Moderators Message

Hello moderator, I am Anthony Luongo. I have organised my blog using the following labels research, production, preliminary tasks, planning and evaluation to help navigate. I hope that you enjoy viewing my video and enjoy reading my work. When you have finished please click on the link below to go back to the blog hub.

 

Grazie Mille (Thank a million), Anthony Luongo. 

 

 

Final Video

7. Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Match On Action:

Our preliminary task allowed me to learn new techniques in camera work. The match on action allows someone to carry out one scene at different angles. As you can see above from the screen shots we used match on action in our opening (the screenshot on the right). We used this to show our victim running though the woods and in order to make the shots look smooth we had decided to use match on action as stated before it allows someone to carry out one scene at different angles. I learnt from using this in both of the media products created, that match on action is a very effective technique to use when trying to show one scene at different angles.

Shot-reverse-shot:

As stated before about learning new techniques, shot reverse shot was another technique we learnt. This shot is generally used within conversations as it shows the actors facing each other whilst talking, hence the name shot-reverse-shot.This shot would have the camera placed behind the head of the actor who is listening, this is used so that we know who is talking. As seen above, I have only shown an example from our preliminary task, this is because we decided not to use this technique in our opening because it would not fit anywhere within the film opening because horror films would not tend to use this as it is not very effective, unless there were to be a conversation within the film. For this technique, I have learnt that this technique is very effective in conversations and makes them look smooth, on the other hand I have learnt that shot reverse shot is very effective horror films such as a short opening like ours. 

180 Degree Rule:

This is the final technique we had learnt. The 180 degree means the camera must be within 180 degrees of the characters. This technique is generally used in conversations as the 180 degree rule allows the cameraman to stick within an area of the two actors without confusing the audience. If the cameraman was to cross past the line then they would have to show the movement otherwise it would show the two actors having a conversation whilst facing the same direction.
As you can see there is no screenshot of this technique being used in our film opening because there was no area in our opening that we can use the 180 degree. Therefore, I have learnt that this is not effective in horror as this is generally used in conversations and our film opening does not contain any conversations between people.

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

Hardware:

iMac- The iMac was used to do all of our work on, ranging from editing to evaluating. The iMac is very advanced and requires some understand of the inbuilt features to the computer. Despite using the iMac computer for two years during my media lessons, I still found some struggles when operating it, for example I struggled to simple take a screen shot and having used windows for the majority of my time it was a little more complicated to take a print screen. What I learnt from using the iMac was that using such reliable products is very key to making a project as there was a lot of  processing power within the computer therefore all the programs ran smoothly allowing us as a group to see our film openings clearly whilst editing and to ensure that we had not made any errors. 

Nikon 3100- As seen above the Nikon 3100 was our chosen choice of camera whilst filming the opening. It is a very powerful piece of hardware which help us produce a high quality film opening. When filming, not only did we have a very good camera, we also had a tripod to support it. The tripod prevent the camera man from firstly damaging his arm from constantly having to hold the camera but it also help the cameraman avoid the shaking that may occur if he were to hold it. What I learnt from using a Nikon 3100 was that again it is also key to have a good quality piece of hardware, in this case a camera as it can produce high definition videos and pictures and can also be support by a tripod thus produce the best and clearest outcome for the audience to see. Compared to a mobile phone which would produce worse quality videos and would not be able to be supported by a tripod thus possibly resulting in some shaking. 

Software:

After Effects- After Effects program was used to create the animations of our production logos and also used for the effects on the titles when they appear. At first the process of adding effects and extending or decreasing time seem difficult to do but we researched on YouTube how to do such things like this and eventually it worked out and came out to be very effective and eye-catching. From using After Effects I have learnt that it provides any projects such as making the film opening extra flavour and makes it more eye catching and fascinating as shown from the production logos at the beginning of our film opening. A tool we used on After Effects was the text tool, it was the easiest tool to use.

Premiere Pro- This program was used to add the final touches to our film opening. Similarly to After Effects, it took us as a group sometime to get use to the program and understand fully what to do and were to access different tools in the program. During editing we used Premiere Pro to add in our production company logos and to add some fade effects in the video. I have learnt that Premiere Pro is a very good program to use when editing any project. It allows you to use many different sound clips in one go whilst also having the option to add in effects therefore showing it is a very efficient program. 

  

Photoshop- Personally I enjoy using this program during my spare time and I tend to sit and research about different tools and ways to make things in Photoshop. We used Photoshop to create the design to our production logos and to also create the titles especially the final title at the end of the film opening. I have learnt that Photoshop was an effective tool for designing any sort of product for any type of project. With research any person can create an eye catching and very good piece of work and it can be simple yet still effective just like our title at the end of the our film opening is portrays many things. Some tools I used when creating products on photoshop were Magic Wand and Fill bucket tool.

As you can see below our title at the end of our film opening is very simple with the name appearing and a barbered wire over the front. The red connote the blood in the movie and the black connotes the darkness  and fear that the antagonist provides. As for the barbered wire it shows that the victims would be trapped and have no way out.

Online Tools:

Blogger- I have been using blogger to keep a post of all my work. This is public therefore anyone can go on Google and view my blog to see my work and to see my film opening. I feel blogger has been an effective online tool as I have been able to keep my work in a set order and know exactly what goes where. At first I didn't understand how to use blogger and the way to layout the posts, but after more time using it I eventually understood what to do and also found out more features such as personalising so therefore I decided to go ahead a personalise my blog to fit the genre of my film. I also learnt how to embed videos off YouTube or add any presentations from slideshare or Prezi. 

Google Maps- Google maps allowed us as a group to search for areas within our town that would be good areas to film in. When researching we found out that the best places to film were Putnoe woods and an abandoned house near the town center. I learnt that google maps was an effective tool to map out areas to use and to see safest areas to benefit our health and safety.

Mindmeister- I used mindmeister to create a mind map for my brainstorming synopsis. This contained a plan of everything such as mise en scene, conventions, plot, cinematography, setting, sound and edting. I used this as it was a different way to layout my work rather than referring to normal and boring methods such as power point or word. This did allow me to learn that mindmeister provides a neater and better looking way of presenting work. But not only this, I also learnt how to use the basics as I have never used this program before, I learnt how to add images especially straight from Google and also how to add text within each bubble.

Clipconverter- Although this online tool was only used once it was still key to my work. I used clipconverter to convert the web address of my film opening and convert it into an MP4 file for me to post on my blog and to watch whenever I want. This could also be used to convert music clips to use in the film openings, but we had found a different source to use for our sound effects and music. I learnt that clipconverter is a quick and easy tool to use when you need to take an video or sound of YouTube for your own use.

YouTube- This online tool was one of the biggest tools I used. YouTube allowed me to find inspiration for my opening and also allowed me to find resources to use within our film opening. Having a YouTube account it allowed me to upload my work onto YouTube so that it became easier for me to upload and place on my blog. I was able to post my preliminary task and my final video onto YouTube for other people to view and enjoy. Since I have only just created a YouTube channel I was able to learn how to upload and how to personalised and manage my change.

Slideshare- I created any power point in the standard microsoft program and then upload it to slideshare as it allowed me to then take the embed code and place it on my blog. This created a easier and more engaging method for the audience therefore I chose to use this. I was also beneficial as it allowed viewers to read the power point at their own pace rather than me having to create a small video containing the power point and have to set a pace on it and allowing people who cant read very quickly to struggle to read the work.     

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is Harry Blackburn. He is 16 years old and lives in the city of Bristol. He dresses straight foward and like a typical 16 year old teenager, a simple black jumper and blue tee-shirt with jeans.

He enjoys playing on his Xbox and play such games as Fifa and GTA with friends and every friday nights he becomes a wild party animal and goes clubbing with his mates.

He tends to watch action films like the Bourne series and Batman. But he adores horror films like Sinister and Mama, whenever he has the chance he would go to the cinema either with friends or on his own and watch some horror films.

Harry Blackburn also enjoys watching tv series such as Dexter, Breaking Bad, The Wire and Homeland.He enjoys watching these tv series as they all keep him on edge just like the horror films he likes to watch.

Just like every other typical 16 year old, Harry likes to listen to RnB, hip hop and rap whenever he has the time to.

I believe that my film opening would appeal to Harry as he would enjoy the mass amount of suspense that we applied within our opening therefore he would love to take the time to go and watch our opening. This film opening is similar to Wrong Turn which is a film set in the woods with the victim dying at the end.  

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

This is a prezi presentation showing the type of media institution that I believe may distribute my film opening.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups ?

Our antagonist was decided through conventions of horror movies, the dark and hidden identity. As you can see from the image above our antagonist is very similar to the antagonist to of a very famous horror film, Scream. Like the antagonist from Scream, we decided to portray our character as dark by dressing him black clothing, this represents the eerie and dark persona that the antagonist carries. This allows the audience to understand that this character is going to be a threat to others and people must not go near him. Their intimidating stature provides them both with dominance and increases their dark character. 

In the screenshots above, both characters are holding knives. This is a very typical murder weapon in horror films and therefore we decided to stick to conventions and make our antagonist carry a knife as a method to end the lives of his victims.

By comparing the antagonists from our film opening to Screams' antagonist, we can see that we portrayed our killer as male due to his big stature. This is very stereotypical to horror films as many horrors tend to have the killer as male because they are seen as the more dominated therefore more suited to a killer role. In conclusion we have decided through these methods, that our antagonist is male and the audience will understand this by these conventions.   

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

1) The first Frame in our film opening shows our two production company logos. We have decided to join our companies together because we had similar ideas so therefore we wished to work with the ideas we had thought of. Secondly, we decided to join together because generally small production companies join together for financial reason so they can gather enough money to make a film.

As you can see the first screenshot shows my production logo. I decided to use 'AL' as it is the initials of my name and the production company is based upon me. I decided to incorporate the film roll in the shape of 'L' so that the audience  understand that it is a film production company and not any other type of production company. In my production logo I have used quite a common choice of colours for a horror based production company, red and black as red connotes blood and black connotes darkness and fear. As you can see it fits well with the font, which is called I Still Know. The font projects an eerie feeling and also quite a supernatural feel as the patches on the writing provide a scary feeling. 
The second production company as seen is called Paranoia Pictures which was created by Anthony Wickenden and Deepak Dosanjh. The logo is simplistic yet effective.They use an image of blood splatter which shows that the film will contain blood and the slashed effect shows the film will be a horror film with death in it. The animation shows the production logo in which the blood smears on the wall, furthermore when the writing appears it carries more effectiveness  to the logo as the blood seems to run through the words due to the fact that the writing seems slashed. 

2) The second frame I chose to use is a shot in which the camera has focused on the tree with the title 'An Anthony Luongo Film' appearing, as seen above on the GIF animation. The title which appears indicates to the audience who the director is, this is a typical convention of horror films or in general most films. We decided as a group to use this shot as it is a method of establishing the location to the audience but also used as an effective start to our opening. Once the character is in shot, the camera then focuses on both on the character and the scenery with the tree taken out of focus. The use of folly sounds used within the opening (the running footstep and tweeting of birds) were used to add realism to our video. This allowed the audience to feel in the scene and in focus with the actor. Moreover, the folly sounds used within the opening are not too loud yet they are still heard, this was used to ensure that tension and suspense is always held within the opening and is never lost.

     This is a convention in horror films as they want to keep the audience on the edge of the seat and willing to know what happens next, therefore I believe our film opening sticks to conventions and uses these methods to create tension effectively.

3) The third frame shows Kyle running through the woods. As you can see within this shot we have used conventions of a horror film as we have used the woods. The woods is quite a typical location for death scenes as the characteristics of the woods are dark, gloomy and secluded therefore nobody would be able to see or hear the victims' last gasp. Furthermore, similarly to the screenshot before, the diegetic sounds have been minimized down and the folly sounds such as the footsteps and the birds tweeting were made louder making the scene more realistic but the  diegetic sounds can still be heard to add affect to the eerie feel that has already been portrayed.   

4)  The fourth frame shows a close up of the antagonists' murder weapon, the knife. A knife is a very common method of killing someone in horror films, it's an easy piece of equipment to acquire so therefore being a very common convention that is used in horror films. The use of a close up defies the importance of the knife and allows the audience to understand that this is going to be a key feature in the film. The sounds used at this point are very conventional to horror films, the sounds we decided to use were loud and quite strong footsteps to show the dominance and power that the antagonist possess. The background sound used within this shot is also quite conventional as begins the tension and build up in the film as it is quite a low sounding tune therefore drawing in the audience.

5) The fifth frame shows a close up of the victims face when he sees the antagonist appear from the tree's. We decided to use a dolly zoom in this shot and it proved very effective, it was used to show the fear in the victims eyes and face and with the background is moving which provides the effect of the victims life flashing before his eyes and also defies the fear in the victim. In horror films it is conventional when the victim sees the killer approaching them and they begin to run therefore we decided to use this in our film opening and with the dolly zoom it allowed it to be effective. The sound used in the shot links with the dolly zoom very well as it is quite a sharp sound, similarly to a violin, which adds in to the eerie feel and it is also a conventional sound used in horror to signify fear and trouble.

6) The sixth frame shows a long shot of the victim strapped to a chair in an empty room within an abandoned house. This shot is very conventional in horror films, the victim being trapped with the killer not around. The mise en scene is also very conventional, as seen the floor has no carpet and the walls are very patchy with dirty wallpaper which looks like it is about to fall off, this is very conventional in horror films because killers tend to live and keep their victims in a secluded from the outside world so they are not seen or heard ever again. The use of only diegetic sound is also conventional as we decided to use the sound of the chair squeaking by the vigorous movement of the victim and also the victim cursing, using 'Where the F*** am I ?', this is used many times in horror films when the victim is trapped and therefore we decided to use it in our film opening.

7) The seventh frame shows the victim walking towards the exit and very close to freedom. In horror films this is very conventional as in many movies, victims have been at arms length from freedom and then things take a turn for the worst. The change in lighting also signifies the freedom as previously as seen it was quite dark then it changed to a bright corridor and freedom just so very close. The sound is also very conventional in the shot as everything goes quiet and there is no sounds to be heard, this was used to create tension and also a build to the sharp jump scare which approaches.

8) The eighth frame shows the antagonist appearing behind the victim as he is trying to escape.As stated previously about the victim being very close the freedom and things taking a turn for the worst, the frame above shows this. This is a very conventional feature in any horror film, the antagonist appearing out of the blue to end the victims life and ensure that nobody knows anything. The non-diegetic sound in this frame is very effective as it is a sharp loud sound, this was used to create a jump scare, they are very common in all horror films as that is the main outcome they are trying to achieve, bring fear out of the viewers and using this jump scare in our opening should allow us to achieve this.  

9) The ninth frame shows the name of our film appear instantly once the film opening fades to black. This is conventional to horror films as some horror films have the name appearing at the end of the opening of the film, this is common also in many other films from different genres. As stated previously in other posts the red and black are very common colours used in horror films as the red connotes blood and the black connotes the dark, eerie feel that the film provides. The font that we decided to use fits in with the genre as the patchy look provides the fear that the film produces and the barbered wire was used to link with name of the film with the barbered wire showing the audience that the victims are trapped and have 'no escape' hence the name of the film. 

Production Log Diegesis

Sound:
Where have you got your music from?

The music and sound effects within our film opening were either gathered from websites like YouTube or www.videoblocks.com.  Videoblocks allowed us to gather the correct music or sound effects we wanted and allowed us to download it without any legal issues as the website states all sound clips are royalty free, meaning it is not copyrighted. As for YouTube, when looking for music or sound effects we needed to ensure the uploader has stated that the sound file is royalty therefore allowing us to use it.

Why could you not use copyright music?
We could not use copyright music in our film opening due to the copyright law. If we were to use a piece of copyright music without the permission of the owner then we as a group would be going against something called 'copyright infringement'. This could lead to big fines for the 'infringer'. To avoid this you would have to ask the owner themselves for permission to use the music/sound clip.

Production Log Editing

Editing:

Are you on schedule?

At the moment we are ahead of schedule for our editing as we have completed a draft of our film opening and are now planning to perfect our work.

How is it going?

The editing process is going well as the first scene has been drafted out with the scenes in the correct order and the sounds added on. The second scene is also going well as we have arranged the clips into the order in which we want it to be, sound clips just need to be added then it will be sorted out for any further editing such as adding titles and adding any affects.

What are the difficulties?

The only difficulty we have found is trying to cut our film opening down to the 2:30 time limit. As we have made our film opening with two scenes we have noticed that it has made it considerable long therefore we have decided to cut out scenes within the opening in which we feel are irrelevant and not affect the quality of our work.   

What programme are you using?

The programme which we are using to edit our film opening is called 'Movie Edit Pro'. Below is a screenshot of our editing in progress.

The window in the top left corner is a preview window which allows us the view the clip whilst we edit. This will enable us to see the scene we are editing and when we add any sound affects or change any visual we can see what it looks like and whether we should keep it or not. The window on the top right corner allows us to browse through all the movie, sound effects and music that is necessary to our opening. The bottom window is where all the editing happens. From the top right hand window one can drag and drop any necessary files into the bottom half and begin to place the scenes in order and add sound effects on top. The files which are green are the sound files and the blue ones are the actual footage. As seen above there are many different sound files overlapping, this means the programme allows us to have many different sounds at one time.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of this programme?
Advantages:

• Simple and easy
• You are able to have one track playing at a certain time
• Import is instant, unlike iMovie

Disadvantages:

• Playback is sometimes slow
• Exporting takes a while

Production Log Filming

Filming:
How did it go?
The filming for our film opening went well as everything went to plan such as the weather, timing, characters and costumes. Throughout the filming we encountered no interuptions.
Did you change anything from your planning?
Whilst filming we had stuck to our plan and used the shots and ideas we had set, but when we got to editing we had to cut out some scenes that were irrelevant and made our film drag on.
What were the difficulties?
Firstly one problem we encountered was trying to use the knife only as a film purpose and not to scare any passers by. Another problem encountered was trying to get the right balance of light when filming the second scene in the abandoned house.
Are you on schedule?
As it goes we are ahead of schedule as we planned correctly and completed all blogs that were needed to be done at the right times thus giving us good amount of time to edit.

19. Storyboard

18. Scripting

Scene 1:
Kyle is out for a Jog through the woods.

The Antagonist is seen walking, whilst carrying a knife.

Kyle begins to slow down to catch his breath whilst approaching a branch to sit on.

He looks up and is stuck by fear when he notices the antagonist emerge from the shrubbery carrying his knife.

Kyle jumps off the branch and begins to run away.

He carries on running until a log on the ground interrupts his path and without seeing it Kyle trips over it hitting the ground, knocking him unconscious.

(Scene fades to black)

Scene 2:
Kyle wakes up in an empty room, strapped to a chair.

He then realises he is strapped to a chair and begins to struggle.

KYLE: What the f***?!

Kyle breaks free from the chair and begins to creep around the house in search for an exit.

Downstairs the antagonist can hear that Kyle has awaken and grabs his knife.

He walks downstairs quietly and successfully finds the exit so he slowly approaches it, he attempts to unlock it.

The door does not seem to work and then out of no where, the antagonist is seen standing behind Kyle.

Kyle then realises that someone is behind him. He turns round to see the antagonist slowly draw towards him.

KYLE: No, no, no

The antagonist stabs Kyle, which ends his life.

(Scene fades to black)

17. Timeline Planning

Below is a timeline for my film opening.

16. Costumes

Antagonist:                                                   

 Black Coat

The black coat shown above will be used as a cloak for the antagonist as he will hide within it and avoid showing his face to anyone, he will do this by having his hood up. In doing this it allows us to portray a dark personality of the antagonist to the audience and when they see this they will instantly know who it is.

Black Trousers

Sticking with the dark theme for the antagonist, he will also be wearing black trousers. Our decision to make the antagonist wear full black is because the colour black connotes evil which is found on villains. The colour will also allow his clothing to blend in together making him difficult to see when he is hiding.

Black Boots
 

We have chosen to use boots as they make a loud sound when walking. Within our first scene we plan to include a close up of the boots as he approaches the victim, in doing so it will put emphasis on the boots and also show the audience the size of them to show the big, powerful presence the antagonist gives, this would create a sense of fear for the audience. 

Victim

White T-Shirt

For our victim we have decided that he should wear a white t-shirt as it connotes innocence, this is conventional in horror films as the victim is usually innocent. We have also decided to use a white t-shirt as it is something typical to wear when jogging, something that you just pick up and put on, it allows use to make the scene more realistic.

Tracksuit:

Hoodie:

Bottoms

As seen from the two images above it shows the full outfit of the victim. It shows that the victim is out for a jog and again we are trying to show realism. 

15. Locations

Putnoe Woods

The first scene/s will be situated in Putnoe woods. This is a conventional location for a horror film especially when the day gets darker as the scenery changes mood and becomes scary. As you see from the image above, this would be perfect for when we film victim running away from something unknown, this will allow the audience to be kept on edge to find out what the victim is running from. The long path covered with leaves and towered by trees adds into the effect. There are also many smaller paths adjacent to the bigger paths which are full of logs and tree roots, this would come into effect for when the victim trips up.

  

View Larger Map

Above shows the exact location of Putnoe woods, the area with A highlighted near. This was taken from google images and as it is an Ariel view it allows us to see the surroundings thus showing it is slightly secluded and it also shows us how big the woods are and how much we can use.

Abandoned House 

The second scene/s will be filmed in this house, this location is a typical location for a horror film as the house is abandoned it would have no furniture, ruined walls and creak floors with very dim lighting. This has allowed us to use the house to our adventure as we have decided to uses scenes in which the victim is strapped to a chair and eventually escapes from the chair, but the antagonist on the lower floor hears the victim escape, so he finds the victim and kills him. 

14. Prop List

Duct Tape

This will be used as a method to hold the victim down to a chair to be on the antagonist’s hit list. This will stop the victim from escaping and as it is easy to get hold off for the antagonist and as it is also standard everyday product suggests it is his first kill. However, it back fires as it is weak and allows the victim to escape from the chair.

Chair

As stated previously in Duct tape, this will be used to tie the victim down.We will use a old, dirty chair in which the antagonist can get his hands on as it provides realism the to audience as you wouldn't see a killer go out and buy a brand new chair, they would find anything as to use to keep the victim in place.  

Knife:

This will be used as the iconic weapon wielded by the antagonist to finish off their captured victim. The knife will be clean to link to the fact he is a new killer killing his first victim, this could strike fear to the audience as they see a new killer on the streets. Within the first scene the knife will be used as a way to show the victim that the antagonist is after him, signaling him to run away. In the second scene the knife will finally be placed into action as the antagonist will kill off his victim, however this will not be seen by the audience.

Fake Blood

Using fake blood within the film opening allows to show the injuries which occur to the victim when he trips over the log after being chased by the antagonist, this will show realism in our clip without using real blood as fake blood is a perfect alternative, hence the name. This would also show to the audience to the damage the trip conflicted on the victim.