Main Task - Winter Peril - Film Evaluation

Main Task - Winter Peril - Final Cut

Winter Peril - First Cut

                                       


This is the first cut of the opening to our group's film 'Winter Peril'. Within this we have used animated logos and titles, transition effects between video and music clips, effects over the top of video clips, various cuts and a range of shots throughout the clips of footage. To create this we have used Adobe Premiere Pro to collate all of the footage and logos, we used Adobe After Effects to create our moving logos and 'YouTube' and 'Google' to overcome any problems we had.

In our film, I am happy with the cuts between footage and the speed that they go at as they keep the viewer entertained without being long clips of footage before it changes causing the viewer to get a little bored as the film drags on. As well as this I think that our animated logos and titles work well as they add movement to what could normally be a still image and add to the genre - horror - of our film. I think that the transitions I have used between some clips of footage and the music clips, I think the music clips help to build suspension within the opening, as well as the transitions which help to show how the clips link together.

To add to this, I think that the complexity of some of our editing works well in this as it has enabled us as a group to showcase our skills throughout - for example we have used editing to produce a zoom in on a certain area of a clip, animated logos and titles, and effects over clips to give it a different feel within the opening - these have worked well in our film as not only have they showcased our skills but have made our film look professional and to a high standard.

In contrast to this, I think that some aspects of our film need to be slightly altered to keep up the high standard that we have began to establish.  For example the zoom in that we created could be smoother to make it seem like it has been done on a camera rather than through editing.  As well as this we would like to change the filters that we have put over some of the footage, as we feel that it doesn't work as well as it could, so by improving this we feel that this could bring the atmosphere that we want to create to the film clip.  Finally we would like to put a few more sound effects into the film to add to some fo the clips, for example we would like to add a laser sound effect over the 'E' title and gun shots over the titles of the different cast and crew members to help make the glass breaking make sense.

The problems we faced included how to slow down footage, how to create the animated logos, and also had to find the suitable music.  To fix these problems we used 'YouTube' tutorials and to locate the right music we used sites that were found from 'Google'

Filming - On Set

When arriving on set, we found a suitable location within the woods that would be able to be used for the different scenes that we needed.  We began by shooting all scenes involving the dog so as to allow the owners to take him home and to ensure he was kept calm throughout the filming.  These went well, however some shots had to be filmed more than once as the dog began to get jumpy in some shots.

Once the dog had gone we began to film close ups of the ring, the match on action and the hand held camera shots. Throughout this we found that it was hard to get the close ups of the ring and facial expressions clear through zoom, we resolved this by holding the camera close to the object to ensure we can get the clarity. As well as this we had to re-film the handheld shots of the girl being chased as we found it difficult to find the best way to shoot the clip. In the end it took us around 4-5 takes before we found a suitable shot.

Overall I found that the filming experience was enjoyable and I found that I learnt new ways to work within our group and where our strengths were.

Winter Peril - Production Schedule (Task 9)

Winter Peril

7^th December 2013
Hopwas Woods
9:45-3:00

Jobs:

Director – Phoebe Glynn – 07*********
Camera Man – Reece Tomson – 07*********
Producer – Gary Robinson – 07*********

Time	Description	Props	Shots
9:45 – 10:00	Meeting on location and set up	N/A	N/A
10:00 – 11:00	Filming of couple walking through the woods	Dog	Long Shot Medium Long Shot Medium Long Shot Pan (following couple) Long Shot Close up of Characters feet walking
11:00 – 12:30	Filming couple finding the ring whilst walking the dog with match on action shots filmed and some dialogue	Dog Ring	Match on Action Shot Reverse Shot Extreme close up Medium Close Up Low angle medium shot Medium Close up – extreme long shot Pan
12:30 – 1:00	Lunch Break	N/A	N/A
1:00 – 2-30	Filming of young girl in the woods being chased by ‘thug’ – see the ring drop to the floor	Ring	Hand Held camera – POV Shot Long Shot Close Up Medium Shot
2:30 – 2:45	Establishing shot of the area	N/A	Pan
2:45 – 3:00	Pack equipment and leave location	N/A	N/A

*Bold Shots will be filmed from the back of the actors*

Winter Peril - Storyboard (Task 6)

Film Roles - Production Team and Casting (Task 7 and 8)

Director: Phoebe Glynn

Writer: Reece Tomson, Phoebe Glynn and Gary Robinson

Camera person: Reece Tomson

Editor: Reece Tomson, Phoebe Glynn and Gary Robinson

Producer: Gary Robinson

The director is required to guide the technical crew as to how the script is wanted to be seen and makes the executive decisions over the artistic and dramatic aspects of the film.

The writer of the film is the person that writes the script and main story line/plot.

The camera person is the person in charge of the camera, and manages the physical operation of the camera with camera angles and movement of a particular scene.

The editor collaborates with the author to create the idea they have envisioned through altering and combining the material that has been collected in order to produce the final product.

The producer prepares and then supervises the making of a film before presenting the product to a financing entity or a film distributor. They are involved in helping both the creative and finance teams.

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Cast: Jamie Glynn and Sammie Peach
Props: a dog and a ring

The characters that each cast member will play are: Jamie will play Mark and Sammie will play Emily.  Sammie will be using the ring and Jamie will be walking the dog.

Font Research for Movie Titles - 'The Thing', 'Se7en' and 'Dexter'

I have chosen the font for 'The Thing from Another World' because I like the effects that have been placed upon the font and also how the font portrays the mood of the film. For example it shows that it is going to be either a horror or a thriller movie because of the disheveled letters and dark, neutral colours that are common within these genres.  I think this font would work well for my film as it suits the genre I am doing and would highlight the mood also.

(Link to opening titles - http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-thing-from-another-world/)
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I also liked the font on the title of 'Se7en'.  This is because it is quite subtle but still stands out on the pitch black background.  As well as this, the font is quite mysterious in its shape, as it has patterns coming off of it that would be seen in an old, medieval style of book. This authenticity adds to the sense of the film as it adds a mysterious feel to the piece of how the plot of the film will unfold.

(Link to opening titles -http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/se7en/)
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Finally I liked the opening titles for 'Dexter'.  This is due to the strong text, accompanied with a strong colour also.  As well as this the small specks of blood highlight the fact that the film/programme is most likely to be either horror or thriller and adds to the mystery of the piece.

Emphasis Films Logo

We have created a production company logo that will be shown before the titles of our film begin. We will edit the look of our logo to suit the film we are making, for example we will use slight hints of red if the film is a horror or bright colours if the film is a cartoon or is aimed at young children.

Script - Winter Peril (Task 4)

Winter Peril-

The film starts with a couple walking their dog round the outskirts of a field that has been recently ploughed by the farmer and the soil is all raised up, the woman looks down to see a half buried ring on the surface of the soil, as she bends down to pick it up, we then cut to a flash back of a woman being chased through a field/ area by an unknown mystery character who we see the perspective of, the only time we see this character here is a shaded shot of the person from the girls perspective as she falls down. We then cut back to a match on action of the woman picking up the ring and slowly walking away with her partner very happy to have been lucky enough to find the ring, it’s then when we cut away again to a flashback of the girl previously being chased lying dead on the floor and the shaded character walking away in to the darkness.

The couple are walking in the field and it’s set in mid-afternoon/dusk when they find the ring and the flashback scene is set at around the same time if not a little bit later in a previous year.

During the chase scene there will be screaming from the girl because she is scared of the situation she is in. Also we will be playing high tension music as from when the woman bends down to pick the ring up as she doesn't know the danger she is in of picking up the ring because of the history of the ring.

The credits will be running throughout the opening scene and will be done in a way that makes them not too prominent and at the forefront of the scene, this means that the main focus won’t be detracted from our actors.

This is the end of the scene. 

Film Pitch - Winter Peril (Task 4)

A young couple are walking their dog in the local woods when the young woman glances down to see a half buried ring in a shallow ditch, thinking no more except for the realization of her luck they carry on walking deeper in to the woods, little do they know every foot step they take is being watched by the owner of the ring, the only mysterious thing being that the owner of the ring died in the winter of 1987, when whilst searching for her ring in what was then a wood a masked unknown man chased her and brutally murdered her for no reason, to this day she can’t rest not knowing where her beloved ring is and when she sees the woman walking through her place of unrest with the ring she loved more than any other possession she will go out of her way to get it back.

Character Profiles - Winter Peril (Task 4)

Name – Mark Westwood

Age – 23

Characteristics – Mark is a 23 year old man who, in the film, is accompanying his girlfriend Lucy on a dog walk.  He has recently moved in with Lucy in a small village and is a well-known member of the community. He is a Vet who often visits the local farms to treat the animals, therefore becoming a large part of the village’s community. He is a typical male, loving video games and football, but when it is needed he can be sensitive and loving.

Character Role – Mark is there to keep Lucy company on the walk, he is not a main character and is only seen occasionally throughout the film.  He is mainly there to accompany Lucy and is seen in scenes when Lucy is at home, etc.

Name – Emily Thompson

Age – 14

Characteristics – Emily is a 14 year old girl who is the owner of the ring that is found in the field.  She lost it when she was running from a man that had not only killed her parents but was threatening to kill her.  Normally she is a calm, kind girl who enjoys writing stories in her spare time.  However she is extremely short tempered and can be angered easily. She is thought to have lived in a large stately home that once sat on the grounds of the farm that now sees Lucy and Mark walking through; this was owned and built by her grandparents who left it to her father in their will.

Character Role – Emily is the main character within our film and is seen throughout the whole film. She is first seen when Lucy finds the ring and is a constant reoccurring character as we follow re-enactments of her life.

Name – Thug

Age – 19

Characteristics – The thug is a 28 year old man who is the murderer of young Emily’s parents. His character is unknown and there are no details that are known to the audience that could give light on who he is

Character Role – The thug’s role is to chase the young girl through the grounds and is only seen in the first clip. He is seen as the enemy in the film.

Genre Research (Task 3)

After my own research through surveying the public I have concluded that the two main genres of films that people tend to prefer to watch are Romantic Comedies and Horror films.

All of this of course is based on different aspects and attributes of people, for example the main group of people that answered my survey were women, which could have had an effect as Romantic Comedies are stereotypically produced for women to watch. 

Another key example I came across in my studies is that Horrors were not as popular, this is because the males that took part in my survey preferred Thrillers, and many of the women do not often like Horror films as the stereotype is that they are easily scared and my research confirms this.

The British Film Institute issue a statistical yearbook annually which holds statistical data about film releases throughout the year such as box office sales and the genres that had been released. Within this information the best selling box office hits in British history are shown indicating the most watched films and genres, top of the list is the latest and final Harry Potter Film: Deathly Hallows Part 2 which is an action/fantasy film series that follows the iconic character made by Warner Bros.

The reasons for it being the most watched film include the main character - Harry Potter - being one of the most well known and iconic characters around the world.  The films are aimed at teenagers but are also loved by adults, as well as this it was originally a book so those that have read the series will enjoy watching the films to see how they differ.  After seeing the film, they will also recommend to family and friends who may also enjoy the film if they found that it was good and was worth watching.

Aside from action films, an alternative genre dominating the table is romantic theatre and romantic films in general with the likes of Mamma Mia!, Love Actually and Bridget Jones placing within the top 20, this is not as surprising as many women will have gone to see these films, and like with Deathly Hallows will have chosen to take loved ones with them, and then gone on to recommend the film to friends and family. 

Conventions of a Horror film (Task 3)

Research Into Existing Products - Horror (Task 2)

Horror

The openings to the two horror films were similar but different in many ways.  For example in ‘The Strangers’ the opening has a slight saturated tint on the image. However in the opening to ’28 Weeks Later’ there is no tint but the image uses very low key lighting.  The slight saturated tint to the image builds tension as it causes the audience to anticipate that something is going to happen at some point in the near future of the film. In contrast to this the low key lighting in the second film builds ambiguity and leaves the audience questioning as to whether something is lurking in the areas of the screen that are hidden due to the lack of lighting. 

 (28 Weeks Later)

As well as this both films use hand held camera work to shoot the scenes the director wanted to capture. This adds a sense of uncertainty to the scene as the picture is distorted and the surrounding area cannot be scene completely so could leave things hidden to the audience, allowing things to be lurking around. In 'The Strangers' the hand held camera is used through a POV shot, which gives emphasis on the main character and what's chasing her, also it gives the impression that there is someone else there catching what is happening on video, that is then  created into a film. This allows the audience to step in to that role as it is the angle they are seeing things from, so begin to think that they are the ones there filming what is happening bringing a sense of realism to the film.

Finally within both clips there are quite short shots before a cut to a new image.  This creates an impression of urgency within the scene and builds angst within the audience as they can guess that something is about to happen. For example in '28 Weeks Later' the shots are very short before they change who they focus on whilst the characters are sat around the table eating their dinner, this then builds the urgency within the film that leads to the young boy knocking on the door. This can show every character's reaction to the audience which will then enable the audience to reciprocate the fear or sadness that the characters are feeling, as they start to find out what is happening.

Research Into Existing Products - Romantic Comedy (Task 2)

Romantic Comedy

In the opening scenes of ‘Hitch’ and ‘Love Actually’ a common feature of Romantic Comedy films is used – a voice over. This allows the audience to see into the mind of the main characters and also sets the tone of the film – whether it be more comedic, more romantic or a mix of the two. This can be seen in 'Hitch' when as the different scenes pass, the voice over by Will Smith explains what he 'teaches' to the people he works with, this then gives an insight into the film and also gives a brief outline of what he does as a job in this particular film.  As well as this it creates a bond between the character and the audience as the audience may feel like the characters trust them enough to tell them what’s really happening inside their heads.

Within the clips, also, were characters from everyday walks of life. This allows the audience to enjoy the films as it means they can follow the characters stories better as they are simply normal people from normal lifestyles. This is shown in the film 'Love Actually' as the opening includes clips from the arrivals area in an airport of family greeting each other after not seeing each other for a while; it shows parents meeting their children, older husbands greeting their older wives, younger couples being reunited and also friends meeting each other. This allows the audience to follow the story line as it is a concept that is easy to understand as the characters are normal people from everyday walks of life.

Another aspect found in both films was the use of titles as the scenes progressed. This can  also be seen during 'Love Actually' whilst the clips of the meetings are shown, they introduce important people from the making of the film such as the director and executive producers, but also reiterates what Hugh Grant is saying in the voice over by placing the words ''love actually is all around'' on the screen as he says them.  This shows the importance of the words and also brings the title of the film on to the screen in an imaginative way, catching the audiences attention.

During the openings to these films, the cuts between scenes are smooth and seamless. This allows the transitions to be clear and for there to be no unwanted jerkiness. It shows the calm sense of both films, and allows an audience to relax whilst watching it as it flows smoothly. This can be seen in 'Hitch' when the clip changes between the many characters to portray the many groups of people Will Smith's character has helped, and the clip changes quite smoothly with the image.

Research Into Existing Products - Thriller (Task 2)

Thriller

Within the opening clips of ‘Seven’ and ‘Red Dragon’ a fast paced set of cuts are used to build tension within the scene and to help show the fast-paced theme that the film is based upon. As well as this it causes the audience to understand where the director wants to take the mood of the film. For example, in the scene where the characters are watching an orchestra perform in the concert hall in 'Red Dragon', fast paced cuts are used to cut between Hannibal and the flautist that is not playing correctly; this gives an inclination that Hannibal has something in for him and due to his past in 'The Silence of The Lambs' it makes the audience believe that he is going to eat him, his reputation for being a cannibal creeping back on him.

To add to this the clips both use low key lighting to build the atmosphere of the film, this then adds to the tension that the film already creates and builds upon the adrenaline that ‘Thriller’ films are stereotyped to create also. This can be seen in 'Seven' when the main character, played by Morgan Freeman, is getting ready to leave his apartment. This could show that it is early morning, or that he lives in quite a cheap flat in a dingy area so does not have bright lighting that may be found in more built up areas within cities.

The films also both use costume to create an ambiance and to also distinguish class between the characters. For example ‘Seven’ uses costume to distinguish the higher ranking detectives from the lower ranking police officers, whereas in ‘Red Dragon’ the costume is used to distinguish the upper classes from the middle and lower class public within the scenes. This allows the audience to follow the characters lifestyle choices within the piece and also allows them to possibly understand why the characters are portrayed in the movie that way, and to represent their past and future.

Within both clips also, the use of diegetic sound helps to build an atmosphere and texture and add to the tense aura already present. This causes an audience to engage in the tension within the clip and also to understand the setting in which the characters are placed.  In 'Seven' this is done through the use of sirens, talking and traffic; showing that he is in a city environment and is involved in crime - underpinned by the fact he is a Police Detective. These sounds can be heard in particular when the characters are at the scene of a murder, this pinpoints a setting for the audience to help them understand where the murder has taken place and often to create a stereotype through this. For example they could stereotype an area of America to be More violent, so could assume that that is where the scene is currently set.  In contrast, in 'Red Dragon' ambient sounds from a piano, music from the orchestra and dialogue, show the characters to be quite sophisticated and show them to be in an upper class setting - a concert hall. The concert hall shows the characters to be of wealth, this is then supported by when the characters are in a the following scene, this is set in a larger house in a very sophisticated dining room.  This shows the characters to be smart and polite as they all sit round the table in calm conversation.

Preliminary Task - Video Evaluation (Task 1)

 Preliminary Task - Video Evaluation

A 180 degree rule is after establishing where characters are within the shot, you must keep the camera on that side to ensure the characters stay in the same place in comparison to each other. This allows the audience to maintain their understanding whilst watching the clip.




A match on action is where the perspective of the camera changes during a scene and the scene continues to flow. This allows the clip to be seamless and for the edit to not be obvious.



The matching of eye lines between two or more characters. For example, if Sam looks to the right in shot A, Jean will look to the left in shot B. This establishes a relationship of proximity and continuity. 



I incorporated these into the storyboarding and planning of my film by including when they would be used to ensure I followed the guidelines, and also highlighted where I would need to place the camera to ensure that the eye lines matched and I followed the 180 degree rule.

I think that the filming process worked well, because I feel that the shots I managed to shoot were to a high quality and also they were easy to edit together to make a seamless movie clip. However not all shots from my storyboard were collected as we couldn't always use the area of the college we wanted due to other groups, and it took longer than we were expecting to get some shots and get our cast organised therefore causing us to run out of filming time. This made the editing difficult as the story did not flow as well as it could have and meant that we sometimes had to re shoot some of the shots as they weren't perfectly shot, but although we were not able to shoot all of the shots we managed to make a clip out of the shots we had, and it still made sense.

When using the editing software, I learnt how to add transitions, sound and titles correctly and also which ones worked more effectively than others.  For example, I found that cross dissolves worked better than dip to white/black and looked neater on our film.

Preliminary Task - Through the Eye of the Lock (Task 1)

Preliminary Task - Through the Eye of the Lock