Friday 19 March 2010

Final Thriller Sequence

This is our final sequence after editing, following the feedback given and finishing off. From the previous draft we have added titles, contrast and saturation to the shots to enhance the scenes. Overall we are pleased with our final sequence and we think we met our set targets.

Evaluation draft deadline mon 22nd 9am, final deadline mon 29th 9am

Thriller Film Opening Sequence Evaluation - 1500-2000 words
PowerPoint uploaded to moodle

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?
What conventions of professional products have you used in your own film? (narrative conventions, character conventions, genre, camerawork, sound, editing, special effects, mise-en-scene? Use screen grabs of your own sequence to illustrate each example where you have followed conventions or gone against (challenged) conventions. Also use images from the films that have influenced you where relevant.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups? (gender, age, ethnicity etc.)
Compare a character in your sequence to a character in a professional film (use images). If you have included a villain/victim character, does the character follow conventions of characters in professional films. For example, is your villain male? Is your victim female? Therefore how are you representing gender?

3. What kind of media institution would distribute your media product?

Discuss similar professional films and their production companies (use images of the films and logos). Which production Company do you think would distribute your film? (if it was professional and if you had made the full film).

4. Who would be the audience for your media product? (BBFC and target audience) Use images from a similar product with a similar target audience. Remember that target audience is not the same as classification.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Refer to Significant moments in your sequence where you have tried to generate a response from the spectator (a close up to encourage identification with a character, music that encourages the spectator to feel suspense, tense, visceral reaction etc.) What techniques have you used to encourage the spectator to want to see the rest of the film? (Clues about narrative, character, etc.) Use screen grabs of your own sequence.

6. What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing your product?

(blog, camera equipment, editing software – Final Cut Express, istopmotion, Garageband etc.) Use screen grabs/photos of all these things. Be very specific about tools/effects/techniques learnt not just ‘I have learnt a lot about the software’

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to your final product?
Discuss your second preliminary task that you did in a week before starting Thriller. Discuss what you have learnt since then about construction of micro elements in order to create meaning, how to use different techniques, practical skills etc. How have you built on your knowledge that you learnt from the prelim task? Use screen grabs of your prelim task and your sequence where relevant.

Friday 12 March 2010

Rough Cut Feedback

Overall the narrative is good, a well thought out idea and presented well. However, we feel the duration of some of the shots at the end are a bit quick when it's trying to show a desolate area. The sound effect between the voice overs is slightly repetitive and if there could be varied sound effects used for this (white noise) then it would be less repetitive. Finally, the last shot does seem a bit random and the spinning will surely have to be done by man which contradicts the statement that no one is left.

S252

we think that the sound has been used really well. we like the sound effects used in between the radio broadcasts, and the broadcasts themselves. however we think there needs to be more movement within the video footage. i found myself looking away from the screen and just listening to the broadcast. there also needs to be more consistency within the shots. overall, we liked it.

S2-53
We liked the use of the news reporting scene's. We liked the camera's angle. We did not see the point in showing us a chimney (or any other blank a lifeless areas) at the start of your sequence. The sound effects in between the broadcast's were very good. There needs to be some movement within the scenes. We found ourselves looking away from the screen, because we found it sex visually uninteresting. We thought it was more like a horror than a thriller. like 28 days later.

S2-54
we think it is really good, however the credits should stay on for longer so as we can read them. the sound track is really, good, and the way it is in between the broadcasting makes it more tense. the black an white bike tyie is slightly random because of the colour change but yeah it is good.

S2-49

We think that entire sequence is really effective especially the soundtrack. We like the way you have put the still images in conjunction with the extracts but we would have like to have seen more moving footage. We also think that perhaps by putting your own soundtrack and sound effects it could raise your overall mark. The last point we would like to make is that we think that the editing should speed up towards the end to build tension and suspense.

Tuesday 9 March 2010

Rough Cut of Thriller Opening

This is a rough cut of our thriller opening sequence.

We have experimented with positioning of titles and would like feedback on which is the most appropriate for our sequence. We have also experimented with video effects on the last four shots and would like feedback on which one looks back. We would also like feedback on shot duration, continuity of the soundtrack and synchronizing our sequence.

Monday 1 March 2010

Thriller Analysis- Bourne Ultimatum



The opening sequence for this film suggests alot, gives you a good idea of the plot & is very mysterious. The start of the sequence explains what has happened in the previous films; lost his identity- had it stolen,injured, how his loved ones throughout the films have been murdered, his past destroyed and now people are set to kill him!

This opening sequence is very short and very detailed to ensure you get a good underdtanding of the film. Because of that, you don't need to have seen the previous two films to understand this one.As the sequence starts off you see jason bourne walking injured away down a underground/train station escaping police,or so it seems. He then boards the train but jumps off in order to loose the police. Further on in the sequence bourne manages to escape the police and he attempts to first aid his arm or leg after an bloody injury.As he is aiding himself a russian officer enters the room in which bourne is in,armed and ready to kill. Bourne talks to him and says a line which is remembered through the film; ' My argument is not with you'.. Throughout the end of the sequence a flashback of something that happened to him plays,which brings back memorys that he has lost. I think it is meant to explain why the russian police etc are after him.

Mise En Scene- within this sequence is very mood setting. It highlights the theme running throughout and makes it simple to relate to. It is action/thriller therefore it is quite a dark setting and rather dull. This makes sense for it to be dull and boring because of the theme.. Everything within the shots of the opening sequence are either mysterious or have something to with the plot i.e passports,guns etc..

The sound in the sequence is non diegetic,it is being played for effect,to create tension and to build up fear.. Coming from more than one character. It is not drowning in sound it is just there running quietly in the background.The main sound is jason bourne himself, the characters dialouge and the cars etc.

The camera work looks handheld for some of it because it is following him through where he is going to hide. There is some panning shots.These give the adventure thriller feel, because they make it edgy and tense.
As the trailer progresses,it flashes from different camera angles and shots such as high angle,close ups & extreme close ups. These particular camera shots/angles are particularly good because it shows the viewer all the key points of the trailer i.e. Characters handling guns, bursting through buildings and intense situations & converstaions. There are also some handheld shots where it shows Bourne confronting with the people who are after him. Using a handheld shot exagerates the tensness of the particular moment being filmed.

It shows some fast high angled panning shots of different countrys (birds eye view & floor level) and him talking to people who are trying to help him escape and get rid of these people who are after him and want him dead. This explains that the film is a complex film with alot to be understood,this is obvious just from the trailer. The shots throughout this entire sequence are all flashing back and forth with no continuous scene footage,although it all comes together to ensure you have an idea of what the plot will be and how eveything pans out.
The genre of this film is spy/adventure/thriller. With the particular type of camera work and shots that are used througtout the trailer it expresses these genre's well therefore making it easy to understand the pace of the movie.