7. EVALUATION - Progression from preliminary task to full product.

I feel that I have greatly progressed from when I first attempted to make a small move in my preliminary match cut to now when I have completed my final edit of my thriller opening.

The first problems I encountered when it came to editing was using the whole of the screen.

For example, on the left from my preliminary task you can see that we haven't used the space very well, there is a very large space in the middle of the two characters with which is not occupied with anything of interest, when it came to filming our final piece, I kept that in mind and tried to make sure that all our frames sufficiently used all the space possible.

Below is another example of a lesson I learnt, in my preliminary on the left the text looks awkwardly placed, it is slightly clashing with the wall and the attention of the audience is more focused on the character walking rather than what the text says.

To transfer this knowledge to my final edit, I tried to make sure all my titles were clearly placed out and were all the same size, font and colour. I tried to make be aware of where I wanted my audiences attention to be at all times.

Another example of progression is exampled below, on the left is my preliminary task and as you can see the character is blocking what she is doing (opening the door), we had originally planned to do a close up of the hand on the door handle, however, in practise it did not look as good.


On the right is my final edit and as you can see I have taken into consideration the problems I had with my match cut exercise and made sure no object was blocking another. From the example above you can see that I have made sure the pigeons did not cover up the fact they were eating bones, which would have ruined the purpose of the shot.

TASK 6 - EVALUATION

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

The main programmes i used for the production of my title seuquence are, Final cut which is used to edit footage, live type which is used to make titles and Soundtrack, which makes a soundtrack. The picture above shows my titles in the making, once you have finished making the titles and soundtrack, the three programmes are combined as titles and sound are dragged into final cut so all three can be played at once.

This picture shows all three programmes are working together. The left screen shows a clip of the film whilst the right screen shows a clip of the entire footage so far. The top two lines show the titles i made in Live type, the middle lines are clips of the footage and finally this long green line is the soundtrack. As you can see all three programmes have been brought together.

In addition i used many websites such as..

Blogger which i used to upload videos from you tube for example the trailer in my task 3/4 of the evaluation. I also screen grabbed images from art of the title sequence into my blog as well as using google and wikipedia as search engines to search for more information about thrillers. Furthermore i used Imdb(Internet movie database) to identify different genres of thrillers and the types of films.

TASK 7 - EVALUATION.

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

I believe i have learned a lot since the Preliminary task as i am more confident with using the equipment for example in the preliminary task i did the camera work and my framing of the camera was too high or too low etc. However in my film, Final Cut i excecuted the framing better, other factors such as editing and mise en scene makes Final Cut look more professional than the match cut.

The editing plays a big role in how good the footage turns out as it should flow smoothly and you should not even notice that they are a number of clips and not just one, i feel at the time of the preliminary match cut me and the other group members were still not confident in using programmes such as Final Cut which meant it seemed less professional. I learnt that it was better to record longer clips rather than shorter clips so the end footage would flow better.

These pictures of my opening thriller show that camera angles are better and there is a wider range of them especially with the use of high angle shot with the sunlight poking through the trees. In the preliminary match cut, there is a very limited amount of camera angles which shows i have learnt to have variation.

8. (Part 2) EVALUATION - Feedback

The feedback we received for 'Final Cut' was very encouraging and I was very pleased that people struggled to find a fault with our opening, however, we asked them to think of one so that we could further learn from this experience.

Unfortunately due to technical errors we lost a couple of clips and were unable to rotate them, however, this has become a positive as it is an extra thing I have learnt from the task and that is, never rely on technology.

6. EVALUATION - What I have learned

Arlington Road Opening Sequence


Watch Arlington Road : opening title sequence in Entertainment | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Task 8- Evaluation: Audience feedback and comment (PART 2)

This is some feedback i got about what they though of our thriller opening. Due to some technical errors my videos of people's reponses got deleted so above is an Msn Messenger interview with someone who watched our thriller.

TASK 8, Part 2 - EVALUATION

Audience and Feedback.

These are videos of response to my title sequence here's what people said!

Task 7- Evaluation:Looking back at your preliminery task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back at my Preliminary task i feel that my i have improved with my skills and using the camera equipment.
I feel that during the process of making 'Final cut' my group and i felt more confident in using the camera and got the nick of how to record, see our recording and properly put the camera on the tripod.
When we used Final cut pro to edit our preliminary task at first we found it hard to edit and we did not use man special effects, however in the process of editing our thriller opening we were much more confident and skilled using different effects and it looked more professional than the Preliminary task itself.
I feel that my skills have progressed because when i was filming the preliminary task i wasn't that familiar with the use of the camera and how to use final cut pro, soundtrack pro or live type. With the preliminary task we used a limited amount of camera angles and it wasn't edited to a high standard.
Whereas with our thriller opening i found that it was much easier to use final cut pro and sountrack pro. We used much more special effects and our editing skills were of a higher standard probably down to much practice.

Below is a screen grab from our Preliminary task compared to a screen grab of our thriller opening 'Final Cut'.

As you can see the preliminary match cut which is on the left is less skilled as the camera is on a triod and has shot of two people in the same scene together. Whereas the thriller opening screen grab is more skilled as it is filming behind a door lookking into a mirror therefore filming a reflection.

Task 6-Evaluation: What have you learned about technologies from of constructing this product?

I have learnt how to used many different technologies such as Final cut pro, soundtrack pro, livetype, google, youtube, Apple mac computers, Blogger and using the website art of the title.

At first everything was all a bit hard to use. I used youtube and google to research all the different types of sub-genres there were; to help us make a decision about what our thriller openign should be about.

I had never used a Apple mac before and therefore it was my first time, at first i found it hard to copy and paste stuff because it was so different to using a PC.
We used a jvc camera to record our thriller opening once we had recorded it, we put it on a hardrive.

Once we put all our clips together we used final cut pro to edit and soundtrack pro to put our own music to it.
We also use livetype to create the titles for our thriller opening.

During our filming and editing we blogged about what we did using blogger.

We also looked at the website Art of the Title and looked at different shots from a real opening to a film to see the layout of what to put first such as production company, director, producer etc.

5. EVALUATION- My Audience

Penny is a 21 year old woman , who enjoys psychological thrillers. During the week she is a shelf stacker at ASDA but she also has a weekend job at her local cinema which she thoroughly enjoys, "I get to see films as soon as they come out so it's a very exciting job for me", Penny added. She is currently studying Psychology at UCL and loves to shop in thrift stores or read detective novels in her spare time.

Content of Pennys bag:

TASK 2 - EVALUATION

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

This is two images of the main/only character in my film "Final Cut" As my title sequence is vague and there is no particular story line and there is just one character, it is difficult to link it to social groups, however you could argue that this character is a stereotypical mental patient as she looks dishevelled and the way she he is standing in the dark with the candle shows she unhinged. Also the fact that she is always alone suggests she is a loner. A character from an opening that inspires me is the main character in the 2010 film Shutter Island, he is presented as a detective, who is going to Shutter Island, the home for the "criminally insane", to solve a mystery of a missing woman. However we are made aware that everything is not as it seems as he suffers from anxiety, and is grieving for his wife.

Both characters are different as it is clearly indicated through her appearance and body language that she is unstable. However in Shutter Island the character is presented as normal, as his appearence is that of a normal man, his mannerisms and behaviour is also presented as normal until his nervous disposition starts to show.

In both my film and in Shutter Island the main character does not know of their illness

which makes the films psycological thrillers and will give the audience a shock.

Task 5 - Evaluation-Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is a university student called Adam. He is currently studying law and economics.
In his spear time he enjoys going to the cinema with his friends; he loves horror/thriller/sci-fi movies. He also love to shop at Topman and Hollisters; he also works in M&S.

The following items would most likely be the contents of his bag:

TASK 5 - EVALUATION

"Jenny, a 19 year old sales assistant from London,

she is a horror and thriller lover.

She shops on the high street as well as markets.

She enjoys going to the cinema and goes to the gym regularly.

She is currently studying medicine in university."

The contents of Jenny's bag:

• Mobile
• I Pod
• Sunglasses
• Purse
• Books
• Magazines
• University Pass
• Beauty Products

TASK THREE - EVALUATION.

This is an example of how my film would be advertised, i simply screen grabbed images from my title sequence, the first image shows the title of the film to make it clear to people what the name of the film is. The second image is of the character in the sequence, i have chosen this image as it will engage people and make them want to know more about the film. The picture is demonic due to the character's stance as well as the use of the candle which connotates witch-craft. I believe the picture creates an eerie atmosphere as it appears she is watching over people who are passing by.

I decided to advertise using OOH (Out of House) advertising in the form of billboards on the street walls, instead of the TV or in well known magazines, as my film is serious and uncommercial as i believe it would be an indie art house film. It also has a niche market for horror and thriller lovers. I would take my film to film festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Edinburgh Internation Film Festival which are both popular and established film festivals. I would target an independent film distributer such as Vertigo Films as they have a good reputation in producing and distributing independent films or perhaps have a less established company distribute or film such as Delanic films. I would try to get a simultaneous release for the film As my film would be an independent film which indicates a low budget a simultaneous release would be good as we would only need to spend on one marketing campaign opposed to seperate campaigns for each release window.

An example of an independent film Vertigo Films has distributed is the film Streetdance 3D which is due to be released on the 21st May.




These are the types of cinemas we would market our films at, the first cinema is part of Everyman cinemas a chain of independent cinemas spread out across England since 1933. The other is Phoenix cinemas another independent chain of cinemas across england since 1910. These are independent cinemas speacialise in showing independent films as well as rarely showing mainstream movies.

As my film is highly uncommercial, linking products to the film synergously would be difficult therefore i would focus more on advertising on billboards, like those above, as well as magazines like Empire as they discuss many different types of films which would help me reach out to film lovers. However my film could be sold in a box set with various other films of the same genre such as Arlington Road.

Task 3&4- Evaluation: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? How will you attract/address your audience?

This is one example of how my film ,Final cut, would be advertised; on a billboard. I have uploaded a screen grab of the title of the film on one of the billboards so you know what the film is called. The other billboard has a screen grab of a scene from the film.

In order to get my film distributed i would take it along to a independent film festival such as the London independent film festival. From there i would be expect to find a independent film distribution company such as Elysian picture's, to distribute my film into the cinemas.

'Final cut' which is the name of my thriller, would be shown in a independent cinema such as 'screen in the green' and 'hmv curzon', as pictured below.

2. EVALUATION - Representation

As there isn't a variety of characters in my opening it is difficult for me to compare a character with another character from an opening of another film. So instead I have chosen to compare objects or certain images and what we associate them with socially.

Here we see a shot from my film and a shot from the film Deja Vu:

Both of these images are of a single doll, alone in a vast quantity of water. This connects two aspects of ordinary things which many film makers use to their advantage to scare people. The large open water is seen as something to fear by mean people.

The difference between my shot and the shot from Deja Vu, it my shot consists of the doll on calm, still water while Deja Vu shot shows the doll in very rough choppy water.

While I personally think that the still water holds more suspense (as you you have no idea what is waiting beneath the surface).

Above is a screen grab from the film Arlington road (left) and a screen shot from my thriller opening Final Cut (right), both scenes are of an empty playground. Again this plays on taking pretty normal things/situations and making them seem truly eerie. While the park is clearly deserted there the swings are still swinging gently. This is very disturbing and works especially well for a thriller. Although Arlington roads version is done in negative which is also a very good effect.

3/4. EVALUATION - Distributing and Producing my media product.

As 'Final Cut' is an independent film, most likely financed and produced by Plan B Productions (an independent film and video company started by Clay Walker) it is more likely that we would be advertising at film festivals such as Raindance or the London Independent Film Festival.

Following from film festivals,

and taking in the reviews and praise, I would then move into incorporating my film in to society and work to further distribute my film.

This is a mock up advertisement for my film Final Cut. Here I have utilised the double

bill board by choosing to use one solely for the title, this will make it clear what the film is called . The black background combined with the large, bold white letters will cause an impact on the audiences memory. The other billboard uses one screenshot from the film, it is difficult to completely make out what you are looking at but you get an eerie feel which is representative of the general ambiance of the film.

I feel that as we would have a lower budget than a mainstream, highly financed film so we would not be able to afford many large advertisements, because of this I placed one of my major advertisements at a train station. As the posters are at eye level, many people will have to look at it daily, especially during peak times such as rush hour, getting the

film maximum attention.

However, news papers such as The Metro and The Independent.

Due to the genre of our film (Thriller/Horror) our marketing strategy is a different to that of of, say a mainstream action. As we are unable to appeal to children via happy meals e.g. toys or games due to our film not really marketed at that age group, and to advertise in such manor takes away from the scary feel of 'Final Cut'. However, when the film comes out on

DVD it could be bundled with other films within the same genre, e.g.One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

'Final Cut' would typically be shown in art house cinemas such as Screen on the Green in Islington, Picture house in Clapham or Renoir in Bloomsbury.

Skills audit - Filming thriller opening.

After planning what we were going to do for our thriller and presenting our pitch to the class we starting filming our thriller opening. We spent aroud 4 days filming. We filmed at the canal, the local park, in a house that belonged to someone in my group.

This is a location shot of regent's canal, we had to many, many shots in order to get the perfect shot, which meant it took us a long time to film properly. It was easy travelling from each location to the next as all locations were local. Everything went according to plan except for a train scene that we were going to film, but there were filming restrictions also we would have to buy a train ticket to get on the platform.

TASK ONE - EVALUATION

This the title sequence for Riget. It stars Kirsten roffes and Jens okkin. I believe this is the title sequence which relates to mine the most. I got the title sequence from Art of the title.

1.) The first shot of the Riget sequence is similar to the first shot of my sequence as it is hard to recognize what is going on. The fact that my shot is blurred allows the audience to recognize the character is unstable as my shot is a point of view shot of the mental woman. In the shot for Riget,the person seems to be hiding in the smoke and in my shot you can image somebody waiting at the end of the corridor.

2.) In my shot there is sunlight breaking inbetween the trees which gives the impression that some one is walking through the trees, which creates an eerie and tense atmosphere. The fact that there are no leaves on the trees make the shot scary opposed to beautiful. In contrast to my shot the second shot of Riget has a character presented the in the background of the trees however you can only see a figure which creates a sense of mystery.

3.) In the third shot of Riget, it shows a character in the process of ringing water out of clothes, this creates the idea of normality, however it seems the character is doing it violently which tells us otherwise. In my shot the character is about to blow out a black candle, this is the only shot in both title sequences where characters' features are shown. In the shot of Riget only the hands are shown which creates mystery. In contrast my shot allows the audience to see the character's face and most of their body although it doesn't create as much tension as the shot of Riget, it is scary as it seems like the character is staring right at you.

4.) In my shot, the location is a canal it is eerie as they are normally empty and derelict. The fact that there is deep water is also unnerving as the possibility of drowning is high. The creepy doll helps emphasise this idea, the way the doll is floating lightly on the surface contrasts hugely with the way the body is being thrust in the water in Riget. The shot is so powerful that is makes the viewer envisage suffocation and terror. Although it is clear what is happening, there is still a sense of mystery, which also applies to my shot.

5.) The fifth shot of Riget is by far the most mysterious it is almost impossible to see what is happening it looks like a group of trees however we are not sure. Similarly in my fifth show it is hard to see what is happening, the only thing that is clear is the titles running across the shot.

6.) My shot is of the title of the film, the theme is black background with white text to keep it simple and easy to read. It also creates a sense of mystery as nothing is revealed about the film. The font is not comical nor scary. In contrast in Riget the background is brown, with bold black font as if somebody has carved the letters out of the wood. The wood is chipped and scratched and blood is seeping through the letters which is gruesome. The font on my shot is much smaller, however they are both similar with the layout as the text is in the middle.

7.) In the shot of Riget, a negative effect is used to distort the shot, it is creepy as we can see what is happening but in a different way to normality. Similarly in my shot the pigeons are in negative, which makes them seem strange and demonic.

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8.) This shot of Riget shows a mass of people who look like doctors this indicates that they are in a mental hospital, the blotch of blood on a doctors coat connotates death and bloodshed. My shot contrasts with this as there are no characters present for most of the title sequence. I believe that my shot creates a tenser atmosphere while the Riget shot has the shock factor.

9.) Finally my shot shows the character waking up on a bed, the way the cupboard is ajar suggests there is something watching her, the character's appearence is scary. As my character has escaped from the mental asylum she is not strapped up in a bed like the character in Riget, the tubes connotate pain and her facial expressions create a terrorfying atmosphere.