Thursday, 7 April 2016
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Title
With real media products the title is typically used to convey the narrative of the story. Therefore by choosing the title 'Irretrievable' for our final film we were adding to the overall tone and story behind our production. 'Irretrievable' links with our main protagonist and conveys her as being lost within her own mental state; broken beyond repair. When something is referred to as being irretrievable, the item in question is typically tangible, therefore we thought that it would be an interesting twist to use this title to refer the girl's mentality; she is still alive and physically there, but her personality and individuality is in fact lost. Our title could also be interpreted as linking to our secondary character who is suspiciously killed during the opening of our film, and she is now 'irretrievable' in the sense that she is dead.
We presented our title as if it were being typed by an old fashioned style type writer. We took inspiration for this from 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. Although this is not a psychological thriller, it does still focus on issues of mental health and therefore includes themes of mystery and distorted reality, similarly to that of our own film.
The type writer font conveys to me that this is Charlie's (the main protagonist) story. It is as if he is writing down his life in the form of a manuscript and then his story is visually portrayed to the audience. We also took inspiration from the colour choices in this title. The traditional black ink on white paper has been inverted to present the idea that this is not a conventional story, and perhaps has a much darker side to it.
We also found that this title could provide a range of connotations for the story and therefore add to the ambiguity and mystery of the plot. For example it could be viewed as the style of writing that would be seen on a police report, investigating the recent death of our secondary character. This conforms to the psychological element of our chosen genre as the audience must often question themselves and the story.
When looking at our opening title it is clear to see that we have in fact defied many of the common characteristics seen in the psychological thriller genre. Our title is not overly bold or eye catching, nor is it presented with the typical loud music or sound effects.
However, as seen above, titles within this genre are often placed on black background with a light or white font. Research has proven that people have more difficulty in reading this type of text over black text on white backgrounds. This may therefore distort the title further and thus conform more to the conventions of distortion and perception within the sub-genre. Therefore, in this sense, our film conforms to the conventions of real media products.
Credits
The credits for our film are presented in a very similar font to that of our title. This is due to the fact that we wished to have the extended idea of the narrative being told in the format of a written story, re-occurring throughout the opening of the film.
This theme of written text for the opening credits is often popular in the genre of film. Therefore in this aspect we conformed to the characteristic of the psychological thrillers. This can be seen in both Seven and Limitless:
Narrative
We followed a non-linear narrative for our film as we travel from present to past frequently. This complied to the common feature of distorted reality that is common within the genre. As we have not followed a chronological structure, it makes the plot line more confusing for the audience, making them question what is happening; a common feature in these types of films. However, from our research of real media products we found that it is not common for this style of narrative to occur within the opening two minutes of the film, therefore we wanted to try something unusual and go against the common structure of these types of films.
Camera
As psychological thrillers often follow character's mental health, the often in include lots of close up shots, in order to show the emotion of the character.
The Butterfly Effect:
Our film:
There is also a strong use of POV shot and over the shoulder shots in these types of films so that the audience is given the perspective of the character and therefore can empathise with them more. This is something that we wanted to include in our own film as we wanted to use these shots to establish the strong friendship that these girls share.
Inception:
Our film:
We also included a long tracking shot, going around the girls on a bench in a semi-circle. This was not something that we had seen in other media products, although tracking shot are frequently used, so therefore we felt that by using this shot we could differentiate our own product from films that already exist.
Mis en Scene
Lighting is used to reflect the mood of the scene (often negative) in this genre of film. For example in fight club the lighting is particularly dark and dreary in order to reflect the tone of the film. This was something that we wanted to do in our own film, however we wanted to create a very apparent difference between the happy and melancholy flashback through the use of lighting. In the happier memories we used lots of natural light whereas in the negative scenes we used more artificial harsh lighting.
Fight Club:
Our film:
On some of the scenes we used filters in order to strip any bright colours from the shot, thus conveying the depressing mood of the clip. We also had our actors wear dull clothing including blacks and greys. This again helped to connote a sense of dreariness. This is often done in real media products, such as Fight Club, in order to create the same effect. In the image above from the film Fight Club, both characters are wearing dark, dull clothing so that they conform to the tone of the scene.
In the more comforting flashbacks the characters wore bright colours, along with makeup that made them appear more youthful and innocent. We also used props such as cushions and blankets to make the atmosphere appear more cosy.
Sound
We went against using the typical non diegetic tension building music that is commonly used in real media products, and instead used distorted music box/ nursery rhyme music, that gradually builds in tension. By doing this we were able to achieve the same effect of building suspense as many other films, yet we brought a menacing and confusing undertone to the beginning of our production. Also, as the music sounds similar to something you may play to a child, it introduces the idea that one of the characters may have the same mentality as a child.
We have also defied the typical conventions of the genre by having an almost silent opening, with no additional dialogue.
Editing
In the flashback scenes we distorted the lighting of the clips, creating a dull tone on the melancholy clips and brightening the happier memories. This is something that is commonly done in this genre of film in order to reflect the emotional tone of the scene. We also added effects to soften the edges of the clips in order to reflect the fact that these are memories and not happening in real time.
We also used fast cuts, and jump cuts towards the end of our film to build suspense and create tension. Again we took inspiration for this from real media products, as it is something that is commonly used within this genre.
Location
From researching psychological thrillers I have found that the majority of them are set in city, or urban type areas. We went against this by filming in a small village and in an old Georgian house. Therefore it makes the characters appear more ordinary and relatable and makes the murder reveal at the end even more shocking.
Title
With real media products the title is typically used to convey the narrative of the story. Therefore by choosing the title 'Irretrievable' for our final film we were adding to the overall tone and story behind our production. 'Irretrievable' links with our main protagonist and conveys her as being lost within her own mental state; broken beyond repair. When something is referred to as being irretrievable, the item in question is typically tangible, therefore we thought that it would be an interesting twist to use this title to refer the girl's mentality; she is still alive and physically there, but her personality and individuality is in fact lost. Our title could also be interpreted as linking to our secondary character who is suspiciously killed during the opening of our film, and she is now 'irretrievable' in the sense that she is dead.
We presented our title as if it were being typed by an old fashioned style type writer. We took inspiration for this from 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. Although this is not a psychological thriller, it does still focus on issues of mental health and therefore includes themes of mystery and distorted reality, similarly to that of our own film.
When looking at our opening title it is clear to see that we have in fact defied many of the common characteristics seen in the psychological thriller genre. Our title is not overly bold or eye catching, nor is it presented with the typical loud music or sound effects.
However, as seen above, titles within this genre are often placed on black background with a light or white font. Research has proven that people have more difficulty in reading this type of text over black text on white backgrounds. This may therefore distort the title further and thus conform more to the conventions of distortion and perception within the sub-genre. Therefore, in this sense, our film conforms to the conventions of real media products.
Credits
The credits for our film are presented in a very similar font to that of our title. This is due to the fact that we wished to have the extended idea of the narrative being told in the format of a written story, re-occurring throughout the opening of the film.
Narrative
We followed a non-linear narrative for our film as we travel from present to past frequently. This complied to the common feature of distorted reality that is common within the genre. As we have not followed a chronological structure, it makes the plot line more confusing for the audience, making them question what is happening; a common feature in these types of films. However, from our research of real media products we found that it is not common for this style of narrative to occur within the opening two minutes of the film, therefore we wanted to try something unusual and go against the common structure of these types of films.
Camera
As psychological thrillers often follow character's mental health, the often in include lots of close up shots, in order to show the emotion of the character.
The Butterfly Effect:
Our film:
There is also a strong use of POV shot and over the shoulder shots in these types of films so that the audience is given the perspective of the character and therefore can empathise with them more. This is something that we wanted to include in our own film as we wanted to use these shots to establish the strong friendship that these girls share.
Inception:
Our film:
We also included a long tracking shot, going around the girls on a bench in a semi-circle. This was not something that we had seen in other media products, although tracking shot are frequently used, so therefore we felt that by using this shot we could differentiate our own product from films that already exist.
Mis en Scene
Lighting is used to reflect the mood of the scene (often negative) in this genre of film. For example in fight club the lighting is particularly dark and dreary in order to reflect the tone of the film. This was something that we wanted to do in our own film, however we wanted to create a very apparent difference between the happy and melancholy flashback through the use of lighting. In the happier memories we used lots of natural light whereas in the negative scenes we used more artificial harsh lighting.
Fight Club:
Our film:
On some of the scenes we used filters in order to strip any bright colours from the shot, thus conveying the depressing mood of the clip. We also had our actors wear dull clothing including blacks and greys. This again helped to connote a sense of dreariness. This is often done in real media products, such as Fight Club, in order to create the same effect. In the image above from the film Fight Club, both characters are wearing dark, dull clothing so that they conform to the tone of the scene.
In the more comforting flashbacks the characters wore bright colours, along with makeup that made them appear more youthful and innocent. We also used props such as cushions and blankets to make the atmosphere appear more cosy.
Sound
We went against using the typical non diegetic tension building music that is commonly used in real media products, and instead used distorted music box/ nursery rhyme music, that gradually builds in tension. By doing this we were able to achieve the same effect of building suspense as many other films, yet we brought a menacing and confusing undertone to the beginning of our production. Also, as the music sounds similar to something you may play to a child, it introduces the idea that one of the characters may have the same mentality as a child.
We have also defied the typical conventions of the genre by having an almost silent opening, with no additional dialogue.
Editing
In the flashback scenes we distorted the lighting of the clips, creating a dull tone on the melancholy clips and brightening the happier memories. This is something that is commonly done in this genre of film in order to reflect the emotional tone of the scene. We also added effects to soften the edges of the clips in order to reflect the fact that these are memories and not happening in real time.
We also used fast cuts, and jump cuts towards the end of our film to build suspense and create tension. Again we took inspiration for this from real media products, as it is something that is commonly used within this genre.
Location
From researching psychological thrillers I have found that the majority of them are set in city, or urban type areas. We went against this by filming in a small village and in an old Georgian house. Therefore it makes the characters appear more ordinary and relatable and makes the murder reveal at the end even more shocking.
Monday, 29 February 2016
Pre-production: Location Permission
Fortunately, this was not a necessary step in the pre-production stage of our film as we will be filming the majority of the scenes on my property and will be filming other scenes in public areas that we will not need permission to use.
Equipment and Software
For the filing of our opening we will be using the Canon EOS 700D, which we were luckily able to borrow from our friend. This gave us an advantage with the filming as with this camera we are able to control and distort the focus of the clip. This camera also shoots in HD which was extremely helpful to us as it meant that we were able to produce high quality shots.
We also used a Velbon CX 888 tripod to film with. This was a tripod that Lucy already owned and helped us in the filming process as it allowed us to get steady shots as well as achieving different angles and shot sizes.
On days that we were shooting we also used an SD card and, for the bench scene, a push bike in order to do the tracking shot.
For the post-production stages we used a Macbook pro laptop to edit on. This device has a retina display and therefore means that we can watch shots back in high quality.
We also used a Velbon CX 888 tripod to film with. This was a tripod that Lucy already owned and helped us in the filming process as it allowed us to get steady shots as well as achieving different angles and shot sizes.
On days that we were shooting we also used an SD card and, for the bench scene, a push bike in order to do the tracking shot.
For the post-production stages we used a Macbook pro laptop to edit on. This device has a retina display and therefore means that we can watch shots back in high quality.
We will using the imovie software to edit our piece as this is a software that me and Lucy both feel confident in using.
First Cut & Feedback
This is the first cut of our entire film opening. We edited and put together all of these clips in order to create a simpler version of what our final product will be. We have added a title to the end of the film and an ident at the start, but we have not yet added music or credits. By having this first cut of our film it allows us to see what our film is missing and what we could do to enhance the mood and convey the story more effectively.
Reaction:
We asked two of our classmates to review our film and give us feedback on what we could change to make our overall production more effective. Molly and Jess are also within our target audience as they are both between 16-17 years old.
Things we did well:
I believe that the story of our main protagonist has been conveyed well. Through this film we see her deteriorate and I believe that our use of makeup and editing of the tone and lighting of the clips helped to convey this. We also added sound effects into this first cut which I think helped to shape the mood of the scene as well. For example we used bird song in some of the scenes in order to give out a feeling of calmness and then in later scenes we added harsh static sounds to introduce an idea of a distorted reality which further enforced the fact that our main character has experienced extreme emotional trauma.
I am also happy with the ident and title sequence and do not think that we will do much more to improve it. However we did receive feedback from Molly and Jess in which both seemed to think that we should darken it so that it fits in better with the genre. We will be making these small changes in order to make our film more appropriate for our target audience.
Things to improve:
Molly and Jess also believed that our production could be improved with additional dialogue. This is something that we will have to discuss adding into our film as we originally were not including dialogue as we firstly took inspiration for the narrative from up (which features no dialogue between the characters). We will watch our film and find appropriate moments for dialogue to be added and then discuss whether we think it will improve our film or in actuality, take away from our original narrative choices. We were also told that our film would be improved with the addition of tense/ creepy instrumental music. This is our next step in the editing process and we will be adding similar music as that described by Molly and Jess.
Also, personally, I feel that although I am happy with the narrative structure of our film, we should make what happens to Character 2 more obvious. Therefore, after a discussion on what we could do to improve our production, we have decided to include images of a bloody hand and a knife, thus making it clear that this character has in fact died.
Sunday, 21 February 2016
Pre-production: Initial Sound Ideas
Our film opening features a significant shift in tone half way through. We have decided that the beginning of our film will have calm and slightly up beat instrumental, non-diegetic music. This will fit in will the happy recollections/ memories at the start of the opening. However this will be slightly distorted as to sound more like a lullaby in order to make the atmosphere slightly more uncomfortable as the music is ever so slightly wrong for the scenes that are being shown. Then, as the tone of the memories begins to change, so will the tone of the music. The music will first begin to slow down and then will become more sinister; increasing in tension.
We took inspiration for this from:
UP (2009):
Women in Black (2012)
We will also be using diegetic sounds in our opening. We will use bird song and natural laughter of the characters at the very beginning in order to introduce an element of calmness. Then in the later scenes we will use harsh static sounds in order to create a sense of distorted reality and to suggest that things things not quite being as they appear.
We took inspiration for this from:
UP (2009):
Women in Black (2012)
We will also be using diegetic sounds in our opening. We will use bird song and natural laughter of the characters at the very beginning in order to introduce an element of calmness. Then in the later scenes we will use harsh static sounds in order to create a sense of distorted reality and to suggest that things things not quite being as they appear.
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Ident Research
From my previous research on film openings within the thriller genre, I found that there is a significant difference between the Idents in this genre and other film genres. Below are some examples of idents from thriller films.
It appears that in order to fit in with this particular genre, filmmakers have abandoned the famous logos of these big production companies in exchange for darker, more depressing tones and colours. Black seems to be particularly popular as it connotes danger, death and sadness. By doing this the filmmaker is also able to express the seriousness and danger of the film as they have not used the typical cheery logos that are often used in other genres. This is something that I will be strongly considering doing in my own piece as I would like the tone of my film opening to be consistent, including my ident.
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Editing: Sound 2
We decided to add sound effects to some of the scenes in order to create a sense of realism. We did this by MP3 clips from youtube of birds singing and footsteps. This was added along side the non-diegetic music. We decided that we would also add these sounds to the flashbacks scenes in order to reflect that fact that these memories are vivid and clear in the mind of our main character. For example, in the scene in which the girls are looking into fish the pond, we added sound effects of swirling water and singing birds. We also included the diegetic sound of the girls laughing that we took whilst filming. However for this particular scene, I recorded an audio clip of my hand swirling in a sink filled with water to go along side with the movements of our actor's hand, as I believed that this would enforce the sense of realism.
We also added a heart beat sound effect, gradually building in pace, over the top of the fast editing sequence towards the end of the film. This was done to create a sense of building intensity, and to refer back to the fact that these events are taking place in the mind of our main character.
We also added a heart beat sound effect, gradually building in pace, over the top of the fast editing sequence towards the end of the film. This was done to create a sense of building intensity, and to refer back to the fact that these events are taking place in the mind of our main character.
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Editing: Sound
We had initially intended on asking my brother to create the music for our production however this created some issues and we therefore decided that it would be more appropriate to find copy-right free music online and then edit it on imovie. We liked the idea of the music being similar to lullaby to convey the mental instability of our main character. Therefore we have chosen a soft sounding lullaby to run through the first half of our opening and then, as the tone becomes darker, we have distorted the music by adding a harsh bass and slowing the lullaby music down.
From feedback from Molly and Jess when watching our first draft, they wanted music that built in intensity, therefore we tried to accomplish this by adding a deep bass sound towards the end of the opening, and making the lullaby more sinister.
Also from our focus group we received this feedback regarding music:
From feedback from Molly and Jess when watching our first draft, they wanted music that built in intensity, therefore we tried to accomplish this by adding a deep bass sound towards the end of the opening, and making the lullaby more sinister.
Also from our focus group we received this feedback regarding music:
What sort of the music do you think we should add?
- Something innocent but eery
- Something that subtly builds suspense, but you don't want it to be too dramatic.
- slow music that slowly builds up to create tension.
This helped us to decide on the lullaby element of our film, as it reflects the innocence that the group mentioned.
Post-Production: Deciding the Credits
We decided to use a focus group, made up of our target demographic. We presented them with a 3 options that we thought would work with the typewriter theme.
The options were:
Didot:
Chalkduster:
From the feedback we received, with four out of the five people asked preferring it, it is clear that we will be using Courier New as the font for our credits. We also received positive feedback that the typewriter theme fits in well with the narrative of our film, and they felt the Courier New would be best to portray this.
The options were:
Didot:
Courier New:
Chalkduster:
From the feedback we received, with four out of the five people asked preferring it, it is clear that we will be using Courier New as the font for our credits. We also received positive feedback that the typewriter theme fits in well with the narrative of our film, and they felt the Courier New would be best to portray this.
Making the titles and credits
Titles:
We took inspiration for our titles from the film Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). They use a typewriter style font to suggest that the film is an account of Charlie's (the main protagonist) life; similar to a diary entry. We also wanted to use this font to convey a sense on enigma; it could convey a similar idea of this being a diary entry from the main character, but it could also be seen as something similar to a police report for the supposed murder/ disappearance of her best friend. As we divided some of the editing work, Lucy was given the role of making the titles. She did this by using Microsoft Powerpoint, creating an individual slide for each letter (in the font Courier New). She then transferred screen shots of each slide into imovie to create the effect of the letter being typed. We then used an MP3 sound clip from youtube and added it to the clip to make it appear as though the words are being typed onto the screen by a traditional typewriter. She then exported this individual imovie file and we added it to the end of our final film.
Credits:
We wanted the credits to convey a similar effect. Therefor we used the credit option in imovie. We considered animating the letters, however we could not a suitable method that did not make our film look cheap. We chose to use the font 'Courier New' due to feedback from a focus group that we conducted. We also wanted to make literature a theme of our film with the titles and the inclusion of book in one of the flashbacks; enforcing the fact that our film is a story, told through memories and recollections.
We took inspiration for our titles from the film Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). They use a typewriter style font to suggest that the film is an account of Charlie's (the main protagonist) life; similar to a diary entry. We also wanted to use this font to convey a sense on enigma; it could convey a similar idea of this being a diary entry from the main character, but it could also be seen as something similar to a police report for the supposed murder/ disappearance of her best friend. As we divided some of the editing work, Lucy was given the role of making the titles. She did this by using Microsoft Powerpoint, creating an individual slide for each letter (in the font Courier New). She then transferred screen shots of each slide into imovie to create the effect of the letter being typed. We then used an MP3 sound clip from youtube and added it to the clip to make it appear as though the words are being typed onto the screen by a traditional typewriter. She then exported this individual imovie file and we added it to the end of our final film.
We wanted the credits to convey a similar effect. Therefor we used the credit option in imovie. We considered animating the letters, however we could not a suitable method that did not make our film look cheap. We chose to use the font 'Courier New' due to feedback from a focus group that we conducted. We also wanted to make literature a theme of our film with the titles and the inclusion of book in one of the flashbacks; enforcing the fact that our film is a story, told through memories and recollections.
Filming: Props
Perhaps the most significant of all the props that we are using in our piece is the bench. This is what our entire narrative revolves around and therefore plays a key part in the story. We will be using the bench that is already in my front garden (where the scene will be filmed), but we will be re-positioning it so that it is in front of the house. For this scene we will also get our actors to wear black hoodies in order for them to appear more mysterious and to introduce an ominous element into the beginning of the film.
Later in the film there will be scene in which Character 1 is looking into a mirror in a distressed manor. We will be filing this scene in my bathroom and therefore will be using my bathroom mirror as the key prop in this scene.
In the one of the happier memories we will be filming a scene of the girls taking a selfie and therefore will use either mine or Lucy's iphone as a prop in this scene.
We will also need blankets and pillows in some of the happy memories in order to create the sense of a comfortable and happy atmosphere.
And finally we will need to use two books as props for the scene in which the two characters are lying on the floor reading together. The books that we have decided to use are ' The Shock of the Fall' by Nathan Filer, which explores grief and madness, and 'A Hundred Pieces of Me' by Lucy Dillon, which explore memory and letting go of the past. Therefore, if these books are recognised by the audience, it will give them a sense of what are narrative is.
Later in the film there will be scene in which Character 1 is looking into a mirror in a distressed manor. We will be filing this scene in my bathroom and therefore will be using my bathroom mirror as the key prop in this scene.
In the one of the happier memories we will be filming a scene of the girls taking a selfie and therefore will use either mine or Lucy's iphone as a prop in this scene.
We will also need blankets and pillows in some of the happy memories in order to create the sense of a comfortable and happy atmosphere.
And finally we will need to use two books as props for the scene in which the two characters are lying on the floor reading together. The books that we have decided to use are ' The Shock of the Fall' by Nathan Filer, which explores grief and madness, and 'A Hundred Pieces of Me' by Lucy Dillon, which explore memory and letting go of the past. Therefore, if these books are recognised by the audience, it will give them a sense of what are narrative is.
Friday, 5 February 2016
Editing: Dividing Work
As both myself and Lucy own the software that we intend to edit our film on, we have decided that we will be dividing the flashback scenes equally between us. Each scene will be created as a separate imovie project and then we will combine them into one final project which we be our final film. By doing this it enables us to contribute equally to the project and allow us both to include our own creative ideas. It also means that we will be able to produce our first draft sooner and therefore get feedback, and have longer amount of time to improve our film.
Editing: Final Changes & Filming Day Three
When showing our film to our classmate we continually received questions regarding what happened to the second character. It was clear that we were achieving the correct sense of enigma, as our plot appeared to confuse the audience more than intrigue them. Therefore we set up one extra day of filming. We did not include our actresses in this filming process as it would only take us a short amount of time to achieve. On this day we filmed a few varying shots in which a knife is dropped from a bloody hand.
We used false blood and a kitchen knife as props in this scene. By doing this we were able to make it clear what happened to the second character, whilst still maintaining a sense of enigma as to whether the main character did this and if so why. We shot close up shots of the knife being dropped and the hand trembling, along with a close up of the knife on the floor and a POV shot of the bloody hand.
We filmed the scene in the evening so that there was a sense of this event taking place secretly at night. It also will contrast the bright colours of the other memories. We also used brighter back lighting on the hand to suggest that the girls holding the knife is leaving a house.
These shots are to be combined in a fast paced montage of memories of our main character. These images will flash quickly and randomly throughout the montage in order to startle the audience.
We filmed the scene in the evening so that there was a sense of this event taking place secretly at night. It also will contrast the bright colours of the other memories. We also used brighter back lighting on the hand to suggest that the girls holding the knife is leaving a house.
These shots are to be combined in a fast paced montage of memories of our main character. These images will flash quickly and randomly throughout the montage in order to startle the audience.
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