subject.
This will be used when the undercover agent walks down the stairs towards the gangsters room.
Viewpoint- The apparent distance and angle from which the camera views and records the subject.
We may use this to show the view of the police officers, as though the audience is there as the police officer experiencing what they are experiencing.
Two-shot- A shot of two people together.
This will simply be used to establish who’s in the scene.
Selective focus- Rendering only part of the action field in sharp focus though the use of a shallow depth of field.
This will be used instead of a close up on the chips. It will show the action in the background.
Following pan- The camera swivels to follow a moving subject.
This will be used when the undercover agent walks down the stairs towards the gangsters room.
PROP LIST
Research and Planning: Auditions
We then needed to discuss the time and date of our film for when it was set as I realised that this hadn’t been done yet. We decided on a night time scene of 9pm and the date is present.
Research and Planning: Location
After this I looked around for different location to set our film in. My first thought was the lecture theatre. Closing all the curtains and using a dark misty light will make it very mysterious. We could also use the long office corridor for the shot of the police walking. We ended up deciding on the drama studio as all the curtains are the same colour, I can get the artificial lights so added scenes or cuts can be inserted and filmed easily without problem of white balance.
Research and Planning: Auditioning
We next focused on the organisation of actors. As the genre requires older characters I suggested using the teachers for our characters. This would make our film more realistic. I made a poster to put into all the male teachers pigeon holes so they know that a part in the film is going to be cast soon. We all then went to our two drama teachers to ask if they would like to play the main parts of the police. We decided to use a female in the opening sequence to challenge the conventions of a crime thriller.
After sending out the poster on the Monday we gained a list of all the teachers in the school. Matching the personalities to the characters in our film. We then wrote a letter to the chosen teachers and gave it to them personally to make sure they would be free on the audition date. All said they were.
That Thursday we set up the camera with lighting to give the auditionee the mood of the film. After waiting for over half an hour we decided to find the teachers to see where they were. All had gone home except one. We filmed him and packed up to go home. Disappointed, however we organised it to the best of our ability, it was beyond our control whether the teachers turned up.
After our disappointing auditions we decided to ask the teachers if they wanted to take part. We cast them there and then.
Mr Smith
Mr Darke
Mr Stark- Superintendent Barns
Miss Dicker- Jill (undercover name- Stacey)
Mr Leach
After sending out the poster on the Monday we gained a list of all the teachers in the school. Matching the personalities to the characters in our film. We then wrote a letter to the chosen teachers and gave it to them personally to make sure they would be free on the audition date. All said they were.
That Thursday we set up the camera with lighting to give the auditionee the mood of the film. After waiting for over half an hour we decided to find the teachers to see where they were. All had gone home except one. We filmed him and packed up to go home. Disappointed, however we organised it to the best of our ability, it was beyond our control whether the teachers turned up.
After our disappointing auditions we decided to ask the teachers if they wanted to take part. We cast them there and then.
Mr Smith
Mr Darke
Mr Stark- Superintendent Barns
Miss Dicker- Jill (undercover name- Stacey)
Mr Leach
Research and Planning: The treatment
Together we wrote the opening sequence to our film
Two police officers walking down the corridor talking about a gang of gangster who need to be arrested. The SI and undercover policewomen will appear through a series of close ups, medium and long shots to show the importance of them. As well as this there will be one shot where they are seen through CCTV. The undercover agent will exploit the gangsters and find them out. Spiral shots of her walking down the staircase. We see her on her way to do this. The camera cuts to a round table with the group of gangster around playing cards, they are talking about a job that needs to be done. The shots become quicker as the undercover agent gets closer to the door of the gangsters, shots of the SI giving advice to her. She then walks through the door as it slams shut. The title appears.
Two police officers walking down the corridor talking about a gang of gangster who need to be arrested. The SI and undercover policewomen will appear through a series of close ups, medium and long shots to show the importance of them. As well as this there will be one shot where they are seen through CCTV. The undercover agent will exploit the gangsters and find them out. Spiral shots of her walking down the staircase. We see her on her way to do this. The camera cuts to a round table with the group of gangster around playing cards, they are talking about a job that needs to be done. The shots become quicker as the undercover agent gets closer to the door of the gangsters, shots of the SI giving advice to her. She then walks through the door as it slams shut. The title appears.
We pitched this to the class on the 19th Jan to get feedback so we can improve out treatment. Generally had a good response and positive feedback overall. Everyone understood what our film was about and thought it was a good idea.
Research and Planning: Potential audience
While looking at the conventions of a crime thriller on YouTube I looked out for comments from the public. I saw that the potential target audience for a gangster movie swayed more for male domination. Females comment were not common at all. However, this does not mean that women don’t watch crime thrillers it may just mean that they don’t bother to comment! I thought that this was not a reliable source to complete my research with so I decided to make a general questionnaire for anyone to fill out. I left these in the 6th from area and asked neighbours and other people to complete it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Media Questionnaire
Please take your rime to fill out this simple questionnaire and return it to Sarah Aitken.
1. Please circle you age range
16-24 25-34 35-45 46+
2. Gender
Male Female
3. What is you first preferred genre of film?
Chic Flick Comedy Horror Crime-Thriller Fantasy
4. What is your second preferred genre of film?
Chic Flick Comedy Horror Crime-Thriller Fantasy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found from my results that the preferred target audience were all ages, mostly male, however females did show a large interest in the genre.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Media Questionnaire
Please take your rime to fill out this simple questionnaire and return it to Sarah Aitken.
1. Please circle you age range
16-24 25-34 35-45 46+
2. Gender
Male Female
3. What is you first preferred genre of film?
Chic Flick Comedy Horror Crime-Thriller Fantasy
4. What is your second preferred genre of film?
Chic Flick Comedy Horror Crime-Thriller Fantasy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found from my results that the preferred target audience were all ages, mostly male, however females did show a large interest in the genre.
Research and Planning: Conventions and Directors
The group had decided together that a gangster crime thriller is the best, and most stimulating genre to do. I then went away to do more research on crime thrillers.
Crime thriller:Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful Heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped Villains. Literary devices such as Suspense, Red herrings and Cliffhangers are used extensively.
I watched a wide range of films to extend my knowledge on crime thrillers. For example: Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels, Layer Cake, No country for old men, Seven, Eagle eye and A history of violence, to just name a few. All of which had the same kind of conventions in the beginning sequence.
Conventions of a crime thriller;
- Goodie v Baddie (police v gangster)
- No women in the first few minutes
- Opening titles appear on a black screen with just non diagetic music.
- Upper middle class gangsters
- Common music found were eerie and in a minor key with many clashes.
- Family importance
- The weather was always dull, raining or fog usually found.
- Guns, Drugs, Betting, Suits
- Isolated areas
- Rival gangs
-Inner circle
- A narrative usually started of the story to establish the scene
- Drinking spirits
-In some of the films they begun with a close up of a face or hand. This showed the importance of that object or person.
- Very smart story line that is hard to figure out until the end.
- A expensive object exchanges or money.
- There is always some sort of professional clothing worn.
I watched a wide range of films to extend my knowledge on crime thrillers. For example: Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels, Layer Cake, No country for old men, Seven, Eagle eye and A history of violence, to just name a few. All of which had the same kind of conventions in the beginning sequence.
Conventions of a crime thriller;
- Goodie v Baddie (police v gangster)
- No women in the first few minutes
- Opening titles appear on a black screen with just non diagetic music.
- Upper middle class gangsters
- Common music found were eerie and in a minor key with many clashes.
- Family importance
- The weather was always dull, raining or fog usually found.
- Guns, Drugs, Betting, Suits
- Isolated areas
- Rival gangs
-Inner circle
- A narrative usually started of the story to establish the scene
- Drinking spirits
-In some of the films they begun with a close up of a face or hand. This showed the importance of that object or person.
- Very smart story line that is hard to figure out until the end.
- A expensive object exchanges or money.
- There is always some sort of professional clothing worn.
Directors of crime thrillers
Guy Ritchie
Date of Birth: 10 September 1968, Hatfield, Hertfordshire..
Awards:8 wins & 6 nominations
Awards:8 wins & 6 nominations
The Gamekeeper (2010) (announced)
Sherlock Holmes (2009) (post-production)
RocknRolla (2008)
Suspect (2007) (TV)
Revolver (2005/I)
Swept Away (2002) ... aka Travolti dal destino (Italy)
Star (2001/I) ... aka The Hire: Star (USA: series title)
Snatch. (2000)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) ... aka Two Smoking Barrels (USA)
The Hard Case (1995)
Sherlock Holmes (2009) (post-production)
RocknRolla (2008)
Suspect (2007) (TV)
Revolver (2005/I)
Swept Away (2002) ... aka Travolti dal destino (Italy)
Star (2001/I) ... aka The Hire: Star (USA: series title)
Snatch. (2000)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) ... aka Two Smoking Barrels (USA)
The Hard Case (1995)
Steven Soderbergh
Awards:Won Oscar. Another 22 wins & 40 nominations
Untitled Spalding Gray Project (2010) (in production)
Moneyball (2011) (announced)
Cleo (2011) (pre-production)
The Girlfriend Experience (2009) (post-production) ... aka GfE (USA: festival title)
The Informant (2009) (completed)
Che: Part Two (2008) ... aka Guerrilla (International: English title: alternative title) (USA: working title) ... aka Che - 2ème partie - Guerilla (France) ... aka Che: Guerrilla (Spain: Castilian title)
Che: Part One (2008) ... aka The Argentine (International: English title: alternative title) (USA: working title) ... aka Che - 1ère partie - L'argentin (France) ... aka Che, el argentino (Spain: Castilian title)
Ocean's Thirteen (2007) ... aka 13 (USA: promotional abbreviation)
The Good German (2006)
Bubble (2005/I)
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Eros (2004) (segment "Equilibrium") ... aka Eros (France)
"K Street" (10 episodes, 2003) - Week 10 (2003) TV episode - Week 9 (2003) TV episode - Week 8 (2003) TV episode - Week 7 (2003) TV episode - Week 6 (2003) TV episode (5 more)
Solaris (2002)
Full Frontal (2002)
Ocean's Eleven (2001) ... aka 11 (USA: promotional abbreviation) ... aka O11 (USA: informal short title)
Traffic (2000) ... aka Traffic - Die Macht des Kartells (Germany)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
The Limey (1999)
Out of Sight (1998)
Schizopolis (1996) (uncredited) ... aka Steven Soderbergh's Schizopolis (USA: video box title)
Gray's Anatomy (1996)
"Fallen Angels" (2 episodes, 1993-1995) - The Professional Man (1995) TV episode - The Quiet Room (1993) TV episode
Underneath (1995) ... aka The Underneath (USA: promotional title)
King of the Hill (1993)
Kafka (1991) ... aka Kafka (France)
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) ... aka Sex, Lies... (USA: short title)
Winston (1987)
Yes: 9012 Live (1985) (V)
Access All Areas (1985) (V)
Moneyball (2011) (announced)
Cleo (2011) (pre-production)
The Girlfriend Experience (2009) (post-production) ... aka GfE (USA: festival title)
The Informant (2009) (completed)
Che: Part Two (2008) ... aka Guerrilla (International: English title: alternative title) (USA: working title) ... aka Che - 2ème partie - Guerilla (France) ... aka Che: Guerrilla (Spain: Castilian title)
Che: Part One (2008) ... aka The Argentine (International: English title: alternative title) (USA: working title) ... aka Che - 1ère partie - L'argentin (France) ... aka Che, el argentino (Spain: Castilian title)
Ocean's Thirteen (2007) ... aka 13 (USA: promotional abbreviation)
The Good German (2006)
Bubble (2005/I)
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Eros (2004) (segment "Equilibrium") ... aka Eros (France)
"K Street" (10 episodes, 2003) - Week 10 (2003) TV episode - Week 9 (2003) TV episode - Week 8 (2003) TV episode - Week 7 (2003) TV episode - Week 6 (2003) TV episode (5 more)
Solaris (2002)
Full Frontal (2002)
Ocean's Eleven (2001) ... aka 11 (USA: promotional abbreviation) ... aka O11 (USA: informal short title)
Traffic (2000) ... aka Traffic - Die Macht des Kartells (Germany)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
The Limey (1999)
Out of Sight (1998)
Schizopolis (1996) (uncredited) ... aka Steven Soderbergh's Schizopolis (USA: video box title)
Gray's Anatomy (1996)
"Fallen Angels" (2 episodes, 1993-1995) - The Professional Man (1995) TV episode - The Quiet Room (1993) TV episode
Underneath (1995) ... aka The Underneath (USA: promotional title)
King of the Hill (1993)
Kafka (1991) ... aka Kafka (France)
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) ... aka Sex, Lies... (USA: short title)
Winston (1987)
Yes: 9012 Live (1985) (V)
Access All Areas (1985) (V)
Research and Planning: Different genres
After our first meet and sharing of ideas we decided to finalise these and put into our notes. We discussed many genres of film to try and researched these. Our choice finished between a gangster crime thriller and a chic flick. I then researched the two genres to see which one would be more interesting and make us use our skills to the very best off our ability. I watched chick flicks first. I made sure I viewed film and programmes (as they both have different production values causing them to be of different standards) such as Sex and the city, Desperate housewives, 50 first dates and Bridget Jones’ diary. None of these excited me or inspired me to make a film, because of this I viewed some gangster crime thrillers. I watched a few episodes of Hustle, then Snatch and Oceans Eleven. I decided that a crime thriller is the best way to show off our skills.
Research and Planning: The beginning
I decided to choose my group matching personalities with who I would work with best. Teamwork is one of the most important features to complete a successful film, without this it would have been hard to achieve.
Members of my group; Sarah Aitken (myself)
Fallon Dyer
Kelly Greaves
Ella Perry
Members of my group; Sarah Aitken (myself)
Fallon Dyer
Kelly Greaves
Ella Perry
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