Target audience profile

Reviewing footage

After the half term, I had to check if all my footage was there. I realised I had quite a few good shots but during the editing process, I discovered that I needed more footage of the protagonist trying on colourful dresses. So after this, I planned to go back to my dad's restaurant with my sister to film extra scenes during the weekend which ended up being successful as I got all the footage I needed to complete my film. I have to admit, when I first attempted to upload the footage, I found it slightly challenging but after a while I realised it was quite easy and rearranging the footage on the side so that they were chronological order made it even easier to manage. Overall, the problems I came across were easily solved.

planning the script

What is an age rating?

An age rating is when a specific film is certified with an age- type such as: U, PG, 12, 12A, 15, 18. These are used to establish what target audience the film is suitable for. If the film is 15 or above, children who are younger are not allowed to watch the film as there may be a specific scene which will be explicit and unsuitable for the kids to watch or learn from.
I think my film opening would be PG as it is a family friendly rom-com with more comedy than romance. 

Peer evaluation feedback

In class we had to assess each others film openings and mine was evaluated by Lizeth. 

Mise-en-scene: Gretchen's lack of style shows she can't dress herself which also highlights her geeky appearance. During the makeover scene, the colour dresses Gretchen tried on established the romantic comedic aspect of the film.

Camerawork: I loved the shot where the camera films from Gretchen's point of view as she watches Georgia take her glasses off. I also enjoyed the high angle shot of Gretchen in the pink dress when she spun around, however I think there should have been more shots when she was waiting in the restaurant. 

Editing: I think the shots could have been slightly quicker so emphasise the girly genre, on the other hand, I liked the use of the clockwork fade out so illustrate the passing of time. The fade outs of the titles made the whole film flow smoother. 

Sound: I love the choice of music as it is upbeat and jolly, I also enjoyed the contrast from happy to sad as it makes the audience feel sympathetic for Gretchen in that moment.  

Tips from BFI trip

In December, our media group travelled to the British Film Institute in Southbank, where Pete Fraser gave us tips on various film genres and the techniques we should apply. We were shown different film openings and were told to give each one a grade. We then had to comment on which one was bad or good and why.
Overall I learnt that I should follow specific camera rules such as: the 360 degree angle, 180 degree angle, establishing shots etc. I also learnt that using a variety of camera angles projects a variety of meanings to the film opening, and if used correctly it could make the final piece look complete. 

Storyboard

Initially I have changed a lot of my ideas and achieved them by leaving the dream scene at the beginning of the film and the location, however I stuck to the basic makeover idea to keep the plot interesting. My titles and cast changed as you will see in the film opening, but I kept the colour and style of the font. In terms of my location, I decided to film in my dad's restaurant and use his flat instead of filming all of it in my house to vary the atmosphere. Overall, I realised it would be difficult to film in a cinema or a changing room so I kept my idea more simple.

What is a film opening and the affect on audience?

A film opening is where the important casts and crew are introduced in the starting credits, it is also where the audience sees the establishing shot which distinguishes the genre of the film. Depending on the genre, the audience might prepare themselves for laughter and romance if the film was a romantic- comedy.   

Q6

Here is my editing in progress on Final cut.

Q6- equipment and software

I have gotten used to using final cut express as I now know how to use all the tools on the right side of the screen, and I have learnt how to drag my footage from the box on the left side down to the bottom of the screen where I can easily edit my footage.

I have learnt how to use specific buttons on the camera and I've learnt how to extend the legs of the tripod and clip them in place so they don't move.

  I now know how to save the footage from an SD card onto my computer desktop using the card reader.

Another software I utilised was Audio network, where I found the perfect songs which was compatible to my film opening.

Q7- film opening screenshots

Picture 1- an establishing shot, it lets the audience know where the characters are
Picture 2- a point of view shot
Picture 3- Fade out
Picture 4- Clock effect to show time is passing 
Picture 5- Title fading out
Picture 6- Off the shoulder shot

Q7 screenshots- 2 exercises

Close up from the 'Life on Mars'

Shot reverse shot of the Continuity exercise 







Attempting to match the sound of the tree branch snapping with the hand hitting it. (Life on Mars)

Q7

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

Looking back at two preliminary tasks I was set to do with a group, we were told to complete a Continuity exercise and a 'Life on Mars' exercise. 

The first micro- element I picked up on was the camera shots, my group captured a close up of the protagonist's face in the 'Life on Mars' activity. Through this, we could reveal the character's distance and unconsciousness with the audience and reality. In addition, we included a low angle shot of the trees. In the Continuity exercise, we got a shot reverse shot which portrayed the characters reactions within their small conversation.

Another element we had to work with was sound, at first there was slight difficulty matching the music with our footage, however we managed to fit it in at the right time. Luckily the sound effects came with the sound track, so we managed to fit that in at different times, such as the noise of the ambulance heading towards the incident. On the other hand, the Continuity exercise only required a small dialogue and the sound of the door opening and shutting. 

For mise-en-scene, we have made use of various setting for instance; the 'Life on Mars' activity needed a parking lot and a big field, where as the Continuity exercise took place in a classroom. The lighting was all natural and we wore our own clothes to keep the scenes casual.

Finally, using final cut express to edit these two tasks has helped me become more familiar with the tools and the way it works. I have become used to using the razor tool to cut bits of unnecessary footage out. I have also been able to easily fix the wave forms of the volume so that I can control when the music comes in and where it fades out. Another thing I have learnt is the editing techniques of; dissolve, fade in and out, adding titles and fixing the brightness of a clip.  

Risk assessment

Shot list

Q6

Q6 from romina97

Q5

How did you attract/ address your audience? 

Q4

Q3

My third question is presented in Prezi.

http://prezi.com/7uh8-fue42hf/edit/#4_24309637

Q2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Q1

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

Film Opening

Filming progress

I filmed on the 15th February, and I began at 9:30 am. I started with filming Kiana Lanjani and Georgia Spencer, and the other members of my cast arrived at my house at 11 am. All six of us travelled with two cars and we arrived at 12 pm.

I filmed all of my shots at my dad's restaurant and his flat. I had to change a few of the scenes and cut things out, such as bits of the makeover. I wanted to pan a table filled with makeup, but instead I decided not to film it as I had other ideas. My cast didn't follow the script exactly as written as we decided to improvise a little. However, we only had a few hours to film everything I needed as we were slightly limited on time; therefore we had to speed the process up slightly. Over the course of editing, I realised there weren't enough unique shots to provide variety, so I went back to my dad's flat today (16th March) with Kiana and filmed some extra shots.