After we edited our opening we were very pleased with the outcome as we had to refilm once because editing was a bit crooked. We then had to do an evaluation as a group into a powerpoint which explained everything through the process of what we have learnt? for example match on action and 180 degree rule. We have also learnt to work as a group better. We also had to pin point out things that we had to change for example shorten the voice over script as it was too long to put in the two minute opening. Other things that had to be changed were props as we could not get access to them and how we managed to find a solution to our problems.
Audience feed back was generally positive and we seemed to have been successful in following codes and conventions of a romantic comedy!!!
Friday, 3 April 2009
Casting ideas and shooting schedule...
Casting ideas we were to use actors that would be available to us at any time when we needed them, so people who had alot of free time.
Shooting schedule: We have planned to take time during our lessons, through out the day and after school so we have plenty of time to complete the filming.
Casting ideas we were to use actors that would be available to us at any time when we needed them, so people who had alot of free time.
Shooting schedule: We have planned to take time during our lessons, through out the day and after school so we have plenty of time to complete the filming.
Pitching idea!
This was the point where are work started to get really serious as this was the point where we were about to do our final piece, a two minute opening of a romantic comedy. In our pitch we had to include a synopsis of our film, a detailed opening, a script and we had to have extra detail on how will we be following the conventions of a rom com.
Our title of our film is called prayers answered in which of course relates to the film itself. The basis of the film is about a girl named Skye in which she is a stereotypical geek, whose life isnt going all that well from the death of her mother several years ago and her father being ill. It shows the story through her life when she started her new school to her falling for a boy and getting everything she wanted so basically her prayers have been answered.
The basic script of the opening is a voice over of the female protagonist talking about her life and her first day at her knew school.
The shots that we intend to use in our opening are close ups to identify with the character, long shots so we can get a look at the surroundings and over the shoulder shot to follow and engage with the female protagonist. We follow the codes and conventions of a romantic comedy as alot of rom coms use voice overs at the beginning, the voice over usually being the main character. We are also using a non diegetic sound track through out which i hope is aiming to be upbeat or relating to love. This is another convention which takes place in most romantic comedies.
The stereotypical characters are also a code and convention of romantic comedies as we are using a female geeky protagonist, a hansome male protagonist and a bitchy girl.
This was the point where are work started to get really serious as this was the point where we were about to do our final piece, a two minute opening of a romantic comedy. In our pitch we had to include a synopsis of our film, a detailed opening, a script and we had to have extra detail on how will we be following the conventions of a rom com.
Our title of our film is called prayers answered in which of course relates to the film itself. The basis of the film is about a girl named Skye in which she is a stereotypical geek, whose life isnt going all that well from the death of her mother several years ago and her father being ill. It shows the story through her life when she started her new school to her falling for a boy and getting everything she wanted so basically her prayers have been answered.
The basic script of the opening is a voice over of the female protagonist talking about her life and her first day at her knew school.
The shots that we intend to use in our opening are close ups to identify with the character, long shots so we can get a look at the surroundings and over the shoulder shot to follow and engage with the female protagonist. We follow the codes and conventions of a romantic comedy as alot of rom coms use voice overs at the beginning, the voice over usually being the main character. We are also using a non diegetic sound track through out which i hope is aiming to be upbeat or relating to love. This is another convention which takes place in most romantic comedies.
The stereotypical characters are also a code and convention of romantic comedies as we are using a female geeky protagonist, a hansome male protagonist and a bitchy girl.
Edited preliminary task and evaluation
When we finally edited our preliminary task there was some good points and bad points about it. The good points include that it had a continuous flow and included the 180 degree rule the piece was very creative which hopefully helped to engage the viewers but then we realised the aim of the task was not to be creative but to work on camera shots and editing so we had experience for the final piece. I had to refilm the preliminary four times due to technical difficulties with the camera and tape and due to not getting the right shots for there to be a continuous flow this seemed to be very time consuming which meant as we refilmed it each time we didnt get the preliminary to reach its full potential which seemed to have lacked our potential and positive attitudes. Our group was focusing too much on the creativity side of the plot and not enough on the technical aspects. If we were to do this again i would ensure that we would focus less on creativity and more on the technical sides of camera angles etc. It also made me realise that from this experience me and my group members should listen to each other more efficiently so in the future we are able to bring our ideas together in order to be a success. I guess you learn from your mistakes.
Preliminary planning!
Before we went straight into filming our two minute film opening we had a practice run through, this was our preliminary task in which we had to have a 30 second piece of somebody walking through the door and then having a conversation with an0ther person using shots such as over the shoulder shots while applying the 180 degree rule with it.
We created a story board which entailed these shots in order to get the best marks possible, it was a bit difficult to plan as we could not think of an idea to follow it by.
When we finally edited our preliminary task there was some good points and bad points about it. The good points include that it had a continuous flow and included the 180 degree rule the piece was very creative which hopefully helped to engage the viewers but then we realised the aim of the task was not to be creative but to work on camera shots and editing so we had experience for the final piece. I had to refilm the preliminary four times due to technical difficulties with the camera and tape and due to not getting the right shots for there to be a continuous flow this seemed to be very time consuming which meant as we refilmed it each time we didnt get the preliminary to reach its full potential which seemed to have lacked our potential and positive attitudes. Our group was focusing too much on the creativity side of the plot and not enough on the technical aspects. If we were to do this again i would ensure that we would focus less on creativity and more on the technical sides of camera angles etc. It also made me realise that from this experience me and my group members should listen to each other more efficiently so in the future we are able to bring our ideas together in order to be a success. I guess you learn from your mistakes.
Preliminary planning!
Before we went straight into filming our two minute film opening we had a practice run through, this was our preliminary task in which we had to have a 30 second piece of somebody walking through the door and then having a conversation with an0ther person using shots such as over the shoulder shots while applying the 180 degree rule with it.
We created a story board which entailed these shots in order to get the best marks possible, it was a bit difficult to plan as we could not think of an idea to follow it by.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
Summary of findings..what have we learned??
From our findings i have discovered that because our film is going to be a teen romantic comedy we will have quite alot of competiton from distributions such as Working Title and Disney as they make a lot of romantic comedies, including alot of teen romantic comedies. To represent these findings we made a powerpoint in which we presented in front of the class.
From our findings i have discovered that because our film is going to be a teen romantic comedy we will have quite alot of competiton from distributions such as Working Title and Disney as they make a lot of romantic comedies, including alot of teen romantic comedies. To represent these findings we made a powerpoint in which we presented in front of the class.
Monday, 30 March 2009
INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT
One of our previous lessons our task was to carry out research on 20th century Fox and Working Title distripution company in which we had to find out history about them and present day information about them that in which is included in the blog.
The BBFC (British film board of classification) helps gain regualtions and control in what can be seen on the viewing screen and what is appropriate for different age groups. As you know they decide what certificate rating a film should be given and we researched on how that has an impact on the film companies and the consumers who are willing to watch.
One of our previous lessons our task was to carry out research on 20th century Fox and Working Title distripution company in which we had to find out history about them and present day information about them that in which is included in the blog.
The BBFC (British film board of classification) helps gain regualtions and control in what can be seen on the viewing screen and what is appropriate for different age groups. As you know they decide what certificate rating a film should be given and we researched on how that has an impact on the film companies and the consumers who are willing to watch.
GENERIC CODES AND CONVENTIONS WE ARE ASPIRING TO?
From doing this research i recognised that all the films shared the same codes and conventions.
The setting...
Was always in a public place such as a city, a work place or somebodys home this is so the audience can relate to the characters. So i believe we should have either one of those settings so we can intend to follow the codes and conventions of a rom com. But then i came to realise because our film is going to be aimed at a younger audience it came to my attention that infact we should be making a teen romantic comedy in order to satisfy the younger audience. So we re evaluated and came to an agreement that it should be either set in a school or in somebody's home.
The props...
Common props that were used were things such as mobile phones and flowers, the mobile phones represents that the film is modern and also the technology used relates to everybody as everybody is familiar with what a mobile phone is. And flowers are used just to represent the romance and love which helps you recognise with the genre you are watching.
The Costume...
Again costume was modern which represents present day and once again relate to the audience.
The lighting...
The lighting in each of these films was high key lighting in order to represent the equilibrium and also helped the audience to familiarise with the characters moods and emotions.
Todorovs Theory...
The films tended to carry out todorovs theory with a clear beginning,middle and end which states us thats what we should be following.
Propps Theory...
In order to create our film we must consider propps theory that in which we should include a princess, a hero and a villain this enables our viewers to easily follow the storyline.
Overall at this point it is important that we follow these codes and conventions so the audience are able to familiarise with this genre and keep them keen for them to want too see more!!
From doing this research i recognised that all the films shared the same codes and conventions.
The setting...
Was always in a public place such as a city, a work place or somebodys home this is so the audience can relate to the characters. So i believe we should have either one of those settings so we can intend to follow the codes and conventions of a rom com. But then i came to realise because our film is going to be aimed at a younger audience it came to my attention that infact we should be making a teen romantic comedy in order to satisfy the younger audience. So we re evaluated and came to an agreement that it should be either set in a school or in somebody's home.
The props...
Common props that were used were things such as mobile phones and flowers, the mobile phones represents that the film is modern and also the technology used relates to everybody as everybody is familiar with what a mobile phone is. And flowers are used just to represent the romance and love which helps you recognise with the genre you are watching.
The Costume...
Again costume was modern which represents present day and once again relate to the audience.
The lighting...
The lighting in each of these films was high key lighting in order to represent the equilibrium and also helped the audience to familiarise with the characters moods and emotions.
Todorovs Theory...
The films tended to carry out todorovs theory with a clear beginning,middle and end which states us thats what we should be following.
Propps Theory...
In order to create our film we must consider propps theory that in which we should include a princess, a hero and a villain this enables our viewers to easily follow the storyline.
Overall at this point it is important that we follow these codes and conventions so the audience are able to familiarise with this genre and keep them keen for them to want too see more!!
Textual Analysis
In this part of the research i had to analyse 5 openings of 5 romantic comedies. The 5 openings i looked at were Just Like Heaven, What happens in Vegas, P.S I Love You, The Holiday and Hitch. In all of these i found out that they had similar openings which included a non diegetic sound track in which the sound track was a love song of some sort either mellow and relaxed or upbeat and happy either way the songs were related to love. In each opening there was always a male and a female protagonist which helped bring the story line together which having a male and female protagonist helped us recognise the codes and conventions of a romantic comedy.
Codes and conventions of a romantic comedy included high key lighting which represented the atmosphere and also the moods of the characters as so i believe. The setting was always in an open place such as in a city or in a work place or even someones home, these settings help the audience relate to the characters as the opening of these films shown everyday life.
After this stage i then narrowed it down to three of the romantic comedies which were What happens in Vegas, P.S I Love You and Just Like Heaven. I then analysed the key scenes of the three films in my analysis i included todorovs theory and propps theory, in that all of the films included a female protagonist who was normally the princess in need of rescuing and the man was the hero who happens to rescue the princess and then there always seemed to be a villain of somesort who blocked the quest of the hero, this applies to propps theory, i also analysed todorovs theory in which i managed to find a pattern in which everything starts off okay then the equilibrium is disrupted following a realisation that the equilibrium has been disrputed which finally follows with a way to re-establish the equilibrium to a new equilibrium being established.
In the three films i analysed the todorovs theory but happened to notice this theory did not apply to P.S I Love You as this film already had the equilibrium disrupted before the film had even started so this film challenges todorovs theory into taking a risk, this film didnt follow the conventions of todorovs theory.
In this part of the research i had to analyse 5 openings of 5 romantic comedies. The 5 openings i looked at were Just Like Heaven, What happens in Vegas, P.S I Love You, The Holiday and Hitch. In all of these i found out that they had similar openings which included a non diegetic sound track in which the sound track was a love song of some sort either mellow and relaxed or upbeat and happy either way the songs were related to love. In each opening there was always a male and a female protagonist which helped bring the story line together which having a male and female protagonist helped us recognise the codes and conventions of a romantic comedy.
Codes and conventions of a romantic comedy included high key lighting which represented the atmosphere and also the moods of the characters as so i believe. The setting was always in an open place such as in a city or in a work place or even someones home, these settings help the audience relate to the characters as the opening of these films shown everyday life.
After this stage i then narrowed it down to three of the romantic comedies which were What happens in Vegas, P.S I Love You and Just Like Heaven. I then analysed the key scenes of the three films in my analysis i included todorovs theory and propps theory, in that all of the films included a female protagonist who was normally the princess in need of rescuing and the man was the hero who happens to rescue the princess and then there always seemed to be a villain of somesort who blocked the quest of the hero, this applies to propps theory, i also analysed todorovs theory in which i managed to find a pattern in which everything starts off okay then the equilibrium is disrupted following a realisation that the equilibrium has been disrputed which finally follows with a way to re-establish the equilibrium to a new equilibrium being established.
In the three films i analysed the todorovs theory but happened to notice this theory did not apply to P.S I Love You as this film already had the equilibrium disrupted before the film had even started so this film challenges todorovs theory into taking a risk, this film didnt follow the conventions of todorovs theory.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Monday, 19 January 2009
Summary of findings
Who is my target audience?
When asking how old people were, the highest number of people that were asked were between the ages of 16-25. This shows that my product should be aimed at a younger audience therefore giving the idea that the product that i produce should be modern.
Ideas Obtained?
The question which i asked 'What is your favourite film?' all of the answers were either related to horror/ thrillers or romantic comedies. Here are some examples of the films that were most popular...
Horror/Thriller> Saw, Final Destination, Hostel
Romantic comedies> Hitch, Love Actually, Mean girls.
There is a pattern with all of these films in which they are blockbusters which tells us they are most liked which gives the idea that the product should be produced is a related blockbuster! We could do this by featuring all the elements of either Horror/Thriller or romantic comedy blockbusters therefore if the product that i produced has familiar elements to blockbusters we know that the product will be more likely to be liked.
Favourite film genre.
When questionning people on which is their favourite film genre was, romantic comedy and horror/ thriller were the most popular that then gave the idea that it is relevant to either make a romantic comedy or a horror thriller as it gives the product a better chance of being watched.
Favourite types of character...
The most two favoured types of characters according to my results are the nice guy and the hero. Obviously a hero is stereotyped as being a man so therefore this tells us that we should include these characters as they are equally as popular as one another and yet again gives the product a more likely of chance of being successful.
I asked 20 people these questions and it turns out that 16 females were asked and only 4 males were asked. This develops my ideas even further to produce a romantic comedy as many females are drawn to this genre as it is the genre which most relates to them. Therefore adding up all the evidence the product that i shall produce should be aimed at young teenagers aged round about 17 years of age. The product should also entail nice guy and hero. With all of the results which we found out first hand we are able to make our product more likely to be successful.
Expectations of a 15 certificate.
.If i am to produce a 15 rated short film then my product can contain language but not too agressive.
. Violence is allowed but it can not be graphical.
. Nudity is not allowed in graphic form.
Audience Profile...
Gender: Female
Age: 17 years old
Favourite genre: Romantic comedy
Favourite film: Hitch
Favourite Actor: Will Smith
Favourite Actress: Cameron Diaz
Personal Profile...
The stereotypical person that my product is aimed at is a female round about the age of 17, who is in some what of an education. She would be a girly girl who is interested in socialising with friends, going out and shopping also she would be interested in boys just the same as every other 17 year old girl.
When asking how old people were, the highest number of people that were asked were between the ages of 16-25. This shows that my product should be aimed at a younger audience therefore giving the idea that the product that i produce should be modern.
Ideas Obtained?
The question which i asked 'What is your favourite film?' all of the answers were either related to horror/ thrillers or romantic comedies. Here are some examples of the films that were most popular...
Horror/Thriller> Saw, Final Destination, Hostel
Romantic comedies> Hitch, Love Actually, Mean girls.
There is a pattern with all of these films in which they are blockbusters which tells us they are most liked which gives the idea that the product should be produced is a related blockbuster! We could do this by featuring all the elements of either Horror/Thriller or romantic comedy blockbusters therefore if the product that i produced has familiar elements to blockbusters we know that the product will be more likely to be liked.
Favourite film genre.
When questionning people on which is their favourite film genre was, romantic comedy and horror/ thriller were the most popular that then gave the idea that it is relevant to either make a romantic comedy or a horror thriller as it gives the product a better chance of being watched.
Favourite types of character...
The most two favoured types of characters according to my results are the nice guy and the hero. Obviously a hero is stereotyped as being a man so therefore this tells us that we should include these characters as they are equally as popular as one another and yet again gives the product a more likely of chance of being successful.
I asked 20 people these questions and it turns out that 16 females were asked and only 4 males were asked. This develops my ideas even further to produce a romantic comedy as many females are drawn to this genre as it is the genre which most relates to them. Therefore adding up all the evidence the product that i shall produce should be aimed at young teenagers aged round about 17 years of age. The product should also entail nice guy and hero. With all of the results which we found out first hand we are able to make our product more likely to be successful.
Expectations of a 15 certificate.
.If i am to produce a 15 rated short film then my product can contain language but not too agressive.
. Violence is allowed but it can not be graphical.
. Nudity is not allowed in graphic form.
Audience Profile...
Gender: Female
Age: 17 years old
Favourite genre: Romantic comedy
Favourite film: Hitch
Favourite Actor: Will Smith
Favourite Actress: Cameron Diaz
Personal Profile...
The stereotypical person that my product is aimed at is a female round about the age of 17, who is in some what of an education. She would be a girly girl who is interested in socialising with friends, going out and shopping also she would be interested in boys just the same as every other 17 year old girl.
Monday, 12 January 2009
Friday, 9 January 2009
Audience research questionnaire
Today i created an audience research questionnaire so i can gather information from both females and males so i can get a general idea of what type of genre they prefer therefore making it more likely for my product to be engaging and more likely to be successful.
Audience research questionnaire
1.) Age: under 16 16-25 25-40 40-60 60+
2.) Gender: Male Female
3.) Occupation: __________________________
4.) What is your favourite film genre?
Comedy Romantic comedy Action/ Adventure
Sci-fi Teen comedy Horror/ Thriller
5.) What is your favourite film? Why?
______________________________________
______________________________________
6.) What is your least favourite film? Why?
______________________________________
______________________________________
7.) Who is your favourite actor/actress?
______________________________________
8.) What are your interests/hobbies?
______________________________________
______________________________________
9.) What is your favourite type of character?
Hero Villain Geek Comedian
Bitch Psycho Bully Nice guy
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