Prelim Self Evaluation

SELF EVALUATION:

1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I worked with Mollie Habbershaw and Bonnie Fitch. In the beginning during the planning stages, we each took on a task to complete so we could start filming and editing quicker. Although this was a quicker process, it meant that a lot of the decisions for the storyboard and script for example, were individual decisions and not choices made as a group. Bonnie took on the task of filming, however I did film parts of the clip and Mollie mainly acted.

 2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take in to account?

We planned it by mainly using spider-diagrams in the beginning but then transferring all that information onto a word document. We tried to think about the conventions of the horror genre as much as possible whilst planning but also the different types of camera angles and shots we needed to include.

 3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

We used the video camera mainly to film obviously, but also our phones have a torch which you can use to flash and this helped especially in the beginning scene of the sequence. The computers were obviously another piece of technology that we had to use a lot for editing. 

4) What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

The main thing that was annoying about planning was the amount of time that we had to do it. We knew that if we finished planning earlier then we could start filming and editing sooner but at the same time we also knew it was important not to rush the planning. We had to find the right balance for timing. The issue with shooting was that we were very limited in where we could film, as we didn't have that long to plan, we couldn't plan/book places to film far in advance so we had to make do with places around/near school. Editing was one of the hardest parts as we needed to make it look scary and due to filming in the daytime, most of the shots were filmed in light places which didn't look very scary so that's why we all made the decision that the sequence would look better in black and white. Transitions were also another issue as we needed to make them look smooth but some shots looked better if they weren't just a straight cut. In the future I think I would need to take into consideration how the shots follow on from each other in order to allow the sequence to run more smoothly.

 5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently? What did others say about your production?

I think the sequence was successful in the sense of filming and time organisation; we managed to get all the shots in and film and edit in time. However, I think we all underestimated how hard trying to make a horror film was going to be when only filming in school. There was not much flexibility with filming so it was harder to shoot it exactly how we wanted it. As I’m definitely more of an organisational person than a creative person, this also made it harder as producing a horror film means you have to have a lot of creativity. The music that we chose worked well and the beginning/title scene as it helped to build up that horror factor. It was hard to make dialogue sound scary and to produce a scary, typical ‘horror film’ storyline and to be able to fit it in in such a short amount of time. In the future I would focus less on the speaking part and concentrate more on the setting and music as I believe that is the majority of what makes a film scary. I would also perhaps not look at it from a supernatural perspective as it is hard to create those sort of scenes without special equipment and be very knowledgeable about special effects.

Others said that we managed to show the horror conventions well and that our music choices were good and perhaps the main thing that made the genre clear. A couple of feedback sheets say that the speech was not very clear which is something we will have to work on in the future when making a shooting schedule. Most people said that the story-line was easy to understand and that we included good shots. A couple commented on the editing and said they liked the slow motion scene in the toilets. 

6) What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

I have learnt not to underestimate the filming. Filming is potentially the hardest part as you need to make sure everything is done right and perhaps film more than you need in order to get the editing right. I also learnt that planning is essential in order for the sequence to be successful and that you really need to plan in detail. This learning will be beneficial when I complete my actual film sequence as I will make sure to identify each individuals in the group strengths and weaknesses and that will enable each person to focus on a specific part which they will excel in. 

Preliminary Task - Delusion

I think that some of the shots went really well and I think the beginning is quite effective with the music. I also like the black and white as it makes everything look darker and therefore scarier/creepier. However, I underestimated how hard it would be to produce a horror film so when it came to actually filming scary shots, I found it very difficult. Overall, I would have spent more time on the storyboard and practicing filming if I could redo this task as I believe that planning is essential but I am proud of what I managed to produce for my preliminary task and it has taught me what my strengths and weaknesses are for future tasks.

Preliminary Task - Prezi

This is the Prezi I made explaining our preliminary task. A few things have changed from the storyboard that is on here. For example, a lot of the toilet scene and also the script has been extended. The music in the background is the music that we used in the actual production.

Many people commented on the Prezi on the feedback sheets and said that it was very detailed, however the characters could have had more detail. This would have been hard to do however as it is only a short clip of a film so you don't really get a chance to get to know any characters particularly well.

Representation Example

Cosmopolitan magazine is suggesting that sex is for men by the name of the article '10 Things Guys Crave in Bed' and 'Read His Dirty Mind'. It is discreetly saying that we should aim to look like the woman on the front cover. Most of the headlines all about appearance. This portrays women as being around to look good and pleasure men.

Other programs such as ones based in East London portray London as being not a nice place to live, with the use of high-rise flats that are unattractive and also everywhere looked a bit shabby. These sorts of programs make teenagers look scary and dangerous, especially teenagers that aren't white. This has an effect of making some people scared of these types of people for no reason.
On the other hand, there is an opposite of this. Films such as Notting Hill make London out to be  very green and peaceful place. They mainly use white, well-off people and do not show many other ethnicity's or cultures.
Both representations are untrue as not all teenagers are scary and carry knives but little of London is green and peaceful and it is very multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

Representations Homework

Clip from Grease:




It is representing a typical teenage boys mindset/what they think is 'cool', in comparison to how girls would want a relationship to be about. It is being represented by portraying boys as being mainly concerned with sex and not the actual relationship, whereas it is illustrating how girls can be quite naive when it comes to relationships. You feel quite sorry for Sandy by the end of this as it seems like she genuinely liked Danny in comparison to him maybe using her. These teenagers seem quite normal and this makes it more realistic, in addition it explains the stereotypical thought processes of girls and boys.

Representations

Representations

Definitions:

Stereotypes – Media institutions use stereotypes because the audience will instantly understand them. Think of stereotypes as a ‘visual shortcut’. They’re repeated so often that we assume they are normal or ‘true’.

Archetypes - This is the ‘ultimate’ stereotype. For example, the white stiletto wearing, big busted, brainless blonde bimbo.

Countertype -A representation that challenges traditional stereotypical associations of groups, people or places.

Representation – the way in which people, events and ideas are presented to the audience. To break it down, the media takes something that is already there and re-presents it to us in the way that they choose.

These representations are created by the producers (anyone who makes a media text) of media texts. What they choose to present to us is controlled by Gatekeepers…

Gatekeepers

A media ‘gatekeeper’ is a person involved in a media production with the power to make a decision about something the audience are allowed to read, hear or see – and, of course, not get to see; for instance, a newspaper editor has the final say on what goes into his or her newspaper, where it goes within the pages, next to what other piece, with which pictures, strap-lines and headlines, etc.

E.g. in a newspaper the reporter would be the producer and the editor would be the gatekeeper. However the owner of the company would have the final say.

Moguls:

But in the example of the newspaper editor’s decision, this will not be made freely: it will have been affected by technical issues, by the kind of person who owns the newspaper, for example (i.e. the so-called media moguls, such as Rupert Mudorch), and by many other things.

Who, What, Why, Where?

When you’re analysing representation, think about the following questions:

-          WHO or what is being representing? Who is the preferred audience for this representation?

-          WHAT are they doing? Is their activity presented as typical or atypical? Are they conforming to genre expectations or other conventions?

-          WHY are they present? What purpose do they serve? What are they communicating by their presence? What’s preferred reading?

-          WHERE are they? How are they framed? Are they represented as natural or artificial? What surrounds them? What is in the foreground and what is in the background?

The media can chose ways to represent information, such as the man who started the London riots could be portrayed as a family man or as someone who deserved it, depending on the types of pictures used. For example, there is one picture that shows him holding a baby and smiling and another where he appears to be making a gun gesture and looking more serious. 

REPRESENTATION THEORY

The Male Gaze (Laura Mulvey)

The cinema apparatus of Hollywood cinema puts the audience in a masculine subject position with the woman on the screen seen as an object of desire. Film and cinematography are structures upon ideas.

Protagonists tended to be men. Mulvey suggests two distinct modes of male gaze – “voyeuristic (women as whores) and fetishistic – women as unreachable Madonna’s”. (Also narcissistic – women watching the film see themselves reflected on the screen).

How we treat people (Richard Dyer)

Dyer argues that how we are seen determines how we are treated and how we treat other people is based on how we see them. This comes from our understanding of representation.

He believes that stereotypes come down to power. Those who have power stereotype those who don’t. 

Film Language

Film language is made up of four different aspects:

1.) CAMERA
FRAME
-6 possible shots (extreme close up, close up, mid shot, medium long shot, long shot and extreme long shot).
ANGLE
- Birdseye, low, level, high, wormseye.
MOVEMENT
- Pan left/right.
- Tilt up/down.
- Tracking
- Static shot
- Zoom in and out
- Crane shot.

2.) SOUND
- Music
- Contrapuntal (when the mustic doesn't go with the images, e.g. a childrens nusery rhyme in a horror film) and Parallel (when the music matches the images).
- Diegetic (all the stuff we hear when being filmed) and Non-Diegetic (all the stuff put on later during editing, e.g. sound effects).
- On Screen (can see what's making sound) and Off Screen (can't see what's making sound).
- Voiceover
- Dialogue (the way people speak).

3.) MISE EN SCENE
- Costume
- Lighting (low-key and high-key)
- Actors
- Make up
- Props
- Setting

4.) EDITING
- Transition (how it cuts, a movement from one scene to another, e.g. straight cut, wipe/slide).
- Order of Narrative (is the order skipped, traditional or does it include flashbacks).
- Pace (how quickly things cut, e.g. action films would be fast paced.
- Special effects
- Graphic Matches (e.g. one door closing and another one opens. One image to another but the same object).

Three Examples of Analysis of Film Language...

1.) Children of Men



Camera:
It begins with a mid-shot taken from above. The camera then shows the tv screen from a high shot. It then follows the man out of the shop, with the camera behind him. It pans left and then follows him until the man stops and it catches up. By then it is a medium-long shot. After the explosion, the camera focuses on the smoke and then starts to move towards it.

Sound:
It begins with off-screen sound with what sounds like the news on in the background. The dialogue is serious which suggests the genre of this film. After these, all the sound is on-screen until the explosion. The music is sad which is parallel to the scene as it is about death.

Mise en Scene:
The people are all dressed normally which suggests that they represent the rest of the population. High-key lighting is used to further emphasise the point that this is supposed to be an ordinary day. The man pushes through the crowd at the beginning of the clip and then the camera focuses on him which suggests that he is the protagonist of this film. The people's facial expressions look sad and shocked which makes us think that the fact that he has died has had a big impact. It is set in London and the coffee shop and the cars all look very ordinary even though they're saying that the youngest person in the world is 18.

Editing:
They are 2 straight cuts and the order of narrative is traditional. The scenes cut at a slow pace as it is supposed to represent a sad time.

2.) Clueless



Camera:
Begins with birdeye long shot of the car. Mostly consists of mid-shots and long shots. Camera tilts down with her father and follows them both in the kitchen.When she begins driving, the camera starts off being birdseye and then goes behind the car.

Sound:
Begins with song which is non-diegetic and parallel to the storyline. Dialogue of girl is quite whiney and typical of a teenager which reflects the genre. Most of the early dialogue is put on as a voiceover and the on-screen conversations doesn't begin until she has a conversation with her father. There is another song played after this and another voiceover and ends with another on-screen conversation.

Mise en Scene:
The characters are dressed in normal, teenager clothes which suggests that this is going to be about 'ordinary' people. High-Key lighting is used to suggest that this is a happy, normal situation and the main actor/actress appears to be this girl who we find out is called Cher. It is set in a wealthy part of America and Cher appears to also be very wealthy as we see her house. This also seems to be the case with her friends as we see her house too. It looks as if it is set in Summer.

Editing:
All of the transitions are straight cuts and they are fast paced as it is supposed show how Cher has a busy lifestyle. The order of narrative seems to be traditional and there are no special effects.

3.) The Notebook



Camera:
It begins with a static exteme long shot and then after about 30 seconds moves to following a man in a boat as a long shot. Most of the shots are static and long shots but there are no close ups.

Sound:
The music is a non-diegetic piano song with no words and is quite calm but neither sad nor happy. It seems parallel to the scene as it is showing a river/lake with a sunset, both of which are calm. There is no dialogue apart from someone who looks like a nurse right at the end.

Mise en Scene:
It seems to be set in America, judging by the nurses accent, in a remote location. At first we could think that this is a house that this woman lives in alone but then we can tell that it is some sort of hospital, perhaps a care home. The main focus is on this elderly woman so presumeably the film is going to be about her/her life.

Editing:
All the transitions are straight cuts and the order of narrative is traditional and the pace is extremely slow which relfects the setting and the music. There are no obvious special effects.

Institutions Task

Below shows the PowerPoint Presentation I made for the Institutions Task. We had to look at a high budget and low budget film and compare the institutions that made them. It was interesting to find out how much dominance the institutions in the Big Six had over the film industry. It was also interesting to look at other low budget films such as Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project which had such low budgets and made millions.



Another difference that I later found was how they would be able to advertise their films; 20th Century Fox would be able to spend lots of money on ensuring their adverts are on at prime times whereas smaller institutions would maybe have to put on their adverts during the day or late at night. They may have to focus more on internet advertising too because it's a lot cheaper.

Logo

This is my Logo for the institutions task. I got the name SeeMore from my last name (Seymour) and thought the fact that it has the word 'see' in it is very relevant for a film company because their job is make good visual things. The 'more' could represent how my institution is superior as it allows the audience to 'see more' good films. The dark colours look more professional than bright colours in my opinion and they also allow the eye to stand out. The eye obviously refers to the element of 'see' and as it is looking upwards it suggests that other institutions will look up to SeeMore as how to do things.