Final Final Opening

Evaluation Question 7

Evaluation Question 6

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 4

This is our Evaluation Question 4 on our media products' target audience. For this question we were asked to explore what our target audience would look like, where they live, what books they read, are they sporty etc. We decided to create a visual bubble map/brainstorm  of all the features our target audience would include, through the use of pictures and obvious iconic logos. These pictures and logos help to dig deeper into the specific things that our target audience is influenced by.

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Question 1

Distributer

We decided to distribute our film to Film4 productions. This is because our target audience are teenagers so by distributing it on this channel, it means that we are more likely to reach our target audience because they do not have to pay to watch it as it is on one of the main TV channels. Also, we looked at the Film4 website and they distribute films similar to ours so it seemed suitable.

Difficulties When Editing

Editing Equipment

After filming our footage for the opening, we decided to edit it on iMovie using Chloe's MacBook Pro. This made it a lot easier as it is portable so we could edit it anywhere rather than being restricted to the media suite at school. Especially with February half term taking up a lot of our editing time, if we did not use the laptop, we would not have been able to do any editing over the half term.

Choosing a Film Name

We have had many issues and disagreements when coming up with a name. We want to find a clever name that explains our narrative in a few words. Here are a few options:
The Splintering
The Heist
The Get Away
Shatter
Fracture

In the end we decided on The Splintering as it represents the group of criminals breaking away as they got older. We feel this name had a metaphorical meaning which is why we chose it.

Last Minute Inspiration

Last minutes we decided to include a time lapse shot, lasting around 8 seconds. This would allow us to tell the audience that some time has passed in a creative way which also shows off our editing and filming skills. Below you can see an example of a time lapse shot, this one taken in Grand Central Station which is the effect we are aiming to produce.





 We were inspired not only by our teacher, but also by watching the makings of Doctor Who shown on the BBC last year. This shows how they made the box over a time period. Instead of showing how something was made, we want to copy the image of people walking past which will show how a long length of time has past.

Equipment

This is some of the equipment we used for filming. We used Chloe's iPhone 6, which is the best quality camera we could use or get hold of.  Fortunately she had recently got the phone and had enough space to record all the footage.
We then used a tripod, and a phone connector to attach the phone onto it. We used this throughout filming apart from one handheld shot. It helped stabilise shots and therefore make the whole film opening look more professional.

Using the iPhone 6

Feedback After First Draft

This is the feedback from our opening. By this point, the opening wasn't done and there was no music and the shots were not completely edited. We therefore felt pleased with the feedback we got seeing as it was not finished.
We took the constructive criticism on board and used them to make our opening better. We feel it benefited us and used the feedback in a positive way.

First Draft of Our Film Opening

This is out first draft of our film opening, with two weeks left until the deadline. We have a lot still to do including editing and adding music and sorting out the sound. In the clip below there are a few problems with sound such as the voice over running on for 45 seconds however we have already deleted that and made changes.
We are thinking of adding an establishing shot with a time lapse. This will be done by filming our main character for a few minutes and then speeding it up on the computer. As chloe stands still the people walking around will be sped up adding a timed effect and showing confusion.

Sound Difficulties

We came across several sound difficulties when filming and editing our piece. When filming the interview scenes in Cafe Nero, it was fairly busy which meant there was a lot of background noise. We therefore could not hear the actor's voice. We decided to we recorded the voice audio on another day in a quiet room and then overlap it on the background noise of the cafe. We then adjusted the volume of the different audio clips. This meant the sound is still digetic even though it is actually non-digetic.

Costumes and Props

This is our initial costume design ideas for our main characters. As you can see, the first 3 are all in hooded jumpers and tracksuits. We felt this is suitable for the stereotypical clothing that the age group of the teenagers wear in the society, and also good for hiding faces after a robbery with the hoods. The interviewer on the right is dressed quite smartly with a shirt and blazer and a smart skirt. These are plain colours and a general outfit as the interviewer does not have a main role within the whole film. 

However when looking back at our initial filming we felt the interviewer was too smart especially as it wasn't a news recording and just a laid back interview with no one else around. Instead, we dressed her in casual jeans and a top, however gave her props such as a notepad to emphasis and make obvious her role. 

One of our main props we made was the money. It was captured putting into the bag and also a pan of the stacks of money. Chloe's dad kindly made this himself, and printed many off so that we could stack them together like real wads of money, typically seen in a bank. To made them seem thick we added bits of plain paper in the middle. 

Social Media Page

Props

For our film opening, we needed bulks of fake money to show to the audience it is a bank robbery. My dad very kindly made this fake money for us and we did a panning shot of the money and also filmed the teenagers putting it in the bag.

Filming Update

We filmed our media a couple of weeks back on a late Sunday afternoon, trying the get the right lighting and the right amount of people walking around the town. However looking back at the footage, it was too dark and when trying to light it up on iMovie is lost quality, meaning we need to re film at a different time of day.
We used this as an opportunity to finalise our idea, and make changes and improvements to the story, including adding shots and changing shots. In the past two weeks, we have decided to change the location of the interviews to Caffé Nero, and add more shots to help quicken the pace. Also to add more establishing shots as it was confusing when looking back at the filming.
We have also decided to freeze frame the action shots at the very start of the opening when the credits come up which is similar to trainspotting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCxgqHqakXc

Inspiration for Shots

We searched YouTube and watched many clips from various films to get inspiration about the interview scenes. Here are a few screenshots on the clips we watched.


Kick Ass 2 - this shot includes the faces of 3 of the characters however you cant see the girl at the end. In our interview we wanted to be able to get a establishing shot of the café, as well as the interviewers face however not the boy being interviewed. You can notice the character there but you cannot see their face which is what we are going to try and replicate.



Inception -This is a typical shot-reverse shot which we are going to try and include. The positioning of the man is perfect, as you can see he is talking to a character and also see the background environment. Instead of showing the girls face we would instead show half a face.




The Believer-This helped us imagine a good frame for the interview shot because you can see one character and has got the arm of the other. This adds mystery as you cant see the characters face however the audience knows they are there. The shot is slightly low angle.

How to Shoot an Interview

We searched YouTube to try and find help and tutorials on how to shoot an interview seen. We found a clip that showed us where to position the characters on the frame, and how close to them the camera should be.  Overall, even though this clip was on 2 minutes long it is very helpful and useful for when we come to film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5omQE5UbpPg

Filming Schedule

Cast Change

We had a change in the cast after filming the first cut. We first filmed on the 11th January, and used 1 girl and 3 boys for the gang of teenagers. However one of the boys was no longer available to film and due to connivence we reduced the group to 3 teenagers which is not a problem and not a big change to the story board.

Production Company Name and Logo

We decided on this logo because it includes all three of our initials in, so we are all part of the company. The film strips clarify that we are a film production company.

Audience Expectations from Our Genre

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9SVB9R2

We created a survey in order to help us improve or change our film opening by getting audience preferences etc. After 27 responses we got a general idea of what expectations there are from our genre. Here are some of the responses. 

As you can see from the question;'What would entice you most into watching a crime thriller', the results showed that the opening scene was most popular. This showed us how important film openings are and how interesting it needs to be.

 The second question about lighting showed that a low key and dull lighting was expected, clarifying our choice of a dark effect on the videos.

 The third question about the running scenes also clarified that our use of fast action shots were suitable for our genre. However there was also some responses for 'sometimes' showing that our choice to split up the running scenes with interviews is appropriate.




The fourth question links with the previous one, as the most popular answer about pace was that its expected to be fast. With action shots this was easily done, alongside quick edits and fast cuts to quicken the pace and make the opening more exciting.

The last question was about the time of day. As we filmed at lunch time we have put an effect on the videos to darken and make it seem like dusk or darkness. Our results showed this was the right decision as they expected this genre to be filmed at either afternoon or night. 

BBFC Rating

How we decided on 12a: We researched onto the BBFC Website to justify our reasons. This is what we collected:

12A Rating

-If there is an overall tone which affects the way the audience feels, (this could be a dark or unsettling tone which could disturb the audience), this just pushes the rating from a 12 to 12a.

-No strong language

-Suitable for 12 year olds

-No discrimination

-No sexual behaviour or scenes

-Moderate Violence is allowed

-Action sequences may be allowed but not to be dwelled on

Our film will comply with all of these which is why we have decided on a 12a rating.

15 Rating

-Strong threat permitted

-Dangerous behaviour

-Frequent use of strong language

-Violence can be strong but not dwell on injury

PG Rating

-Can focus on mature topics but cannot suggest in any way that these are allowed or good.

-Mild bad language only

-Violence taking place in a comedy, fantasy, or historical film are treated less strictly

Iconic Sounds Connected With Crime Thriller

Health and Safety During Filming

In order for our film opening to be safe for everyone involved in the filming process, we need to consider the risks involved and what we can do to prevent them.

One hazard is that we are filming near a main road and part of this is running across it. As we might have to take this shot multiple times, there is an increased risk of the actors being run over by a car. However, we are reducing this risk as we have chosen to shoot where there is a zebra crossing in place and we are filming on a Sunday evening so this is a time when the road will not be as busy and we will take extra caution when filming this scene.

Another hazard is that we are filming with a tripod and our opening involves a lot of running. This means there is an increased risk of the actors tripping over the tripod whilst shooting. In order to prevent this, we will be warning and reminding the actors constantly to take extra care while running.

For one of the shots, in order to get the angle we want, one of us filming will have to get onto a high wall in order to succeed the high angle shot for our CCTV Footage scene. We will have to be careful when doing this as it is possible that we could fall off the wall and badly hurt ourselves. However, we are stopping this by helping each other to get onto the wall and off the wall.

Finally, the last hazard is that in order to create the correct tone and atmosphere for our particular genre, we need to film when it is starting to get dark. This means, it could potentially be quite dark when we are shooting. As running is involved, the actors may not be able to see where they are going very easily so we will be shooting where lots of street lights are present to prevent injury.

What Makes a Good Crime Thriller

First Attempt at Filming

We filmed our media on the 11th January at dusk as we felt this would be good lighting and time of day to portray the story. However looking back at the footage, it was very bad quality due to the little light. After reviewing the filming we have decided to film again, at a different time of day so we could get the good quality, and then use an effect of the editing software to make it darker.

Iconic Directors relating to Crime Action

Conventions of a Crime Action

Coursework so far

We are close to filming and this week we have started to get the final things ready. For example we have finished creating the two newspaper articles online using the website www.fodey.com, and downloading as an image to use in our movie.
Also, we are consulting our 4 actors using social media to contact them and tell them about filming schedules, allowing us to keep in touch.
We need to decide on sounds which is not a major priority until after filming due to it being part of the editing process.
We also have decided locations for filming, which is Lloyds in Sevenoaks and the backstreets in this town. The interviews will also take place in our houses, and will not take too long which gives us longer to edit.

Film Opening Analysis and Deconstruction

Location Scouting

 These are the location shots for our filming. We have chosen the sevenoaks area because most of our group are familiar with this area and know back streets for the action scenes in the opening. Also because it is not too busy, and as we were filming in the day time and adding effects to make it look like where no one was around, it seemed suitable.
Cafe Nero is also on sevenoaks high street and is easily accessible when we film as it is in the same area and so we can film in the same day. It was also suitable because it has window seat, and a sofa area which makes it a relaxed place for an interview. Lastly, Lloyds Bank is the main reason we chose Sevenoaks, because it is quite big, and there is an area around it accessible for us to shoot and get a variation of shots.