Hello and welcome to my individual Media AS-level blog. Thank you for taking time to look around!
You can navigate around my blog by clicking on the links on the right hand side of the page. There you will also find links to myGroup Blog and the Main teaching blog (which contains links to the other blogs from our school). You can filter posts by labels or date, and there is a blog archive if you want to look through chronologically. My evaluation answers are posted here in reverse order from 1-7 for your convenience.
On this blog you will find the independent research I undertook, my individual initial idea and my final evaluation questions. It also features work produced for my preliminary task, including the evaluation, and the videos for both my finished preliminary task and main opening sequence are located at the top of this page. I really hope you enjoy watching them as they are the product of a lot of hard work and creativity.
On myGroup Blog you can view the work I individually contributed towards throughout the development, production and post-production of our opening sequence, by clicking on the tag labelled 'Anna Cardy' alongside the rest of the work our group produced.
Once again, thanks for your time and I hope you enjoy reading and watching the content on my blog!
Our product uses and develops many forms and conventions of real media products that we have researched, while challenging others to ensure that our product is unique and exciting.
Genre:
Our film, ‘Glitch’, is an action-thriller film. It closely follows the conventions of a typical opening sequence of this genre. For example, most commonly, the protagonist of an action-thriller would be a young adult male. We decided to stick with this convention as it is familiar to the audience and allows us to subvert expectations in other areas, such as the fairly equal gender divide amongst the hackers. Although our main character fits the typical ‘teen computer nerd’, we decided to show through our other characters that a hacker could, in fact, be anybody.
Our opening sequence displays typical events of our genre. For example, the sudden attack of the boss hacker and the suspenseful knock on the door at the end. These actions are made very clear to the audience to give them a solid sense of genre.
The film contains many conventional themes of the action-thriller genre:
Good vs. evil
Friendship
Technology
Suspense
The theme of hacking in ‘Glitch’ gives it a sci-fi sub-genre. Hacking is a very visually recognisable and familiar theme in the movies, due to films like ‘The Matrix’, which was one of our main sources of inspiration. When considering how we would portray this hacking to the audience, we agreed that we should stick to the iconographic and conventional green text on black background, though we subverted these expectations by including group webcam windows, giving the characters a form of communication that the audience recognises. This was to allow character interaction; hacking is typically a solitary process. Interaction between characters adds the possibility of drama and conflict.
In terms of iconography, the blue-lit set gives the sequence a sci-fi feel, while the teenage boy’s bedroom is more typical of the thriller genre.
Narrative Structure:
Conventions of an action/drama film:
Todorov's three part structure: equilibrium, disruption, resolution
Barthe's enigma code
Levi-Strauss' binary opposites
How we included these theories in our film/opening:
Our opening sequence begins with the equilibrium of our group of hackers doing their job; something fairly familiar to them. The disruption arrives when their boss gets taken out. A further disruption occurs when our protagonist gets a knock on the door. Due to it only being the very beginning of the narrative, there is no resolution yet.
Our film follows the classic narrative pattern of Todorov’s three part structure, with a clear equilibrium, disruption and resolution. Although our sequence contains many examples of the enigma code, the most prominent ones are:
Who was it that took out the boss hacker? Is he still alive? Who is it knocking at the door?
Binary opposites we used include:
male v female, good v evil, experienced v unconfident, computer hacking v real-life action, music v quiet.
Peter Parker as Spiderman - another unlikely hero
Our sequence follows real time. This is to build up suspense; the use of an ellipsis would mean skipping to the ‘important’ parts, but this would mean skipping the time inbetween used to build up tension.
One of our main broken stereotypes is, as Vladimir Propp would call it, the ‘Princess’ role. Typically a young woman, the victim in our film is the boss hacker; the character represented as the most confident and commanding of the group. This then leaves our protagonist, the ‘rookie hacker’, to become our unlikely hero. This unexpected character role was inspired partly by Peter Parker's tranformation into Spider-Man.
Form:
A few typical features of an opening sequence:
Titles
A soundtrack
A clear setting
The first two I have listed to show a couple of ways in which we have stuck to the typical features, as they are elements that make an opening sequence what they are. The third, however, we have only done to a degree. Of course, the protagonist’s bedroom is very clearly explored through the variety in shots, but we have not revealed any location outside this little ‘hacking bubble’. This is to give the film, or at least the opening to it, a global appeal, by promoting the idea that hacking can occur almost anywhere. By giving the opening a more general appeal, it is more likely that more people will continue to watch the film.
Functions of an opening sequence:
To introduce characters
To establish genre and themes
To engage the audience
To inlcude institutional information, e.g. distributor, director, producer
Our titles
We definitely focused on the introduction of our protagonist when planning our sequence. With both the very personal bedroom setting and the focus on his reactions to events, we hope to bring the audience to like him, and understand what sort of person he is.
As explained before, the genre and themes are clearly established, and it is through these and the enigma code that we hope to engage the audience. The synergetic titles running throughout the sequence are very important, as they include all the essential institutional information needed in any opening sequence. An example of some research on titles I've done is the titles used in Edward Scissorhands (1990, Burton). I was particularly interested in the font used, as I felt it worked well to strongly establish the genre. This made me realise that our choice of font for our title would be essential, and I think the font we chose works very well.
Style:
Soundtrack: fast paced, typical action (helps to establish genre), works well with voiceover, matches fast-paced editing style.
Dialogue: weaves in with music, boss hacker is the only character to speak (1. To avoid confusion, 2. To solidify his leadership role and the way he dominates the operation) This was inspired by the narration of the hacking sequence in The Social Network (2010, Fincher)
Graphics used in sequence
Graphics: hacking screens, chat windows, webcams – very technology based. Titles are synergetic with hacking theme.
Pace: created through editing and music, action, builds up suspense. Begins slow, speeds up, and then slows to build tension at end.
Colour: dominantly blue, though still naturalistic. This creates a sci-fi mood but still maintains a realistic look.
Shot types: a lot of our shot choices were inspired by the opening to the film Masterminds (1997, Christian), for example, the shot at 0:34 of the typing.
Our opening sequence, containing a wide variation in characters and actors, manages to represent social groups in a particular way through the way we planned and produced our sequence.
A social group that features heavily in our film is the ‘computer nerd’. With our protagonist, a young, white male, we attempted to create the typical computer nerd through his outfit, which is casual and practical. His glasses, which we see him adjusting to draw the audience's attention to them, are iconographic to his character. He has ruffled messy hair, providing the connotation that is a laid back teenager that has little interest in his appearance.
The protagonist is also characterised through his bedroom setting. The items on his desk, such as an old Gameboy colour, two computer monitors, gaming merchandise and piles of tangled wires help to solidify this image, along with the movie and gaming posters plastered all over his walls. We made our protagonist such a stereotype in order to then subvert the very same stereotype we have enforced with our other characters.
The other hackers we see on webcam are all very ordinary looking people, of both genders and a variety of races.
Although all of our actors are in their late teens, some could pass for older or younger due to the lack of specification. This is to show that, all though there are real people who fit the ‘computer nerd’ stereotype, there are so many more who do not.
The film attempts to include such a variety of characters and actors that it's appeal is as wide as possible, with every viewer finding someone that they can relate to.
The actor we chose for the boss hacker has a very strong, clear voice, which is essential for his large speaking part.The boss hacker, wearing a 'tough' leather jacket and speaking in a very confident tone, also subverts this stereotype. He is not a typical introverted computer nerd, but in fact very extroverted and commanding - very admirable qualities. This makes his attack all the more shocking when he has been set up as such a strong role model. The contrast between the boss hacker and our protagonist enforce the stereotype even further by showing two sides of the spectrum.
When planning our sequence, we had to keep in mind what kind of production we wanted to make and who would distribute it. We created a fictional Production Company and researched a real distribution company.
Production Company: Synapse Productions
Our fictional production company produces predominantly modern sci-fi, action and suspenseful thriller films. They produce movies that are much larger than indie films, but not quite at blockbuster status. They would contain a combination of a few well-known actors and a few smaller-name actors.
The company distributing our film is Touchstone Pictures, an American film production label. They usually release films with mature themes and darker tones than those under Walt Disney, who own this film label. Some films that Touchstone have distributed include Deja Vu (2006, Bruckheimer), Con Air (1997, Bruckheimer) and Armageddon (1998, Bruckheimer).
As 'Glitch' would be distributed by Touchstone Pictures, it would have a global release. Due to it's UK location, the film would definitely have a saturated UK release. The film's genre and themes, however, are suitable for a global release, and will appeal to a very wide audience. It is mostly conventional, following a simple narrative structure which makes is widely accessible and easy to follow, but also uniquely breaks conventions, making the production stand out as something fresh and individual.
The type of cinema that our film would be exhibited in
The film, being a teen sci-fi hacking film, would definitely useviral marketingto reach its audience, as it appeals to thetechnology generationthat the film is ultimately designed for and is the cheapest and most effective way to reach this audience. The movie would then beexhibitedin all the well-known cinema chains, such asCineworldandOdeon.
After the film's time on the big screen, it would then move on to be exhibited onTV, firstly onSky Movies Premiereand then ontoSky Action & Adventure or Sky Sci-Fi & Horror. Finally, the film would be released onDVD and Blu-ray. The audience, being technology fans, would be likely to enjoy watching the film inhigh definition, or possibly even3D.
From the start of this project, we knew exactly who this product was being made for. Our film has a very broad appeal, with its universal themes, intriguing narrative and variety in characters (age, gender, race). Within this mass audience, though, sits our target audience:
Target Audience Profile:
Age:16-25
Gender:Male
Nationality:British and American
Lifestyle:Students and young adults who spend large amounts of their free time engaged in technology (watching TV, gaming, surfing the internet) and listening to music.
Tastes in media: action/sci-fi/thriller films
Film Consumption Habits:will visit the cinema, but prefers to watch films from home, via either TV or DVD/Blu-ray
As technology fans, our target audience are likely to keep up to date on the latest technology, such as Blu-ray players and HD/3D TVs. This would hopefully make the film very successful on its Blu-ray release.
The UK setting will generate a large UK audience interest, although the similarity in culture and the interest in UK culture will still provide the film with a large fan base in the US. The film has a very strong male appeal, due to its relatable male protagonist, female love interests and violent action scenes.
These female characters also draw in the female action movie fan, providing female roles that defy stereotypes and represent the ‘average girl’. This female audience, aged 16-25, would be the film’s secondary audience.
The film will also appeal to fans of other movies, such as The Matrix (1999, Wachowski), due to their similarities in themes and mood - both our film and The Matrix share a blend of action and sci-fi.
Our film would not appeal to families with young children, due to its dark themes and lack of young characters to interest children. This means that we will not be able to sell our film to the family audience, though we can still reach a very large demographic. The UK Film Council says that teenagers are the most frequent cinema goers - 40% of teenagers go to the cinema at least every month.
Every decision made throughout the planning and production was made with our target audience in mind. We made each decision with the goal of attracting our audience to make it a product that they would enjoy.
Our core target audience is men, aged 16-25. This is our chosen audience as it is the demographic that makes up the majority of film audiences, and an available group of people for us to collect audience feedback from. Our genre, action-thriller, is very popular among this group of people and a genre that all members of our group are very familiar with.
Our secondary audiences include:
women aged 16-25, as the film contains admirable female characters
fans of technology, as the film is heavily technology based and relates to a specific interest of theirs.
Why does our opening sequence/film appeal to our audience?
Protagonist:He is someone admirable (brave, intelligent) yet at the same time manages to be average and believable.
Soundtrack:An upbeat, modern track that fully encapsulates the mood of the film. The rock style, being a very popular genre, will appeal to the male audience and the sci-fi style adds a dash of individuality.
Editing:The sequence begins with wide, slow shots, allowing the audience to take in the setting. The recognisable setting allows the audience to suspend their disbelief, giving the shock of the unexpected attack more impact. The montage style has the purpose of creating a mood and familiarising the audience with the concept the film is built upon.
Uses and Gratifications: Firstly, the film provides the audience with a sense of escapism. The audience will enjoy getting caught up in the film's suspense as it offers a distraction from reality. The use of webcams in the sequence also allows the audience to look in on other people's lives and satisfy their curiosity. As with most films, our audience will also want to watch as it allows them to be social. If they have seen a film that others have seen, they can discuss it with others and have a sense of inclusion. Finally, and most importantly, the audience would choose our film as a method of entertainment. The suspense and mystery leaves the audience with the desire to learn more and discover how the narrative concludes.
Once we finished our opening sequence, we advertised a preview screening around the school using a poster that was made from scratch, providing the date and time of the event. This screening allowed our audience to watch the opening two minutes of our film, and in return we provided some questionnaires for the viewers to fill out. Using web 2.0, we also advertised this event on Facebook, as the audience we were hoping to encourage to attend are avid users. We set up a group, inviting a large group of people:
We created a questionnaire for each audience member to fill out after watching our clip. As we did this session in school, the demographic of this audience was both genders, ages 14 - 18, which is a core part of our audience. Here are some samples of the questionnaires that were filled in:
Please click the above image to view the content!
Here are a few things I noticed when looking through our feedback:
Everyone was able to name the title of the film. This tells us that our titles are clear and easy to read.
All audience members were able to identify the genre as thriller, action, sci-fi, or a combination of all three.
All audience members successfully identified the target audience, with varying degrees of accuracy.
Most were able to identify our protagonist and the boss hacker, with a few identifying other secondary characters.
Many people liked the music in the sequence; they felt it really help to establish the genre and build tension
Many people also want to know "if the kidnapped guy is alive and what happens next."
The audience were also impressed with the graphics, claiming that they look "realistic" and "really professional - conveys the message really well"
One of the main points of improvement was the attack of the boss hacker.
"kidnap could be more realistic/sudden" "the attack at the end could be clearer and more exciting"
From our audience feedback, we appear to have successfully targeted both male and female audience members. As expected, the film appears to appeal to more males than females.
The process of making this product has introduced me to some new technologies, while improving my knowledge on programs or technologies that I had previously used. I feel that I have learnt a great deal throughout this project.
Technology/hardware/software used during constructing our sequence:
Post Production:Adobe Premiere Pro (non-linear editing), Live Type (titles), Adobe After Effects (graphics)
Editing using Adobe Premiere Pro
What have I learnt and what would I do differently?
Raef and I making our titles
When we captured our footage from our test shoot, we noticed that in our attempt to create a dark, dimly lit room, we had not supplied the camera with enough light, making our footage grainy. This mistake made sure that when it came to our actual shoot, we were aware of this issue and were careful not to repeat the same mistake. I also learnt a great deal about lighting from Raef, a member of my group. Having experience with lighting himself, he brought his set of lights to the shoot and explained to the rest of the group how to use them and different techniques we could use. I learnt about coloured filters and how to create a lighting set up. This knowledge has benefitted the group greatly throughout the project.
After Effects was a program that the group was mostly unfamiliar with. With help from our Media Technician, we created a set of believable graphics. These were then tracked onto the blank computer screens in our footage.
Graphics on After Effects
Focus Pull
Along with generally sharpening up my camera skills, I have learnt how to do a manual focus pull – an effect we used twice in our opening sequence; once on the shot of the mobile phone and once in the final shot with the knock on the door. This allowed us to display slightly more variation in camera technique.
I also extended my knowledge of tools on Adobe Premiere. With help from our Media technician, I learnt how to add a bandpass to the audio track we were using to give the effect that the protagonist was taking out his earphones. This effect used a cross-fade to give the track a tinny sound, turning the music from non-diegetic sound to diegetic sound.
Three Way Colour Corrector
I was also taught how to grade our footage; something I had never done before. I learnt how to use the Three Way Colour Corrector and ProcAmp, which were used to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, skin tone and shadow colour. This was important as it made sure that each shot looked as similar to the others as possible.
Since our preliminary task, I have gained a great deal of knowledge in the areas of pre-production, production and post-production.
The brief of our preliminary task was to film and edit a continuity sequence with a character entering and crossing a room, sitting down opposite another character, and exchanging a few lines of dialogue. The brief for the main task was: 'The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.'
When filming and editing this task, there were several things we had to keep in mind, that we would later find very useful when producing our opening sequence. Here is a summary:
Jeng checking our storyboard
Pre-production: Variation of shots, scheduling, storyboarding, assigning tasks to each group member, narrative flow, lighting and setting.
Production:Framing, acting, time management and leaving run-on time to edit.
Post-production: Continuity, narrative flow, match-on action and audio volume.
Pre-production:
Our prelim storyboard
Planning for the preliminary task definitely taught me the importance of organisation. I learnt that having a clear shot list and storyboard is essential for conducting a seamless and productive shoot. To plan our prelim, we drew up a storyboard onto sheets of A4 paper. Though very organised, this method was very static. When it came to doing the equivalent for the opening sequence, we drew each shot on a colour coded post-it note, photographed each one, and created an ‘animatic’. This allowed us to plan out the timing of each shot and notice any continuity issues in advance of the test shoot. I personally found this approach much more visual, creative and inspiring.
Production:
Set design was a very important part of our project. When shooting the preliminary task, we used our provided setting to our advantage and shot a sequence set in a classroom. In this case there was no dressing of the set needed, and I found the setting to be a little dull and uncaptivating. To remedy this, when it came to dressing the hacker’s bedroom, we put a lot of time into it. We turned a typical teenage girl’s bedroom into one that looked as though it could belong to a nerdy teenage boy. I’ve found that the atmosphere can really help to build a particular genre or mood in a piece of film because of this.
The Prelim Setting
Our Set Before Design
Final Setting
Looking back at the preliminary task, I think that the match-on action (the grab of the pen) worked well, a technique that we repeated in our opening sequence when the protagonist takes a CD out of a case. We also found that cutting away to the master shot to make the setting and space clear is essential. We managed to stick to the 30 degree and 180 degree rules and used cross-cutting and shot-reverse-shot.The practise of these continuity techniques assured me that I am able to use them in the production of my sequence. Because of this, I have been able to use all of the previous techniques listed in the finished sequence.
Match on action in prelim
When filming the preliminary task, we should have paid more attention to the volume of the audio that we were recording, as when it came to editing, it was tricky to match up. With this in mind, we made sure that the person filming was always wearing a set of headphones so that we would not repeat this error. I also discovered from the previous task that we have to make sure that each run through of the sequence is acted as similarly as the ones before in order to make it easier to retain narrative flow and continuity when it comes to post-production.
Post-production:
The editing of the prelim taught me the importance that good continuity editing plays in creating narrative flow. A seamless narrative is essential to allow the audience to suspend their disbelief and get lost in the story. I noticed this when watching my edited prelim piece. The unpolished editing looks slightly choppy, attracting my eye when I should be just following the narrative, not noticing the cuts. This stressed to me the importance of spot on editing when it came to the editing of our group’s opening sequence
Sunday 18 March 2012
Now that our opening sequence has been signed off, I'm working on my evaluation, ready for the deadline on Friday. Just a quick update.
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Our project deadline is on Friday and I think we've made good progress. I've been focusing mainly on choosing shots and editing the footage and music. I also wrote the script for the instant messenger chat boxes. We've been putting in a lot of extra time to get our project done, so I think we'll be ready for the deadline.
We had our actual shoot on Sunday, which lasted from 8am to 6pm (overrunning by an hour), and overall I would say that it was very productive. We had a bit of a slow start, but once we got going we got a lot done.I took a predominantly organisational role and kept track of our shots and informed the rest of the group what shots we had left to do and made sure that the group stayed on track. The few remaining shots will be shot during lunchtimes at school and we are making a good start on our edit.
We definitely learned a lot from our test shoot which we benefitted from this time round. For example, the set design took a lot less time, and we had the oppurtunity to film this, which we didn't do at our first shoot.
Thursday 23 February 2012
Since the test shoot we have finished editing our rough cut (which can also be seen on our group blog).
I think our rough cut went very well as it showed us that we were doing right and what we needed to change about our actual shoot and edit. After we finished editing, we realised that there were a few mistakes in our storyboard/shot order, and we now know what we need to change, such as the pacing issues and the lack of movement from our main character.
We have scheduled our actual shoot for this Sunday. This time we are going to use more lights and shoot some extra footage that we have all agreed on.
On Saturday our test shoot went really well. We all turned up on time, and Francis and Nico arrived later to help us and stand in as actors. We ended up playing a small part each because we wanted a range of people to try and best represent what the real footage would look like. Raef brought some of his lights and we experimented with filters to give the room a sci-fi style blue tint, which I think really made the mise-en-scene more interesting and more filmic.
We each managed to shoot a fairly equal amount of shots and I took on an organisational role and kept track of what shots we had done.
The set design went really well. We heavily dressed the desk area and covered the wall with posters which made the set look completely different. I think that the wires we used to decorate with completed the set as they fit in so well with the theme. We ended up covering Jeng's bedroom window with bin bags to block out more light, which made the lighting we had really look impressive, and we'll probably do this again for our actual shoot.
Thursday 2 February 2012
Just an update:
In the past few days, we've drawn out all of our shots into a storyboard, photographed them, and made our animatic. Today we finished the animatic off by doing a few last bits of editing and adding titles. I did a lot of editing work and also played around with the music to try and fit the sequence. I'm very happy with the track we've chosen. It sounds believably filmic and has a really good swift pace to it. Parts of the music also sound quite electronic, and I've noticed that these parts match really well with shots of typing.
Tomorrow (Friday) we are picking up our equipment and taking it to Jeng's house - our set. We are going to then try some set design in preparation for our test shoot tomorrow.
Sunday 29 January 2012
So, since our last meeting our idea has improved considerably.
I think that our new idea has a much clearer sense of genre, and has a much more believable storyline.
I'm also happy with our new ending to the sequence: the rookie hacker pulls out his earphones to hear insistent, heavy banging on his door. The audience wonders who it is; could it be the same people that just took out his boss? This sense of enigma makes sure that the sequence finishes on a suspenseful tone, hopefully working to make the audience want to continue watching.
Tuesday 24 January 2012
So, after our pitch, we now have a new idea to consider, which changes the main narrative but still includes the main genre/themes/settings and possibly characters. This new concept sounds a lot simpler and easier to manage. In my view, a simpler narrative means more time left to use creatively rather than trying to cram in a complex story.
Some ideas:
We should establish some clear binary opposites between our 'boss hacker' and our 'rookie hacker'. I think that making the rookie hacker seem quite innocent/vulnerable will allow the audience to warm to him and make them want him to succeed throughout the story.
In contrast to our previous concept, this sounds like it could be more of an indie film, possibly with a stronger thriller genre rather than action.
With the range of hackers required for the sequence, I think that it is important to include a few female hackers in order to supply some female appeal and to subvert the stereotype of the 'teenage nerdy boy'.
Jeng mentioned including a bit of humour to give the film more of a teenage audience appeal. I think this is a good idea, though the acting must be good, otherwise the audience will not suspend their disbelief and the sequence will not be nearly as effective.
That's all for now. Our group will be meeting tomorrow morning to finalise our new concept and sort out some of the details.
After our pitch last week we got some teacher feedback, which I have a few ideas/responses to.
Setting too small for a struggle/fight scene: A simple punch to the face (rather than a lengthy struggle), knocking the Hacker out will be much quicker and much more suited to the setting.
Setting too difficult to dress up: I believe that our setting can be sorted out fine: all that needs to be moved is a few posters, and the wardrobe/cupboards can be covered up with some dark material. I really don't think we have a problem here.
The gunshot is a little unrealistic: I agree. This was originally included so that we could use the special effects, though (as said above) I think that the Agent just knocking the Hacker out with a punch will be much more realistic, not to mention much simpler.
Too much narrative for 2 mins: Looking back, I agree. My idea is that we base the entire 2 mins around the Hacker uncovering some information, maybe sending an email. Maybe the Agent just over complicates things. On the other hand, maybe we need a second character in order to create a conflict and a good/bad binary opposite.
We need to do some extra research into titles and the effects for the hacking sequence.
Ditto with music.
The general film plot needs to be revised, and a clear plot structure decided: When coming up with our plot, we may have got a little carried away. I think if we just come up with a very simple narrative, with very clear good/bad characters, things will be much simpler.
Monday 16 January 2012
Just sorted out all the design/layout of our group blog, playing along with the 'hacking' theme.
Ready to work on our opening sequence. After missing school due to illness I have caught up with the other members of my group during our meeting today. We have developed a really good concept and an interesting narrative that will be fun to play around with.
Today we discussed the basic overall narrative of the opening sequence and decided on setting and main character. We all agreed on our preferred actors and we are coming up with some good ideas.
