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

Things which i have learnt throughout my project is how to edit using final cut pro, the camera shots and angles i need to use to create an effective shot. I also found out how to use After Effects and Garage Band. 
This shows a printscreen of the software we used, this shows the open application Final Cut Express.From this software I learnt how to cut scene together and make them look professional by using fade in or out.

 We used A HD video camera to shoot our thriller opening, because the video has better quality than a normal video camera. I learnt how to 'rig' and 'de-rig' a camera from the tripod. some techniques i learnt whilst shooting was how to zoom in and out.

We had to use blogger to post our work. I learnt how to improve and edit stuff on my blogger.

Camera Shot List

Camera Shot List

Extreme Long Shot

This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. Normally shows an exterior eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.

 Long Shot

This is the most difficult to categorise precisely, but is generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the full shot showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges.

Medium Shot

Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the two shot (containing two figures from the waist up) and the three shot (contains 3 figures...). Any more than three figures and the shot tends to become a long shot. Background detail is minimal, probably because location has been established earlier in the scene - the audience already know where they are and now want to focus on dialogue and character interation. Another variation in this category is the over-the-shoulder-shot, which positions the camera behind one figure, revealing the other figure, and part of the first figure's back, head and shoulder.

Close-Up

This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. Usually a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing.

Extreme Close-Up

As its name states, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail at all. This is a very artificial shot, which can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.

Evaluation Q2

Presentation 1

Evaluation Q4

This is Damilola Otukoya, he is 16 years old and lives in Croydon. He is from Nigeria from Lagos. He dresses smart and casual. He likes playing video games and playing football. He shops in JD and M&S.
He watches Horror, Comedy and Thriller films and enjoys the scare of horror and thriller films. His favourite Thriller film is God Father.
He watches T.V programmes such as misfits, he enjoys it because its funny and interesting and has some thriller conventions.
I think my  film will appeal to Damilola, because my movie conventions a lot of the thriller genre and also is interesting, because contains some aspects of mystery. My film is targeted at teenagers around the age of 16-20, who enjoy thriller movies and some mystery.

Evaluation Q1

1) Image 1 shows the title of the film opening. I chose the font colour to be red, because red signifies evil, death and anger. I made the background black, because it fits the conventions of thriller genre. we wanted the title to have a potent meaning so we chose the colour red and made it bold.

2) Image 2 shows the setting and plot of where we had filmed, we chose this location because we used a car (without permission) which we had to use to shoot one of our scenes. I think if i was to re-shoot i would have chosen a woodland, cemetery area.

3) Image 3 shows the costumes we used. in this image you can see a person with a balaclava on, this was used to add a convention of the thriller genre.

4) Image 4 shows the editing software we used, we used final cut pro to cut and edit our thriller opening. Examples og editing we used was jump cuts, fade in and fade out.

5) Image 5 shows the effect software we used, we used after effect to make our tiles and credits. we used after effect, because it is a professional effect software. We were not fully satisfied with the credits, because we didn't have enough time to make better credits.

6) Image 6 shows how the thriller sets up. I chose to add a 20th century production logo, to make my opening look more professional.

7) Image 7 shows character prop and costumes. this shows the main character holding a gun and wearing thug clothing's which represent him as a thug and the gun also is a convention of the thriller genre. 

8) Image 8 shows the production logo. I put this in the opening, because I had done a lot of thriller opening research and found out that they usually have the production logo in the beginning.

Balaclava: We wanted to use a balaclava to conceal and hide the identity of the victim from the viewers, it helps add to the mysterious nature of the film. The fact that the victim is wearing a balaclava could mean that all is not what it seem (i.e. the victim is actually the bad guy).

Gun: This prop will be used to empower the enemy and make the 'bad guy' seem much more efective. The gun will be key in the perpatrator of the crime taking charge of the situation in which he kills the victim

Mercedes Benz C-Class: The car will be an integral part of the storyline. This is where the murder will take place, and where the victim will be thrown into the boot.

Cigarette: The murderer will be smoking a cigarette after he commits the atrocity that has been aforementioned.

Student Film Research

This film opening was fairly good, some of the strenghts were that they had an unknown character who was shown at random scenes, this creates suspence. The video includes some of the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. I think the weaknesses of the film was when the voice over started talking, it was feminine and didnt match the scene. I would have recommended that they used a deep male voice-over and the titles should have been more scarier.

Preliminary task

Continutiy editing- the techniques used to illiminate interruptions in the story-line of a film. Cuts made during the editing process are masked or covered-up with smooth tranisitions and direct overlaps so that motion, action, dialogue and locations appear realistically with little or no psychological effect.

The three rules- 180 degree rule, match on action, shot/reverse shot.

For our preliminary task we had to make a short interview with two or more characters, and we had to use the three rules listed above.

180 degree rule- The 180° rule is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters  in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle. If you crossed the line it make the footage less proffesional and will confuse the audiences, so it is necessary that you think about every shot you are taking.

Match on Action shot- A match on action shot is when some action occurring before the temporally questionable cut is picked up where the cut left it by the shot immediately following. For example a person walking through a door. the first shot is a long shot of the subject walking throught the door, and using match on action shot, we place the camera insde that room to show the subject walking into the room through the door. 

Shot Reverse Shot- is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character , and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other

Animatic

Practical work

I have already shot my thriller scene, but i haven't made all the final editings. I need to make the screen titles on after effects hich i dont have access to home, i also need to edit the titles onto the opening scene using Final Cut Pro. So far i am not working to my full potenitial and hope to start working harder and finshing all work. It was also a problem to get everything orginised on time because my project partener was very lazy and didnt turn up to the video shoot.

Here are the actors- photos

Feedback

I got alot of feedbacks from my freinds after they had seen the rough opening sequence, one commented saying 'i like the idea of a midnight kidnapping, this creates suspence and fear to the audience'. we recieved some positive and some negative comments for example one of the viewers wrote. 'i like it, but u could hav boosted it up by using blood or some horror conventions'. From these comments i have realised that i could have made my film opening more beta if i prepared more for it, but overall i think it went well.

Thriller music

Production and shooting scheduling

We will be shooting our theiller opening on the 20 th of november  2010


We are late with our filming but hopefully will eventually catch up. We will be filimg in croydon cremetoium, which is just past Thornton Heath pond.We chose this location, because it hepls the fundimental codes and conventions of the thriller genre, for example mystry and death.

Production Logo

For our filming prodution we have to make make a production logo. Here are some examples of production logos.

Here are some proffesional and well known production logos.  I like these production logos, because they are different and unique. These production logos are eye catchy and easy to remember.



Specific Questionnaire

Specific Questionnaire

please note- circle your answer.

1)      Do you like thriller films?

Yes

No

2)      If so, what is your favourite thriller film?

The Silence of the Lambs

Psycho

Fight Club

The Godfather

Pulp Fiction

The Dark Knight

Any Others

3)      Which thriller film do you consider to be the most famous?

The Godfather

Se7en

Terminator 2

The Shining

Inglorious Basterds

Die Hard

Any Others

4)      In a thriller what would you expect to see?

Murder

Robbery

Violence

Romance

Criminals

Hero

5)      Which of these famous thriller directors do you know?

Alfred Hitchcock

Michael Mann

Steven Spielberg

Quentin Tarantino

Martin Scorsese

6)      What is the best thriller film of the decade

Gladiator

Donnie Darko

I – Robot

Million Dollar Baby

The Bourne Supremacy

Kill Bill Vol.1 & 2

Audience Research

My target audience will be teenagers around 15-21 because this is the age which Male and Females like to overcome their fears and can do so in a cinema were they can experience the bes type of effect, because of the massive screen and loud speakers. More male audiences go to watch thriller movies compared to female audiecnes. To watch the film the audiences will require a ID of thier age to get into the viewings. 

Characters, props, location Research

My main character will be Ameer Desia (a friend). He will be playing a role of a Devil controlled serial killer. The props wchich he will use is a mask to cover is face and to create a more thiller effect to the character and he will be wearing a Juba (A black long cloth). The location we have chosen for this is a cementry or a woodland area. The scene will take place at during the sunset or at night.
Locations i have chosen
Estate
Woodland
Cemertry

We Will need to experiment on what time of day is best for shooting and what time of day creates the best effects.

Thriller Openings Which Have Inspired Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6w41uDYWSI
Saw II opening sequence starts of with an extreme close up of a light bulb with heavy breathing and noises of the bulb about to explode, this creates tension right at the beginning of the film. The sound used in the opening is non diagetic as we hear echos to establish the scene. Extra diagetic sound is used as the character on the chair starts to scream, this is used to show a more detailed expression of the character and to create more suspence to the audience, the screaming shot is shooted with an extreme close up this also shows detailed expressions. The opening sequence uses a great deal of silence, because silence is a classic code and convention of the thriller genre, it also helps to create suspence and tension.
The lighting used at the begining is High key lishting as we see an extreme close up of a light bulb. The lighting mainly used in this opening sequence is from the light tubes for the set, and this gives better and more effect than natural lighting.

Mis-en-scene- the mis-en-scene at 2:44 shows a close up of the character cutting his eye, this a horror/thriller shot, because it fits more into the horror genre.

1)    What genre films do you like?

Horror   

Thriller   

Action                 

 Comedy                    

 Romance

2)    What gender are you?

Male

Female

3)    How old are you?

15-20

21-25

26-30

30 or more

                                       

4)    Do you rent DVD’s?

Yes

No

5)    Do you download films?

Yes

No

6)    What is your favourite film, and say why?