Tuesday 21 December 2010
Filming Disruption
Monday 13 December 2010
Filming
Rachel filmed from the back of the car, while i was driving, and there was another actress in the passenger seat. The two girls in the front of the car, have just came from the pub and are on their way to get ready to go out on the town. Natasha the driver, has had a few vodkas, but thinks she is still capable to drive....
Music is playing in the car, to set the mood. The song is "DJ faling in love" - Usher.
Monday 6 December 2010
Factors which contribute to project.
Blogger is where i upload all of my past and present work. This is so other followers can have access to everything i have done.
Youtube
I have been using Youtube to anaylze short films, i also use youtube to upload videos on to my blog.
Google is a search engine (if you didnt already know lol) where i go whenever i need to research something related to my short film production.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Tuesday 23 November 2010
TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Wasp is a short drama film consisting of 26 minutes. Wasp was written and directed by Andrea Arnold. The film was released in 2003, starring Danny Dyer Nathalie Press. The short film is about a single mum who is adamant her four children are not going to spoil her date with her ex-boyfriend. This leads to her abandoning them outside of the pub. The film shows the social class of the single mum, and the area she lives in etc. Wasp challenges the audience as; Andrea Arnold uses such a shocking social issue, as the plot.
The genre of the film is pretty obvious, from the start of Wasp. We know it’s a drama, as soon as we see the shot of the two mothers fighting.
The audience are made aware of the woman’s social class from the first establishing, panning shot. We are aware of the woman’s social class because of her appearance, for example, she is barefooted. The mother’s baby has no clothes on either, which could represent the poverty which is affecting her family. This leads on to a medium shot of the mother walking down the street, this shot establishes the woman as the mother, as her children are following behind her.
The dialogue used when the two woman are fighting, sounds clearly like a common, local accent. The children who are watching do not seem bothered, that their mother is fighting, maybe something they see quite often? One of the young daughters shouts “get off her you foul cow”. This contrasts to “well-brought up” children who would not know that sort of language.
The woman’s ex-boyfriend seems wealthier than her as he has a car. A reaction shot is used when the Man asks why she is with all those “kids”. The reaction shot is used, to show the woman’s facial expressions and to show how she lies without any hesitation. A close-up shot is shown on her feet, to remind the audience that she is still bare footed. The close up shot may also have been used as the woman may be trying to hide her feet from her ex-boyfriend.
The male actor in the film looks like a stereo-typical Chav, because of the clothing he is wearing, and how he wears them. For example, his collar is sticking up, which looks untidy and he is wearing a gold chain.
Another reaction, medium shot is used when the male asks the woman if “she wants to go for a drink later”. The mother, glances at her children sitting on the grass, then a close-up shot to the mother, again for the audience to see what her reaction will be to going out for a drink. Diegetic sound is used as you can hear the car engine starting up. However the man try’s three attempts to start his car engine, which means that the car is not in the best of condition. While he is trying to start his car, the camera moves to a shot of the woman, where she seems to be deep in thought, maybe about what she is going to do with her children.
A long-shot is used of him driving down the street; this captures the landscape of the neighbourhood. Several sharp, shots are used to also show the neighbour hood.
A close-up shot is used on a wasp, which is on a window pane, during this shot, we have diegetic sound coming from the wasp itself, but we also have non-diegetic sound playing in the background. The non-diegetic sound adds a lot of suspense to this shot, also because the title of the film is “Wasp”
The mother feeds her children sugar for their tea. This shows the lack of money which she has, as she cannot afford to cook a “proper meal”. It also shows the welfare of these children, and how basically they are being neglected from their own mother.
The mother comes across as a bit of a “tart”, because of a close-up panning shot of her walking to the pub. The clothes she is wearing make her look cheap, she is wearing a mini skirt with, but she looks a mess, because of her hair etc.
There is a scene where the family are walking over a bridge, which is located above a motorway. Diegetic sound from all the traffic is used at this point. A close-up shot is used on the little girl walking close to the railings on the bridge, and then a long shot is used with a large depth of view of traffic, and a small depth of view of the family walking across the bridge. These two shots are very effective because it makes the audience think, if there is going to be an accident involving the traffic and the little girl.
Various, quick, close-up shots are used on the people in the pub. These shots identify what kind of pub it is, by the kind of people who are there. A lot of medium shots have been taking, when the mother is standing at the bar. The shots have been taking from unusual angles, which gives a Voyeur effect.
An over-viewing medium shot is used, showing the children outside the pub, playing games in the middle of the road, with screaming dialogue coming from the children. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable at this point, as they could get hurt playing in the middle of the road. The following shot after this is dark, which shows the passing of time, while the mother is on her “date”.
At one point the audience is made to feel voyeurs again, when the camera is zoomed in on the woman and her date. This creates a more intimate atmosphere. We are made to feel like voyeurs yet again, in the car scene as the camera is positioned in the rear seats.
A close up shot, of the baby crying suggests to the audience, that something is about to happen to the baby. A long shot is used from the children's point of view on a group of males walking with bags of chips in their hands. This shot makes the audience wonder if they will say anything to the children. A reaction shot is used, from the bag of chips lying on the floor, to the children's faces. We know from this shot, that the children pick the chips up off the floor.
A close-up camera shot shows a wasp on the baby's cheek. This image, takes the audience back to the start of the film, where there was also a scene involving a wasp. It also relates to the title of the film itself.
Towards the end of the film, a scene is shown, where the whole family are sitting in the car eating chips. However there is an awkward silence in the car. Diegetic sound is used again, when the male actor starts his car, it takes several attempts to start, which happened at the start of the film.
At the end of the film, a long shot of the car driving down the street is used. As we see the car driving away, non-diegetic sound has been used. For example, music starts to play, and the children sing. This shows that the children do not seem affected by the nights antics. The credits then follow. The credits are very plain and simple, a black background with white writing, with the song “Hey Baby” playing, which was also featured in the pub scene.
Tuesday 16 November 2010
Location shots
This pub will be used in one of our scenes.
This shot is of a local nature park.
This road will play a big part in one of our scenes.
SHORT FILM PRODUCTION
Summary of short film
The short film will start off with a scene of a couple arguing outside the males house. The female leaves her boyfriends house and starts walking along a long abandonned road, she is then struck by a car driven by two young girls, who have been drinking in a local pub.
The car drives off and leaves rachel. She only has a certain amount of time before she will die.
The first establishing shot will be off rachel lying on the side of the road, after being struck by a car. After this establishing shot, the short film will go back in memories of how this girl ended up being knocked down.
We have decided to share out all responsibilities between the pair of us, this will make it less complictaed. We will also be both taking part in acting.
Thursday 28 October 2010
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Location enquiries
Newcastle airport, have been in touch but nothing is confirmed yet.
Costume ideas
This is one of the costumes, which the female actor will where, when being filmed in South Shields. It will not be the exact same dress, but will be similar style.
For the male actor, i would like him to keep his style basic, but fashionable. He will wear a t-shirt, jacket, jeans and trainers. Below are links of the costumes similar to what the actor will be wearing.
T Shirt
Jacket
Jeans
Trainers
Music video's analysis
Armand Van Helden - I Want Your Soul
The costumes that are worn in "I want your soul" are typical american Hip Hop style. The clothing is very bright and colourful, which reflects the mood in the music video. The main prop used in "I want your soul" is a boom box, which the community dances to. I counted 78 shots in the 3:18 minute music video. Alot of very fast, sharp edits are used in the middle of the music video. When the music is slowly stopping at the end of the song, a medium shot of the Man and woman, fades out, to end the video.
Pendulum - Watercolour
At the beginning of "Watercolour", a shot of the galaxy is shown, just before the music starts. Medium close-up shot of Pendulum singing, only half the face is showing, as other face is shadowed. The music video uses alot of bright visual colours and patterns. When the chorus comes in, the shots move to a party scene, where everyone is wearing black clothing, which represents the mood of the song. There is also water spraying everywhere. When the sun appears, the lighting of the music video changes, and everyones faces are visible. ALot of blurry shots are used, and sharp transactions.
Eminem - Love The Way You Lie
In "Love the you lie" Eminem is wearing a White vest and jeans. The man in the house is wearing jogging bottoms, to show that he was just lazing around in the house, and his girlfriend is wearing a vest and shorts. One of the props used in this music video, is a bottle of beer which the man is drinking in a bar. This scene shows that he has things on his mind. The girl in this video, is very pretty and i think the man is scared of losing her, thats why he acts so aggressive. His image represents his peronality, as he has stubble and tattoos, which makes him look rough.
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Year 13 Video Production Introduction
We chose David Guetta Ft. Kelly Rowland - When Love takes over. We set Certain roles for each member of the group.
Natasha (Myself) - Filming, Costume/Make-up/Props.
Rachel - Location and Continuity
Sophie - Story Board and Editing
Joss - Directing and Acting.
These are a list of our possible locations
* Newcastle Airport
* South Shields
* Cinema
* Central Station
* Quayside
* Metro Station
* Pret a Manger
* Stephens Flat
The story plot of the music video, is an Argument between a couple, the man then leaves the woman, but she chases him to the airport. The man does not get on his flight. As you can see, we are keeping it simple, but will make it interesting with filming, editing, and costumes etc. We will involve memory clips in the music video. We will film these in black and white, so the viewer knows its a memory.
Monday 10 May 2010
Audience Feedback
Sophie, 17 - "I like how the title is nice and big, as it makes it stand out. I like the eye contact the main image has with the camera. I also like how the hook "Lucy Smith" is overlapping the main image. I would defienately buy this Magazine, if it was on the market today".
Jordan, 16 - "This magazine is very attractive, because of the bold, bright colours. However i do not think it would buy this magazine, as it seems to be aimed more at girls. But i think it would do very well within the magazine industry".
Jodie, 19 - "I love this magazine, it is based on all the kind of music i listen too. The colours work so well, with the main image. The article could also be very inspiring. This would definately catch my eye, if it was on a magazine shelf".
Susanne, 40 - "It looks very professional, and if it was my work, i would be very proud of it. But, it is definately aimed at a younger audience. I would not buy this magazine, because of that reason, but i think it would do very well with a younger generation".
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Media Evaluation
My Magazine is called “AMP” it’s a monthly music magazine aimed at both male and females ages 15-30, featuring Indie/Rock music.
In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In order for my product to relate to real media products, I followed the conventions from magazines, which I researched like Q and NME. For my magazine front cover, I took the idea of my title from Q as their title is also placed on a square block of colour, situated in the top left corner. Also I overlapped the title with the model slightly which NME and Q do regularly. I used a stereotypically attractive female model. I also used a hook bar on the bottom of my magazine, to promote a competition, to attract readers; Q, Mojo and NME are known to do this also. For my contents page I found a picture of an example on Google. I have posted the picture on my blog; I took the idea of the contents writing being on an angle, from that example. However I have kept my article page very simple, by putting my writing into columns, and situating my model to the right hand side of the article. I decided to crop the picture, as it was too large. I challenged the convention of real media products for example, Q and NME, by using a model for my front cover, as she is not directly looking into the camera, but it is a headshot image, which can be very effective. My model, is wearing black and grey clothing, which can tie within indie/rock genre targeting men and woman from the ages 15-30, which this magazine is. In most magazines I researched all models were looking directly into the camera and they were either full body shots or medium shot, for example NME uses a lot of body shots of bands on their front cover.
How does your media product represent social groups?
My product represents both male and female social groups of middle working class backgrounds. Including stories, which both sexes can relate to and connect to. Also it has real life stories about drug addicts changing their lives around. So my magazine could give a sense of hope to all readers if they have suffered the same problems or know someone who has in the past. My magazine represents people who do not follow the crowd, and like to be classed as an individual. Therefore people buying my magazine can feel this, as the genre is not the most popular in our society. My magazine tries to portray the social group in a positive light, and to prove not all fans of Rock music are drug-taking rebels, as the media likes to portray Rock fans. The story featuring in my magazine could be an inspiration to many readers. There is a page in my magazine, which is called “21 celebrity top fashion tips this month”. I think this page would be more aimed at younger women (15-25), because a lot of young women are inspired by celebrities and what they wear.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
My media product is different and unique in its on ways. I think it could possible have as much success as Q and NME. Bauer is the largest private magazine distributor in Europe. However I think my product would do well with Bauer because most of their magazines are woman’s E.g. Take a break, or television magazines. Because my audience is going to be music fans who are interested in Indie/Rock genre, and Bauer does not distribute many music magazines. Therefore I think there is a gap in the market for my magazine that will bring Bauer Profit and also great success for my product.
What would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for my product would be both male and female, but those who have a great interest in music, especially Indie/Rock. My product is aimed at the ages 15-30. I think this is a good age range to aim my product at because the price should be affordable to everyone. My price is £2.99 monthly which I think is a reasonable price and also cheaper than Q magazine which charges £3.90 monthly. However NME charges £2.10 which is cheaper than my magazine, but NME is weekly.
Average age reading magazine – 23
64% - Male readers
36%- female readers
Mostly spend their money on – Music festivals and gigs, nights out, clothes and music downloads.
How did you attract/address your audience?
In order to attract/address my audience I analyzed existing products such as Q and NME. I also carried out a questionnaire, so I could target the needs of my potential readers. For example, the story hooks on the cover and contents page are in direct response to this.
However I did not use any colloquial language, although it would’ve made it easier for my audience to relate to my magazine. The questions I asked in my questionnaire were about the price of the magazine, colour themes, music genre etc. I based my product on the results of the questionnaire, as I believe it is important for my product to give the reader what they want and to interest them.
Because of my article I think it will make the readers feel a sense of hope, and that anything is possible. I used a lot of “hooks” on my front cover to draw the reader into the magazine. I tried to use as many sharp effective hooks as possible. I also used a hook quotation on my article page, by taking a line of speech out of the article itself, and making it look more effective, so the reader wants to know more, to attract the reader. According to the results of my questionnaire, readers would prefer to see a well-known band or singer on the front cover instead of an attractive model. So I took their opinions into consideration, and decided to use the Lucy Jones story and how she made it to fame, and how she coped with her past. Lucy Jones is a successful new artist to currently enter the charts. I thought this would be necessary because it’s promoting the article which features in the magazine.
I used an attractive model, however many female models are being portrayed in the media as negative role models. Although Naomi Wolf, has tried to point out that both men and women are equal and that it is unfair to women to be known as sex objects, and men to be known as success objects, she also points out that images of attractive women are used to sell products to women because they have been conditioned by society to want to look like the model. On the front cover I have taken advantage of this. I also used a musical term for my title, as it has connotations of electric guitars and rock. I also used a lot of colour to attract my audience, as colour is what catches the eye when looking at a front cover of a magazine. I used colours with connotations, Such as black to represent the Indie/Rock feeling of the magazine.
Results from my questionnaire, show that people would much rather buy a magazine with a free gift inside than a magazine without one. So I used a promotion line on my front cover, to also attract more readers. Because readers can participate by entering the competition, it gives them a sense of ownership.
On my contents page I used sharp hook quotes, not revealing much at all. This will make the reader hopefully want to read the story or interview etc. For example “pg. 2 Hayley Williams reveals all”. This hook, states that Hayley Williams reveals all, but the reader will have to go to page 2, to find out exactly what she reveals. I also used a model, and situated the image next to this hook, to represent Hayley Williams herself.
The pose of the cover image is meant to show the reader to be proud of what music they listen to and love. Because the model is looking directly into the camera, there shows no hesitation, as there is no hesitation when listening to a song, you either love it or hate it.
When my product was finished I showed it to a group of people, to get their opinions of the magazine. They were all very impressed by it and how it was very eye-catching. They thought the price was also reasonable, and that if it were a magazine being published today, they would buy it. I took advantage of uses and gratifications because people interested in the genre will buy the magazine for a sense of identity and to find out about the artists my magazine features.
What have you learnt about new technologies from the process of creating this product?
I have learnt a lot about new technologies during the process of creating my product. I learnt how to use a digital camera and tripod .I learnt how to create layers, for every time I added new things to my product. I learned how to manipulate images and saturate the colour of the skin and resize the image. These are some examples of manipulating images:
Original Image Manipulated Image
I used the “Magic wand tool” this cuts out the background of an image just
leaving the person, or the focused object. The magic wand tool cuts out the background carefully and accurately; it cuts around the outline of the main image, destroying all things in the background. I also learnt that I could change the tolerance in order to cut out more neatly. When I had used the magic wand tool, I went round with the rubber to smooth the edges, and also tried using the blur tool and sharpening tool to make the image look more professional. You can clearly see that I have manipulated images in my product.
I also learnt how to create effects on my “hooks” by double clicking on the layers; I can drop shadows, use an inner glow on the writing etc. I had to do this on all of my “hooks” because the writing was not very readable being based on the black background.
During the process I also learnt how to combine words and images on my blog and publish my work on the Internet to an international audience. I switched from media consumer to media producer. When doing practical work, I learnt how to use a digital camera and tripod.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
During the progress from my preliminary task to the finished product, I have learnt a lot, of what is important in a magazine, and my product needs to be up to all standards in order to do well in the magazine publishing world. I learnt about the needs of the readers and convention of the existing products by researching several magazines and creating a questionnaire. The importance of researching my audience is so that I can target them effectively. Researching magazines helped me to recognize how to structure my product, for it to look professional.
My skills developed rapidly on Photoshop, as I was new to it. The use of digital imaging software made me become more confident. I learnt all the basics on Photoshop, for example, creating new layers and I learnt how to manipulate images, in order for them to attract the readers. Magazine research helped me learn that colour connotations and the choice of language are very important for my product, but also the type of content and features of layout and language. The understanding that both technological skills and careful research are vital to create a magazine to compete in the market place, next to the likes of Q and NME, as apposed to my preliminary project that was aimed at a small local audience and had no competition.
Wednesday 3 March 2010
