Q7: LOOKING BACK AT YOUR PRELIMINARY TASK, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE LEARNT IN THE PROGRESSION FROM IT TO THE MAIN TASK?

Q6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?




 

Q5: How did you attract and address your audience?

Q4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Q3: What kind of media institutions might distribute your media product and why

Q2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Q1: In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? 

So, the sub-genre we chose to use was a crime-thriller.  We chose this sub-genre because there is plenty of opportunities for suspense, and I believe that using suspense in film can make it more engaging with the audience, one example of a thriller that used suspense to engage it audience is  “Taken”, this thriller used suspense at various points in order  to draw it audience into the film, therefore making it more engaging.

One thriller convention that we used in order to make our opening a crime-thriller,  is we made sure the sound we used created chilling atmosphere as well as using discordant sounds, in order to make it uncomfortable   for the viewer to listen to. We used this effect in the post production because the uncomfortable sounds allowed the audience to feel what the character is feeling in that particular scene.  This is an effect that is commonly used in thrillers  for example the title sequence of “seven” the discordant sound is used as the titles change. We also used the loud discordant sound as in an attempt to fully grasp the audience’s attention when they weren’t expecting it.

One unconventional aspect of our thriller is the fact that we couldn’t obtain low key lighting when filming, this is because the location we used was in a remote area that fitted the narrative, and however it meant the lighting of our scenes was dependant on the particular weather at the time. We couldn’t film at night because we didn’t have access to the correct lighting equipment that would allow use to get clear shots. We ended up shooting on a gloomy Saturday, and I believe this helped the mise en scene of our thriller. Thrillers are well known for having low key lighting because it help keep significations and red hearings within the narrative without giving too much away to the audience, because we couldn’t get low key lighting with our location we attempted to combat this by decreasing the exposer and saturation of shots this gave us darker shots which are commonly used in crime thrillers.

When doing my research I noticed that in thrillers the antagonist is left as an enigma to the audience, so in my opening scene I made sure that the audience identity was kept a secret through the use of particular camera shots for example

These shots only show the audience a small portion of the antagonists’ identity which creates a enigma in my opening scene of who is the antagonist? And why has he kidnapped the girl? These are questions I intend the audience to be asking when watching my opening because I believe having enigmas in a film keeps them interesting and engaging.

During my research I noticed that the narrative of thriller does not always follow your standard todorovs theory, for example most films start with the equilibrium, then disequilibrium and then the attempt to resolve and so on. I noticed that most crime thrillers start with disequilibrium just like in “lucky number sleven”. I wanted to replicate this idea so in my opening I start with two homeless people, living under a bridge and one ends up getting kidnapped, I believe that is an ideal disequilibrium opening. 

Omitted -  FINAL CUT :)
hope you enjoy.

planning and the creation of omitted

So, the first thing we did when we was beginning to plan our thriller was to write down all the elements of a thriller and aspects we wish to meet in our project for example target audience and sub-genre.

We decided to write these ideas and aspects on a big mind map as on overview of the project. the mind map helped us visualise what we are hoping to achieve in the project and the way we are going about the particular film.

We decided to create a time-lapse of our creation of the mind map because I shows the thought process behind the pre-production phase of the thriller opening.

The main aspects that we took from our mind map are:

- sub-genre "crime"

-   target audience 12A

-  rough idea of location

- type of soundtrack to be used

- amount of actors

- editing software going to be used in post-production

- deadline for the whole project  

After we created our mind map of the project as a whole, we then decided to do another one but just for the thriller opening, this helped us decide what the opening is going to be about in smaller details like use of props, amount of actors ect. 

Aspects that we gained from this mind map are;

- name of thriller "omitted"

-amount of actors required

-location of film

-rough idea of a plot

-use of titles

- how we are going to pre-plan the opening (storyboard)

-style of editing

risk assessment for filming
 

Day 1 of filming.   here is my shot list from todays filming, I have advanced it on from my storyboard and felt it was useful in the filming process, during the day of filming, I have adapted a few shots that did not fit but overall the day has been successful.

Screen play -  final edit



OMITTED SCRIPT

Final Draft Screenplay

by

JACK GEARY                                                DIRECTOR:

MAX WIDDOWSON

CASTING:

LUKE SIBERT

LIBBY WIDDOWSON

LIAM MONTGOMERY

OMITTED

1 BRIDGE – DARKNED SKIES/NATURAL LIGHTING

Build tension - relieved here:

Shot of siblings sat underneath bridge with no possessions and little money on the floor. Colours will be darkened in post-production due to high intensity of light currently outside. Both siblings will be in scruffy clothes, and wrapped up to show they are homeless and cold. HEAR: diegetic sound (birds), maybe a little bit of background music, but a subtle tension building song to reflect mood.

LIBBY:          *FOLLOWING IN SHOT/REVERSE SHOT OVER THE SHOULDER*

I’m so hungry. (Hand in face to show bored and depression of the homeless.)

LIAM:

Let me scrape up the change to see how much we’ve got. (Zoom to change to watch close up of picking up of change) We might just have enough for a loaf of bread.

LIBBY:

Well that’s alright.

LIAM:

Right, I’ll see what I can do. (Standing up whilst talking and moving off from under bridge)

LIBBY:

Don’t be too long. (Stern expression in voice)

LIAM:

I won’t, I’ll be back in two minutes.

2 CAR – LOWKEY LIGHTING

HEAR: Car before we see Luke driving down the road in red car in typical suburban/rural area. Cut to external pan of the car pull up and cross-cut back to first shot. Close up shot to internal mirror of car. (Luke puts on balaclava) Move to previous shot. (Luke leaves the car and walks in front of the car)

3 PATH – BRIGHTER YET GREYED COLOURS

SEE: Handheld shots of Luke walking along path, hear non-diegetic sounds and building tension score. Cut to girl underneath bridge. Bridge sounds with discordant distorted sounds. Repeatedly cut between the two scenes.

4 BRIDGE – DARKENED AND GREY COLOURS

See: Cross cut between 3 montage steps towards the girl. Eye-line shot from girl’s perspective and Luke approaching. Switch to eye-line shot of Luke’s perspective and speed up shot as he approaches her (Sound becomes increasingly more discordant as he approaches).

-CUT TO BLACK-

5 TITLES

Following are location shots with relevant opening titles. Colours switch opposite hue as titles are revealed. Soundtrack will be mysterious and suit the genre of thriller.

Omitted last title in sequence, large bass thud as shown on screen.

-CUT TO BLACK-

creation of our ident

every great film company has that one distinctive ident, the little sequence you see in the first minute of any film. I decided that I would like to create one as well, to make my overall opening look professional. so, me and Jack decided that in order to get the best looking ident we must use after effects. I have never used after effects before other than the practice task, (which is shown in my earlier blogs) however I wanted to make sure I have got the skill I need to help create this ident.

The first thing I had to do was to create a name for our production company. after many pointless and stupid names later I came across "Novus" which means "new" in Latin. I decided that that was a suitable name for our production and began to create the ident
Because I did not have the skills to create an ident straight away I watched numerous video's on how use after effects, these videos really did help me through the process.
in the end of hours of editing and tutorials me and jack created this ident.
enjoy.

 

filming location


I had an idea of what I wanted my location to look like before I found it. I set out to find an abandoned house in an remote area however this was not possible because we had to seek permission to enter the abandoned house. I decided that  a substitute for the house would be bridge that the homeless character could keep shelter under. I wanted to use a remote area because it highlights the vulnerability of the two homeless characters. here are the photographs I took on the day of looking for the locations.

 

storyboarding!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

screen play

screen play is a very import aspect of film productions, it is effectively the starting point of pre production and acts as a navigator throughout the film making process. screen play is a script of the film which includes details of camera shot, mise en scene as well as actor instructions.

For our thriller opening,  we are going use a script to make so that there is a clear direct to be achieved when we are out filming.  this will make filming easier and hopefully highlight any issues that may occur. The actors that we have hired will have a copy of the script so they have a good understanding of the plot and they know there roles. we hope to replicate a similar format to the jaws script as this was an effective script in the pre-production phase when masking jaws.  

Defining your audience

 Audience themes

 

 

For our opening scene I think that the most suitable theme for "omitted" is the personal relationship because I believe there will be emotional factors that will connect with the audience, this is because our opening scene intends to have a homeless girl kidnapped, whilst her brother is away scavenging for food.

I think that our opening scene links with the audience theme of surveillance, because in our opening scene we want to show the harsh living conditions that homeless people have to withstand day in and day out, such as venerability and the cold winter weather.

 

After effects practice

I have never used after effects before so I decided to build my technical skills in this area because I think it could be useful in post-production. I followed tutorials from youtube, which helped me understand the basics of after effects. This is the short video I created. Enjoy.




This is one of the tutorials that helped me create my video.

Focus group - media audiences

As a last check to see if our target audience is suitable for our plot, we held a focus group which was aimed to see if there will be any implications that may occur with our target audience. we have taken the feedback from the group and have made adjustments to our plot/target audience.

lighting practice 

Lighting a crucial part of film production, it can effect the way the audience interpretations of a scene or maybe even a genre, so i believe that getting lighting done the most efficiently as possible will help me achieve a top grade in thriller opening. therefore I have decided to practice this particular skill.

Here are the following lighting types that I practised;

 High-key lighting
high key lighting is when there is a large proportion of fill lighting, this can enhance the sense of liveliness and intensify the intensity of a situation. high-key lighting is commonly used in comedies and dramas.

Three point lighting
Three point lighting is made up of three different lighting types: fill, key and back lighting. these 3 lights all come together to make three point lighting. the key light aims directly on the subject/ objective of shot. the fill light is a softer brightness and is usually placed opposite the key light. finally, the back light shines behind the subject/object which separates them from the background.

Key lighting
key lighting is a mixture of lo key and high key lighting, it is commonly used to give a realistic effect the a modern day scenario

Natural lighting 
Natural lighting is simply the light that is given from the sun, this can vary due to the time of the day and environment. there is no use of artificial light.

so, we decided to change our idea...... I believe that this new idea has the starting basis to be a successful thriller opening and I as a director will feel more comfortable directing our new idea on the basis that it has a more engaging narrative and will allow use to showcase our media talent.


Working Title: Omitted

Film Genre: Crime/Conspiracy Thriller

Film Length: 1hr 25 minutes

Target Audience: 16-50

Tag Line: ‘Are you really safe alone?’ ‘How far can you go?’ ‘Regret?’

Story Synopsis: A homeless brother and sister are forced out of their home and end up living in an abandoned house. The brother goes off to get necessities whilst the sister remains eating porridge trying to get warm. There are parallel edits to show a build of tension in return of the brother to where the sister is taken.

Further inquests post opening would tell the story around how the brother gets his sister back, discussing and plotting this revenge working backwards.

Visual Realisation: Low key lighting, alongside grey skies and bare trees to represent the winter to relate to the hardship that the homeless face. Some scenes will be light with eerie filters to show the unsettled moods. Darker when reflecting in woods for the kidnap scenes. A tinged filter would work especially well here. Varied camera angles will be used to show an unsettled mood in parallel edit, to a light shop where the homeless man is, crossing to the arrival of the car. Sounds – diegetic in homeless scenes to highlight the action and things they do, and discordant whilst at the kidnap scene.

Statement of Intent: A crime crossed conspiracy thriller that involves a kidnap. The brothers search through will tell the story, however will involve red herrings to open the audience to perception and meanings, away from the original story line. The audience will care for the entertainment and the aim is to deceive them into to actually believing it is true, whilst being sympathetic, highlighting social issues, like homelessness in this film. This is a film as instead of waiting weeks to encounter the true story, and it is easily to reflect back to the start, whereas in a television drama this may be hard to do.

What If?’ Premise: What if a brother can trust his own absence for 10 minutes? A young girl, a sister has been omitted for no known reason, or is it? The story may lead to a switch in the last moments, whilst the kidnap leads them with clues to different directions. Could it be for the fun? What if the homeless are more powerful than we think?

Audience Appeal: Initially, the intended audience would have to be of suitable age since as kidnap takes place in it, therefore would be for more mature audiences. However, to be accessed by a larger audience, the film could be accessed by 15’s upwards to give opportunity for wide audience views as there is no explicit language or graphic images used. Large amounts of details and images shows the film isn’t appropriate for anyone who is not mature and capable of dealing with such concepts, such as kidnap, therefore 15 upwards. I have chosen not to rate this 18 upwards as the film does not feature any gore. This would be accessible by anyone no matter their age, gender, or ethnicity, and is purely for entertainment, whilst making the audience think at the same time.

BBFC - regulations





 what is the BBFC?

British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/ DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984.

 

U Universal – Suitable for all

A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over, although it is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child.
U films should be set within a positive framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror. If a work is particularly suitable for pre-school children, this will be indicated in the BBFC insight.

PG Parental Guidance

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Unaccompanied children of any age may watch, but parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.

12A/12 – Suitable for 12 years and over

Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. To help them decide, we recommend that they check the BBFCinsight for that film in advance. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work.

 

15 – Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a 15 rated video work.

 

18 – Suitable only for adults

No one younger than 18 may see an 18 film in a cinema. No one younger than 18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video work. Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment.


 "dusk" -  classification
The classification for "dusk" I believe it to be a BBFC 15, because it matches our mass audience of 15 -50 and the opening is set to have a theme of abduction/kidnapping, which may be distressing towards a younger audience. there will also be a theme of violence towards a younger character this, means that the audience must have a sense of maturity in order to not be upset by the distressing scene.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my preliminary evaluation video for "death row".