Final Version of Delivery Boy

Summary of AS coursework

I have learnt a lot from this project by gaining new skills such as editing which I didn't know how to do before. I also learnt how long films take to make and loads of work needs to go into the making which I never realised before.
I felt really challenged throughout the course but overall I enjoyed the project and I'm really pleased on how it has turnt out.

Evaluation

Showcase Class feedback

The good points are that the narrative is good and the sound, although they said more sound is needed. This helps us know that we need to focus working on our sound.

The good points was that they wanted to know what happens next which shows they found it interesting. They also commented that the blood used on Dan's face was really realistic so it was good that the makeup looked believable otherwise It wouldn't of came across serious. 

The good points was that the story line is interesting although they contradicted themselves and rated a 5 based on if they would watch it again. They commented that we needed more backing sound so from this we realised we definitely need to work on the music. They also said that the shot with Georgia in the boot needs to be longer so we are going to edit that and try make it longer.

The good points is that they said theres a wider range of camera angles so we know that what we filmed came across good. They also said there was a good twist in storyline which is what we intended to do it boosted our confidence to know our plan worked.

The good points was that they rated our film a 9 for sound, camera work, control of narrative, characters and if they would watch it again., this was all positive feedback. Overall the person seemed to really enjoy the film which we was all pleased at.  Although they gave us some helpful criticism and said Dan messes up some words at the mirror which so we are going to re-do this in order for it to sound perfect.

Research on other films

After our showcase we all realised we mainly needed to work on the voice over and to focus on making it really believeable and professional. In order to make this happen Miss Thraser supplied us with a bunch of 'gangster styled' films as after the showcase we decided to combine a 'gangster' piece with a shock horror. Individually we all looked at different films and made notes on voice over effects and the type of voice used. I studied 'Inside Man' the film started really differently as the main character wa sintroduced straight away and was face on to the camera talking directly to the audience. The voice over continued and visually showed the plan and he was talking over the scene explaining what was happening. Along with this music played which had an Indian feel to it and was uplifting. From this opening sequence I think the voice needs to sound more rough and less performed to make it more natural.
The next film I studied was 'American Gangster' this threw the audience right in there and showed a voilent scene, which is probably vital for the audience to understand what happens next in the film. Music played throughout the scene although unfortunatley there was no voice over.
Together we all collaborated our ideas and we came to a decision that sound was vital and from researching voice overs this would help us in maiing ours really effective and believeable.

Research on other films

Production Company

This is our production company that we all came up with. We decided to use Dan's horror still images as we felt they were appropriate as they related to our chosen genre of a horror and the image looked really effective. We chose to call our company Phantom Productions as Dan could electrocuted by the 'fantom' power source and we thought it made it personal to us as a group.

Film Showcase

Today we show cased our draft copy of our film basically showing our progress so far. We watched everyone’s opening sequence and had an evaluation sheet to fill out and state the positive and negatives and what they could improve.
As a group we found it really helpful to get some honest feedback on our progress, and to understand our strengths and weaknesses.
Our strengths were that people understood the narrative, they felt the commentary and camera work was good and overall really enjoyed it. This gave us a huge confidence boost to know we were doing the right things and people enjoyed our work it was really rewarding.
Our weaknesses that were mentioned were that some parts were a bit jumpy, and the part when Dan is at the mirror the voice over doesn’t make sense. They also commented that more sound is needed and before we previewed our film we knew we needed to include sound.
Overall the showcase went well and we received some valid points to help us make our film really good!

Current Progress

Our editing is nearly completed as a draft as we approxiamtely have more than a quarter left to edit, although we still need to include sound. We have decided to record the sound at Dan's studio as he has proper equipment that could make our music sound really professional. As Dan can play the paino we are going to include him playing with different beats over the top such as a base. We are aiming for a mysterious sound that would also fit into the daily routine.

Today we all went back to Dan's studio again and continued the editing we spent another whole day working. We got a lot of work done and our opening sequence is really coming along. The day was really productive.

Editing of our opening sequence progress

Our opening sequence is coming along really well and as a group we are all happy with the content although we havent been posting as much information on the group blog. Therefore as Dan and Luke are better at using the software than Georgia and I we are going to focus on writting up the blog and recording our progress.

Cleaner Opening Sequence

Information:  Crime and Thriller, 2007

Stars- Samuel L Jackson, Ed Harris, Eva Mendes

Opening conventions- Credits play over the sequence. There is a voice over that plays over the sequence and informs the audience on what’s going. Weird eerie music also plays to help create the atmosphere.

Narrative Function- the story is explained through the voice over who explains his job this introduces the storyline and what the film will be based on and gives the audience background information. It also introduces the main character and shows that the film is going to be based upon him. When the sequence ends the audience realises he was talking to other people about the role in his job, so was a clever way to use a voice over. Aren’t told exactly what the film is going to be about just told about the man’s job.

Characters- although the audience only sees the main character at the end of the sequence we are introduced to his voice from the beginning. He explains his job and the procedure he goes through as he cleans up dead bodies and any remains left. The way he says this is done with humour which lightens the tone and makes the film seem less depressing.

Film Lang- MES, Cinematography, (Light and Sound)- the light used is quite dark to relate to the atmosphere of death its natural lighting on a dark day. The clothes used are plain and dull to show its a serious subject and emphasises the mood.  The sound is played from the start and then once the women has dead more uplifting music is played which is ironic and introduces the idea that this film is more light hearted and not depressing.

Film Lang- Movement, framing, Editing and Sound-  there are a lot of low levels which make it more interesting to watch. Close ups are used when we see the glasses drenched in blood this is to make the audience focus.  The title is used over a long shot and fades in and is effective and clear.

The Mummy Opening Sequence

Information: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, 1999

Director: Stephen Sommers

Stars: Brendan Frazer, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah

Opening Conventions- the Institution is Universal Studios so the audience recognises it and knows from expectations that its going to be a good film.

The music begins and is very eerie and powerful and sets the scene and the audience can establish what sort of genre it’s going to be without the scene starting.

A voice over is used which helps the audience understand what is going on and why certain things are happening and gives us background information on the main characters.

Narrative function- the film opens and shows its set in old Egyptian the audience knows this as its still being built. The film starts here then skips forward for the rest of the film so the audience understand the background story.  The storyline is shown about the two main lovers who are forbidden to be with each other so the audience know the storyline is based around the theme of love.  The first enigma used is why can’t the two lovers be together, and what’s going to happen between them. We are also told through the voice over that its set in Thebes city of the living and that Imhotep is the keeper of the dead which creates and enigma as to what’s going to happen with the dead and living and why is it focused upon.

Characters- The Pharaoh is introduced first he is riding his chariot and is dressed in gold armour is shown to be very powerful. We are next introduced to Imhotep the keeper of the dead immediately we are introduced the main theme of the film which is the dead and the living. He is shown gazing over the city through and over shoulder shot which then turns into a close up he is also shown to be powerful. Anuksunamun; the women is introduced by a voiceover as she walks over to Imhotep. She looks very flirtatious as she only wears makeup on her body and is shown to be quite revealing. We are also told through the voice over that P

Film Lang- MES, Cinematography (Light and colour)- it is obvious that the setting and location is in Egypt due to the pyramids and famous statues associated with Egypt. The main colour is gold which establishes wealth and power. ASN is also covered in gold and black makeup which makes her look beautiful and wealthy so audience knows that the characters are high up in society and have power. The colour used is light mainly by candles and is quiet dark and warming to show the time its set in and create more of a gold colour.

Film Lang- Movement, Framing, Editing and sound- the film starts with a long shot so the audience can clearly see where its set and is a crane shot as it shows the city and location while moving. Close ups are used when ASN and Imhotep are kissing and a he smudges the makeup this gives a clear clue to the audience that this part is important to the rest of the film. A silhouette is used when ASN stabs herself as it prevents the film becoming gory and is a clever way to show something important and taking into consideration that it’s PG. By the company not showing her clearly stab herself its more family friendly and sticks to the rules and is more likely to sell for their target audience.

Legally Blonde Opening Sequence

Information: 2001, Comedy

Director- Robert Luketic

Stars- Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair

Opening Conventions- the sequence (Metro Goldwyn Mayer) begins with background music which is happy and uplifting which immediately creates the atmosphere, and shows the genre which is comedy so relates to the happy music. 

Credits and titles are shown over the sequence which is written in pink to make it girly because the film is mainly targeted for girls. Instantly the audience knows it’s going to be a girly young film.

Setting and location is shown clearly when the main character that is getting ready has a plate that says sorority on it so it’s clear on the setting and establishes location.

Narrative Function- the storyline isn’t obvious but it’s clear that the main character is getting ready for something special and the girl whose riding the bike is delivering a card to the main character.  During the end of the sequence the audience realises that the card is to wish the main character luck when she goes out with her boyfriend tonight this shows what’s going to happen next in the story.     

Characters/ Stars- throughout the beginning of the opening sequence the audience doesn’t see the main character (Reese Witherspoon’s) face. The audience only see her getting ready this builds up excitement as to what she is going to look like when she is done getting ready. The main character is the focus of the opening sequence and clear to see the whole film is going to be heavily based on her.

Film Lang- MES, Cinematography, ( light and colour)-  the blonde hair immediately shows which relates to the title of ‘Legally Blonde’. The outside lights are very bright and sunny which creates the atmosphere of happiness and relates to the music which says ‘perfect day’. In the Main character’s bedroom it very pink and around the sorority it pink and girly which establishes that the film is unrealistic and girly.  The colours used are very important as the audience knows what the film is going to be like.

Film Lang- Movement , Framing, Editing and sound-  the shots of the Main character Elle are close ups of her getting ready this is effective as builds up suspense as what she really looks like as audience is only allowed to see features.  The opening sequence jumps between Elle getting ready and the girl riding the bike, then the build up of the girls writing the letter in the house to personally giving it to Elle.  The sound is diegetic and plays happy music to create the atmosphere; dialogue is also used of the girls talking .A tracking shot is used when the girl is riding her bike.

                                                                                                                        

Plans for next lesson

We decided that next lesson we all continue editing together as a group. As we had a double lesson we decided that the first lesson we would all work in editing and submit our own ideas and work as a group. And the next lesson me and georgia would work on the group blog and write up our progress while Dan and Luke continue to edit.

Pillow Talk and Fringe

How are the sequences from ‘Pillow Talk’ and ‘Fringe’ different? Discuss differences in pace, style of editing as well as the effect the editing has on meaning and audience.

The two extracts I am looking at are Pillow Talk and Fringe they are both extremely different due to the editing and camera movements that help make them unique. Pillow talk is a film that was made in 1959 and starred Rock Hodson and Doris Day and Fringe was a television series filmed in 2008.

The most obvious difference is the pace of the two extracts its very noticeable that Fringe has a much faster pace and more shots and faster cuts this is due to it being a serious topic compared to Pillow Talk. The cuts are very fast and at the beginning of the extract can only last for 2 seconds as the pace gets faster makes it seem more intense and dramatic for the audience. Its a harder extract for the audience to watch in the sense that you have to concentrate due to the pace of it and how it only allows shot clips of information for the audience to pick up on. Whereas Pillow has much longer shots and straight cuts aren’t the only camera movement that is used. It has an average of 12 seconds for each shot. As the shots are much longer its helps the audience gain more background information and even watching the extract alone you can understand what’s going on due to the shots being longer and less complex. The film is based on romance and could be perceived as a chick flick so the pace is slower and makes it more relaxed an easy watch.  A wipe is also used in Pillow talk which cuts across the screen to show what two people are doing at the same time this is used mainly when they are on the phone, this its age as an older production.

In Fringe the extract starts with extreme close ups which only shows part of the face. This effect increases drama and is used to show more emotion of the character. It also helps the audience see the expression clearer and due to him being so close makes it personal. The negative of using extreme close up at the beginning of the extract is that it doesn’t allow the audience to know where the shot is located therefore makes it more confusing. Pillow Talk uses more medium shots and long shots to begin with this helps see the characters easier and can establish the shot you can also see what they are wearing which might help the audience in what the film could be based on or helping understand characters personality. When the two main characters talk on the phone it becomes a close up to show the emotion clearer it’s also a more intense shot as they argue. Nearer the end when they are out to dinner the shot is a close up the whole time to show its an intense scene and so the audience can see expression and focus on what they are saying.

The way the shots help perceive the characters is very important and in Fringe due to the fast pace and extreme close up and fast cuts it makes it seem less like it flows its more precise and ordered. This makes the characters seem very serious and high powered. This happens from shot one down to five where the two men are having confrontation and extreme close up are used and the shots last for 2 seconds makes it seem more serious and is reflected in the shots. Whereas  Pillow Talk seems more relaxed and an easy watch compared with Fringe. The characters in Pillow talk seem more realistic and are quite stereotypical of a couple at that time as Doris Day is very girly and has fashionable curly hair at that time and Rock Hodson is very smart with a comb over. The editing of this scene helps portray a character in a certain way they want the audience to see them.  For example in shot 11 to 13 the audience sympathises with Doris Day’s character as she asked why he doesn’t find her attractive and the camera movement stays on her on a close up to cleary see her reaction and emotion.

Fringe comes across as being a more modern extract due to the high pace cuts and modern backgrounds of computers and high authority business men involved in the shots. It also comes across as being aimed at an older generation as its more complex and sophisticated probably more aimed at men as it involves business meetings and less girly influences that a women would take interest in. Compared to Pillow Talk which was set in the 1950s which the audience can gather from the clothes and style of hair and the music used also helps give it away as its more relaxed jazz. Pillow Talk is probably aimed at girls as many of them would have looked up to Doris Day as an icon so would of therefore would immediately see it just because she is in it. Overall Pillow Talk is a more classier film whereas Fringe is action and more serious.

Both Pillow Talk and Fringe are completely different in the way they are edited and cut to create an image that would fit in with the film. The camera movements in both help give a clearer understanding of what the extracts based on and what the characters personalities are like. Both extracts are complete opposites and are targeted at different audiences.

Children of Men

How effectively does the opening sequence from ‘Children of Men’ use the forms and conventions of film openings? What is your personal response as a member of the audience?

The film starts with a black screen which includes a few credits as to which production made the film which creates expectations. To begin with the audience just hear voices this creates suspicion among the audience as to why we can’t see the characters.  After the black background has disappeared there is a high shot establishing location of a busy coffee shop and all the people are staring and look very interested at the TV news. The lighting used in the cafe is very dull and natural lighting to create the atmosphere and sense of a gloomy depressing day it isn’t an uplifting colour. The view where the camera is placed is what the tv would see it personifies the tv showing it the view of the people making the audience feel included. The clothing of the people in the cafe is very dull including colours like greys, blues and blacks; this establishes the mood and the atmosphere and shows it’s depressing and dark. The use of the outfit colours chosen relate to the dialogue being heard through the tv which is based on the youngest person in London dying. The dialogue is very important as it explains what’s going on and informs the audience on the storyline.

The news report it’s London which establishes the setting so the audience immediately notice it’s in London so should include elements of the city for example the background of buildings and sky scrapers. The person who has died is 18 years old which is the first enigma and use of a narrative convention this effect makes the audience question why people aren’t having babies anymore and what’s changed. It’s made clear three times throughout the sequence that its set in 2027 London in the future it is repeated so many times so they make sure the audience understand and don’t miss out on an important part. The main character is introduced which is included in the narrative function of the film he moves his way through the people and doesn’t seem at all concerned about what is going on. The camera then follows him out on to the street , the new London is very dull and polluted and creates a dark atmosphere and makes the audience feel as though they don’t aspire to be there it isn’t a welcoming environment. On the streets they have the modern day bikes where passengers can get on the back but they choose to use these with a motor, so emissions and smoke pollute the area. These bikes make the audience associate them with a third world country so maybe London has declined in its development. The smoke that is produced is black and makes London seem dirty and dark not a pleasant place to be in, to add to this idea rubbish bins are piled on the side of the road to enforce the idea of dirt and rubbish and being  a un wealthy place.

 A tracking shot is used to follow the man down the street which is busy to relate back to the fact it’s a city. The man pulls a bottle of alcohol out of his pocket and pours it into his drink which creates another enigma as to why he is doing that is he an alcoholic. The shot then comes back around and you see him from the other side and down the street and see the cafe he has just been into. Suddenly an explosion goes off in the cafe he was in and smoke is everywhere and women is screaming this creates a serious and gore atmosphere the audience feel shocked and question why it has gone off which makes them want to carry on watching the film and pay attention. They decide to include the important explosion nearer the end of the sequence as if the audience are watching it in the cinema by the time they have settled down they have caught their attention, and won’t miss the important element to the film.

Yesterday we all were able to go back to Dan's studio as it was safe after being checked and the wires were   ready to use. we began work editing quite quickly as we knew that editing takes a long time. we ended up working for the whole day with some breaks therefore we done probably a quarter of our editing. we planned to edit again.

Yesterday we all went as a group to Dan's house again to continue working on our film by editing in his studio. The studio includes an imac with final cut pro, and 2 studio speakers. although unfortunately Dan accidently electrocuted himself with the phantom powered studio mixer, therefore we had to reschedule for another day to make sure everything was safe and Dan was up to working.

Today Me, Georgia, Dan and Luke started filming at Dan's house.

I think it went well as we filmed all the shots we aimed to and we done this in a good amount of time.

The day was very productive. 

My personal response to the progress we have made

After all deciding what roles each person was playing in the making of our film we thought it would be best to film at the weekend when it was fresh in our memory and we were all free to work. Although I am a character in the film my role is small so I am going to assist Luke in filming by playing back what we have filmed after each shot to see if it looks right. We all decided that when filming we would all put our own ideas forward on what works and what doesn't, so the sequence is more of a group project with all our ideas included.
At the moment our group has clear aims on what the story line is, the genre, and our roles in the making of the film. Due to us knowing this it makes the process a lot easier and more organised.

Own inital ideas for our film

As a group we had a disscussion on what theme we wanted and what the story line was going to be. We all decided we wanted the genre to be horror as we thought that would give us the most ideas and we all felt most passionate about it. We all contributed and decided the main character was going to be a man who had captured a girl. We decided the opening shot would begin with a morning routine and I came up with the idea to portray the man to be as normal as possible, so its more of a shock to the audience when the girl is revealed in the back of the boot. I thought it would be a good idea to inlcude a girlfriend to emphasize how normal he is as if he lived on his own could appear more creepy.
Through disscussing these ideas we drew up a storyboard each and decided which ideas we liked best.

Group ideas

Opening sequence ideas