Tuesday, 16 March 2010
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My media production does not exactly challenge the forms and conventions of real media products but instead it follows them so that the viewer is not put off. What I wanted to do with “Reaperation” was to scare the viewer as much as possible, not make them jump but build up a surge of fear and adrenaline inside themselves. I have achieved this by creating quite a fast pace through the quick jump cuts. The unpredictability also helps create this fear/adrenaline.
Like in almost all films the first thing you see is the production logo title screen such as ‘Paramount’ or ‘20th Century Fox’. Rather than taking one of these well known titles I decided to make my own. I created the background by layering 3 pictures that I had taken on a previous occasion and then added an oil painting effect to them. The title itself I made from a font which I downloaded and then edited it accordingly so it was in the shape I wanted. This title was an animation which took me about three hours to create and one hour to animate. This title screen I thought was very successful as it turned out to look a bit like a Monty Python animation.
The next title screen was the film title “Reaperation”. This was another animation I made; I made this by drawing the title so it had the style that I wanted, I then scanned it into the computer and edited it. The scythe was made from another drawing which was scanned and edited. The animation took about 3 hours to create and 4 hours to animate. I am very pleased with the outcome as it took such a long time.
The next title screen to come up is the directors (my) name. The effect on this is a radial blur. This comes before the other title screens as the director is considered to have a more important role than the actors, but his name is less important than the title name. The actor’s names do not come in order of film relevance. I also used a radial blur on these names.
Another way in which this film opening follows conventions is that each clip is in a logical order. If I put the clips in a random order then the film would appear to be a trailer rather than an opening.
Like in almost all films the first thing you see is the production logo title screen such as ‘Paramount’ or ‘20th Century Fox’. Rather than taking one of these well known titles I decided to make my own. I created the background by layering 3 pictures that I had taken on a previous occasion and then added an oil painting effect to them. The title itself I made from a font which I downloaded and then edited it accordingly so it was in the shape I wanted. This title was an animation which took me about three hours to create and one hour to animate. This title screen I thought was very successful as it turned out to look a bit like a Monty Python animation.
The next title screen was the film title “Reaperation”. This was another animation I made; I made this by drawing the title so it had the style that I wanted, I then scanned it into the computer and edited it. The scythe was made from another drawing which was scanned and edited. The animation took about 3 hours to create and 4 hours to animate. I am very pleased with the outcome as it took such a long time.
The next title screen to come up is the directors (my) name. The effect on this is a radial blur. This comes before the other title screens as the director is considered to have a more important role than the actors, but his name is less important than the title name. The actor’s names do not come in order of film relevance. I also used a radial blur on these names.
Another way in which this film opening follows conventions is that each clip is in a logical order. If I put the clips in a random order then the film would appear to be a trailer rather than an opening.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media production does not really represent a specific social group as there is no ‘specific’ social group involved in it. It does however give a stereotypical view of the grim reaper by including his traditional black robe and scythe. The victim in my film represents just one of the many victims to come, if I had carried on making this film into a full length feature production you would see that the victim was not actually killed in that opening sequence. My victim has been designed to represent the average teenager that is likely to go camping for a weekend with a group of friends.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
As my film is fairly low budget it is unlikely that the distributor would be a well known company such as Dream Works who distributed “The Ring” which has been a great influence on my film. Instead it is likely to be distributed by a company like Artisan Entertainment who distributed The Blair Witch Project (a very low budget production) and House of the dead, or by Lion's Gate Films who distributed Rob Zombies films; House of a Thousand Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for my media production would be ages 18 – 35 year olds, but indirectly 16 / 17 year olds as well. It is generally aimed at people who are looking to have a good old fashioned scare. If I made this film into a feature length production I would not be making it for any other reasons, other to frighten people as much as I can.
This production is not aimed at a specific gender as I think that both male and females can enjoy it. I think however that the main audience who would watch this film would be the metallic fans of “Children of Bodom” as it is loosely based off of the Lake Bodom murders as is this band. This means that if the film were to be made into a full feature length production it would have to include Finish subtitles as the people of Finland would most likely like it.
This production is not aimed at a specific gender as I think that both male and females can enjoy it. I think however that the main audience who would watch this film would be the metallic fans of “Children of Bodom” as it is loosely based off of the Lake Bodom murders as is this band. This means that if the film were to be made into a full feature length production it would have to include Finish subtitles as the people of Finland would most likely like it.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I have attracted my target audience by making this film as frightening as possible. I did this using various editing techniques. The music is important in any horror film, as it is one of the best ways to build up tension. I started looking for tense music before I had started filming, this was so I could get a feel for how the music would fit into the film whilst I was filming and editing. While I was filming I had several pieces of music on my Ipod which found difficult to select, (this tracks were all copyright free). As I looked back over the footage that I filmed that day, I listened to these tracks to see what worked and what didn’t. When I brought the footage up on the computer and laid it out in a very basic edit I added several pieces of music and even tried mixing a few until I found the perfect piece.
I considered, creating my own music as I play in a band but it would have taken too much time writing and recording a piece as well as juggling with editing this film.
I added quite a few effects during the editing process in order to make this film as scary as possible and attract my audience. The first thing I did once I had my footage in the order I wanted it was to make the whole thing black and white. I originally wanted to film in the dark but my camera had trouble picking up any images due to the lack of light. I then added a flicker effect and an old grain effect to give it a spooky atmosphere.
Another technique I used to attract my audience was stop motion. I used this to give the reaper a ghostly appearance and to speed up the pace of the film. When the reaper jumps from place to place I used a blur effect to make it appear as if he is dissolving. This effect adds another layer to the film to make it feel extra eerie.
The film’s title attract my audience as they match the genre of the film itself. If I were to use a different typography for the titles I do not think that it would have as great an effect. For the films title I drew it myself so I got exactly the style I wanted and did not have to rely on finding something similar already prepared for me.
I originally wanted to use a forest/wood for my setting as the shadows created by the trees and the trees them selves give off a claustrophobic feel, but due to poor weather I was not able to do this. Instead I found an ally near my friends’ house where I could film, it probably isn’t as successful as a wood would have been but it did work fortunately.
I decided to cast my friends as the characters in my film opening as they were people that I could rely on and got on well with, so they didn’t mind when I was a bit obnoxious/impatient whilst trying to film/direct. For the victim I originally had a different person lined up but he was not available at any convenient times for my filming so instead, another friend play the part. I cannot say whether he performed better than the other person
I considered, creating my own music as I play in a band but it would have taken too much time writing and recording a piece as well as juggling with editing this film.
I added quite a few effects during the editing process in order to make this film as scary as possible and attract my audience. The first thing I did once I had my footage in the order I wanted it was to make the whole thing black and white. I originally wanted to film in the dark but my camera had trouble picking up any images due to the lack of light. I then added a flicker effect and an old grain effect to give it a spooky atmosphere.
Another technique I used to attract my audience was stop motion. I used this to give the reaper a ghostly appearance and to speed up the pace of the film. When the reaper jumps from place to place I used a blur effect to make it appear as if he is dissolving. This effect adds another layer to the film to make it feel extra eerie.
The film’s title attract my audience as they match the genre of the film itself. If I were to use a different typography for the titles I do not think that it would have as great an effect. For the films title I drew it myself so I got exactly the style I wanted and did not have to rely on finding something similar already prepared for me.
I originally wanted to use a forest/wood for my setting as the shadows created by the trees and the trees them selves give off a claustrophobic feel, but due to poor weather I was not able to do this. Instead I found an ally near my friends’ house where I could film, it probably isn’t as successful as a wood would have been but it did work fortunately.
I decided to cast my friends as the characters in my film opening as they were people that I could rely on and got on well with, so they didn’t mind when I was a bit obnoxious/impatient whilst trying to film/direct. For the victim I originally had a different person lined up but he was not available at any convenient times for my filming so instead, another friend play the part. I cannot say whether he performed better than the other person
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have developed and enhanced various skills through the production of my media project. One skill I have developed is my skill of using a camera effectively. The first time I laid my hands on a video camera was when I was seven years old. Since then I have progressed dramatically with the movement of the camera and the choice in shots.
I have also developed my understanding of Sony Vegas. Before this project I had only used this software a few times. This project allowed me to use different effects which I had not used before and I also now know what each effect does and what is possible on this programme.
I have also developed my skill of creating animations and editing photos in order to create the effect I want. Making logos is another skill which I have developed, I have only made a few logos on a computer but the ‘Carnival Productions’ one was by far my most successful. To create this logo I used Paint.net a programme I am now very familiar with.
I have also developed my understanding of Sony Vegas. Before this project I had only used this software a few times. This project allowed me to use different effects which I had not used before and I also now know what each effect does and what is possible on this programme.
I have also developed my skill of creating animations and editing photos in order to create the effect I want. Making logos is another skill which I have developed, I have only made a few logos on a computer but the ‘Carnival Productions’ one was by far my most successful. To create this logo I used Paint.net a programme I am now very familiar with.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
During the preliminary task I worked in a group of three, but during my actual production I worked on my own and got two of my friends to act in it. This was both a good and bad thing; it meant that I had more work to do, as I had to research, plan, film, edit and work on my blog all on my own. Doing this however, did give me freedom and enabled me to be as creative as I wanted to be. The actors I ‘employed’ also had a different angle on the production which made things a little easier and kept the ideas flowing.
Creating a blog was something I had never done before but I think that it is a great way to keep track of what you are doing, because you can write as much or as little as you want, it is clearly laid out and is a good way to remember things you have done in the past.
Creating a blog was something I had never done before but I think that it is a great way to keep track of what you are doing, because you can write as much or as little as you want, it is clearly laid out and is a good way to remember things you have done in the past.
Audience Feed Back
I showed my media project to my intended target audience and they generally really enjoyed it. It did manage to scare quite a few people and not in a jumpy way, it slowly built up the tension and gave people a fright right towards the end.
The parts that scared people the most were when the grim reaper appears in the window, the TV scene and the final part when he moves up the stairs.
What people really seemed to enjoy however was the dissolving/dissapearing effect I used on the grim reaper.
What people said about it...
"I love the stop motion on the grim reaper"
"fantastic"
"its a bit jumpy in places but other than that its really good"
The parts that scared people the most were when the grim reaper appears in the window, the TV scene and the final part when he moves up the stairs.
What people really seemed to enjoy however was the dissolving/dissapearing effect I used on the grim reaper.
What people said about it...
"I love the stop motion on the grim reaper"
"fantastic"
"its a bit jumpy in places but other than that its really good"
Monday, 1 March 2010
Almost completed
I have almost completed everything that needs to be done. The produciton its self has been rendered as an MP4, AVI and MOV as I am not sure which one would be need so I did all 3. I have also completed my film skills audit and the only thing left to do is an evaluation.
Friday, 26 February 2010
Second Viewing
I showed my media production to my sister who did media a few years ago. The thing that she most liked about it was the movement of the camera, she thought that it was extremely smooth in some places and is surprised that I did not use a tripod for a lot of the movement.
I have also shown my media production to Gareth (The Grim Reaper) and he thought that it was better than he was expecting. I intend today to show Reaperation to the other character in it, Jamie (The victim)
I used the Mac this time to view my production and in full screen it didn't slow down like it did when using Windows Media Player
The version I have shown is what I think my finished version.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
First Viewing
A couple of weeks ago I got my entire class together and got them to watch my film as it was back then. At that time it was just a very rough edit, the first minute or so and no effects had been added.
I handed 10 sheets out with questions on in order for people to answer so I could recive some possible improvments, what people thought worked well and overall a diffrent perspective on the film.
What I got from this was that the things people liked the most was the choice in music as it built up tension and the stop animation. What people didn't like however was that the jump cuts seemed a little too jumpy, and when the credits came on the video froze so that the only movment was effect on the titles.
In order to improve it they suggested adding in effects and changing it to black and white.
There was one problem with the viewing that took place. I had rendered my film as an AVI file, then burn't it to a DVD, when I full screened the film on windows media player for some un explained reason it played it in slow motion and the sound carried on at normal speed.
I handed 10 sheets out with questions on in order for people to answer so I could recive some possible improvments, what people thought worked well and overall a diffrent perspective on the film.
What I got from this was that the things people liked the most was the choice in music as it built up tension and the stop animation. What people didn't like however was that the jump cuts seemed a little too jumpy, and when the credits came on the video froze so that the only movment was effect on the titles.
In order to improve it they suggested adding in effects and changing it to black and white.
There was one problem with the viewing that took place. I had rendered my film as an AVI file, then burn't it to a DVD, when I full screened the film on windows media player for some un explained reason it played it in slow motion and the sound carried on at normal speed.
Friday, 29 January 2010
A Change in Names
I have decided to change the title of my film from 'Run from the Reaper' to Reaperation, this is because I felt that the title 'Run from the Reaper' sounded a bit boring and cheesey, the name Reaperation gives it a little more spice.
Second day of filming
Due to the weather I couldn't do the outdoor side of the filming on the same day as the indoor, so I managed to persuade my cast to help me film for one more day. Instead of using the wood as the ground was extremely muddy I used a derelict piece of land. The advantage to this was I had more space to move the camera around and the Reaper costume did not keep getting caught on the trees.
Thursday, 21 January 2010
First Day of Filming
Did the first day of filming yesterday, 'The house scene' it went reasonably well but there were a few problems and changes that had to be made. But before I go into them I would like to thank Jamie and Gareth for being extremely patient with me.
The first issue that I came across despite the fact it was snowing at the time, was moving the fridge in front of the garage door, the fridge was moveable but when we did move it we accidentally knocked it to the side and almost broke it, so I scrapped that idea but instead found some planks of wood and used them to barricade the door.
The next thing I changed was the grim reaper walking past the kitchen window. I had real trouble timing it right so that the reaper walks past at exactly the right moment so instead I got the reaper to just stare through the window as the victim walks past.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Editing
I am trying to decide on what piece of software I am going to use for editing the film, either Final Cut, or Sony Vegas Pro 9. But for editing music I am going to use Free Music Editor, and for the titles I shall use Paint.net
22/01/10
I have begun the editing process using Sony Vegas Pro 9 and have found a way to create stop animation using it, which means I no longer have to download the trial version of Stop Motion Pro which would have only given me a maximum of 16 uses', as I am not using pictures taken via a camera to create my stop animation it would not be a huge benefit if did use it.
The Stop Motion animation is going to be used for the grim reaper and also for the title screens.
I was originally going make the title screens by working the names into the film itself, by either writing them on the ground or wall. But yesterday whilst watching Tenacious D, I thought I could do an animation a bit like that but not so comical and not using characters. But by having the scythe spin across the screen and as it does so blood splatters out spelling the out the name. (This Part is not finalized for the main title screen the scythe will spin towards the camera land and then a drop of blood will fall off the blade of the scythe create a small puddle of blood on the floor where the name will appear.
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Sunday, 10 January 2010
AS Media Coursework - Film
It has taken me a while to make this first post on my blog showing my progress with the planning of my Media Project. So I shall just some up what I have been doing towards this project over the past few weeks.
I have decided on doing an Action/Horror film opening. The opening shall be another chase scene but not like the seen from the prelim (The Pizza). This scene will involve two chracters and I have already got two of my friends to play these parts. The two chracters will be a victim (possibly with a name) and the Grim Reaper.
My two favourite film genres are action and horror which is why I have chosen to go in this direction. But one of my more general influences is the sort of music that I listen to, taking for instance one of my favourite artists, Children of Bodom, a lot of their songs are based on the lake bodom murders that occured in the 1960s. If you are unfamiliar with these murders then follow this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Bodom_murders . I do not want to recreate these murders. But the event itself has helped me choose characters for this film opening.
I have also looked at many diffrent action and horror films.
Action
The Chronicals of Riddick
V for Vendetta
Avatar
The Dark Knight
Bourne Trilogy
Hell Boy 1 & 2
Horror
Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurection, Alien vs Predator.
The Ring 1 & 2 in both Japanese and English
Jason X
Silence of the Lambs (Thriller / Horror)
The Grudge
The Blair Witch Project
THE RING
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQm3BV6s0r8
This is one of my favourite scenes in the ring, it features some excellent special effects that have stuck in my mind for years, when I first watched this film at the age of 13 I had trouble sleeping for nights on end. I may use some of the techniques is this scene for my final project such as, Sadako moving slowly compared to Ryuji Takayama, who is moving quickly and in his panic stumbles over various objects.
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeShmrlFT5M
This is the final scene from the blair witch project, it was such an original way to shoot a horror movie using nothing but hand held 'amatuer' camera shots. The wat they build tension is really clever; Instead of using music they use the screams of the girls voice as they enter the house, after a few minutes in the house the screams become more and more extreme, and the breathing of 'Mike' becomes a lot heavier. As they venture further into the house it begins to look more and more creepy with the strange symbols on the walls, and handprints everywhere. When the girl heads down into the basement this is really the climax of this tension as we see Mike standing in the corner of the room for a few seconds.
I have decided on doing an Action/Horror film opening. The opening shall be another chase scene but not like the seen from the prelim (The Pizza). This scene will involve two chracters and I have already got two of my friends to play these parts. The two chracters will be a victim (possibly with a name) and the Grim Reaper.
My two favourite film genres are action and horror which is why I have chosen to go in this direction. But one of my more general influences is the sort of music that I listen to, taking for instance one of my favourite artists, Children of Bodom, a lot of their songs are based on the lake bodom murders that occured in the 1960s. If you are unfamiliar with these murders then follow this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Bodom_murders . I do not want to recreate these murders. But the event itself has helped me choose characters for this film opening.
I have also looked at many diffrent action and horror films.
Action
The Chronicals of Riddick
V for Vendetta
Avatar
The Dark Knight
Bourne Trilogy
Hell Boy 1 & 2
Horror
Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurection, Alien vs Predator.
The Ring 1 & 2 in both Japanese and English
Jason X
Silence of the Lambs (Thriller / Horror)
The Grudge
The Blair Witch Project
THE RING
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQm3BV6s0r8
This is one of my favourite scenes in the ring, it features some excellent special effects that have stuck in my mind for years, when I first watched this film at the age of 13 I had trouble sleeping for nights on end. I may use some of the techniques is this scene for my final project such as, Sadako moving slowly compared to Ryuji Takayama, who is moving quickly and in his panic stumbles over various objects.
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeShmrlFT5M
This is the final scene from the blair witch project, it was such an original way to shoot a horror movie using nothing but hand held 'amatuer' camera shots. The wat they build tension is really clever; Instead of using music they use the screams of the girls voice as they enter the house, after a few minutes in the house the screams become more and more extreme, and the breathing of 'Mike' becomes a lot heavier. As they venture further into the house it begins to look more and more creepy with the strange symbols on the walls, and handprints everywhere. When the girl heads down into the basement this is really the climax of this tension as we see Mike standing in the corner of the room for a few seconds.
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