Evaluation
A2 Media Evaluation
View more presentations from Andy Johnson.
14 years ago
Thursday 29 April 2010
Sunday 28 March 2010
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Film Review Page Idea
When I designed my review page I decided to stick to codes and conventions of review pages. To do this I included a star rating, one large image of the character, multiple screen grabs from the film as well as the title of the film. I feel my review page looks professional and conforms to the conventions of real media products.
Film Poster Ideas
This was my first idea for my film poster. I decided to
subvert the main convention of short film posters by not
including a visual of the main character. I feel the use of
the image of the eggs and bacon helps to emphasis the
art house nature of my short film. In addition the use of
dark colours and spot lighting juxtaposes the happy nature
associated with having a cooked breakfast. This adds further
emphasis to the unusual nature of the text. This also
influenced my choice in font as I didn't want to conform to
the usual font choices.
including a visual of the main character. I feel the use of
the image of the eggs and bacon helps to emphasis the
art house nature of my short film. In addition the use of
dark colours and spot lighting juxtaposes the happy nature
associated with having a cooked breakfast. This adds further
emphasis to the unusual nature of the text. This also
influenced my choice in font as I didn't want to conform to
the usual font choices.
For my second idea i decided to stick to the conventional
features displayed within short film posters. This included
a close up of the main character making eye contact with
the audience. This design is very effective at engaging the
audience and catching their view. In addition the facial
expression of the character is quite unsettling and helps
show the nature of the film and its genre.
Saturday 6 March 2010
Rough Cut - First Four Minutes
I feel this scene may be the weakest of them all. As well as the
the obvious flaw in continuity of James's hair colour there are
other mistakes I feel let he scene down. Firstly I feel the sound
quality is poor and lets down the rest of the sound in the first
3 scenes, in addition the lighting seems to be different in every
shot as well as slightly over exposed. Due to time restrictions
it will be difficult to re-shoot any footage so as a result I will
reconsider the order of some shots and remove some entirely in
my final cut.
Sunday 14 February 2010
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Fonts For Poster
I have chosen mainly Serif fonts and one Sans-serif font. This is due to the fact it is believed that serif fonts attract a viewers eye and allow them to read the text easily. This is particularly useful in my poster as people will pass by and only glance at the poster briefly. As a result it needs to be immediately obvious what the name of the film is. In addition the crisp feel and look of a serif font makes my work look more sophisticated and professional than a sans-serif font which will appeal to my audience.
Thursday 4 February 2010
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Excellent Student Blog - Especially their AS final coursework
http://wbsmediagroup6sam.blogspot.com/
I came across this blog when looking for images of short film posters and magazine reviews. The design and layout of their blog is highly effect. I was most impressed with their final piece of AS coursework. Looking forward to seeing their A2 piece.
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Codes And Conventions Of Magazine Film Review Pages
Film Review Pages
Avatar - Unlimited Magazine
Immediately obvious is the large use of images from the film. A3 spread is dominated by images which are arranged in a linear manner with a border around it image. The review page consists of one main large image, a smaller adjacent image and a series os smaller images along the bottom. In the case of the film 'Avatar' the images show of the modern CGI effects as well as key events in the movie. Furthermore the images give the audience a sense of the genre of the film. The images don't overlap however the text boxes overlap on to the image. The text used is of a consistent font and size accept from the title of the film which is in a larger font. Furthermore the text is in the same colour throughout the article. The only acceptation to this rule is the text under the title however this fits with the layout and design of the page.
Lady In The Water - EMPIRE Magazine
Many of the traits in 'Unlimited' magazine review are found in this 'Empire' magazine. For example this review contains one large image from the movie as well as one smaller adjacent image. Again the images don't overlap however instead of having a border the main image bleeds to the edges of the page. The text again is of the same font through out the article except for the title. As a result the title stands out from the text. Unlike the 'Avatar' review this article has highlighted a quote from the text by changing its colour and font size. In addition small amounts of text have been added to the top hand right corner of the images to explain what they are showing.
I Am Legend - EMPIRE Magazine
This review shares a large majority of similarities as the previous two articles.
The main difference in this review is that the main image chosen isn't a still image from the film. Instead they have chosen an image which shows the making of the film.
Overall the key codes and conventions of a review page are easy to spot and aren't often broken by magazine publishers.
Sunday 24 January 2010
Codes And Conventions Of Short Film Posters
Short Film Posters
The Lethal Innocents - Kirsty Cam
eron - 2007 - New Zealand
"Rita, a 15 year old girl who dances to a different beat, is relentlessly bullied by the queen bees. When they kill her cat, they go one step to far."
Analysis
The main focus of the poster is of the lead character Rita. She is placed centre in centre of the frame and depth of field has been utilised to blur the characters behind her. This technique makes her stand out from the crowd and is a reflection of her character in the film and the way she is represented in the film. The fact she is framed in the centrally and her image takes up a large proportion of the poster shows her importance to the film. In addition her gaze is directly at the vie
wer. This eye contact combined with her facial expression creates a sense of unease in the viewer. The above techniques provide the viewer with an insight to the genre and feel of the text.
The title of the film is placed midway down the poster. As a result the name of the film isn't as immediately obvious as the close up of Rita. The misaligned, almost hand drawn, title further reflects how the character doesn't conform to the norm of society. Thus the audience is shown the personality of the character and due to conventions of genre, the audience can depict from her character profile that the film will be of the psychological drama genre. This is of a similar genre to my short film.
Must Peeter - Pritt Paasuke - 2008 - Estonia
Similar to 'The Lethal Innocents' poster, the 'Must Peeter' poster has a centralised close up of the main character of the film. However in this poster the camera angle is much lower and the actor isn't looking
at the camera. This shows the character to be powerful and mysterious. In addition the character is smoking and his facial expression is unclear. In British society this representation is common to the working class. I believe this to be similar to society in Estonia. This character profile is common to the codes and conventions of drama based films. The black and white image also provides the audience with an insight into the characters mood and feelings in the film further emphasising the drama genre of the text.
Unlike 'The Lethal Innocents' the title of ' Must Peeter' is in a bold serif font and takes up a much larger proportion of the poster. In addition the title is placed at the top of the image and doesn't overlay on to the main image of the character. This makes the title stand out much more and is much easier to read and recognise.
Guantes Blancos - Claudia Caballero - Spain
Unlike the previous two posters the 'Gauntes Blancos' poster contains full body images of the three main characters. In addition the images have turned from bitmap photos into cartoon like vector images. This style is a common to the crime drama genre. In addition the background of the image is in a similar vector style however depicts a city scape. Furthermore the characters are depicted in their full costume and holding their weapons. These are also common conventions of crime drama as well as the city location.
Similarly to 'The Lethal Innocents' the title is printed in a rough, worn looking sans serif font. The title is placed midway down he poster is similarly again to 'The Lethal Innocents' placed over the image of the character. This reinforces the fact the character is integral to film and in addition the character profile is one that you would commonly find in the genre of the film.
Shared Codes and Conventions
Each of the above posters are different in many ways. However some common features appear in them all. All of the posters contain images of the main characters in the film. Generally the main character is positioned centrally in the poster. Furthermore the lighting, colour scheme and position of the actors is a reflection of the characters in the film. Also the codes and conventions of the film genre are reflected in the layout, font choice and title positioning of the poster.
Rough cut - First Three Minutes
I feel the editing of the shots inside the lift went well. The scene works well with
the rest of the footage and the narrative flows well. In addition I feel I have
created the representations of adults and youths. The adult character, James is
shown to be well dressed and looks down on the youth behavior and habits.
This representation is common to the social stereotype of the middle class.
Juxtaposing this are the two youths. One is dressed smart and the other more
casual. However through my editing technique and sound I show them to have
little respect for the people around them. This again is a similar representation of
a social view on societies youth. These representations tie in well with my narrative
as it emphasises how James gets overly agitated and aggressive towards them.
The only reshoot necessary is the initial shot of James entering the building. It
is obvious that it is dark outside and thus subtracts from the continuity.
Shooting - 17th December
Today I filmed the shots inside the lift (Scene 3). The shoot went really well and I believe all the footage turned out well. I learnt from my issues yesterday that it's best to get all the footage and plenty of takes on the same day and occasion this will result in the continuity of the footage in terms of colour and lighting.
Shooting - 16th December
Today I re-shot the tilt shot from scene 1. This went really well however there where some difficulties. Firstly the lighting and colour balance of the new shot was different from the first shot. As much as I adjusted the exposure, white balance and contrast the shots looked different. As a result the footage looks odd (in terms of colour) when edited next to the first footage. However I don't feel this will affect my work too much as the narrative and feel of the piece isn't too greatly affected. To improve from this mistake I will take greater care when on shoots to take not of the time (as it effects lighting conditions) as well as the aperture and capture speed used on the previous shoot.
When I edited the tilt shot I decided to use a slow motion effect on the footage. This editing technique juxtaposes the previous jump cut editing in the opening of the text. I believe this combination works effectively as it emphasis the unusual nature of the film. Also the slow motion effect builds suspense in the revealing of the identity of the protagonist.
Saturday 16 January 2010
Sunday 13 December 2009
Shooting - 13th December
Todays filming went really well, i gathered all the footage i planned to collect as well as additional shots which work well with my short film. My location choice was good due to its close proximity to both my residence and my main actor however the one major set back was that the town wasn't as busy as i had hoped. As a result the sense of the town being busy and crowded wasn't conveyed very well in the filming. This is only a minor set back as i only need to re-shoot a few shots. Overall the shoot was successful.
Saturday 12 December 2009
Monday 30 November 2009
Rough Cut - First Minute
I feel the first edit has been a success. The editing style and pace are as I first imagined and I
feel the pace of the editing matches the pace of the musical score. In addition the contrapuntal
musical score works well with the mise-en-scene to emphasise the narrative of the text. The
camera work is steady and proficient through out as well as being well as being well positioned
and framed. On the other hand I feel the diegetic sound could be emphasised more and
additional sounds could be added.
This would further engage the audience and would add emphasis to the
narrative. In comparison to my rough cut at AS I feel my camera work, creativity and
post-production skills have significantly improved. My A2 rough cut is of much higher quality
than my AS.
feel the pace of the editing matches the pace of the musical score. In addition the contrapuntal
musical score works well with the mise-en-scene to emphasise the narrative of the text. The
camera work is steady and proficient through out as well as being well as being well positioned
and framed. On the other hand I feel the diegetic sound could be emphasised more and
additional sounds could be added.
This would further engage the audience and would add emphasis to the
narrative. In comparison to my rough cut at AS I feel my camera work, creativity and
post-production skills have significantly improved. My A2 rough cut is of much higher quality
than my AS.
Shooting- 14th November
This was my first shoot due to problems with obtaining actors and issues with availability of equipment. I believe the shoot went very well due to the fact I got more footage than I planned to collect.
The footage came out well and I believe all the footage can be utilised. I feel this is a result of he fact that I was solely in charge and control of the directing and camerawork. This meant there was less time wasted with disagreements and debating. Furthermore I feel my use of the tripod and camera has significantly improved from AS. There was allot less time wasted through re-shoots due to shaky shots and poor framing. As a result it gave me more time to do multiple takes of difficult shots to allow me to select the best one in the post production stage.
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Evaluation Of Planning
My research influenced my planning in terms of genre choice and narrative structure however specific shot choices, editing pace and style are a reflection of my personal opinion and creativity. My storyboard was very effective at allowing me to picture specific shots and understand the flow of narrative. Due to the fact I spent a long time and a large amount of effort on my storyboard it made the process of creating an animatic much easier. My animatic allowed me to experiment with editing pace and style, shorting and lengthening clips to fit to the pace of the music and carry the narrative. However creating my animatic was a largely time consuming process and a as a result my final animatic was only 3 minutes in length. This is due to time restrictions and over predicting shot lengths in my storyboard. On the other hand the process has improved my understanding of editing and shot length.
Due to the fact my animatic is only 3 minutes in length it means I will need to film more shots on location however won't have the chance to storyboard them and see if or how they fit together. As a result these choices will need to be made in the post production stage.
Thursday 5 November 2009
Animatic #2
I feel my animatic effectively shows the vision I had for my short film. The editing style and pace effectively creates the mood and feel I initially had imagined. The use of close ups and mid-shots meets the codes and conventions of short films as well as the use of sound and narrative created through these techniques.
At AS level my skills in using Premier where very limited. The editing of my AS animatic didn't match that of what I had intended, the use of sound was limited and as a result the narrative of the text was unclear. However comparing this to my A2 animatic it is obvious to see that my knowledge and skills of Premier have greatly improved. The editing is much more accurate and professional, there is greater use of sound clips and effects and the overall feel of the piece is much more professional.
Monday 26 October 2009
Animatic #1
Feedback From Peers:- Good use of sound - effective at engaging - good use of contrapuntal musical score.- Good shot choices and pace - tilt upward from dinner plate.- The sequence out of the house needs to be improved - more shots/clarity- During the second set of jump cut editing in first sequence some shots need to be a few frames longer.- Fade transition from sequences - from tilt to opening of door.- All needs to be slightly longer.
Thursday 8 October 2009
Showing Narrative Through Technique
Due to nature of short films there isn't much time for the director to establish a narative through dialouge and storyline. As a result the director is forced to use elements of camera, editing, diegetic sound and mise-en-scene. Therefore I plan to take these technical elements and use them effectivley to establish a narrative. My narrative will be constructed using a combination of cinematography styles, editing pace and mise-en-scene (in particular lighting).
When I was creating my AS piece of coursework developing a narrative wasn't key to the brief as a result I plan to look closer at this element in my A2 coursework.
A feature length film would follow a traditional linear narrative similar to Todrov's narrative theory in which there is an equilibrium - disequilibrium - re-equilibrium (www.scribd.com/doc/8332523/Narrative-theory-notes).
However due to the nature of short films it would be difficult to establish each of these elements effectively. As a result I will use Barthes' enigma code to convey narrative. This is the idea that the media presents a series of mysteries and clues which must be unravelled by the audience at the end of then text. (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_Barthes'_Enigma_code). This theory allows me to convey a narrative through the camera rather than dialogue which is suited more to short films.
Wednesday 30 September 2009
Sunday 20 September 2009
'Dexter' Opening
One of my initial ideas I wish to pursuit further is stereotypical views towards obese people. I really like how narrative and emotion is created in the opening to the american TV drama 'Dexter'. However 'Dexter' isn't a short films however aspects of editing, sound, camera and mise-en-scene can be extracted and used in my work. The time frame I am particularly interested in is from 0:43 to 1:19. The director has chosen extreme macro shots of the food and emphasized the action of eating to be very suggestive of violent forms. This allows the audience to relate to the character and the kind of person he is. This is arguably more effective than showing realistic shots of violence. Suggestive ideas are also common in Kurbrick's 1962 film 'Loleta' and are believed to be more influential than seeing the actual act.
In addition to the camera work the sound in the opening to 'Dexter' works well with the narrative and editing. The contrapuntal music helps to emphasis the representation of 'Dexter' character. This is very effective in the TV show as the character of Dexter is a lovable psychotic serial killer. I wish to take influence from this opening and use it in my representations of obese children. I wish to change it slightly by emphasizing the diegetic sound.
Inital Ideas
https://share.acrobat.com/adc/document.do?docid=d905b99d-7422-4746-a790-01a2f9d978d1
Click above link to view interactive evaluation.
Sunday 13 September 2009
Evaluation Of Research
I believe the research process has had a significant positive effect on my planning ,as my secondary research has given me a good understanding of the codes and conventions of a short film. By looking at existing media products, I now have a solid understanding of the narrative structure of short films. This research has influenced me to base my product on Barthes engima code such that narrative isn't created in a linear form however through a "series of mysteries" in which to be solved by the audience. On the other hand my primary research had little effect and influence on my planning. I belive that I should have approached my target audience more frequently to find out first hand what they expect to see in a short film of a genre I chose. This would have been benefical in ensuring that my product appeals to my audience and to see if it supports my secondary research.
Subsequently I have decided to incorporate an aspect of real life and drama into my piece. As a result this reduced the choices available to from my Inital ideas. I believe this had an effetive impact on my genre choice to which will appeal to my target audience and significantly improve my overall product. As a result my research, shot choices, editing style and mise-en-scene will be considered greatly when it comes to creating my animatic and rough cut.
Tuesday 14 July 2009
Discussion With Class Mates
Discussion With Class Mate - Codes and Conventions of Short Films
Myself and a class mate came together to discuss the research we had done about the codes and conventions of short films, this is the list we came up with:
- Range of representations
- Simple narrative
- limited amount of characters
- Mis-en-scene key to setting mood and feel of piece
- Large use of close ups
- Common to have voice over narrating
- Restriction of dialogue - narrative told through camera and events
- Two extremes of pace - Slow or fast - reflected in editing and non diegtic musical score
- Punchy and engaging from the beginning
- Titles - light text over black background.
Media Presentation
View more presentations from Andy Johnson.
Thursday 9 July 2009
Sci-fi Titles Made In After Effects
This was my first attempt at creating sophisticated titles using Adobe After Effects. I'm extremely happy with the outcome due to the fact my titles feel like titles you would see in a classic Science Fiction Film. It took some time to get use to using the tools and interface in After Effects however after a while I found there where similar toolsacross all of the Adobe programs so using the software became much easier. From this exercise I have learnt how to manipulate text as well as understanding thatthe first titles an audience sees must be reflective of the genre and feel of the piece.In addition to this I learnt how to use a combination of compositions in After effects to create an overall piece. The larger text in the background was created in a different composition to the typed out text. Overall I feel my skills in using After Effects have significantly improved since AS level.I plan to use my skills learnt in this exercise to create professional looking titles that fit with the genre of my short film.
Elevator Music - Serdar ferit (2008)
Shared Codes and ConventionsMise-en-scene - costume begins to construct representations of age and ethnicity -- location -- elevator -- common area where all members of society meet (similar to 'First Time It Hits') -- representations are constructed based on common stereotypes in modern society -- stereotypes are reinforced by diegtic music -- each stereotype is represented by the music they play. Camera -- variety of mid-shots and close-ups -- CU's allow audience engagement -- narrative is told through the camera and mise-en-scene -- no dialogue (similar to 'Michael Lau'). Editing -- majority straight cuts -- maintains sense of realism in the text - fade transition usedto show change of time.
"Michael Lau"' - Michael Lau
"Michael Lau" - Michael LauMise-en-scene - dark/gritty. Sound - non-diegetic sound - minimalistic - diegetic sound is quieter than musical score allowing it to dominant - no dialogue through out the text. Similar to "wrong sideof the bed" - other similarities include narrative - text has the sense of an average day - audiencecan relate to - however he then dreams of other things - traveling through space. Story is told through camera and mise-en-scene - events depict what is going on- narrative isn't over complicated - similar to other short films. Editing starts slow paced - soon quickens - match on action - keeps audience engaged through the short piece. Variety of creative shots used to add unique feel to thetext. Text is dominated by mid to close up shots - builds audience engagement - close ups of modelsused to represent emotion - mise-en-scene - facial expression and body language - emotions reinforced by camera distance and angels. Special effects used to heighten sense of surrealism -enforcing dream sense - juxtaposes still shots of models. Documentary style as it depicts day in the life of Michael Lau - representations of ethnicity.Shared Codes and Conventions Simple narrative which is told through the camera and mise-en-scene. Similar to all the other textsi have looked at, reinforced by the fact there is no dialogue through out the text. Editing is facedpaced and punchy, grabs the audience's attention quickly. Further reinforcing this is the fast pacednon-diegetic musical score. Straight cuts are used dominantly to keep the realism of the text which relates to the realistic narrative that the audience can connect with. Text is dominated by close upsand mid shots to keep the audience engaged - further engagement is created through creative shot choices which add a unique feel to the piece.
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