My film - You Can't Run Forever

Evaluation voiceover

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

Since doing the preliminary task I feel that I have improved quite well, with the way that I would frame a shot, how the continuity of a piece of work would look and the variety of shots that I would now use rather than just using the beasic few; close up, long shot, mid-shot etc.

In the preliminary task the framing of some of our shots were not very good because for a couple the camera may have seemed to be quite shaky or we only used some very basic shots rather than using a greater variety of shots. However, in our opening sequence we used a greater variety of shots and because it was a chase we could used more face paced shots to make it seem much more interesting. Also the framing of the shots looks a lot better because in our opening sequence we have made it so that everything in the shot is there for a reason and also it looks a lot more interesting. However, in our preliminary task the framing is very basic and at times not everything is in the shot where it should be, for example, somethimes the person in the frame may not be in the centre of the shot.

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

When using our blogs we used quite a lot of different technologies. These were all done by uploading stuff onto posts, however there were several different types of things that we could upload to our blogs. For example, we had to make our blog posts visual so we uploaded a lot of images and videos to do this. This allowed us to display our work in quite a creative way because it enabled us to make our work look a bit more interesting and also it made it clearer what we were trying to show in places because if we was trying to describe something in a post you could just add it into the post so it's easier to understand what we were trying to talk about.

When filming our opening sequence we used the equipment you would expect us to use; the camera and tripod. I was fine with using this as I had used it before, but because I was being filmed for near enough the whole time I didn't really use it because I had to be in the shots. It was important that before we filmed though that we had planned in depth what we wanted to do so we could get the camera in the right place straight away to get the shot done as well as we could. Also we had to ensure that we used the tripod right because we have a couple on pan shots so we needed to ensure that they were smooth and did not look weird. This applied to most of our shots except for a couple of point of view shots. For some shots we had to film them a few times because the camera looked shaky or we hadn't framed the shot well enough to enable us to have everything in the shot that we needed to. When we began to edit on imovie it was quite easy and straight-forward because we knew what shot needed to go where and we knew what order they needed to go in. This was important that we knew this because we was able to put the shots in quickly and edit them correctly so that the continuity of our piece was accurate and made sense to the audience.

For the music of our opening sequence we went on www.freeplaymusic.com to get what we wanted. It was easy to get the music from the site onto imovie to have it in our piece. We had to download it onto itunes on the mac and then just go into sounds, then itunes while on imovie and just drag it into the spot on the timeline where we wanted it to go.

When we used livetype to do our titles I had no idea what I was doing or how to use it. This was a technology that i developed my skills in a lot because now I would probably be able to complete adding titles into an imovie project from livetype after editing them and getting them all in the right places. To use livetype well you need to have planned where you want your titles to appear, where they will go on the screen to be the most successful, and for how long they will need to be on the screen. We have had to re-do the titles on this programme quite a few times because whenever we do some editing on the sequence the length will either increase or shorten so the titles will move on the timeline so whenever we changed anything around we would then have to go back to livetype and sort out all of our titles.

For my eveluation blogs the technologies that I have used are quite similar to any of the other blog posts. The way that I have made them visual is by uploading images to make it clearer and easier to see what I am talking about when writing about a part of our film.

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

The production companies that would be most likely to distribute our product would be independant film companies such as, Miramax,Focus Pictures, Lionsgate and Legendary films. This would be because they are all independant film companies that do not follow mainstream companies such as 20th Century Fox, Universal studios, Columbia Pictures etc. These bigger companies would not distribute our media product because they have a much larger variety of audience than the smaller ones do so they would be less likely to invest in a product unless it appeals to several different target audiences rather than just a specific one. However companies such as Miramax, Lionsgate etc do have a specific target audience, and our film is aimed more at one audience rather than a range of different audiences. Our film is supposed to be thriller so it would not appeal to younger kids, but dominantly teens as it is supposed to keep you entertained and on the edge of your seta throughout.

How does your media product represent particular social groups

Our film only presented two types of stereotypes but they are the common two for the type if film we made. it was a chase sequence, so we had the bad guy, in casual clothing with a hood to show who they were and what their role clearly was going to be. We then had the high class character dressed in a suit who seemed to have the most power. We chose to do this because it is easier for an audience to understand what each characters role is if we are following the basic stereotypes of how characters should look depending on their role in a film. It also makes it clear who has the higher status because of their clothing because how smart they look shows you if they were successful or not so you can tell who has the more power/authority.

In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our opening sequence followed the majority of the conventions that you always see in an opening sequence of a film. We ensured that we revealed the storyline, but so that it was clear for people to understand what was happening. We used titles to introduce the roles and responsibilities that everyone played when we was doing our opening sequence. Like most thriller openings the titles were just bold and white so that they stood out and were clear so they were easy to read.

We used sound effectively in our opening sequence to set the mood of it, and make it seem more interesting; the fact that it was a chase made this very important because it also helps make it clear what the genre of the film is going to be. At the beginning the music was quite slow and eerie to give the audience the impression that something bad was going to happen, but we also set the music so that when the chase began it dropped and helped to set the mood as to what was happening.

We tried to incorporate a lot of different shots so that it was more interesting, but so that the location was clear because we needed to introduce what sort of environment the film was in. This was important because in most films the main location is introduced at the beginning of the film so we needed to make this clear what was happening and where. Also it helped make the storyline clearer because we would not just use a long shot for one part of the chase, we would have a shot of the character running at the camera, then cut to a shot either behind or next to the characters running past, to add more of a variety of shots and to make it clearer about what was happening and make it more interesting.

Another convention we followed was ensuring that the continuity was good. This was very important because if it wasn't continuous and there were jumps in our sequence it would have been very obvious because it was a chase and if we suddenly jumped forwards it would look weird and hard to follow. Making sure that it had good continuity was difficult because we was in a car park so we had to get the filming done in one specific place as quick and well as possible in case a car moved, because this would have been noticable and it would be clear if the characters had then moved in the frame as well.

Memento

It is quite clear that Memento is a thriller, even from the title's at the beginning. The title's give the impression that it is a thriller because they are being presented on a black background in a blue font on the centre of the page. This gives the impression that it is a thriller because of the use of contrasting colours to the black background which could indicate danger. Memento has a different start to many pther thrillers and begins by showing the end of the film and then it worked backwards showing the build up to the ending. This works well because the audience are kept constantly on the edge of their seat and want to see why what happened at the beginning did and what caused this to happen. This is very successful in the film because the the story of what happened is slowly revealed always keeping the audience interested and entertained by the film. Another good thing about Memento that makes it clear that it is a thriller is the music in the background; this is because the music sounds very dark and mysterious which adds tension throughout the film, which is very effective and gives the impression that soomething bad is going to happen, because it helps to make the mood seem very tense. The fact that we do not know much about all of the characters is also very effective, all we get to know is what is wrote on the photo about them. This also works well because although we know what we have been shown on the photo, we also build our own impression of characters as an audience so we sometimes felt that you were being lied to about what is on the card and what is actually presented to us from all of the characters. All of the tatoos the main character has over his body also help to add to the tension because we do not understand what most of them may mean so when we see them we want to try to work out what they mean and why he has got them. In my opinion i think that Memento is a successful thriller because, like most thrillers do, it always keeps the audience in the dark as much as possible but still gives away some of the story, keeping the audience constantly interested. It also sets the mood of the film with the eerie music and dark colours which reveals to the audience what sort of film it is. The fact that is reveals the story so slow is very effective and important because it keeps the audience constantly interested in the film.

Script

We decided not to use a script because our opening is a chase and does not require speech, because you do not often hear dialogue during a chase because they are running, and also because it is a thriller the silence adds a dramatic effect to what is happening.

Shooting schedule

Storyboards

Casting

For casting we chose to just include people that are in our group to be in the film. We decided to do this because we know that there will be no problems with getting to the filming location, because everyone in our group should be in because we intended to film during the lesson. This is so that we are all in and can just get ready and go and not have to chase people up or worry about whether or not people can come film when we want to. We chose Drew to play the PI because he is the tallest out of all of us, so it gives the impression to the viewer that because he is the taller character he has more power over the others. We also thought that it would be good for Drew to play the PI because he said with the costume we need him to have, he said he already has the majority of what is needed for it, so we thought based upon this it would be good for him to play the PI. I was chosen to play the criminal (guy getting chased) because out of the three I am the smallest so it would make sense for me to be running because it seems as if I would not be able defend myself against them so it makes sense for me to run. Also I could jump the stairs and climb through different parts of the car park making the chase more interesting making it look more interesting but also show the desperation of the guy trying to run away. Another reason me and Drew were chosen to be the two characters was because I do drama this year and Drew did it last year, so we could possibly present the characters better giving a viewer a clearer idea of how they are feeling.

Titles

We chose to use these two fonts because they are both large bold fonts that will stand out on the screen and would be likely to catch a viewers attention when watching the film. They are relevant to the thriller genre because like in most other thriller films they are big and would be the main focus of the shot, which is what we need them to do. We will probably use both of these titles in our opening sequence to have a bit of variety when our opening sequence is happening, which will probably work to good effect because it could help highlight the importance of each title, depending on what it is. Titles from www.dafont.com

Fonts

Catch me if you can title sequence

The title of the film is in a bold black font that is contrasting on a light blue background, which works to good effect as it stands out on the screen. We do not get revealed to the setting/location because the title sequence has been edited so much that it is just animation, but we instantly catch onto the storyline that it is a chase sequence as it shows one person clearly running from another. There are no costumes or props used in this opening sequence as it is amination and there are no people, but we can see objects being used by the animated objects, such as a newspaper, which is just as effective as it would have been if we saw it normally because it is clear to an audience what it is and it shows who has the power in the scene. I think that throughout it has very good and interesting editing because you never often see an opening sequence that is completely animated, which is good because it is unique but also very effective. The font style is always quite big and bold on screen, but it is constantly changing colour depending on the background of the shot so that is contrasts and stands out. All we learn about the story from the opening sequence is that is a chase sequence because it is clear someone is being chased, but it is not clear why, so the audience is interested in what is hapening and why from the very start. The opening suggests it is a thriller because although it uses bright colours unlike a typical thriller, we see that there is someone running from someone else, but it is not revealed to us why. The characters are not introduced to us but we get a rough idea who the main two character are because there is the focus on just two characters throughout this opening sequence, of them just running.

Character descriptions

PI:
gender: male
age:30
Personality: A very stern character, that helps people in times of need. Not afraid of anything.

Occupation: Has been working as a PI for 6 years and has gained a lot of experience in this time.

Looks: He is roughly 6"2', with brown hair, medium build and has no defining marks or tattoos.

Danny (criminal):
gender: male
age: 20
Personality: Is a good man, but can be persuaded to do bad thing, if he needs to. As he lives alone he works just to keep himself afloat, this means that he is not a people person and likes to keep to himself.

Occupation: Works as an engineer, but as he does not get a lot of money from this, he has had to join a criminal group to make enough money.

Looks: Roughly 5"10', medium-long length hair, small build, with no marks or tattoos

Audience research

List of props, costumes and location

Props:
Coin for P&D machine
Car

We chose these two as our only props needed because they are relevant to our sequence as they would be necessary in a car park and enable us to take a variation of shots using these.

Costume:
Pi- all black suit, smart black shoes, brown trench coat worn over suit, fedora hat.
Policeman- police officer suit
Criminal- grey trousers, trainers, t-shirt

We chose to the put the PI in these clothes because it makes it clear to the audience he has a lot of power because he is in a suit, but there is also a sense of mystery about that character because it wants to make the audience want to know why his identity is hidden by the at and big brown trench coat. The policeman is obviously dressed in a police suit because it makes it obvious to the audience who he is. We chose to put the criminal in fairly casual wear because it contrasts to the other two but also does not give too much away about him, but the story will help to make it clear to the audience who he is.

Location:
Car park, Sutton

We chose a car park because it is quite a dull, dark place which is not very nice and pleasant,which suits a thriller because they often incorporate quite dull, grim colours. This also helps us with the chase sequence because we can use the stairs in to show he is going up, but also enables us to use the cars to weave in and out of creating interesting types of shots.

Shot lists

Like most thrillers we are going to use dominantly close ups, long shots and mid-shots to enable an audience to have a clear view of the setting and the characters body language and feelings through seeing their face. However, we do want to try and use shots like high and low angle when the beging, because we are going to be using stairs in our sequence, so we felt if we incoroporated these shots it would be very interesting because it is enabling you to see what is happening through a different perspective and vary the shot types because you do not often see these shots. We also want to try an over the shoulder shot, but have it so that when this shot is happening we see person near the camera from the front, so it is the front of the shoulder, and have it so we can see a figure behind them. We wanted to do a shot like this because it is different from a normal over the shoulder shot and gives the effect that the person is unaware of what is happening behind them. Another shot we decided we wanted to try to incorporate in our film was a match on action at one point because they are very effective shots to use, and can make it seem more interesting becuase there is a variation as to what is happening rather than just having it all as the same for a shot period. We are going to have a point of view shot at the end after we see the guy jump off the edge; the shot will be through the etes of the PI running over and looking at the body over the edge. Another shot we are going to have is at the start an extreme close up of a foot as it steps out of a car to add the sense of mystery because the viewer will not know who it is stepping out and what they are doing.

Sound

Sound effects:

http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=22416 (heartbeat)

http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=27151 (water dripping)


Sound tracks:

Cops and robbers

http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=58963

Synopsis

At the beginnning of our film we chose to show the opening sequence as the ending and work our way through the film revealing different points of the storyline working back towards this event, we show a member of an orgainsed crime assiciation get dropped off at a car park believing he is going there for an important drug deal. As he goes into the car park he gets suspicious of his surroundings and begins to glance around, he notices a policeman blocking the exit. He then looks round again and see's the exit's have all been blocked off and that it is a trap to arrest him for his crimes. He triesto get away by running through the car park but is being chased by a PI. After this has happened they reach the top of the car park and the criminal seeing he is going to prison jumps off the edge, killing himself. Later in the film you find out that the PI was hired by police to find a man linked with several crimes in the area. As he investigates the criminal the story of the criminals life is revealed to us, showing that he was not always involved in crime and that he used to be an engineer, but needed money fast to pay his bills so it's revealed to the audience how he got involved with crime. As the story goes on we see that he is part of a large crime group and we see how he slowly moves up the ranks in this group after each job that he does. However, by the time he has moved to the top the PI has arranged this fake deal to catch the criminal, in which we see the opening sequence again after seeing how different events led up to this happening.