Evaluation Question 7

We have built on our skills since filming our prelim task a few months ago. The main things we have improved on are the quality of our shots and continuity. Also we have broadened our range of shots to keep the audience engaged in the sequence.

Because we researched other opening sequences related to the one we were creating we were able to see that having a range of shots and good continuity was key in creating a successful movie. 

180 degree rule 

We used the 180 degree rule in our prelim task during the interview between Georgia and Andrea, to ensure the film maintained continuity. However in our main task, it was not required to use it and we didn't have a need to. 

Shot/reverse shot

In our prelim task we used shot/reverse shot during our conversation between Georgia and Andrea, however once again in our main task it was not necessary. 

Match on action 

We used this in our prelim to show Georgia opening the door in the close up of the door handle. This emphsised that she was opening the door. However in our main task we didn't use it. 

In our prelim task we used many shots including: 

A close up -

 In our prelim we used a close up to highlight a specific event. In this case it was opening a door.

However in our opening sequence we learnt that we could also use a close up to emphasise the character's facial expressions, conveying their emotions more clearly to the audience.

Long shot:

 Here in our prelim task we used a long shot to show the character entering a building, it was used to show the character in full length and also her surroundings. This shot allowed the audience to familiarise themselves with the environment in which the character was in and also follow the story easier.

In our sequence we also used a long shot to show the character in her surroundings and give the audience more insight into what was going on. 

Upward and Downward shot: 

 We used this upward shot to convey the point of view of the interviewer. She was sitting down and looking up at the character at the time so we wanted the camera to be facing up to show this.

In our sequence we used a downward shot for the same purpose, but this time to convey the point of view of the forensic photographer. As the victim lay dead on the floor, we wanted the camera to be facing downwards, so that the audience felt almost as if they were taking the pictures themselves. 

Editing 

We didn't use any special effects in our prelim task, therefore we decided to include some in our main task to improve the quality of our sequence and also keep the audience entertained and engaged. 

 In this shot we changed the contrast and blurred the focus slightly to emphasise that this shot was the point of view of the stalker. We used this in contrast with a normal focus to make the point of view of the stalker stand out.








This shot was also in the point of view of the stalker. however we added slow motion to it to emphasise the threat of the stalker and the danger she now faced.

In these snap shots of the dead body, we used camera flashes to show it was the photograph being taken. 

We have realised how important it is to use special effects because without them the sequence would have been dull and it wouldn't have used the conventions of a typical crime-thriller. 

Andrea Gonzalez, Georgia Feyi-Waboso & Claudia Zeppetella 

Evaluation Task 6

Here we have Georgia with a tripod, that we used to hold the camera steady during filming, we used it in order to stop the camera shaking, we were able to use it at a tall height, or by shortening the legs we could use it a shorter height.
We did encounter some problems during the time we used the tripod as we were given one that was broken, therefore the camera was not stable.

Here we have Andrea with the camera, we learnt how to use the camera properly finding out we could zoom in and zoom out, we also found out that we could add a boxed image through out the filming.
During out filming, we were able to use the pause, re-wind and forward to ensure all parts of the opening sequence were in the right order. We did have difficulties at this stage as we realized that some of our work had been deleted as we had taped over it, therefore we had to re-film it again.

Here we have Georgia and Andrea in the background, we learnt how to use the mac to its full potential, we learn how to edit our footage of our opening sequence to ensure our shots were in the right order, the right timing.
We were able to add non-diegetic and diegetic sounds to our sequence and edit scenes using i-movie HD.
We encountered some problems during the process of editing as some shots were hard to merge with others.

This is the programme  i-movie HD. We used this to edit our footage and merge the shots with others, it was also used to ensure the timing of the shots were in order.
We used this programme to add diegetic sounds in order to fit with the shots.






What we learnt about using this technology is that it doesn't always co operate, and somethings we just couldn't do with it. But for the most part we learnt how to add sound and special effects to help create a great movie.


Andrea Gonzalez & Georgia Feyi-Waboso

Evalution Task 3 - Our Voiceover

Voiceover Script:

Georgia:
A film production company such as ‘Lions Gate Entertainment’ would be an appropriate media institution to distribute our media product. This production company has produced well known thrillers such as ‘American Psycho’, ‘Saw’, ‘Hostel’ and ‘Monsters Ball’, these films all have a similar target market and are based around the thriller and drama genre, making this production company suitable for the film that we would be trying to create.

The production company recently changed its name from ‘Lion’s Gate’ to one word ‘Lionsgate’. This represents the ongoing unification of the Company's diversified motion picture, television, home entertainment, family entertainment, documentary film, music publishing and video-on-demand businesses into a single, highly recognizable brand. However the Company's official legal name of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. remains unchanged.

The logo for Lionsgate is simple black writing in block capitals, amongst a great beam of light and a bed of clouds. This is to represent the company as breaking through in their film productions and bringing a different light into the media industry.

Andrea:
The role of a production company is to be responsible for the actual production of new media, film, or a television program. The company may also be directly responsible for raising funds or funding the production themselves, however they may receive funds from outside investors.

A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either for cinematic purposes or for home viewing. A distributor may do this directly, if the distributor owns the cinema theaters or distribution networks, or through theatrical exhibitors and other sub-distributors.  A film distributer will gain a lot of profit from distributing films, and also build a respectable reputation.

If our film was being produced by a well-established production company such as Lionsgate then they would be able to fund our film by reinvesting some of the profit they have made previously and putting it into the creation of our film. However if we were producing the film ourselves then we would have to look for finance from investors or sponsors. 

Claudia: 
An example of this would be if we went to a company such as Apple, and agree to include their products in our film in the form of an ipod and iphone or a Mac in return for financing our film. This would benefit the company, as it is a form of advertisement for them and could be cheaper than their usual conventional ways.  Another example of investment would be going to a wealthy investor or company asking for money to finance the film in return for a share of any profits that the film would make. 

In our film we have included the name of the director and actors, as we had a small team of only 3 people, all of us acted as members of the crew aswell, and we also produced the film ourselves.

Our film is similar to crime thrillers such as ‘Monster’ (2002) and ‘Panic Room’ out opening sequence s similar to these films because ‘Monster’ has a female serial killer, that commits a number of murders due to her own personal anger at men. The films ends in an investigation similar to the one featured in our sequence. ‘Panic Room is also similar to our sequence as it about men breaking into a woman’s house; it involves murders, which again is similar to our sequence.

Andrea Gonzalez, Georgia Feyi-Waboso and Claudia Zeppetella 

Evaluation Activity 5

    

Andrea Gonzalez & Georgia Feyi-Waboso

Evaluation Activity 4

The target audience for our media product would be teenagers who like the crime/horror genre. Young teenagers can relate to the girl being stalked in our film as they would be around the same age and it has taken place in modern day surroundings.     

We have chosen this photo to represent the target audience. She would shop in high street shops such as:

Where she shops and the way she dresses also reflect that she is an ordinary girl as she isn't wearing extravagant clothing and shopping in up market shops.

Teenagers are stereotyped because of the way they dress, the music they listen to and perhaps even were they live. Where most teenagers will listen to the same music, for example the music in the charts, there will be a minority of teenagers who have a different taste in genre. This can also reflect their personalities.

The teenager pictured above is representing an ordinary and simple girl so the music genres she would listen to is the music that's in the charts. For example the following artists and genres:

Genres 

-Rock & Pop

-Pop

-Dance & Electronica

-RnB

-Rock & Indie

-Pop & Chart

Artists

-Bruno Mars

-Adele

-Jessie J

-Rihanna

-Drake

-JLS

-Katy B

Their favorite TV programme could be something that is related to our genre such as 

This is a crime scene investigation programme and so fits in really well with our film as at then end of the opening sequence you are left with the establishing shot of the crime scene. 

Also she would watch the TV programmes that other teenagers are watching such as:

Claudia Zeppetella

Evaluation of film

Evaluation Activity 1

The title of the film

We decided to have a very simple title page because we thought it had more of an effect on the audience. The white simple font stands out against the black background and because of the way it blends in and out it adds a sense of a shadow, for example this can relate to the 'stalker' in the film.If the title page was very colourful and full of images the audience wouldnt take the storyline seriously, which is why its as simple as possible. I think it is more effective to have the title half way through the film because it builds up suspense as you gain a sense of what the film is going to be about and the title reflects what the first few minutes show.


Setting/location-

The film sequence had 4 main locations:

-Train stations

-Train

-Road to house

-House

The locations of a film are the most important part to the film as they add to the whole effect that the film is trying to portray. The reason why we chose to film on a train station and on a train because not only does it show time passing by, but also a train is the most common place where you are likely to meet strangers as the passengers are different every journey you go on. It was hard filming on a train as the fact that the train was constantly moving made the camer shake when i had to film the handheld shots. It was tricky to get the right angle as you would get the reflection of the camera in the window opposite. Also we dont tell the audience were the train is travelling to, this also adds an element of surprise to the film as the audience dont know were she is heading.

The roads that lead to the house were really good to shoot as it was just the one shot but you get alot captured in them, for instance you see the worry on georgias face as she walks past the camera. The long shot makes the journey seem longer as we also filmed her coming round the corner.

I think the most effective shot of the film is when georgia walks into darkeness , into the house. Also because previosuly we see the stalker staring at georgia from inside the house the audience is worried and it builds up suspense as you cant see were she is going and what will happen to her.

Costumes and Props-

Costumes and props used:

Girl- Everyday wear, so she looked casual and ordinary so young girls can relate themselves with her.

Stalker- Black glove, we thought it would be a good idea that the identity of the stalker remained unknown which is hy we decided to only show the hand. Also black leather gloves are seen alot in crime related films so criminals can cover up their finger prints and tracks. This fits perfectly with our genre, as the stalker doesnt want to get caught for killing the girl.

Detective-  The detectives outfit is a plain black trouser suit, so she looked formal and professional. We didnt want to use an old fashioned detectives coat as we wanted the detective to fit in with our modern day film.

Crime Scene Tape- The crime scene tape was used to make the crime scene look effective and realistic. In fact i think it works very well in the final scene where it is a close of up of the tape blowing in the wind. The yellow really stands out against the background.

Costumes and Props are important conventions of an opening sequence as if they were not used the opening sequence would be plain and boring and would not engage the audience successfully.

Claudia Zeppetella

Evaluation Activity 2

This screen print shows a character from the film 'The Strangers'. This character is being watched by the man behind her in a mask, yet she does not know. This is similar to the second screen shot of the victim in our opening sequence who is also being watched and is unaware of this and the fact that he will later harm her in some way.

It is also similar as in both situations both characters privacy is being invaded, as the antagonists have broken into their houses with the intent of causing distress to the character. 

Both characters are female which makes them more vulnerable in the eyes of the audience, this point is emphasized  as both identities of the antagonists are hidden. 

The audience automatically assume that they are men, as men are seen as 'overpowering' and the 'stronger sex' in everyday society. 

Both women are dressed casually, which presents the situation that they have no idea of what is about to happen. 

The differences in the characters are that their age group is different. In 'The Strangers' the character is an adult, however in 'Stalking in Suburbia' she is an adolescent. 

The other difference is the setting of the character, as one film is based in America and the other is in the United Kingdom. 

Andrea Gonzalez , Georgia Feyi-Waboso and Claudia Zeppetella. 

Our opening Sequence: Stalking In Suburbia

Evaluation Activity 1

Genre and how the opening suggests it
The opening of the sequence is presented with an imediate idea of the twist of the sequence. We firstly see the train approaching, which is quite a long shot, by doing so it builds tension from the start, usually a crime fiction sequence begins a simple opening such as Se7en with ticking clocks. The opening of the sequence instantly shows that the genre as the audience can see its from someone's point of view, which establishes a 'stalking' and 'unormal observation'.

How characters are introduced
This picture shows the victime being approached by the stalker on the train by stroking the side of her face. As any person would be, the victim is shocked and scared and runs of the train. This instantly gives the audience an idea of what the sequence is about, but leaves in question 'Who is the stalker'. The victim that is played by Georgia Feyi-Waboso shoe an instant reaction to the frightening behaviour of the stalker and so is presented to straight away want to escape the situation.

Special Effects 
Some special effects are used in this shot, as it gives the audience an instance point of view from the actual stalker, effects used were made to seem as if there was a blurred vision, as well as a slow motion pace to create an effect to seem like the stalker, was under the influence of any sort of drug or had a mental problem which make people act in an unreasonable manner.

By Andrea Gonzalez

Evaluation Question 1

Camerwork and Editing

This screenshot shows a close up of the 'Crime Scene-Do Not Enter' Tape. This shows a typical convention of an opening sequence becasue it is introducing the situation. The situation being that a murder has taken plcae, and an investigation will now follow, ending in a conclusion.

Title Font and Style

This shows the simple white font on a black background. The reason it is so simple is to cause an effect. This is also a convention os a crime thriller opening sequence as the audience know what the film is going to be about even though the titles are so simple.

Story and How the Opening Sets it Up

This screen shot shows the character running in haste and fear from the unknown killer. This is  convention of a crime thriller as the audience now know that the unknown character that is now a real threat. This lets the audience know that somehow the unknown character will harm or try to harm the victim or that there will soon be an encounter with the two.

Georgia Feyi-Waboso

Deciding on Costumes and Props.

When brainstorming our sequence we thought of characters and costumes would be associated with a crime thriller genre. We came up with:
Detective - Long coat/suit/chewing gum
Police Man - Police uniform
Forensic  Team - White protective suits/possibly face masks or goggles
Victim - Casual clothes

Next we researched these outfits:

DETECTIVE



We thought this costume was too dated for the type of sequence we were trying to create, and wanted something more modern. As a long coat and magnifying class like this is more associated with the Sherlock Holmes era.



We were leaning more towards this look of a long coat and suit combo underneath.
Columbo was a great influence on the detective outfit we chose. Although our detective in out sequence was female we tried to adapt it as best we could.



FORENSIC SCIENTIST:



We liked the idea of using these forensic outfits in our sequence to make it look more authentic. We also got the idea to use the crime scene tape from this photo aswell. We sourced the forensic costumees from a trading company in leads who manufactured protective white paper suits for construction workers.




POLICE MAN/WOMAN:



When discussing whether to use a police uniform or not we researched the bright yellow jackets and police hats,we thought these were more iconic and eyecatching than the regular black uniform worn.


We wanted to use at least two police characters at the crime scene, however we could not get extra actors to help us with this.

Georgia Feyi-Waboso