Video with voiceover- institutional question

Equipment and Software

1) Apple Mac Laptop - The Mac was pretty much the main resource of my project, research, blogging, planning, editing and evaluation. Without the mac my project would probably have been rendered impossible. As the laptop has been at college I've only used it during lesson so have had to use the time wisely.

2) HD Camera - This is the first time we have used these HD Cameras, compared to the college cameras these are pretty amazing. The HD cameras are so much more advanced and gave the project a more professional feel.

3) Camera - I used the camera for the titles.

4) Microphone - For the sound of school children I went to a nearby primary school and used the microphone to record them, I found that even thought it picked up the sound of the children really well it also picked up other sounds such as cars and other pedestrians, I overcame this problem by recording in short burst and then looping the better quality recordings.

5) Tripod - Keeping the camera steady while recording.

6) Head Phones - Listening to the music chosen and placing sound effects into the film.

7) Fire wire Cable - Connecting Cameras to the Mac.


After Effects.
This is the first time I have used after effects. It took me some time to really understand what to do but I managed to create my own production logo called "Rupture and, Films". Even though I used it for my Production logo I did not have time to use it for my actual film which I would have liked to do.

iStopmotion.
I am very comftable with iStopmotion, I have used it many times before with other projects so I decided to use it with this project. I reused the same idea with the titles I had done with other another project using pen and paper then taking a selection of pictures then placing them in iStopmotion to create a flicker effect.


Final Cut.
We used Final Cut for our editing. I became very comftable with using Final Cut during this project even though I have used it before. I had a few problems with inserting music and sound effects but I soon over came this by messing around with it.

Audiance Question

"How did you try to attract/address your audience?"

I decided to attract my audience by revealing very little, creating a mystery surrounding my character, never once letting them see his face nor hearing him speak. This was emphasized by sound, the music was a dark ambient instrumental, I then placed underneath the music the sound of school children playing in a playground, this gave the opening a very disturbing feel as the screams relate back to innocence within an opening that is very lonely.

Final Cut - Monsters of Promiscuity

Feedback on roughcut

Rough Cut

Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

I kept my character mysterious, I made sure his face was not shown and he wore a hood. I also used a journey to start off the film. I used specific titles which would be seen in most film openings.

I don't really think my opening develops or challenges modern conventions.


How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My opening represents a younger, more independent and free thinking social group in which inadequacy and complications can be used to create.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The kind of institution I would want to distribute my product is one which deals with the darker side of real life, such as Artisan Entertainment who released Requiem for a Dream which shows a very dark and horrifying take on addiction. Another could be Desperate Pictures who released Mysterious Skin, a very intriguing film about liberation of truth.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience would be the older teenager going into the younger adult, mainly those questioning redemption and morality.

How did you attract/address your audience?

A young male with a taste for promiscuity which soon gets on the better side of his conscience.

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

Not so much learnt, but I have become more confident with the use of cameras and final cut and after effects.

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

I have progressed in final cut, I am more confident when it comes to editing. I am quicker and more efficient, due to learning short cuts.

Animatic

This is the motion animatic edited on Final Cut. The music I have used is Flying Lotus.

New Continuity task

We now have access to to new higher quality cameras, so we decided to redo our continuity tasks to A get to grips with the new equipment and B to find any problems with the compatibility of the Cameras and the Macs.

We took really well to the new Cameras and seem to only encounter one problem at first which was rewinding the tape but this was quickly overcome with a bit of adventuring and fiddling around. The second problem came when we started to edit, we found the sound had a fuzzy effect which can be overcome by using the wind guard over the microphone.

This is my Continuity video.

Nuisances and Minor Concerns

The nuisances include the poor weather conditions as college was closed for two days and could have more closures also in my opening the shots include no snow so I will have to wait for it to clear. another nuisance includes helping other people (invoices) as I am not very good at managing time. I also need a Halloween mask which isn't tacky and not overly used in other films and media.

My minor concerns about the project include Filming near a main road which could be dangerous and the lack of cameras, this means I will have to manage my time better when I have it and work to my best ability.

3 Major Issues

My first issue is that I need to get up for an early morning shot at a location which is hard to get to, firstly this is a problem as my getting up skills are poor, but my project wont have the same effect with out the early morning shot. I will have to work past this by going to bed early and staying at a friends closer to my location.

The other problem is that I have to get transport to my location at the early time as no one lives close enough to walk to it. I have found a bus route which goes closest to the location, it also arrives at an early enough time to get the right live of light.

The third problem is getting my actor to the location and encouraging them to get up in time as they are not being paid for their part in the role so may not feel the need to put in the effort. For this reason I will have to chose my actor carefully, one they will have to have above moderate acting skills to make my opening more professional secondly they will have to trustworthy.

Costume

The character is returning home from a party so I have decided to put him in fairly casual clothes but quite dark and ragged at the same time to fit in with the whole monster theme and the fact that he has been partying all night and lack of sleep, he is also supposed to be a popular character so he also has to look somewhat modern.

I think the simpler I go the better it will look as if I put him in something too fancy it will take away the effect of the animation within my opening. I am going to put him in Jeans but more modern than standard blue jeans, he will also be hooded to create the atmosphere of mystery as all the shots are from over the shoulder to conceal his face.
For the last shot in which we actually see his face he will be wearing a mask as you find out that he has been at a Halloween party. I have not decided which mask yet but I don't want something too tacky or over used within other films.

Location

I have been thinking about locations for my opening, for the first scene I have chosen the road leading down towards Addenbrookes Hospital which is called the Gog Magog hills on the A1307 road. This has a downward slope which looks conveniently like my first shot leading down to a city. For shots within the city I still need to look for appropriate streets I can use, especially shots in which an alley is needed for the animated monsters to lurk down. For the house shot I am thinking of using my friends house situated in Barnwell. Pictures are still to come.

3 Key shots

These are the Three main shots, The first is the long shot of the City from a road leading into it, on the path is my main character dressed in a hood and jeans, animated leaves blow from underneath him into the main camera shot then swiftly blow out of shot again.

The second shot is an over the shoulder shot of the character with a bike lent up against a house, the character sees it then steals it .

The third shot is the character from the front stood in his room, he is wearing a Halloween mask.

Key Frames

These are 9 key frames which will appear in my Film Opening. The start is the same as my Time line beginning, a long shot of the City from a road leading into it, on the path is my main character dressed in a hood and jeans, animated leaves blow from underneath him into the main camera shot then swiftly blow out of shot again. The second shot is a close up of the characters legs and feet walking through a puddle after lifting his feet and walking of a monsters tentacle comes out of the water and attempts to catch the leg but misses. The third frame is a Mid shot of the city as the the boy is progressing on his journey, a giant monsters mouth raises its top jaw over the city and attempts to engulf it but then seems to vanish and retreat back behind the city.
The fourth is a raised shot of the character from behind, in alley Frankensteins monster appears in a nearby alley, the shot then moves on to the fifth frame in which the main title appears, it is covered a sort of goo. The sixth frames is of the character stealing a bike, behind him is a monsters hand creeping out from a drain, the character then speeds off. The seventh frame is the character arriving home on his stolen bike, a group of bats are following him, as he walks into the house they fly in, but disappear. In the eighth frame it shows the character from the front he appears to be wearing a Halloween mask, I chose this frame to be one of the last as the frames before have been showing monsters so it is a surprise when you finally see the characters face, he then proceeds to take the mask of and look through an assortment of DVD, you can see he is tired and perhaps intoxicated. The last frame is the character in bed. I've decided that it will all be filmed with a camera then the monsters will be animated along with other aspects of the film such as the blowing leaves and droplets of water from the puddle etc.

Timeline

This is my time line for my film opening. The starting shot is the long shot of the city and the boy walking. It ends with the Frankensteins Monster stood down an alley. I am planning on doing more shots but this is all I've come up with.

Moodboard

This is a mood board for my opening scene.
The music I have used is Auntie's Lock/Infinitum by Flying Lotus, I would like to recreate the atmosphere this music makes in my final video.
I have used many images that I photographed from the Graphic Novel 'Black Holes' I think it helps me to recreate images of American Suburbia and the metaphor for its delinquency and promiscuity.
Other images come from different cult films, I have tried to incorporate a sense of loss and a search for self discovery. These are enhanced by pictures of monsters and other dimensions, these could be the monsters looking back at you, that life is never what you plan and things are never quite as they seem.
I have also tried to give the weather an autumn feel.

Revised Logo

I found that the original logo did not photocopy well so I just brightened up in Photoshop.

A work in progress of my production logo.

Title & 25 word synopsis.

Cookie Monster.

The morning after the night before, monsters in the cupboard and the end of the world. A Scanner Darkly meets Monsters Inc.