A2 G321 - Foundation Portfolio in Media - Oliver Charles

A2 G321 - Foundation Portfolio in Media

Foundation Portfolio by Oliver Charles                                                           Deadline - 27/02/2017


The purpose of this unit is firstly to assess candidates' ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills (A03); secondly to assess candidates' application of knowledge and understanding in evaluating their own work, showing how meanings and responses are created (A02); and finally to assess candidates' ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research (A04). This unit requires candidates to engage with contemporary media technologies, giving them the opportunity for development of skills in these technologies.

Task 1: Create a Blog

Your blog must act as a daily/weekly production log of everything you have done in class and for homework. There should be regular updates of planning and research, which incorporates video clips, images, screen grabs, statistics, data, facts etc. The blog is an active working document that needs to be worked on a regular basis, and be of a consistency high standard in order to achieve the highest marks.

Go onto www.Blogger.com and using an active email account set up your own Blogger page with the following details:

• Blog title should be: Foundation Portfolio by Oliver Charles
• Example of address name: Kjudge-tam6formmedia.blogger.com

Evidence of this is shown as this blog.

Task 2: Research into Existing Products

Analyse the opening sequences of at least 4 films by answering the following questions in relation to them:

• Study the opening sequences of any film from the Thriller, Horror and Romantic Comedy genre. E.g. Seven, The Dark Knight Rises, Halloween, Notting Hill, Love Actually etc. Analyse how the sequence has been constructed through its use of: Camera angles, shots, movements, editing, sound, special effects and Mise-en-Scene etc.

•  In terms of editing how have the separate images been put together - Think in terms of frequency of cuts, fades in/out, jump cuts, dissolves etc.

• What visual images appear on the screen throughout the sequence? And what do they mean?

• Describe what narrative (story) is being displayed in the sequence from start to finish.

• Describe what kind of music; Diegetic/Non-Diegetic/Incidental/Ambient etc. is being played over the sequence.

• How and what titles are being displayed during the sequence and in what order.

• What kind of Characterisation is evident? - Age, Gender, Profession, Relationships etc.

Se7en textual analysis:

Pre-title and Title sequences:

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Film Noir, Psychological Thriller, Indie Film

Main Actors: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley

Release Date: September 22, 1995 (US)

Profit: $294,300,000

Description: Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi.

Se7en's outcome caused a shift and development in the 'Thriller' genre and changed its history. It posed as one of the first films to portray the killer as very smart and strategic in his actions whereas films prior to this showed the Antagonist with savagery actions with careless proportions. This further led on to encourage major hit films such as 'Saw' and more in the modern day.

The film starts off with the initial still shot of Morgan Freeman's character 'William Somerset' in his apartment and the director cleverly portrays this protagonists to us with clever imagery and no dialogue, all accommodating a simple sequence of the detective getting ready for work. Firstly addressing the objects in the shot, purely from this we can gather information about the character. The first thing I noticed was a chess board on the table which poses this idea that the character is very strategic and clever with the ability to play a very knowledgeable game. However what struck me the most was the very monotone and sterile colours which can ultimately tell the audience there is no feminine touch (lack of colours)  allowing us to believe this character lives alone and cancels out any idea of family member which is also supported by the lack of stereotypical objects which would normally be seen in a house that bears children e.g. pictures on the fridge. Following this you can also recognize the ambient and diegetic noises of what appears to be distilled neighbours and a busy environment which allows us to assume he lives in an apartment in a busy city.

This is followed up by several shots following this sequence of the character getting ready. The second shot shows us his pen, police badge and comb perfectly laid out and is closely followed up by an image of a very tidy bed, although it is clearly an early time in the morning hence the actions of getting ready for work, this gives the audience the idea that this man is very well structured and almost possesses this idea of OCD ( overly cleaning disorder) which to me showed a very high possibility of a military background and a very methodical nature within the characters. So already without any dialogue taking place we have an initial idea of the nature of 'Detective Somerset'.

It then cuts to the next scene which solidifies the location being a rainy city and the second protagonist is introduced to us in an opposing way with expressive body language and dialogue. Brad Pitt with the character of 'Detective Mills' is brought into contact with the already introduced 'Detective Somerset'. Supported with a reverse tracking movement parallel to their movement with a low angle shot the dialogue evidences clearly  that the characters do not like each other as they aggravate one another which is expanded upon with visual space and body language. The visual space and proximity can express many of meanings and there are many factors to consider. It to me initially expressed career distance with one character almost at retirement and the other new to the job however it could also express racial difference however they both support the dichotomy between the two protagonists.

It finally before the title sequence cuts back to 'Somerset' in his apartment and the sound overcomes the actions of the character as he is trying to be ultimately peaceful being content in a bed reading a book. The terror sounds of the city cancel out any idea of peace in his given environment which leads the character to using a metronome which supposably we can assume helps the character cancel out the city sounds to get him to sleep. As foreseen the metronome overpowers the ambient sound which ends in a crashing storm sound before cutting to the title sequence which led me to believe although he is at peace there is a storm coming, foreshadowing the following content by simply using audio.

The title sequence possesses very graphic and disturbing imagery, actions and audio this intentionally causes hysteria and a disturbance to the viewers. I believe the content foreshadows forthcoming events in a subtle way but it definitely solidifies the sinister intentions of the movie. All of the elements create an uneasiness to the audience ranging from the style of writing too prolonged audio. Firstly the style of writing is what appears to be handwriting which also supports some of the relative imagery which I believe to be the Antagonist's again due to the imagery and actions of the sequence however it never truly reveals the character. 

The sequence involves very graphic imagery such as a close up of supposable fingerprints being cut off which can instantly show to us the intentions of this character possessing twisted thoughts and also strategic methods to cover themselves everything representing that of a guilty criminal. Surprisingly I did notice a the image of a 'Cup of Tea' being made which would be very strange considering it is a movie based in America which can give us two interpretations being that this character is English or they do things differently and strays from stereotypical idealism. Again the fingertips later on are covered in plaster which further expresses this factor of the character being strategic yet surely a criminal by covering his/hers fingertips.



 This is followed up by an unusual censoring action as the character seems to be censoring out words in a book which from my first visual seemed to be anything sexual which could show they are very religious or despise the opposite sex, however imagery of the word 'God' being cut out from an American currency note led me to believe it was for religious purposes. This censoring also takes place on an image of a young boy which initially his eyes are censored out which could mean several different things and one possibility being that this is the character in a younger and former self and the eyes are crossed out due to the shame of what he has become however he could also be a victim or potential victim of the characters criminal acts.



In an increasing tempo montage a lot more graphic imagery is shown such as surgical procedures giving a disturbing effect and linking both the character to the following actions and their offbeat nature. This is supported with a tempo increase in the music which is made up of unusual noises without any structure and prolongs audio past the mark our mind would usually build a structure with making the viewer feel very weary with a sinister hysteria implied by the audio. Sounds such as screeching, hollow and windy creates a very eerie effect all you can not relate to anything positive and heavily helps exaggerate the intention of disturbance however there are no symbolic sounds until the end of the sequence at the climax of the tempo increase "You kept me closer to god" again highlighting this religious purpose of his the unknown characters actions and foreshadowing their reason behind them.

The idea that the process, we are unsure of, that they are undertaking has been done before is supported with more unusual imagery. Towards the end of the montage it becomes clear that he seems to be writing some sort of diary entry that they appear to have been working on for a long period of time with the choose of super imposition in the editing. Appearing as almost a file for possibly their victims, Hair is quickly shown to us being put into a bag which could pose as evidence or, even more commonly known with criminals, a trophy. The books are further bound together using a needle and a thread, this could imply concealing his work or attempting to prevent easy access to evidence. It is evident that this must have done before with the final shot of the montage being a larger series of similar books ending with an understanding of this character and the their psychotic nature and actions before cutting to the opening sequence.

Textual Analysis of Inception: 

Genre: Sci-Fi/Mystery/Thriller

Main Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page

Release Date: July 8th (UK)/16th (US) 2010

Profit: £665,532,764

Description: 

Dom Cobb, a thief who specialises in corporate espionage by infiltrating human sub-conscious minds, is tasked with performing a near impossible process known as 'inception' by japanese businessman Mr. Saito. His reward, anmesty from his crimes and a return to his normal life. That is if he manages to do it succesfully.

The film starts off with the relative opening studio titles with a very dramatic score, featuring lots of stings and builds tension towards the audience before introduced to the protagonist. The audio then sets the scene for us using the hyperbolic sound of crashing waves, supporting the visuals it is clear that the setting is in the chosen times present day. Cutting to a medium close up shot of the protagonist it seems they have been washed up on shore due to the relative mise-en-scene and camera angle. 

The sound of children are introduced and supported with an eye-line match when the character looks up to see children, due to the slow motion editing seems to be a figure of his imagination or reflect the POV shot on how the character feels. The editing then increases when the gunman pokes the washed-up man in the back and discovers he has a gun. Instantly alarming his colleague, this brings us to an establishing shot of the next shots location. The Antagonists choice of base possesses traditional  Chinese interior, being very different than stereotypical villain bases used in Sci-fi/Thriller movies causing the audience to feel confused yet intrigued.

The props featured/used are 21st century style weapons going against typical sci-fi films conventions.
The whole purpose of the film creates mass confusion in the audience and there are several theories today around the mystery of the film.

The Protagonist and Antagonist are sat opposite one another with the angle at a low view from the protagonists perspective, supported with dialogue and music it shows the suspense between the two characters. The context has not actually revealed any aspects in which we can establish either one of the characters, and once bringing us to the part of the 'spinner' being mentioned it leaves the audience in a state of wanting answers being much more intrigued. Especially when linking the dialogue to the owner of the spinner and the antagonists past relationship to that of someone he knew who owned one.

It then suddenly jumps back in time with no indication of how long ago, however the protagonist is there in a much more formal state with another Chinese man (potentially a younger version of the antagonist), in the exact same room. This very much foreshadows the potential movie plot being that of time travel. The characters then further go on to discuss 'the dream state' furthermore foreshadowing and outlining the stories concept being that of dreams, suggesting the films dark atmosphere.

Once the chinese character exits the room,  hyperbolic sound is again used for the rattling of the table and sound of Mr.Cobbs watch, suggesting that the place they are in may not be the right time or reality. As the ticking increases, on its peak an explosion brings the scene into another location seeming o be a gritty,apocalyptic type apartment, based on the past content we can assume this is only another dream.

Textual Analysis of Red Dragon:

Genre: Thriller, Crime Fiction, Psychological Horror, Horror Fiction

Main Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes

Release Date: October 4, 2002 (US)

Profit: $131.1 Million

Description: A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.

We focused on the well known Pre-title sequence in the Movie that reveal to the audience the sole purpose of the movie. One of the first things that I noticed in the scene is the use of fast paced editing. I believe this was used by the director in order to show the intensity of the scene and to further amplify the energy that is being portrayed to the viewers. Furthermore we see that once the fight scene has ended the scene suddenly fades to black and the credits commence. The suddenness of the transition reflects the impact of the scene and makes the viewer realize the horrific action that has just taken place.

Upon Will Grahams entrance, you can clearly see his determination to track down the killer mentioned. At first he is not aware of the situation and the content gives you no true prompt to tell you that Hannibal is the killer, only subtle hints such as jokes relative to the food 'if i told you what it is, im afraid you would not even try it'. As the conversation goes on it becomes more an more clear of the situation. Hannibal does what he can to seem innocent as Will keeps feeding him information he has discovered, the over the shoulder shots show the connection at this time is fine.

The point at which Will addresses Hannibal acclaim at being 'The best forensic psychiatrist' he knows and puts Hannibal on the spot by clearly addressing that the body parts are being used for cooking, and that 'it never crossed his mind'. Subtle dramatic music begins to play non-diegetically as the conversation begins to become toxic. Will then begins to doubt any beliefs due to the relationship he has with the character yet begins looking around the office when Hannibal leaves based off of his curiosity.

It then very much focuses on a book he stumbles on from Will's point of view in which he opens revealing to him cooking instructions involving relative body parts that have been missing from the killers victims, the suspense music then peaks with realization and zooming close up to do so. At this point Will quickly turns round to be stabbed by Hannibal, knowing he was onto him, his dialogue and control over the stabbing shows his familiarity with the situation. As the pain inflicts Will, the music supports so, with suspense stabs to support the intensity.

Editing between both characters then increases as Hannibal threatens to eat him, Will then unexpectedly stabs Hannibal again supported by the music using a sharp held stab, the camera following Hannibal and eventually revealing to us the condition of the character, before attempting to attack Will again and ultimately being shot and killed, ending on a visual of the character upside down, reflecting the disturbance this character causes.

Textual Analysis of  Shutter Island :

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Drama

Main Actors: Leonardo Dicaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo

Release Date:  February 19, 2010 (United States)

Profit: $214.8 million

Description: It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.

The opening sequence introduces us to both Teddy and his partner chuck on their travel to Shutter Island. We are greeted with a wide shot of a boat emerging through the mist, setting tone of the film to be very gloomy. This strange imagery creates a feeling of anxiety and mystery as it will not let the audience establish their true location. This very much grabs their attention due to their lack of understanding yet intrigued by the mystery already created. Supported by deep, low orchestral underscore. 

Cutting now to the character known as Teddy, shows him getting seasick but what stood out to me was the mirror shot where he tells himself to 'pull yourself together Teddy' very much foreshadowing the films plot line of a split personality, the mirror used to split the character. And after washing his face for the final time, shows a different eye-level close up of the character as if he is now back to one personality. Breaking the 4th wall has been defined as the character acknowledging the audiences existence outside of the film, but besides merely recognizing the existence of the separate reality, Scorsese cleverly seems to invite the audience to completely identify with its main character by placing the camera inside of the mirror and acknowledging their fictionality indirectly, foreshadowing that all of the following content is all fiction and a depiction of his mind. Another element in this shot is the lighting, only half of his face is illuminated again representing a split personality.

The sound very much creates a mysterious and tension feeling from the opening shot with the use of classical music, sound very much like a horn and mix of ambient sound continues throughout the entire scene. Another element I also noticed was the way the water both figuratively and literally helped the shots flow, all connecting to the reveal in the stories plot line, very much explaining the nausea he gets around water. As the freeze frame of the wife appears in the flashback the loud water noise also runs in the background, being the first time we hear the water this clearly links the female character and water together

The sequence in fact drops a massive hint with a piece of audio we can only visually see in the flashback, the song being that 'Odeon' by Ernesto Nazareth and this artist was institutionalized because of the mental instability due to the death of his wife and daughter, he also attempted to escape the facility, giving us a huge clue to how the story of Teddy with evolve, a mere 2 minutes into the film.

The grading throughout this boat sequence consists of very low-key lighting with few exceptions, being the two mud-yellow lamps between the lavatory and deck, clashing with the otherwise melancholy grading, the colour palette out on the deck is very monochrome with a blurry background used to focus on the characters, creating flat space. This palette very much contrasts with the flashbacks he appears to be having made up of mixed colour temperatures, yellow, green and red creating an almost ill feeling, this is supported with lighting to make it seem surreal.

The relative camera angles all play a significant role in convincing the spectator of Teddy's reality. All throughout the film, not only in the opening sequence, the focus point of each shot/scene is Teddy, showing a dream like state and the characters thoughts and feelings, an example of this is the camera movement in the opening sequence, tilting with the waves, it creates a motion sickness/disturbance in the audience, connecting us to the physical state of the character. As he leaves the lavatory 'Come On' it shows the command and focus to follow this character, again foreshadowing it all seems like a surreal personality, the focus pull onto the character as he walks across the room zooms and pans to their movement and with the character to the other door again directly making us follow his every move. However when the newly introduced chuck is communicating/speaking the camera is more static. The framing on deck consists of medium shots, adding up tension as they get closer to their destination however making it difficult for the audience to grasp a sense of location. Just before the flashback, the focus draw in onto Teddy, almost drawing us into his mind being at maximum focus at the time of change to the flashback. All of this combined for use to see the reality of Teddy's Point of View.

Genre Theory:

Christian Metz Model of Genre Development -  Metz' Theory:

Christian Metz in his book 'Language and Cinema (1974)' explored the development of genre film and suggested that genre's pass through four phases of existence. Metz’s claims there are reoccurring expectations there are 4 development stages that can be applied to a genre;

• Classical
• Experimental
• Parody
• Deconstruction

Classical – An original piece of work which is developing the initial codes and conventions of the genre. The Classic stage is where the codes and conventions that are set become iconic and idealized as the guidelines for the genre.

This includes more interaction between the subject and the camera therefore leading to more interviews, fixed camera angles and editing to create narratives. An example of this would be the movie 'Scream' which has its narrative based around the horror genre with even the characters themselves listing classic horror movie traits.

For example the Thriller movie genre was established as early as 1926 with silent thriller film, ‘The Lodger’. Then amateur director Alfred Hitcock defined the thriller genre with his suspense thrillers with the success of ‘Rebecca’ (1940), ‘Saboteur’ (1942) and ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ (1943). Hitchock was instrumental in establishing the thriller movie genre and still has a major influence even today. The initial thriller movies experimented with sound, acting and visuals. Below is a classic thriller scene from the movie 'Psycho'.

Experimental – This is where the genre is established and experiments which different sceneries and scenarios. In the late 70’s and early 80’s the experimental stage began to employ psychological origins to the thriller genre. This is said to be the beginning phases of genre; where the foundations are built, and where the generic codes and conventions are set.
For example the movie 'Psycho' has its plot centered around the horror movie genre while also experimenting with different forms of horror such as 'psychological' fear.

Parody - In the 90's the development stage reached a phrase where thriller scenes and movies incorporated comedic effects watering down expectations of the film. For this to be succsessful, the codes and conventions must be established, widely recognised and accepted. Once this has happened, the codes and conventions can be used to mock the genre as the audience will understand the tropes being presented and the way in which they are parodied.
For example the film 'Scary Movie 4' demonstrates many horror genre cliches however parodies these as if to make fun of how over the top or ridiculous some of the plot points are.

Deconstruction - The thriller genre has now evolved into a stage where hybrids are evident. The thriller has now fused with several other genre creating sub-catergories the most established being sci-fi/thriller or horror/thriller hybrids. This therefore meaning that some of the rules can be broken consequently creating hybrid genres. This results in a much wider variety of how films/ short films and programs can be made.

Examples:

• Se7en- Frankenstein (1931) - Classy/Classical
• Dracula (1931) Classy/Classical-
• Carry on screaming - Parody
• Nosferatu (1922) - Experimental-
• The cabinet of Dr Caligari (1919) Experimental-
• Scary movie - Parody-
• Abbot and Costello meet Frankinstein (1948) - Parody
• Blair witch project - Deconstruction
• Scream - Deconstruction-
• The sixth sence - Deconstruction

These above are examples of the various stages in Metz theory

The Representation of Gender/Ethnicity in the Thriller Genre:

Cultural Bias:

Hollywood has always been 'White' centric - i.e. Leading actors/directors have always been male and Caucasian with black/ethnic minority characters only playing minor roles. Certain actors like Will Smith/Morgan Freeman have broken the mould. In the Thriller genre, it has always been common to have a white, male protagonist in the key roles. It wasn't until the 1990's things started to change. In the film 'Se7en (1995)' Morgan Freeman plays a smart, intellectual, senior, methodical detective. This had always been represented as a 'White' actors role, but this role as Detective Somerset in the film 'Se7en' was ground breaking, which has continues in many films/TV Dramas such as 'Luther'.

Gender Bias:

In the Thriller genre, females have predominantly played the victim role or the femme fatale (the seductive vamp, that cannot be trusted). Since the 'Silence of the Lambs (1990)' and the role of Jodie Foster playing FBI rookie 'Clarice Starling' the representations of women in Thriller/Horror has been far more challenging. As shown in successful feature films such as: Resident Evil, Tomb Raider etc.


Heterosexual Bias:

Having a homosexual protagonist is almost entirely rare even in liberal Hollywood. The idea of a leading male detective, in a film, being openly gay is unheard of. Indeed one of the criticisms of the author of the Hannibal Lector books; Thomas Harris is that. Nearly all of his antagonists such as a serial killer have homosexual tendencies, sexual deviences and that this is a negative sterotype he has?

Studio Logos / Film Titles:

As part of our agenda to create the opening sequence of a NEW film, you will need to analyse the following:

• A range of Hollywood / Independent film / Studio Logo's: Warner Bro's / Lionsgate etc. and a range of films opening credits. See examples at: http://www.filmsite.org/movietitlesscreens.html
• Understand the correct sequential order of film titles incorporating: Studio logo  / Starring Actors (Main / Major) / Writer / Camera person / Editor / Producer / Director. 

Film Company Name Ideas:

Still in Action, Holy Grail Entertainment, Spin City Films, Stillwater Studios, ThirdEye Pictures, Continuum Films, Nueva Films, Half Moon Entertainment, A World Apart Films, Cloud nine Productions, Hand Crank films, Skyplex Pictures, Black Label Films, Dream Light Visuals.

Research:

I firstly, unsure of the name, went ahead and designed my logo before hand and would further decide the name on the most suited to the logo's outcome. I initially researched into existing film companies and their logo's/logo reveal. Production company logos are very important as it make the company recognizable to the audience by having their logo reveal in the introduction of their production. These logos sustain the companies reputation which in essence makes them recognizable. Many production company logo's are now very popular and instantly recognizable by effectively sticking to the four key features of: Simple, memorable, appropriate and timeless. The logo's must follow these features in order for the audience to remember and furthermore recognize in the future.

Warner Brothers:

Warner Brothers is a very familiar production logo which possesses very simple features and is not to complex for the audience to understand the purpose of the logo reveal. This production logo is normally altered to be used for different purposes or genre's. This means that the logo can be changed by the use of colours to suit the audience and upcoming content. Warner brothers tend to have several different variations of their modern logo to suit the theme of the content for continuity. A few variations can be seen below:

 In 1920 you can see the visual difference the logo had in comparison to that of today however still holding the same concept the modern logo shows the audience that they have been updated and use modern technology to bring them higher quality content. The logo can also portray to an audience that the following film is going to be of a high quality due to Warner Brothers reputation as built by past success. There is a lot of history and alterations behind the modern Warner brothers logo which went through several different forms and designs starting from 1924. The video below shows the chronological history of the logo:

Legendary:

Legendary is mostly associated with Warner Bros, one of the largest media industries in the world.  It’s logo is one of the most recognised symbols of the media industry.

The logo is always animated differently dependant on the films they produce, for example if it is a family film Bugs Bunny makes an appearance (character association).  Otherwise in general the logo spins and twists from individual components to form on the screen.  Or more recently it drifts out of the clouds towards the audience.

I visited the official website were it actually reveals the origin of the design for the logo:

“The Legendary logo is based on the Celtic “Shield Knot”. This Symbol dates back to Ireland, Circa 5,000 B.C. where it was originally created from a continuous line. According to historians and anthropologists, this unbroken line was intended to represent eternity, fidelity and unity.Among the ancient Celts, it was regarded as a symbol of strength and believed to bring power and protection to those who wore it. Mesopotamian warriors associated it with protective spells invoking the gods of the four corners of the earth.”    Legendary.com/aboutSeeing the Logo design makes it very apparent that it is associated with big budget films, or even a games developer.I believe that when the logo was designed the creators will have been told to create something that will make customers know that the company made dark, heroic pieces that would be made with state of the art special effects.  When the logo is animated in the introduction of a film it is always amidst the dark smog of a fire.

Dreamworks:

 DreamWorks’ three principal founders—Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen—were titans of their respective fields; together they wanted to create a new kind of Hollywood studio. Despite turning out a few hits (like Best Picture winner American Beauty) and developing a very successful animation division, DreamWorks now functions as an independent production company (in which an Indian business magnate holds a 50 percent stake). Of the three founders, only Spielberg in involved with the current entity.

Spielberg always wanted to use an image of a man fishing from the moon—and decided the best way to create that was via CGI. A friend, visual-effects legend Dennis Muren, suggested that Spielberg also consider using a painting and commissioned Robert Hunt to execute the idea. One of Hunt’s alternative versions included the nostalgia-inducing image of young boy fishing (with his son as model for the youthful angler). Spielberg was taken with this concept and a motion version was created at ILM. The accompanying music was specially written by John Williams, whose scores have included Star Wars, Jaws, Superman and the first three Harry Potter films.

Below is a version used before 2008’s Kung-Fu Panda:

Final Product:



After my research I set out, using Photoshop, to create a logo by using a trial and error technique. I wanted the logo to be visually obvious that it was a film company yet hold an abstract property. So eventually I decided on a simple section of a film reel and used this as the foundation of the logo. After making up a template I furthermore, as explained earlier, wanted to add an abstract feature and after long thought I decided on colours shape sections that where all uneven, this way I was able to add an aesthetically pleasing feature and not draw any attention away from the foundation, keeping it simple. To add quality to the logo however I, with my skill in Photoshop, cleverly added gradients to each of the colour segments for more continuity and a glossy finish. Finally after several attempts at finding a suitable font to match the logo, this ultimately helped me decide on the final name being "Skyplex Pictures" which in essence doesn't exactly support the image above but I believed was highly appealing and relevant to the inviting colours integrated into the logo.

From this final product I took it into after effects to create a logo reveal typically shown at the start of a film/ media production. I wanted to expand upon the name and add more of a relative effect relating the animations to the title. In doing so I added a cloud/dust effect which would pose as an exaggeration on the name.


To add a more dramatic and cinematic effect I made it appear as if the logo was hitting some sort of border/wall that is not visually shown resulting with the logo being clearly shown and seems as if it is hitting the viewers screen. Furthermore the text reveal entices the viewers interest into the name as they follow the animation.

Sequential Order of Film Titles:

While there are numerous variations most opening credits use some variation of the basic order. In the absence of opening credits, these roles will often be credited in reverse order at the beginning of the closing credits.

• (NAME OF THE STUDIO) or (NAME OF THE STUDIO) PRESENTS

Name of the studio that is distributing the film and may or may not have produced it (Walt Disney Pictures, Columbia, Lions Gate, Universal, Marvel Entertainment, Dimension, Miramax, Palmetto Moon Studios etc.).

• (NAME OF THE PRODUCTION COMPANY)

Name of the production company that actually made the film or name of the investment groups or companies that financed a substantial part of the film (usually credited as "in association with" or "A (studio name) production.").

• POSSESSORY CREDIT/S

The primary artistic credit for the film. Generally the film director, but sometimes the producer or writer. Normally stylized "A film by (name)" or "A (name) film". Sometimes placed before a title. (E.g. "Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho").

• STARRING

Principal actors (sometimes the stars' and director's credits will be reversed, depending on the star's deal with the studio; in other cases, as in the Rodgers and Hammerstein films, or as in all three film versions of Show Boat, or, as in many Disney films, the title of the film will be shown before the names of its actors; sometimes, as in many of Cannon's films, the name(s) of the principal actor(s) will be shown before the name(s) of the producer(s), i.e. "The Cannon Group presents X in a Golan-Globus production of a Y film").

• (FILM'S TITLE)

Name of the film.

• FEATURING or WITH or ALSO STARRING

Featured actors.

As a variation some of the below may be noted:

• GOWNS (older movies)
• SOUND RECORDING (older movies)

• CASTING or CASTING BY

Casting director.

• MUSIC or MUSIC COMPOSED BY or ORIGINAL SCORE BY

Composer of music.

• VISUAL EFFECTS PRODUCER or VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR

• COSTUME DESIGN or COSTUME DESIGNER

Costume designer.

• EDITOR or EDITED BY

Film Editor.

• PRODUCTION DESIGN or PRODUCTION DESIGNER

Production designer.

• DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Director of photography.

• PRODUCER or PRODUCED BY, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Producers, co-producers, executive producers, 'also produced by' (credited for various reasons according to contracts and personal scrutiny of the principal producer). Often, though, the name of the producer will be the second-to-last opening credit, just before the writer's name(s) are shown.(Pursuant to WGA rules, writer credits are immediately adjacent to the Director.)

• BASED ON THE BOOK (PLAY, GRAPHIC NOVEL etc.) BY or FROM A PLAY/BOOK BY (older movies)

If based on a book or other literary work.

• BASED ON THE CHARACTERS BY or BASED ON THE CHARACTERS CREATED BY

If based on characters from a book or other media.

• (SCREEN) STORY or STORY BY

Person who wrote the story on which the script is based, gets "story by" credit, and the first screenplay credit, unless the script made substantial changes to the story.

• WRITER(S) or WRITTEN BY or SCREENPLAY or SCREENPLAY BY

Screenplay writers. The Writers Guild of America allows only three writing credits on a feature film, although teams of two are credited as one, separated on the credits by an ampersand ("X & Y"). If each works independently on the script (the most common system), they are separated by an "and". If more than two persons worked on the screenplay, the credits may read something like "screenplay by X & Y and Z and W" X and Y worked as a team, but Z and W worked separately.

• DIRECTOR or DIRECTED BY

Director. The Directors Guild of America usually permits a film to list only one director, even when it is known that two or more worked on it. Exceptions are made in rare cases such as a death, and subsequent replacement of the director mid-production, and for established directing teams such as the Coen brothers.

As sourced by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opening_credits

Typically I would like to integrate my titles into the content with a 3D responsive effect to the actions in the shot or environment and alters depending on this. A good example of this would be that in the film 'Zombieland' - 

This can be achieved using Adobe After Effects and altercating the text to fit the timing of the content, angle of the shot, action of the content etc.

Task 3: Target Audience

• Conduct a questionnaire to define your potential target audience for ONE of the genre film choices of: Thriller/Horror. In each questionnaire you should think in terms of age, gender, social grade, ethnicity of the audiences and what they might expect to see in such genre films.
• Summarise your questionnaire's findings in the form of bar charts / pie charts and a short report and decide what genre film you have decided to make and why.
• Analyse the BFI data on genres and audiences - discuss how popular your genre choice is by analyzing the data on the BFI website: http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-genre-and-classification-june-2015.pdf
• Analyse the number of Thriller/Horrors release - Box office successes of genre etc.
• Research your main genre effectively - find out what the narrative conventions are of a classic Thriller/ Horror/Rom-com film.

Questionnaire:

What Type Of Setting Would You Prefer To See In A Thriller Opening?


 A Suburban Town
 An Old/Scary House
 A Forest
 A School
 Abandoned Building




How Important Do You Think The Setting Is In A Thriller Film?

 Very Unimportant
 Unimportant
 Neither/Nor
 Important
 Very Important





What Type Of Sub-Genre Of Thriller Film Do You Enjoy The Most?

 Action
 Mystery
 Psychological
 Political
 Crime
 Horror
 Supernatural
 Science Fiction




What Type Of Music Would You Like To Hear In A Thriller Opening?

 Upbeat/Happy
 Sad
 Builds Tension/Suspense
 Slow Paced
 Fast Paced
 Hip Hop/Rap
 Pop
 Electronic
 Classical




How Important Do You Think Music Is In A Thriller Film?

 Very Unimportant
 Unimportant
 Neither/Nor
 Important
 Very Important







Who Would You Prefer To See As The Protagonist/Antagonist In A Thriller Film?

 Young Male
 Young Female
 Older Male
 Older Female

From The List Below, Which Is Your Most Preferred Thriller Film?

 Jaws
 Minority Report
 The Dark Knight Trilogy
 Black Swan
 Psycho
 Shutter Island
 Se7en
 Fight Club






What Colours Do You Associate With The Thriller Genre?

 Dark Blue
 Light Blue
 Black, White and Grey
 Dark Red
 Pink and Purple







Would You Prefer A Thriller Opening Sequence To Be...

 Within the Film
 Separate from the Plot
 No Preference





How Important Do You Think These Features Are In A Thriller Film?

Camera:
 Unimportant
 Neither/Nor
 Important

Lighting:
 Unimportant
 Neither/Nor
 Important

Props:
 Unimportant
 Neither/Nor
 Important

Costume:
 Unimportant
 Neither/Nor
 Important



Would You Prefer To See The Title Of The Film At The Beginning Or The End Of The Credits?

 Beginning
 Ending
 I have no Preference

Based from our questionnaire this has put into perspective the demands of the different conventions and factors relevant to my production. Taking our results and their popularity of some factors in each section this gives me guidelines which I can use to my advantage to most effectively appeal to my audience.

As part of my research, I used the helpful information and statistics given to us by http://www.the-numbers.com/market/ and It provided me with initially the best selling movies of the year from 1995 to 2016. This information helped me identify the wide range of genres that were integrated into the most successful movies. Looking at the top movies of interest, relative to our chosen genre, we were able to use the information to gather better ideas for our production. It also allowed us to take the next step in generating ideas for our single camera production. Looking at the results we gained from our secondary research, we were able to see that the there is a wide range of genres, therefore we moved onto then narrowing these to the different genres of my interest.

Top Movie of Each Year

This table lists the top-grossing movie for each year, based on tickets sold for each movie during the course of the year. Click on the year to see a detailed breakdown for the market as a whole in that year.

Year	Movie	Categorization Creative Type Production Method Source Genre	MPAA Rating	Distributor	Total for Year	Total in 2012 dollars	Tickets Sold
1995	Batman Forever	Super Hero Live Action Original Screenplay Action	PG-13	Warner Bros.	$184,031,112	$336,755,776	42,306,002
1996	Independence Day	Science Fiction Live Action Original Screenplay Adventure	PG-13	20th Century Fox	$306,169,255	$551,381,734	69,269,062
1997	Men in Black	Science Fiction Live Action Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Adventure	PG-13	Sony Pictures	$250,650,052	$434,678,518	54,607,854
1998	Titanic	Historical Fiction Live Action Original Screenplay Thriller/Suspense	PG-13	Paramount Pictures	$443,319,081	$752,413,619	94,524,324
1999	Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace	Science Fiction Animation/Live Action Original Screenplay Adventure	PG	20th Century Fox	$430,443,350	$674,474,218	84,732,942
2000	How the Grinch Stole Christmas	Kids Fiction Live Action Based on Fiction Book/Short Story Comedy	PG	Universal	$253,367,455	$374,175,306	47,006,948
2001	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone	Fantasy Animation/Live Action Based on Fiction Book/Short Story Adventure	PG	Warner Bros.	$300,404,434	$422,476,904	53,074,988
2002	Spider-Man	Super Hero Live Action Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Adventure	PG-13	Sony Pictures	$403,706,375	$553,098,578	69,484,746
2003	Finding Nemo	Kids Fiction Digital Animation Original Screenplay Adventure	G	Walt Disney	$339,714,367	$448,445,497	56,337,374
2004	Shrek 2	Kids Fiction Digital Animation Based on Fiction Book/Short Story Adventure	PG	Dreamworks SKG	$441,226,247	$565,565,363	71,050,925
2005	Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith	Science Fiction Animation/Live Action Original Screenplay Adventure	PG-13	20th Century Fox	$380,270,577	$472,223,673	59,324,582
2006	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	Fantasy Live Action Based on Theme Park Ride Adventure	PG-13	Walt Disney	$423,315,812	$514,441,809	64,628,368
2007	Spider-Man 3	Super Hero Live Action Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Adventure	PG-13	Sony Pictures	$336,530,303	$389,357,732	48,914,288
2008	The Dark Knight	Super Hero Live Action Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Action	PG-13	Warner Bros.	$531,001,578	$588,686,990	73,955,652
2009	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	Science Fiction Animation/Live Action Based on TV Action	PG-13	Paramount Pictures	$402,111,870	$426,774,731	53,614,916
2010	Toy Story 3	Kids Fiction Digital Animation Original Screenplay Adventure	G	Walt Disney	$415,004,880	$418,686,798	52,598,844
2011	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II	Fantasy Animation/Live Action Based on Fiction Book/Short Story Adventure	PG-13	Warner Bros.	$381,011,219	$382,452,624	48,046,812
2012	The Avengers	Super Hero Animation/Live Action Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Action	PG-13	Walt Disney	$623,279,547	$623,279,542	78,301,450
2013	Iron Man 3	Super Hero Animation/Live Action Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Action	PG-13	Walt Disney	$408,992,272	$400,440,154	50,306,552
2014	Guardians of the Galaxy	Super Hero Live Action Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Adventure	PG-13	Walt Disney	$333,055,258	$324,494,471	40,765,637
2015	Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens	Science Fiction Animation/Live Action Original Screenplay Adventure	PG-13	Walt Disney	$742,208,942	$700,828,369	88,043,765
2016	Finding Dory	Kids Fiction Digital Animation Original Screenplay Adventure	PG	Walt Disney	$486,098,054	$486,098,054	57,662,877

I also researched what genres were the most successful and best interested the viewers from 1995 to 2016. By looking at this data I was able to see how much gross income each genre has made and how many movies fall under each genre. This data helped me decide the genres I wanted to choose for my final idea.

Top-Grossing Genres 1995 to 2016

		Movies	Total Gross	Average Gross	Market Share
1	Adventure	691	$43,496,405,480	$62,947,041	22.08%
2	Comedy	2,279	$42,657,625,911	$18,717,695	21.66%
3	Action	797	$36,236,111,532	$45,465,636	18.40%
4	Drama	4,350	$32,553,515,500	$7,483,567	16.53%
5	Thriller/Suspense	871	$16,829,572,611	$19,322,127	8.54%
6	Romantic Comedy	528	$9,385,315,713	$17,775,219	4.76%
7	Horror	467	$8,945,153,648	$19,154,505	4.54%
8	Musical	142	$2,065,626,132	$14,546,663	1.05%
9	Documentary	1,800	$1,987,925,479	$1,104,403	1.01%
10	Black Comedy	152	$1,266,547,783	$8,332,551	0.64%

Typically from our three choices of Romantic Comedy, Horror or Thriller I chose Thriller based on its recent success and demand.

Task 4: The Pitch

Start thinking about your ideas for the opening sequence for your film plot in the form of a pitch.

Students should assemble at least (4) ideas for a film plot:

• Mind map ideas for your film
• Outline the basic plot/storyline of the film
• Highlight details of characters in the film - their role and function in the narrative ( Think in terms of Protagonist/Antagonists: Age, Gender, Occupation and Characteristics.
• Decide on a final pitch  for your group/individual film sequence and explain why you have to collectively decide to that idea above the others.

Task 5: Script

Now that you have chosen your plot, start to script any dialogue/action in your opening sequence. NA if you have no dialogue in your sequence.

Task 6: Storyboard

Now you need to storyboard your filmic idea for your opening sequence:

Remember to identify what framing the shots are i.e. Close Up, Medium Long Shot etc.

What movement will occur in the shot? I.E. Pans, Tilts etc.

What lighting is going to be used?

What sound effects will be used? And where the dialogue fits into the shot sequences.

What transitions are going to be used? I.E. staright cuts, dissolves etc.

Task 7: Role Allocation

If you are working as a group please identify who is doing what role in the production team. I.E. who is the Director? Writer? Camera Person? etc.

This in my case is solely simple as I personally will take on all of the roles required for the production as I am working on my own.

This will not only help me expand upon my skills with each area but allow me to perfectly abide to my idea's without alteration.

Although I am a believe in two or more minds are better than one for a creative purpose, I want this Portfolio and production to personally reflect my skills and ability.

However a professional Production is not a one man job and requires individuals with different skills to come together and work towards a common goal.

The Pre-Production Stage

This is the first phase of the production cycle where planning for different aspects of production takes place. A lot of different people are involved in the processes even in a cheap music video production.

1. Planning the story

• Director – The main responsibility of production lies with her/him. A director is involved at every stage of the production process, helping and guiding others to do their job.
• Screen Writer – They are responsible for coming up with a concept that fits the budget of production. They will then write down all that is going to happen in the video into a script.
• Storyboard Artist – They sketch key frames of the video from the provided script onto a sheet of paper, so that others in the production team have a better understanding of the flow of the story.
• Casting (Director) – In small productions casting is done by the Director himself, whereas in bigger productions, there are specially appointed Casting Directors to cast the talent that will be used in the video.

2. Art Department

• Art Director – Looks after and finalises the visual side of the production.
• Set Director – Looks after and finalises the build of set and placements of objects in line with the script.
• Conceptual Artist – When there is an out of ordinary element in a production, it's look and feel is thought out by the Conceptual Artist. Should those aliens be green or pink? Will they have three eyes or four hands?

3. Finance

• Executive Producer – Pays for the entire cost of the video.
• Producer – Purchases everything needed for the shoot, carefully picking the right brands.

Production Stage

This is the action stage of the production cycle where the video is recorded.

1. Costumes

• Costume Designer – Considers the storyline and designs different costumes for characters according to their role in the video.
• Costume Maker – Finishes the designs of the Costume Designer into a final product that is ready to use.

2. Planning the set

• Location Scout – They locate various settings where the production can be shot.
• Set Builders/Set Constructors – They construct the set from scratch to shoot the production.
• Prop Master – They supply the various props that are needed for the construction of the set.
• Lightning Designer – They look after the placement of lights for the entire video.

3. Direction

• Director – Directs the production, considering all aspects of pre-production.
• Assistant Director – Assists the Director.
• Production Assistant – Cues in the talent and arranges for everyone and everything to be present at the right place and the right time.

4. Camera

• Director of Photography – Makes the entire production look cool and authentic to the script.
• Camera Operator – Actually shoots the production.
• Camera Assistants – Assist the Camera Operator.

5. Sound

• Production Sound Mixer – Listens to the volume and different sounds on the set to mix and record them as required by the script.
• Boom Operator – Prepares microphone plots for the crew and records the sound by using specific equipment such as 'boom mics'.

6. Lighting

• Chief Lighting Technician – They are responsible for taking care of all lighting needs on the set.
• Best Boy/Runner – Manually operates the light when it is needed.

7. Grip

• Key Grip – Lays down tracks and other equipment firmly in place to facilitate shooting.
• Best Boy/Runner – Holds the camera or equipment in place when directed.

8. Wardrobe

• Wardrobe Supervisor – Looks after specific wardrobe needs for the prominent characters in the video.
• Daily Costume Facilitator – Arranges for costumes that would be used by people in background to easily blend in with the set.

9. Props

• Property Master – They are the owners of properties that will be used as props in the set.
• Standby Prop Manager – They arrange for standby props for the set.

10. Hair and Make-up

• Make up Artist – Applies make up to people who will be in the production according to their character roles in the script.
• Hair Stylist – Styles the hair of the lead characters.
• Prosthetics Artist – Readies the characters with make-up for special effects.

11. Performance

• Talent – May be Actors/Singers/Dancers or someone else who will perform in front of the camera.
• Stunt Performers – Act as body doubles for stunts that may be dangerous to perform for the lead talent.
• Choreographer – Choreographs the entire setting of the set, from entry to exit.

Post-Production Stage

This is the last stage of the production cycle where the final look and feel of the video is shaped.

1. Editing

• Editor – Sits down with the Director to cut the final production.
• Assistant Editor – Helps the Editor with the work.

2. Visual Effects

• VFX Team – Applies all necessary effects to the video.

Task 8: Casting

Who is going to act in your production? What characters will they play and what props will they need?

In this case, due to limited access and being a student with the lack of ability to pay the actors, I for the purpose of the portfolio will take on all of the steps used when Casting to a profession level. However, the cast will consist of my friends and family members which will be supported with character studies and why they were chosen for the role.

Using two volunteers being my brother, Ben Charles, and a member of a different class, Jacob Campbell. Although they both had little acting experience they approached the situation in a very professional manner and listened to any instructions I gave as the director and were happy to be a part of my idea/concept.

Typically in a professinal case there are four primary stages in a typical casting process: The Pre-Audition, The First Audition, Callback and Testing.

The Pre-Audition

The whole process begins with the casting directors breaking down scripts and identifying speaking roles and their descriptive profiles. This is then notified to agents and online casting services of the available roles. Agents and actors then submit client resumes, demo reels and pictures (showcase). Casting directors then narrow their selection down based on the actors appearance, training and kills required for the role and then actors who make the first cut are contacted for auditions.

The First Audition

Normally a script or 'sides' are usually provided in advance of a television audition. For feature films you will need to have prepared at least one monologue appropriate to the tone of the film. TV and feature films rely on quiuck video slates to further narrow casting option, despite how preapred you are. It is essential to be prepared because the audition may be no longer than the few seconds that it takes to state your name to a video camer.However what and how you wear your clothes and hair, how you enter the room, your demeanor signing in—all of your choices at even the “smallest” audition are opportunities to make an impression and show what you can do.

Callbacks

There may be more than one case that you are asked to come in after the initial in-person audition, this is known as a callback. In this stage you may or may not work with the same material for the same casting personell or it could be for an entirely new for a different role. These sessions still tend to be very brief, usually lasting a few minutes, these are typically recorded and discussed further upon the casting decision-makers. In television that’s the Casting Director, Showrunner, Creator, Director, other Executive Producers, network and studio executives — though you won’t see most of them in the room just yet.   In feature films, it’s the Director, Casting Director, Producer, sometimes the Writer, and the studio or financier, though most of them stay out of the room early-on, too.  But just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t watching you!  

Because so much is now viewed on tape, many actors will not be physically in the room with the producers or casting director, who could be on location filming or living elsewhere, until late in the casting process.  Casting guest-stars or co-stars for a television series is less labor-intensive than casting a pilot, which often involves reviewing hundreds of actors within a one- to two-month window.  Television projects near final casting will have the Casting Director, Creator, Showrunner, Director (especially if it’s for a pilot), in the room watching what you do.  Network or studio casting executives are involved early on, but actors won’t see them in the room until the studio or network test.

For feature film auditions, depending on the role, you may see the Casting Director early on along with the Director and possibly one or more producers or executive producers.  For smaller roles you may only see casting subordinates and the First A.D. (Assistant Director). For more involved roles, you may be called back several times or only once and still land the job.  The closer they get to booking talent, the more decision-makers may be in the room.  And if you get an avail, that means they are interested in booking you for the job, but want to know your schedule.  With an avail, you’re one of the finalists!

Testing

The later stages of feature film casting involve working more closely with material, the director, screen partners and sometimes even being put on film.  Working with other actors, especially for ensemble productions, help reveal what chemistry is or is not present among a group of performers.  Screen tests are typically done late or after a production is cast and involve making hair, make-up, wardrobe, film-stock and lighting decisions.  Feature films may use a screen test to decide final actor placement or to make difficult final casting decisions, but most of the time a production won’t spend money on screen testing actors it doesn’t intend to use.

By contrast, a network or studio test is a staple in television casting for major roles and especially for television pilots.   For television pilots, the Studio and Network test may be the first time you get to work with the director.  However, it is not easy to audition in front of people and still have no audience.

Whether you’re auditioning to one person and a video camera or fifteen decision-makers and their support staff, you can expect little reciprocal engagement from those watching you perform. On the other hand, the Showrunner, Creator, studio or network executives may eat, text, e-mail, take calls or even step out while you audition!  That doesn’t mean you aren’t doing good work.  This seeming inattention is more likely due to the taxing complexity of keeping any production on track than any deficiency in you.  Try to remember that everybody on the other side of the table is interested in and rooting for you.  They want you to be good.  If you’re good, you’ve solved all their problems!

Whether you’re auditioning for a feature or a television show, the Casting Directors, Directors, EPs, producers, etc., want to see what you can do alone, without encouragement, tweaking or help from them.  It’s like getting a base-line of your acting.  So if the sides are a two-person scene,  expect a dead pan Casting Director to prompt you with flat, unresponsive delivery.  The Director may jump in to give you notes or you may get little more than a glance—in either case, you might still get the job!  The important thing is to stay focused on your work and make confident choices.

The casting process for a film or television pilot can take days or months.  Episodic television runs on a compressed production schedule, so guest roles tend to be cast fairly quickly.  Still, episodes can get pushed, rewritten, or shelved.  Whether casting a pilot or guest role, the Casting Director, Creator, Director and Showrunner narrow down their favorites and studio and network executives who oversee the show have final say.

In feature films, the Casting Director and EPs may make recommendations but the Director generally finalizes cast, though the financiers can reject those decisions and even pull backing.  And keep in mind that television shows change networks, Directors get dropped, financing falls out here, gets picked up there…  The casting process isn’t over until the project screens or airs.  And even then some filmmakers threaten, and have, re-shot or digitally altered re-releases to remove or add whole scenes, subplots and characters!

Getting cast doesn’t just happen.  It’s the result of consistent preparation, patience, and persistence. Whether you book the job or not, auditions are your best chance to become known by Casting Directors.  If you’re professional, prepared, and make a good impression, they’ll remember liking you before and will keep you in mind for future roles.  Sometimes not booking can still lead to better future opportunities.

Task 9: Filming

• Keep a film log which details what you achieved on that shoot; who contributes what; how long did it take and why; take some photographs to put onto your blog
• Create a Production Schedule which will map out: When you will film? Who will you film? What will you film? How will you film? Which equipment will you need?
• Are there any health and safety issues or concerns? Create a Risk Assessment.
• Do you need permission to film at your locations? Do you have evidence of permission to film in your locations?

Sound/Music:

Chosen through a personal favourite film of mine, this track is featured in the film 'Drive' featuring Ryan Gosling.

The track creates atmospheric tension and also a subtle refelction of professionalism in the protagonist. In my production I am to use both views on the track in both the victims panic and the Hitmans professional standard.

Aswell as using tracks I plan to use the foley sound in most of the clips however adding external sound effects for a more realistic effect, adjusting the sound to fir the shot, action and environment e.g. Heavy Breathing, this can be achieve using stock sounds or on a more personal level recording the sounds with the actor to suit.

Film Log:

Risk assessment for External Locations:

Hazard	Persons who may be harmed	Property which may be damaged	Risk controls already in place	Further action required to control   risk ***
Getting hit by a car	Actors or Crew	Camera, headphones or any of the equipment.	No risk controls are currently in place	Do not work on or near busy roads and any roads near by are clearly identified and the whole crew will be notified.We will not work near busy roads however any roads that are close will be known and we will not have any of the crew close enough to the road that they could cause themselves or others any harm.
Tripping over curbs or other possible hazards like tree roots or wired equipment.	Actors or Crew	Camera, headphones or any other equipment.	No risks controls are currently in place	All potential tripping hazards will be noted before the recording date and then double-checked on the actual date. All of the crew will be aware of the tripping hazards and they will be marked with a light coloured tape so they are clearly visible and will hopefully help prevent the chance of someone tripping. All the wired equipment will be taped down so that it will prevent the chance of tripping. We have a first aider on hand so if anything of this kind does occur, we have a team member who will be able to help in the situation.
Damage to body when lifting equipment.	Actors or Crew	Camera, headphones or any other equipment	No risk controls are currently in place	When lifting heavy objects the crew will take care and try to avoid any rushing as these could contribute to   the crew damaging themselves or the equipment.If something is needed moving and is too heavy then either a vehicle or more than one person will have to   contribute to the moving of the object.
Risk of rain damage to equipment	Crew and equipment	Camera, headphones or any other electrical equipment.	If the weather is bad before filming on the production day then we   will either wait for a more convenient time or use plan b.	We will have some waterproof sheet with us so if it rains we can protect the equipment before it gets wet. The water proof sheet will give us more time to move equipment safely and correctly. We also have a car on hand so we can put the equipment in there when it rains to make sure no serious damage is caused.
Slipping on wet surfaces.	Actors and Crew	Camera, headphones or any other equipment.	As we are using a puddle of water in one of our scenes we will make sure that the surface under the water is not slippy and will not have any chance to damage the actor or any of the equipment on the set.	At our location there is a chance there is no puddles if this is the case then we will make a puddle with some   water we bring with us and if we will make sure the surface is suitable so the actor or crew wont fall over.
Getting disturbed by members of the public	Actors and Crew	None	We are filming on a week day and at 11am so due to the time and day there is less chance of us getting interrupted and if we do   happen too then will we re-film and shots interrupted.	If someone does interrupt us when recording we will wait for them to pass and then continue with our recording.
Risk of falling over when recording	Actors and crew	Camera, headphones or any other equipment.	We will be filming on a flat surface to help prevent the chances of this happening.	If someone does fall over and is inured we have a first aider in our crew who will be able to help with the situation.

Permission to film:

Local authority

If you want to film on public land you will need permission from the appropriate local authority or council. They are responsible for public land, public buildings, roads and parking. The UK screen agencies can help you get in touch with the appropriate local authority contact.

Police

You will need the full co-operation of the local police force if you plan to film on a public highway or use special effects, explosives or fire arms (including replicas). You will also need permission to portray uniformed police officers or marked police vehicles on film.

You should inform the local police force in writing of any planned filming within its jurisdiction. The UK screen agencies can help you arrange this process.

Filming on public roads

Before filming on a public road you must contact the local police and the Highways Department of the local authority. Both will need to make sure that your plans are safe and pose no threat to road users. If you plan to stage stunts, a stunt co-ordinator should be involved in any planning discussions.

You will need details of the safety conditions covering any tracking vehicles you hire and also find out what permissions and rights clearances have been granted at the location – for example, are you entitled to film the signage on any commercial premises in the area?

Advice about permission and Rights clearances

If you film an actor inside a store or restaurant, you need written permission to use the location and also to show the chain’s name or trademark.

If you film outside a store or restaurant you do not need permission to show its name or trademark – however, if the location chosen is used to communicate a negative message in your film (for example, a film about ‘poisoned restaurant food’) you may risk legal proceedings.

You do not need to ask passers-by for permission to feature their faces in a film. Under UK law, the copyright of film shot in a public place resides with the filmmaker.

Final Product:

Task 10: Evaluation

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

• In what way does your opening film sequence of a new fiction film use 'Horror/Rom-com/Thriller' forms/genres/conventions? In what way does your opening film sequence of a new fiction film develop or challenge form/genres/conventions?

Although the genre itself has a vast range of options in its content and outcomes it is possible to identify relative sustaining characteristics to replicate that thriller feeling. The sole aim being to create a feeling of suspense and excitement in the audience.

My production uses some typical forms and conventions of real media products in the thriller genre. Following a predominantly victim based view it is clear they are being chased/tracked down. Based in a suburban environment this is often used in thrillers, one example being se7en.

The sequence shows a chain of bad events/content building tension and suspense in preperation for the climax.

• Low key lighting 
• Quick cuts 
• Shadows 
• Tension music 
• Changes in the angle of shots 
• Diegetic sound of breathing 
• Montage of shots

The narrative evidently adds an effect of realism leaving disturbia in the audience making them feel vulnerable to the event as it could possibly happen to them, exaggerating the moral of the sequence.

It can be a struggle to challenge forms and convention of a real media thriller based product due its distinct nature and almost stereotypical guidelines used to create and establish the feel of a typical thriller. Typically for the most success in a thriller film following generic forms and manners of this genre must be abided too.

However, there must be a diverse adaptation to these guidelines for success. In my case I wanted to create almost confusion in the audience within the opening sequence, the intention being that the killer is actually the protagonist of the film.

The sequence is seen pretty much from the perspective of the victim, this tricks the audience into believing he is the sole character of the supposable film with this weird, eery character chasing them. Supported by the lack of dialogue it leaves the viewer in a confused state as it is not apparent of the situation which I purposely intended so the audience can have interpretations on the supposable following story/narrative.

This comes to an end with the final of the sequence when the victim is chased down and killed.

The gap between both shootings creates anticipation and further disturbance. The only prompt of what I would want the following narrative to appear as is the title/name of the film displayed at the end. 'Vigilante' then sets certain guidelines that the chaser is actually killing the victim for a good purpose and brings an obvious theme to the recent content. 

In a typical thriller film the narrative revolves around an investigation of an enigma, which in my case is a sub enigma which is not evident until the title of the film resolving the purpose of the content.

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

• How does your film opening represent certain social groups in its narrative? Think in terms of sub cultures, age, gender, class (social grade), ethnicity etc.? 

I believe my product reflects the idea of this suburban lifestyle being very dark, gritty and baron. Using the pallette I chose with the help of colour correction in After Effects it allowed me to sustain a very bland colour scheme with very grey colours however highlight specific colours in a semiotic manner.

This style allowed me to exaggerate the social group I was representing in the narrative. 

The sub-culture being that of  violence which is not apparent until the end of the sequence with the shooting of the victim and title bringing to light the purpose of the content and in fact the victim also must have taken violent/illegal actions to be in his position.

Although not entirely apparent I would typically want to pose the individuals as different ages, the victim being a young adult represented using costume and actions. Wearing a zip up hoodie, baggy trousers, sports trainers and hat this, in my opinion, reflects a young adult in the 18-24 region. On the other hand the killer/protagonist is wearing very much a more formal costume: a blazer, red chequered shirt, trousers and glasses, this adds a sense of experience, professionalism and an older age however certain aspects limiting his age such as the red shirt and in my opinion reflects the age of a Adult man in his 30's.

Both Characters are male, in this case based on the content it typically fits. In most action/thriller products it is very male predominant. I believe this helped my case in terms of its style of this gritty atmosphere which could also be achieved with a woman however her costume/appearance would be very much have to portray this idea.

The characters fall into the social group of 'White British' which suits the location of filming being british.

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

• What kind of film studio, TV company might distribute your film and why? - what studios would release a typical horror film, a rom-com or a thriller film? Is your film a big budget venture or a smaller independent film?

Our film would be distributed by a major company because it mainly follows the codes and conventions of a psychological thriller film. E.g. Isolation. The codes and conventions I used will help produce a thriller film that will appeal to the majority of the thriller fans. If it did not follow to the general form of a psychological thriller film then a smaller company may distribute the film and it would not be as mainstream.

 A media institution that might distribute our media product would be ‘Anchor Bay Entertainment’ (even though it is in the US) because it specialises in a lot of thrillers films like ‘’The Cat o’ Nine Tails, The Walking Dead ’’ etc. They also markets and sells feature films, series, television specials and short films to consumers worldwide. This would help our film to be published all over the world and enable other audiences to see our film too. Also, because it is in America, we can get more publicity with our film. I could also get Weinstein company (in America) to distribute my movie as they market the most popular films such as ‘Iron Lady. This would enable my film to be marketed around the world and hopefully be successful. The Weinstein is an American film studio created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979. Weinstein is popular for distributing award winning movies like ‘The Iron Lady and The Artist’.

In the UK, the ‘Film distribution’ http://www.launchingfilms.com/ could distribute my film as it is in the UK and specialises in UK movie.

Film distribution is a British distributor of independent films in the UK and Ireland for various production companies; it is owned by Nigel Green who started the company in 1978. Their first big success was the successful horror Terror (1978) made by cult filmmaker Norman J. Warren.

Film four could also distribute my film as it based in the UK and has done well known films such as 127 hours and Slumdog Millionaire. This could help my film to be well known in the UK and get good publicity. Film 4 Productions is a British film production company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The company has been responsible for backing a large number of films made in the United Kingdom. The company’s first production was Walter, directed by Stephen Frears, which was released in 1982.

If however it was a smaller independent film Icon Film Distribution is the right media institution to distribute my film because they have a proven track record of distributing independent thrillers such as Drive, The Killer Inside Me, Buried and Edge of Darkness. 

My film, as an independently produced thriller, fits into this portfolio and so they would be the company most likely to be interested in distributing it. In addition, the studio has a history of distributing debut films for young directors like The Babadook by Jennifer Kent and Tom Vaughan’s Starter for 10. 

This would make them more likely to take risks with first-time directors and, as seen in The Babadook, allow more experimental plots and styles than larger conglomerates such as the ‘big six’. My film would also allow them to access a slightly younger audience due to the ages of the cast and because the film is less graphic than films such as Drive, securing a lower age rating and therefore increasing its earnings potential. While most of Icon’s best-selling films are historical ( Braveheart and 12 Years a Slave), they recently had success with thrillers such as Drive ($76.2 million). This proves that they could make money from my film and that it would fit into their portfolio well. The company is British-based and so will be looking to distribute British films, which makes them more likely to invest in my film as it is independent and British.

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

• Think about your target audience in terms of age, gender, class, ethnicity and social grade of your target audience. Apply in relation to the genre and film rating U, PG , 12, 12A, 15, 18?

Narrowing the target audience down into the factors:

Age: 

Gender:

Class:

Ethnicity:

Social Grade:

I believe by film would fit into the guidelines of  a 15 classification meaning 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. This classification allows the following:

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.
 

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse (for example, through instructional detail). The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.
 

Language

There may be strong language. Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

Nudity

There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. There may be nudity in a sexual context but usually without strong detail.
 

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Threat

There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic or sexual threat is unlikely to be acceptable.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but the depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context.

Any of these could be used given this classification and permits a lot to the content ability for the film. As long as none of these are broken it allows a younger age to view the film as aposed to if it possessed an 18 classification therfore a wider amount of people have access to watch it however still interesting those of the older age with the content.

As our film genre is a psychological thriller, we found out that many psychological thrillers were targeted towards people aged 18+ due to the explicit scenes. However we decided to target our film towards a slightly younger age of 16+. The reason why our group decided to stick with 16+ was because we researched other successful thrillers such as ‘Split’ 

and realised that it attracted interesting commentary from the teenage society as young as 16. Furthermore, this film did not include any real explicit conduct in the film, it was largely based on violence, deception, psychology etc. Also we aimed to attract an audience of 16+ because we wanted to broaden our audience.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

• How would you attract your audience to your film? Through its; actors, storyline, characters, titles and music in your opening? Also how would you attract your audience in terms of marketing/advertising your product at the cinema? What strategies would you adopt: Social media, Premiere, websites, billboards, newspaper ad's?

I thought very much into attracting my audience and put major consideration into the key factors to do so.

The Actors were both male, this allows the target audience to relate to the characters and also abides typical guidelines of a production with similar content. Although the thriller genre normally poses a woman as the victim, I believe having a male play the victim allows a more versatile understanding underneath the contents purposeful confusion, that, becoming apparent after the title, this character has done something wrong that the protagonist must avenge. The relative mise-en-scene helps sets the scene, character type and contents purpose. The characters have no dialogue in which I chose too help further create this distopian confusion in the audience leaving them very much intrigued to find out why this victim is being chased and resultantly killed.

The music is subtly intensive, It does not pose as typical thriller music, yet gives a more action movie vibe. This is to further set the concept that would come after this opening sequence. It gives a building structure of intensity but not too much to reveal the peak of the sequence. The peak however is made apparent with a build short snippet of a thriller build up. This piece of music creates a specific intriguing vibe in the content in which draws the audience in.

The titles not only displays relevant information crediting the crew and people behind the production, they are used as an element adding to the thriller aspect. The font ' Surfing Capital '  I edited using Photoshop to add an eary style and sustained that throughout the opening, only altering the size and angle when integrating them into the shots environment.  They have a very appealing aesthetic and will help draw in thriller fans with very sharp ridged shapes and bold text. In a typical professional production, the information in the titles could vert much help appeal an audience being able to recognise the crew, cast, director or producers behind it based on their past work.

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

• What have you learnt in terms of using the following technologies: Sony HD camera's for filming / Adobe Premiere / After effects for video editing / Blogging on blogspot etc.

I was not only able to learn new techniques & skills but I was able to further expand my ability and knowledge on already developed techniques to a much higher quality.

I used 2 cameras to film this, Luckily enough I was able to get my hands on a Canon 100D a very high quality camera, i was able to use this alongside my Go-pro Hero 4 with several accessories such as attachments- head straps and tripods. This gave me an insight into professional equipment very much used in the modern industry, exploring different presets in order to make the shot most effective.

I infact in post production stage used a software known as 'Sony vegas' as apose to 'Adobe Premiere' I have familiarity with this programme, using it for several different purposes in the past. I was quickly able to use this to put together the rendered footage edited in After effects, adding a select number of the transitions and elements such as music, sound effects and foley.

Using almost solely After effects, I edited each shot individual before adding in any transitions and cuts. Beginning with  color correction, in which I learnt, I sustained a visual preset to help set the mood of the production without affecting continuity.

The titles I firstly created individually in Photoshop, again sustaining a preset for time efficiency and continuity, using these files I then put them into my after effects composition and explored the use of a 3D map to integrate them into the shots environment, angle and content.

The final title animation I created in after effects with a brush type stroke animation to reveal it so. This is something I have never tried before and was very pleased with the outcome and its simplicity yet effective appearance.

In terms of Blogging it has allowed me to organise my portfolio in a simple way, sectioning each factor and stage of the pre-production and post production stage and how to add elements to support my work.

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

• What did you learn from the preliminary task in terms of: a) working as a group, b) operating video camera's, c) filming sequences thinking about match on  action and the 180-degree rule, d) how did you apply that knowledge to your major production?

Preliminary Task

Creating a short clip within our class, in groups of 3, of a simple exchange within the given environment ( in this case being the sixth form ). This must abide to specific film rules & use specific camera techniques, shots and movements, they include: The 180° rule, Match on Action, Eye-line match and shot-reverse-shot. This task gives us a physical insight and practice with these rules, techniques, shots & movements. Given the chance to work with the camera we had to capture the footage for our film resulting in no longer than 2 minutes once edited. Furthermore all of our footage will be edited together applying these rules in a seamless/continuity way also giving each student experience with the editing software 'Adobe premiere'. We must however consider Equality, Numeracy and Literacy during this process. Equality in this sequence is supposed to serve a purpose of non-stereotypical representations of each character in terms of Age, Gender, Class & status and Sexuality. Numeracy must be considered in terms of our prescribed time limit of 2 minutes. Literacy is simply for using titles/captions appropriately and checking the punctuation, spelling & grammar.

Evaluation:

"Although relatively pleased with the outcome there are several factors I personally believe could of been done to a better standard. On a positive note I was pleased with out creative ability to use a single camera and achieve good continuity edits using our imagination. I was also able to get to grips with the software 'Adobe Premiere' however I personally prefer, and used for this project, Sony Vegas and After effects where I was able to cut and use the software to a better ability (using several different functions) and also used my skills in after effects for effects such as the title and graphics during the title and the cinematic 'letterbox' appearance.
The footage we had however was not to be best of standards partially due to the limited time and group members motivation to get their hands on and use the equipment. This held us back on having perfect continuity although the edit still worked in our favour. I would have wished to have more control over the shots however as this was a team effort and I worked to the ability of others better and less capable than my own so we all had our input and chance to learn new techniques and skills.

We did not have much chance to extend this idea of the equality set in the project with non-sterotypical representations within the task which would of been more achievable with a higher range of people. However working in a group of 3 lads we avoided showing any stereotypes seen in a typical 'Thriller' based film and did not show any representations in our actions or editing when creating the film concerning age, gender, class and status and sexuality.

Overall for our first attempt at continuity filming and editing the outcome is visually appealing and works in the intended way, including all of the set shots, techniques and movements being: the 180° rule which we did not break, a use of Match on Action, Eye-line shots and a shot-reverse-shot. We also went out of our way to explore different techniques, shots and movement such as a Dutch tilt, a Tilt pan, Reverse tracking, Pans, Point of View shots and close ups.

180° Rule: 

This rule states that the camera should be placed somewhere inside 180° on a specific side of the invisible line of shot containing the two people filmed in the sequence. If this rule is broken (line is crossed without a visual camera movement) it leaves the audience confused as it visually appears that the characters/objects are switching places when the film is being played.


Match on Action:

Match on action is an editing technique used to make the footage appear seamless. As a form of continuity editing, this is where one shot cuts to another shot and finalises the action started in the initial shot. This technique creates a "visual bridge' in the action which draws the audience's attention away from any continuity issues. All in all it portrays a continuous sense of the same action rather than matching two separate things. This is better achievable with the use of multi-camera however can be captured with a single camera if filmed correctly.

Eye-line Shot:

An Eye-Line shot is a film editing technique associated with continuity editing referring to the path of the looking eye matching the opposing character and holds similar properties to a shot-reverse-shot. It is used based on the audience so they can get an insight on what the character on screen is viewing. Usually the camera starts on the characters looking at something the audience can not see and then cutting to the object or character they are looking at.

Shot-reverse-shot:

A shot-reverse-shot is another form of continuity editing used very much so in conversations between characters or connections between characters and objects. A normal shot shows what the character is supposably looking at in a sort of POV shot and is closely followed by a reverse angle shot of the character themselves looking at the object or character looking back at them. This shot is supported by the 180° rule and must be heavily considered when using this shot to avoid confusion and distorting the audiences sense of location and also sustaining continuity in the editing. "

• What did you learn from the preliminary task in terms of: a) working as a group, b) operating video camera's, c) filming sequences thinking about match on  action and the 180-degree rule, d) how did you apply that knowledge to your major production?

In comparison to my preliminary task I was in fact working on my own on this production which I believe by means allowed me to completely explore and get an insight into all of the roles I had to take on to create the thriller opening and now this portfolio can display my personal level of ability.

This meant that I had more chance to work with the operations of video cameras when recording. Luckily I was able too work with higher quality equipment in comparison to that in the preliminary task which I also had very little chance to use.

By having the ability of not having starring in my production I was able to ensure all the shots when filming my sequences were filmed in the manner I Intended. I was able to creatively explore different angles and shot types based on the action, content and environment with consideration to professionally integrating titles at the chosen times. Whereas in my preliminary task I did not get much chance to work with the camera and when the chance arose take other peoples ideas/wants and needs into consideration. 

The preliminary task help me establish a better insight into continuity, although there was room for improvement in the preliminary, the time limit restricted us very much. In this case, I was able to completely plan how each shot fell into continuity with the others and what transition's I could use if needed so to portray a certain effect or inform the audience of something without verbal prompt. 

I was able to heavily consider such rules and techniques as the 180-degree rule where I was able to create a flow without any confusion. Although there was no dialogue the actions and content were very clear in this manner. 

The huge difference was the time ability, in our preliminary we had very little time, no planning was involved, just an idea in which we recorded. In my major production we had months to prepare and create and allowed me to independently & properly think about what I wanted my production to portray and possess. Although I was able to use after effects in our preliminary, I was only able to use it for my title, whereas in my major was able to use it for every shot for color correction, titles, transitions and animations.