Final Production

Production Title Two

Production title one

This production company took some time to create - drawing inspiration from after effects tutorials on the internet and being undeceive with the text.

Diary entry One

Diary entry one:

I started on creating the first production company title, Pixelmania studios. While creating, I decided that after watching tutorials on youtube - which were these:
 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYkqC9uI8Nc) - glitch
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpmFiC5JtG8&t=356s) - cinematic intro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZlVS9hM6M) - colour grading
After watching these, I felt inspired to start creating a glitch intro. I decided that the best way to do this is to follow the tutorial, and then change it after so I also gain the knowledge behind it. I might also add in some extra effects yet - we shall see how well it goes.

Video Film Opening - Idea Update

For filming the start scene, I decided that I want to use a dark room with a table in. I will set up the tripod to get a nice shot overlooking the protagonist's shoulder. There will also be a second taking of the scene - but with the camera moved to the right of the protagonist. This will get a nice match-on-action shot to relate to my prelim task. The dark will also help sell it as mise en scene.
I think that I will have one character in my opening, as it helps to convey the loneliness of the character and how isolated they feel. This way, there will also be no dialogue - leaving body language as the only emotive give-away.
The narrative of the opening would be along the lines of the protagonist, who is shown as a rebel against society and rules, is infiltrating a building which looks important and industrial. I like this idea as it relates to the current political in the UK and the USA - the people are clearly divided between being for the government and against the government. I wanted to incorporate this feeling into a film - thus exaggerating the situation that we currently exist in. It works as people can relate to it, people will start to question how far away we are from that.
Titles wise, I want to animate them, maybe onto the industrial building. This will show off my technical expertise on after effects as well as adding depth into the scene by including moving text which is tracked onto a pipe, for example.

model release form

Costuming planning

This was a collage I found which seemed to relate quite well to what I wanted to achieve - however it seemed too over the top. The actual costume wise, this is not 100% ideal and will not fit the scenes. the makeup from this is probably a winner, as it ties in to the rebellious youth.

I personally think this outfit fits the target audience, but does not fit the context that the films will be created for. It is to based on making a fashion statement, and it would be restrictive for combat and planting bombs, so this outfit will be avoided. The plugs and badge is in the right direction though.

This does not look like it would work out so well for multiple reasons. The costume itself is straying away from the original audience, as well as it is not optimal for the combat side of things again - however it is more casual and you would blend in more - acting as a more passive resistor in the rebellious youth but as the protagonist is an active, violent resistor - this outfit would not work out.

After looking arrond, the inconspicuous full black casual seems to work much better as it seems normal, cheap, and allows the protagonist who will not have a lot of money or resources, to blend in better and complete the story arc better. The hood would probably be down, to compliment the dark lighting just so it won't be pitch black.

Doc martens are a common brand among the youth, more specifically, my audience of the youth. This works perfectly as they are similar to combat boots, but they are not super heavy or do not have un-needed decal to keep them low profile.

I kept everything very black and mysterious for multiple reasons. One of these reasons is to keep it gender neutral. This is important for my opening as I want the female protagonist, but I decided to break the stereotype of a typical woman in a film. She is a powerful character and therefore seems more masculine - keeping the clothing more neutral helps to not make her seem 100% masculine.

3 Point Lighting

http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/ - this website taught me about 3 point lighting. for 3 point lighting, you need a main light, which is to create a good focus on one side of somebody - casting shadows across the other side of their face, the second light is a fill light, which is a weak version of the main light. this is normally combined with more of a flood light from the fill light instead of bright - detail picking light. Finally for the 3 point light, there is a backlight - which will compliment the main light to light up that side of the character full, and creating a bigger sense of depth with the shadows.

Cinematography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1KJOKiRfBc

Establishing shots (ES):

These shots connect the audience with the location that the events are unfolding in. This allows the audience to have the background information required to know what is happening with more depth. the deep focus that has been used also lets the user to gain more information from the shot. One could also comment that

Extreme Close Up (ECU):

As this shot focuses on a very specific object or part of a person - it has a very specific meaning linked to it. For example, if it is an ECU of somebody's eyes, this can show an extreme emotion such as fear or anger. It allows the audience to get a stronger connection with the character or associated object.

Wide Shot (WS):

 These shots focus more on the background, and thus imply a certain emotion towards what is in said background. The portraits hanging on the wall, with the gun next to them implies the family is in danger. The character within the scene does not show much importance apart from body language, which can show how the actor is behaving in the scene.

Close up (CU):

 A close up is a feature which is like the lesser form of an extreme close up - it allows the audience to focus on one element but not in the extreme. For example, in this shot there is a man loading a gun. As it is a close up this can show the link between the man and the weapon, giving a sense of anger or fear.

 Long Shot (LS):

A long shot establishes the whole character with some of the background on show. This can be used to link the character to the background - but in a lesser way then a wide shot does. It can also be used to show the distance between the character and their surroundings.

It is also notable to mention how the framing is used in this opening. There is a lot of closed frame shots - suggesting that the people inside the house are trapped with the one who is focused on in the intro - however this could also be flipped as there is no implicit meaning.

Primary Audience Research

Research into a Potential Target Audience - Secondary Research

http://business.pearlanddean.com/films_guide_details/7589/blair-witch
https://yougov.co.uk/profileslite#/

Blair witch

This is the film details for Blair witch which hit cinemas a couple of months ago. This is near on exactly what we are expecting to get as the genre is a horror and has thriller elements involved. For horror, the gender gap between male and female is rather small with only of a  60% male audience. The most prominent class to go and see this movie is the lower middle class. This can show that the lower middle class like these sorts of films the most, and again can accommodate for this. All of these data sets shows that I need to put this under a lot of consideration when creating the finished product as it is close to my film idea. However, the demographics on the yougov website states that 40-54 year old males of the social grade C2DE would watch it instead. This does not fall in line with pearl and dean, but this could be because it took a sample of 65 people for the data - where as the pear and dean one had a much higher sample for it's data.

This is the film details for a film called split, which is Near the Horror genre as it is a thriller. the gender gap between male and female is slightly higher then Blair Witch - resting the male audience at 67%. This can be down to a multitude of factors - such as it only being a thriller. The most prominent class to go and see this movie is again the lower middle class. This can also show that the lower middle class like the thriller side to films the most, as Blair Witch also has thriller elements involved. These data sets shows that I need to put this under a fair amount of consideration when creating the finished product as it is somewhat close to my film idea. 

 This is the film details for a film called Patient Zero. It is within our genre of horror, but mixes in action and drama into the film, which varies the data which we recieve. the gender gap between male and female is similar to Split, having a 65% male audience. The most prominent class to go and see this movie is yet again the lower middle class. This can show that the lower middle class like horrors most, and again can accommodate for this. All of these data sets shows that I need to put this under a lot of consideration when creating the finished product as it is close to my film idea. 

 This is the film details for a film called Resident Evil 6. It is within the horror genre but also mixes in action and Sci-Fi. the gender gap between male and female is larger with a 72% male audience. The most prominent class to go and see this movie is still the lower middle class. I will hold these results into consideration, but as I am not filming in the action or sci-fi genre - it will not be overly useful to me.

The age group data shown in all four of the data sets gives me a clear indication that I will be catering towards People of the age of 15-24, I will be mainly aiming at the lower middle class so some lower middle class representation will help the film sell. It is also ovbious that the male audience is slightly higher then the female audience - allowing me to accurately know who my audience is. To describe the average person from the target audience would to be as follows: "Compassionate, unflappabe, and geeky" but "miserable, neurotic, and boorish" - with the general interests being "religion and spirituality".

Research into institutions that distribute similar products

Research into institutions that distribute similar products

Institutions which distributed Deadpool

20th Century Fox -  http://www.imdb.com/company/co0105985/?ref_=ttco_co_4 (accessed on 11/12/16)

other films that 20th Century Fox distributed:

Miss peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935859/
 Xmen: Apocalypse http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/
The Martain - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/
Maze Runner - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790864/
The Book Of Life - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2262227/
A Good Day to Die Hard - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606378/
We Bought A Zoo - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1389137/
Vampires Suck - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1666186/

Mise-En-Scene

What is mise-en-scene?

Mies-En-Scene is everything that is included with each scene. It includes the props and costumes, decor, lighting and even body language. All these are classed as mise-en-scene because they present a meaning to the audience. 

Props give a huge message to the audience and can be linked in with the costume. For example if a character was a nurse or surgeon, the mise-en-scene we would see is them in scrubs, as well as  carrying a stethoscope. Furthermore, this might not only suggest their occupation and location, but also the type of person they are. For example a nurse you would expect to be caring and nurturing. In addition, it can show stereotypes of ages - such as with old people you would expect them to wear glasses, have wrinkles and own many old things.

Decor can symbolize a lot to the audience about the person who owns the house, or its occupants. It can suggest how the person is living, how the person behaves and how the person treats and interacts the environment around them. For example when it comes tot he housing we can get ideas based on what kind of person they are. Through bright color scheme we can assume it is a considerably happy family home, compared to a muted color scheme creating the negative atmosphere. We can also get the impression if a family is struggling through life especially with money or work by whether the house is organized. An organized home can suggest that this person has there life together and working. This compared to a disorganized one can suggest stress and struggling to make ends meet.
  
Setting and location help give hidden meanings through associations with a specific area, for example Paris being linked to romance and lust - and therefore will most likely be related to romance films. In contrast, it can also present how a character is living. This can be like cobbled streets and Terrance housing used in soaps such as Eastenders or Coronation Street. This can show a person being in the working class sector and could possibly be supporting a family. It can also suggest closeness of the people who live in the area based on the attached houses. This compared to areas such as Buckinghamshire it gives a clear message that the character will have a lot of money and afford privileges which most simply cannot. In addition, it can also suggest someone can be quite snobby and uptight towards others, as that is the stereotype for richer people.

Lighting is one of the most powerful elements in a scene, able to portray emotion on a level which nothing else can. High key lighting washes the scene with light - making the entire scene bright and this leads to connotations of happiness and a very relaxed environment. On the other hand, low-key lighting creates a tense atmosphere as there are both light and dark areas on frame, which is especially good for horror as it allows the watcher to interpret the dark how they wish. 

Body language can show a lot about a character, including their personality and how they deal with different situations. body language allows the viewer to get a raw glimpse of emotion from the character - which in total builds a connection towards that character depending on how they react to certain situations.

initial Title Research

Initial Title Research

Guardians of the galaxy

0:15 - Marvel Studios presents
0:18 -  James Gunn film
0:23 - Chris Pratt
0:27 - Zoe Saloana
0:31 - Dave Bautista
0:35 - Featuring Vin Diesel as groot
0:41 - Bradley Cooper as Rocket
0:44 - Lee Pace
0:49 - Michael Rooker
0:54 - Karen Gillan
1:03 - Djimon Hounsou
1:15 - with John C. Reilly
1:20 - With Glenn Close as Nova Prime
1:24 - and Benico Del Toro as The Collecter
1:29 - Laura Haddock,  Sean Gunn
1:34 - Peter Serafinowicz, Christopher Fairbank
2:25 - Guardians Of The Galaxy
2:32 - Casting by Sarah Halley Finn, C.S.A
2:35 - Music supervisor Dave Jordan
2:39 - Music by Tyler Bates
2:44 - Visual Effects Producer Susan Pickett
2:47 - Visual Effects Supervisor Stephane Ceretti
2:51 - Costume Designer Alexandria Byrne
2:54 - Edited by Fred Raskin, Craig Wood (ACE), Hughes Winborne (ACE)
2:59 - Production Design Charles Wood
3:03 - Director Of Photography Ben Davis (BSC)
3:08 - Co-Producers David J. Grant, Jonathan Schwartz
3:11 - Exclusive Producers Nik Korda, Stan Lee
3:16 - Exclusive Producers Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham
3:21 - Executive Producer Alan Fine
3:30 - Exclusive Producer Louis D'esposito
3:34 - Produced by Kevin Feige (p.g.a)
3:41 - written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman
3:48 - Directed by James Gunn

34 titles were used in this, as this is the first one I have analysed I am not sure if this is a normal amount or not.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

0:10 - Mike Myers
0:20 - Austin Powers International Man Of Mystery
0:25 - Elizabeth Hurley
0:36 - Michael York
0:52 - Mimi Rogers
1:03 - Robert Wagner
1:10 - Seth Green, Fabiana Udenio
1:20 - Mindy Sterling, Paul Dillon, Charles Napier
1:30 - Casting by John Papsidera
1:40 - Music by George S. Clinton
1:50 - Costumes Designed by Leena Appel
2:06 - Editor Debra Neil-Fisher
2:47 - Production Designer Cynthia Charette
2:51 - Director of Photography Peter Deming
3:09 - Executive Producers Eric McLeod, Claire Rudnick Polstein
3:13 - Produced by Suzanne Todd, Demi Moore, Jennifer Todd, Mile Myers
3:36 - Written by Mike Myers
3:42 - Directed by Jay Roach

There are only 18 titles in this opening. There could be multiple reasons for this, including that Austin Powers is an older film - meaning that there was less of a dedicated team towards producing it. Guardians of the Galaxy had a budget of $195.9 million, whereas Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery had a budget of $16.5 million. This is an immense amount of money difference - even considering how the value of the dollar has changed over time. This can also indicate that the film industry is a much larger and is taken more seriously then it used to be.

The Dark Knight

0:08 - Warner Bros. Pictures presents

0:15 - In Association With Legendary Pictures

0:22 - A Syncopy Production

0:33 - A Christopher Nolan Film

0:40 - Christian Bale

0:44 - Michael Caine

0:49 - Heath Ledger

0:54 - Gary Oldmann  

1:00 - Maggie Gyllenhall 

1:03 - Aaron Eckhart

1:08 - And Morgan Freeman

1:13 - Music By Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard

1:18 - Production Designer Nathan Crowley

1:23 - Story By David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan

1:28 - Screenplay By Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan

1:33 - Produced By Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan

1:38 - Based upon Batman characters created by Bob Kane

1:43 - Directed by Christopher Nolan

 153 - The Dark Knight

Genre Research

The definition of horror is "An intense feeling of fear, shock or disgust."
Thriller usually is pivoting around the fact that the protagonist and the antagonist are in some sort of battle - and the antagonist usually is shrouded in mystery. Protagonist usually is the one trying to restore the equilibrium in the thriller, while the antagonist tries to destroy it.

Examples of horror movies in general:

The Shining
The Blair Witch Project
Halloween

Examples of movies in the thriller sub-section:

The Silence of the lambs
The Others
the dark knight
Olympus has fallen

Key components:

Usually revolves around the antagonist murdering the main team which is with the protagonist.
usually there is some warning about the horrors ahead, but are ignored because  the protagonist and their team are usually ironically stupid.
In some there are serial killers, which are usually insane// ridden with mental illness which makes them see things or hear things which are not actually there.
Death of innocent is usually a strong theme.
Ominous soundtrack, creating new layer of tension.
Can link in to supernatural and sci-fi very easally.

Conventions of a horror movie:

Blood is common.
The films play with the fight or flight instinct - so jumpscares are common in most horrors.
Shadows everywhere - low key lighting.
Black and White shots
Protagonist is always a step behind of the antagonist.
Quick cuts everywhere

Prelim Production

After I had finished the preliminary, I learnt a great deal about how to organise the extras, for example in the prelim they were talking fast and it made it a real pain to edit it properly to make it seem natural. The preliminary allowed me to recap about the basics of premiere pro as I had become rusty after not using it for a long time. It also allowed me to learn about essential cinematography skills and how to properly record good scenes with the camera. When I do the actual work later on - I will be sure to make sure that all dialogue is slow and easy to work with, but not monologue so it loses the viewers attention. I have also consolidated the ability to draft out plans, and follow then through accordingly.
 This is the final prelim video:
 

Video prelim

Shot reverse Shot -one character looking at another character who is probably off set - and then the camera switches to the PoV of the other character when they reply.

180 degree rule - the camera stays within a 180 degree arc to maintain the rule of two characters maintaining the same left/right relationship to each other.

Match on Action - this is a form of editing where the editor decides to cut scenes with different camera positions which still look like the scene is fluid, for example a character walking up to the door then the camera changes when they push the door open.

Continuity editing  - the purpose of continuity editing to make the transition between shots seem coherent.

This is the storyboard for the preliminary.

Chosen Brief

Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.

All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.