Change of plan

For the third week action plan, we decided as a group to analyse another two films that represent our film genre and use voicethread. However, because we couldn't meet up during the week, we have decided to do one indvidually - analysing one film each. On my own, I will be analysing Pyscho, whilst Chloe and Tayla analysing two other different films that fits into the genre of thriller and fantasy.

Location Scouting - Nicky Line:

Work completed individually: 


This morning, I went out to take some pictures of the Nicky Line which could be a possible location for our film opening. I couldn't do it yesterday as I said I would as it was pouring down with rain, so I had to change my plan and do it this morning! So yeah here are the pictures I took and analysed on my own:





  The video above, is a just a minute footage of the place so you know how the place looks like overall and how the outcome of the film may be like. As you can see from the video above, Nicky Line is a fairly quiet place, it's usually just people walking their dogs that actually go there, so in my opinion I think the Nicky Line is quite a good location for the film. In addition, the Nicky Line fits into our ideal type of location as dark green was signified as mystical and magical in the stories of King Arthur which could suggest the place - Nicky Line - is mystical and magical to the audience as it has proven to symbolise that in the past. Moreover, the colour green, blends in well with the colours of orangey-yellow, as this creates an autumn feel for the audience. The season autumn symbolises the end of something, which could be a life or a time of happiness. This could possibly foreshadow to the audience that somewhere or some part in the film, one of the characters die as autumn is known to be cold, rainy and deprives the trees of the comfort of the leaves, resulting them lonely in the cold and rainy weather which conveys sadness and despair.

Seondly I think the Nicky Line is a good choice for the location of the film because:

• It was quiet - there was no sound but just birds chirping in the background, which could be included into the film as typical fantasy films include birds chirping at the beginning or during happy times in the film. This could be used in our film right at the beginning for the prologue to symbolise joy and happiness.
• The place had no one walking and passing by - this is good for filming as there would be no one to walk in and out interupting our filming or us being in their way.
• The place as a whole looks fairytale like (will be shown in one of the pictures) - this will be able to fit in with the "Snow White" concept.
• The place is muddy - I personally think this is good for our film as it suggests not everything is going to be perfect or go perfectly well in the film. For example: Snow white is not just going to marrying her prince charming, there'll be a twist.
• The colours of the surrounding - as mentioned before, green can symbolise mystical, magical and loneliness. Brown and yellowy-orange can symbolise sadness, which again connotes to the audience our film is not the typical fantasy films with a happy ending.
• I think the place is quite safe for filmimg, as there is not interrputions i.e. people walking by, theres is a hazard warning sign, which we could not film at that specific spot and move to a different spot for filming. The pathway is quite wide, so people will not fall down into the fields and fences. Houses are surrounded by, so  if there is an accident, there are people near to us.
• There are gates and fences, this could symbolise Snow White is trapped in the place, she isolated, and there is no way for her to be out of where she is.

Cons of the Nicky Line:

• We can only film during the day - morning and afternoon - as it is now getting darker and not a lot of sunlight is seen as the trees above blocks most of the sunlight. In addition, the weather is getting cold  which in result means we have to film during the morning and afternoon.
• Stoned and muddy ground, this could make it hard for the actors as they may trip whilst running.
• Little hills - it's hard to describe, but I'll show a picture later..so if the actor is running, they have to be careful and not run by the sides of the pathway or they could fall down the 'hill' and roll into the gates and fences.
• People walking by with dogs, this could interrupt our filming.
• If we do choose this location, and film early or really late, we could be too loud and distrupt the neighourhood.

Entrance to the Nicky Line

Dark green bushes

Autumn coloured leaves

Close up of the leaves

'Little Hill' which leads down to the gates

Stony ground covered with leaves

Zoomed in shot of whats behind the gates

Hazard sign

Overall look of the Nicky Line - typical fairytale/fantasy setting

Old bench in the Nicky Line

Yellow leaves on a tree

The video above is a footage of me walking to show how the outcome may possibly be, if we choose to use this location for filming in the future.

25/10/11

Haven't updated in about a week, as I have been busy with other work. Today, I will be going out to the Nicky Line and will be taking pictures for the 'possible locations', hopefully I'll be able to post them ASAP!

Bye!

P.s I will be meeting up with group on Friday to use voicethread for our analysis of Psycho and Sweeny Todd. We will also be writing out our pitch to be presented when we return back to school from the half term! :)

Keywords:



Analysis of the institutional logo:

Work completed as a group: 


How we came up with the company name - 'On Air Productions'

• We didn't want a simplistic company name e.g.initials of our names
• We was inspired by the company 'Universal' as the name connotes it is appealing to the whole world
• We wanted the company name to appeal to everyone but still stick to our genre - thriller-fantasy
• As a group, we looked up on the Internet searching for key words such as 'camera angles' and 'on air' came up

After we have decided the company name, we decided to create a few logos to test our skills on pixlr.com. The images we have chosen, relate to thriller as they represent power, strength, energy - which are all aspects of our film. Below this, are three logos we have all created and designed together.


Draft 1

  
How did we edit this?

• Searched smoke on google - http://www.gimpusers.com/system/tutorial_steps/767/23-original.png
• Selected image and saved onto a file
• Opened image onto pixlr.com
• Using the text tool, we typed in our company name - 'ON  AIR PRODUCTIONS'
• We then layered the text. which then we had options on altering the text. E.g. adding shadows, or adding glows etc.
• We then moved around the text to where we wanted to place it.
• Ta-da! We are done!

Denotation: Grayish bluey smoke
Connotation: This connotes to the audience that the films our company produces are mystical and alluring. The dark blue connotes to the audience depression, and the gray symbolises security, sadness and maturity.


Denotation: Red, bold and capitalised text
Connotation: The red can symbolise blood to the audience which fits into our genre as it is thriller-fantasy. Additionally, red can symbolise extreme emotion and fire, which can represent life and fertility. This will connote to the audience that the films our company we produce has complex characters. Furthermore, the red illustrates energy.


Evaluation: On one hand, we thought this logo was successful as it represented our film genre well to the audience and signifies strength, power and energy. On the other hand, we thought this logo didn't look 'professional' enough and decided we wanted to create another one which was more vibrant, in addition, the logo above 'draft 1' is very simple and lacks creativity.

Draft 2

How did we edit this?

• Searched smoke on google - http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/8a/79/abstract,color,graphic,design,smoke,artistic,awesome-8a795fc9ee6ff186a0186ef867df9d76_h.jpg
• Selected image and saved onto a file
• Opened image onto pixlr.com
• Using the text tool, we typed in our company name - 'ON  AIR PRODUCTIONS' but because we wanted the text to be presented horizontally, we had to type one letter at a time.
• We then changed the colour to gray and didn't layer it as we wanted to keep it simple because the rainbow colour was eye catching enough.
• We then moved around the text to where we wanted to place it.
• Ta-da! We are done!

Denotation: The electrifying smoke
Connotation: The colourful colours will connote to the audience the institution is going to be welcoming as the colours are vibrant, and friendly in comparison to draft 1. The smoke is shaped as a head, which could refer to the audience that the films we make are accessible and are aimed for everyone, and that anyone can relate to the films. The colour is generally orange and contrasts against the dark background and the orange communicates to the audience that the film is full of energy, has a steady balance and our company is warm and full of enthusiasm.


Denotation: Gray, capitalised and bold text
Connotation: The text is gray because we wanted the full attention to be on the image as we wanted it to be a trademark and let the audience know straight away that the logo is from our company. In addition, the colour gray portrays security and this connotes to the audience our film company is confident and proud.


Evaluation: In conclusion, we as a group thought the image was very artistic, and unique. However, the logo itself looks too sci-fi which differs from our genre - thriller-fantasy. Moreover, the logo overall looks to crowded and messy, as some text are presented landscape, and some horizontally.




Draft 3

How did we edit this?

• Searched smoke on google - http://matchboxsmokeshop.com/images/Smoke.jpg
• Selected image and saved onto a file
• Opened image onto pixlr.com
• Using the text tool, we typed in our company name - 'ON  AIR PRODUCTIONS'
• We then layered the text. which then we had options on altering the text. E.g. adding shadows, or adding glows etc.
• We then moved around the text to where we wanted to place it.
• Ta-da! We are done!

Denotation: Bright orangey red smoke
Connotation: The colour of the smoke - a mix between red and orange - looks like solar flares, and fire, which both represent danger, energy and power. This could suggest to the audience our films are capable of creating successful films in fitting into our genre.

Denotation: The gray, shadowed, capitalised and bold text
Connotation: The shadow create enigma to the audience, as you wonder what is trying to be hidden. The style of the writing is plain as we wanted a logo that is simple and prove that film companies doesn't necessarily need fancy logos to be appealing.


Evaluation: In conclusion, we feel this design is very successful as it fits into our Prezi brainstorm. Moreover, it looks professional because of the writing, as it fades into the background. Because of the black background, the orange smoke stands out from it, and keeps your eyeline within the orange smoke. However, if we had the technology, we would of liked the flares to be animated - to move around on the screen.

Conclusion: Overall, we as a group have chosen to use draft 3 as our instituitional logo as it looks professional, the logo is simple yet effective, and is the most successful in communicating to the audience about the type of films the company creates.

Development of logo institution ideas:

Work completed as a group:

Before finalising our idea for a logo to use for our final piece, we as a group brainstormed all our ideas on what we wanted our logo to look like using prezi.

Week 3 - Action Plan:

As a group:

• Brainstorm as a group and design an institution logo that will symbolise and represent our genre category - thriller. 
• Two textual analyses of a famous film and a British film that represents our genre category of either thriller and fantasy. 

Individually:

• We will individually be scouting around possible locations for the film, and will be taking pictures of them.

Pyscho - famous thriller film

Sweeney Todd - British thriller film

Sources: http://www.sondheimguide.com/graphics/sweeneyfilm.jpg
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47560000/jpg/_47560574_poster226341.jpg

Tayla Powell's blog: http://taylaastleyasmedia.blogspot.com/

Chloe King's blog: http://chloeastleyasmedia.blogspot.com/ 

Textual anlysis of a film character - Snow White:

Completed work by Tayla and Chloe:

Snow White's appearence

This is a photo of 'Snow White' which we are going to analyse the characters appearance as we will be using it within our 2 minute opening sequence.

Clothing:

• Long yellow skirt can represent sunshine and all things good, we can change this by making the skirt a complete opposite colour and ripping it up.
• The collar represents an air of royalty and protection. We won't use a collar in our characters appearance as she isn't royal she is a dark character, and will be scruffy and ragged.
• Corset represents that she is confident about herself and that she tries to emphasize her looks. We want to make our character have a baggy top that will be ripped up so it looks like she's been attacked.
• Frilly lining represents that she is innocent and girlish and naive to the dangers in life. We will change that to mud staining her top to show she's been in a struggle.
• Cream bowed court heels represents that she is formal and she takes care of her appearance but we're going to change this so the character is wearing no shoes and her feet will be muddy.
• Her bow hairband represents her innocence. We are going to keep this so that she has some part of her normality.
  

Make up and hair:

• Natural make up shows that although she is well groomed and cares about her looks, she doesn't try to over emphasize her looks. We will be keeping the natural make up as well.
• Pale face represents that she is innocent and/or worried easily as pale face is associated with nervousness. We will keep this as the character will be going through worrying times.
• Red lips are contrasted against her pale face which makes the character more complex and also shows her femine side. We will keep this also because red will stand out and is also related to the colour of the apple.
• Curly hair represents that she is well groomed which suggests that she is well off, however we are going to make her hair messy by backcombing it.
• Jet black hair is another contrast with the pale face and is dark which could symbolise there is darkness within her.
  

In conclusion:

We analysed the appearance of the original character "Snow White" so we could decide what features of her appearance we would need or want to change for our film. We have decided to change her appearance with the changes we have stated above because our film genre is thriller and fantasy and these changes will suit that genre more.

Group Work

Plot Summary

We as a group finalised the plot of our film, and together we created a powerpoint presentation and decided to use authorstream.com to present our work as it is an alternative way to present our work instead of using prezi, and normal powerpoint presentation.

Camera shots:

Work completed individually:



Additional information:

• We have used our friends as models
• We have done this in order to practice camera shots so we can use these for our individual final pieces
• This will allow us to experiment different camera shots, and see the outcome and effects of certain angles and shots

Establishing/Long shot

Long shot

Mid shot

Over the shoulder shot

Over the shoulder shot of Kiran, and her point of view of Abbie

Two shot

Medium close up

Point of view



High angle



Low angle

Birds eye view

Extreme close up

Big close-up

    

 Here are some edits I attempted editing on my phone using an app called princess cam.

 
The edits are not really that good, but yeah, I tried my best! :)

Emma Gower's blog: http://astleyemmaasmedia.blogspot.com/



Institution logo analysis:

Completed work individually:

 http://www.southdreamz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/walt-disney-logo.jpg

Walt Disney is one of the most popular institutions when it comes to children’s films. The text ‘Walt Disney’ is written in a unique and special style, as it is not the plain typical Arial font, this suggests the institution is somewhat different in contrast to other institutions like Warner Brothers. In addition, the font is quite girly, which suggests to the audience that the films made are generally targeted to girls – fairytales/modern fairytales. The use of colour on the Walt Disney logo is mainly dark blue which suggests night time, this will connote to the audience magic, as magic is generally taken place at that time. The colours itself is also quite dreamy and fantasy which again, connotes fairytales and fictional characters. The glowing castle at the centre of the logo connotes to the audience that Walt Disney produces fictional and unrealistic movies as castles are known for ‘prince and princesses’ homes. Moreover, the castle implies to the audience that Walt Disney’s target audience is mainly young girls as the castle on the logo appeals to young girls who dreams of becoming princesses. Furthermore, the institution has used a castle for their logo because the audience is familiar with the castle, Disney is known for the fairytale like castle, as well as adults, young children will be able to recognise the castle immediately and will be attracted to the film because of the castle and knowing the fact, the film is produced by Walt Disney. Overall, the Disney logo is appealing because it is ‘pretty’, the dark background and the glowing castle connotes to the audience mysteriousness and a ‘new world’ – fairytale. The logo looks unrealistic, as everything seems to look ‘perfect’ but at the same time, it looks creative.

Tayla analysis of Universal can be found here: http://taylaastleyasmedia.blogspot.com/

Chloe's analysis of Summit Entertainment can be found here: http://chloeastleyasmedia.blogspot.com/ 

Preliminary exercise part 3 - filming: - Individual Evaluataion

Today, we started shooting our preliminary exercise. We were told to form groups of 3 or 4, and for this task I worked with Abi Davis-Fletcher, Conor Willis and Jon Champion. We as a group all decided to work with Abi's storyboard.

Here are the roles we were within the group:

• Me : Actor
• Abi: Actor
• Conor: Cameraman
• Jon Cameraman

Equipment:

• Video Camera
• Tripod
• Us!

What we did:

• Chose and picked a good location/room for the filimg.
• Made sure the camera was working, had battery etc.
• Rehearsed a few times before we started filming.
• Discussed together as group on altering a few parts of the storyboard.

Summary of the storyboard:

• A girl is rushing down the stairs, and the shot is cut just before she opens the door.
• The camera is a mid shot facing towards the door, and films the girl opening the door, and walking past the camera.
• The next shot is of the girl walking into a room, and looking into it, searching for the second character.
• Following after that, the next shot is of the girl, walking to another room and standing by the door creating an over the shoulder shot, after hearing her name called out by the second character.
• Finally, the last shot was an over the shoulder shot from the second character facing the girl and exchanging dialogue with her, and with the door slammed shut.

Conclusion of the task:

• In my opinion, I think we worked well as a group, as we were willing to listen to each other's opinion on the storyboard and task to improve on it. The only con to it was when we started to run out of time and had to rush in some parts, which became a little bit stressful. But overall, we worked well, and everyone participated throughout the task.

Team work

Sources: http://eclipsesource.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/hands_in.jpg


After we have finished the filming, our teacher decided we should film another storyboard as we made a few minor mistakes in the first filming such as the wrong camera angle. So we then as a group, decided to shoot Jon and Conor's storyboard which consisted of a doctor and a patient. The scene consists of the doctor opening the door, and going into the room, sit down, and share a few dialogues with the patient. Again, we filmed this scene sucessfully, but at the beginning we had a few small problems, such as filming a part of the rehearsal, but other than that, I think the filming went well.


Here are the roles we were within the group:

• Me : Set up the props
• Abi : Actor
• Conor: Actor
• Jon : Filming

Abi rehearsing her lines



Jon sorting out the video camera, and Conor waiting for the filming to begin



Filming begins, this is the last shot of Conor just before he opens the door



This photo is of Jon filming a close-up shot of Conors hand opening the door



Jon filming Conor walking in



A shot of Conor walking into the room



Behind/Over the shoulder shot of Conor sharing a few dialogues with Abi



Jon filming an over the shoulder shot of Abi speaking to Conor

Pictures were taken by me.

Abi's blog: http://abidfastleyasmedia.blogspot.com/
Conor's and Jon's blog: http://jonasmediacoursework.blogspot.com/ 

Edit: The video will be up shortly..

Preliminary Exercise part 2: - Individual Work



My storyboard of our preliminary task.


This is my storyboard for the preliminary task, which starts of with an over the shoulder shot of person A walking towards the door, then the second shot is of a mid-shot of person A walking through the door. The third shot is of an over the shoulder shot of person B watching person A walking to the table, and then the fourth shot is a medium close up shot of person B saying "hi". Following after that, is a medium shot of person A saying "What do you want?", after that, the next shot is an over theshoulder shot of person A, in their point of view, looking at person A, whilst person B says "gimme a sandwich". The shot following after that, is a close up shot of person A's face and the person saying "no". The last shot is then of person B watching person A walking away.

Preliminary exercise part 1: - Individual Work

For the preliminary, we have to film a person walking through the door and entering into a room, and then sitting down, sharing a conversation with another person. We will not be editing this on the computer as we will be editing in camera which means the shooting will be shot in sequence. The filming has to be continuous, and we will have to plan and storyboard the whole sequence, we will need to find access to a spare room, then bring our camera and tripod to shoot our video there. For this preliminary, we will be working in groups. I will be working with Abi Davis Fletcher, Conor Willis and Jon Champion.



Video camera



Tripod

Classroom