Evaluation of coursework

 For the final project in my group of four we created our film noir thriller style film opening and based the narrative around a hitman who has been set up for a killing which in fact was his next target.

 Before the project a background research and a blog task I studied two examples of previous film noir openings. I chose to do both Double Indemnity and D.O.A, for the task I analysed how each builds tensions and shows the audience messages through clever cinematography, also I touched on how each manages to create an enigma which attracts the viewer to want to find out how a situation has been started in the first and inevitably how it is resolved. In Double Indemnity the start involves the main character Neff staggering towards his office and talking into a Dictaphone which acts as a voice later into the film and through the titles a shadow of Neff in shown walking on crutches in the background which is a further enigma instead of just being words on a screen so this is an example of using cinematography to attract audience. Also what is clever about the film is as well as using a non-linear narrative it also shows in the first few seconds of action via a roadside sign having light applied to it which in turn reveals the setting of the film which is Los Angeles.

 Whereas in D.O.A a man walks into a police station and through a long corridor during the titles until he reaches the Homicide division and declares to the officer in the office that he has been murdered which to the immediate jump of the music creates and enigma. This film as with double indemnity makes use of a non-linear narrative and uses mise-en-scene in the early few shots in the costumes of the actors being police uniforms to portray to the viewer that the man is in a police station.

 So for the final project my group looked follow these classics examples whilst modernising them as well to fit the aim of the task. Therefore we decided to use just as in my idea for the opening a non-linear narrative to create an enigma. The enigma was the female laying on the floor of the dark room and cleverly the final shot of the opening is the reveal showing the face of the female. Just as in Double Indemnity we decided to have an attention grabbing start from the first shot which showed the female laying on the floor with her back turned which is intended to attract the attention the viewer just as the car weaving between other cars at through a road on Double Indemnity and Neff on crutches in the background of the titles. As with many noir thrillers the enigma used in our film opening was based around death/murder and this was central point to our storyline how the woman came to be killed.

 Also the femme fatale in our film opening is a typical character as well as the male character being in the wrong place at the wrong time and one mistake leading to downhill spiral. To create these typical characters it was important the mise-en-scene was accurately made use of so that the audience saw the characters how we envisaged. So the femme fatale wearing the fur coat and dress helped to create the appearance of this typical noir character. Whereas the black jacket worn by the male character in the sequence was used to present a sense of mystery and wrongdoing to the audience.

  As I mentioned a non-linear narrative was used for the opening sequence as well as using flashbacks to create the narrative also. Editing was therefore important to ensure the flow to the narrative made sense to the viewer so continuity editing used to achieve this with jump cuts being used also in a few of the flashbacks to help establish to the viewer that it was a flashback scene. Titles were used at the start and end of the opening and titles were edited over the final shot of the face of the female.

 For cinematography in the sequence it was to focus on adequate camera placement and framing to ensure that the visual representation to the audience was good. As cameraman for the shots in the dark room where the female is laying on the floor I made sure I used the rule of thirds to frame the shots such as the shot where the male hitman character is shown examining the body to see if it matches the picture he has. In this shot it was important to use the lighting and setting as well as of course framing the shot to give a satisfactory representation.

 In terms of sound the music used was slow starting but then becoming more upbeat to meet the action and tenseness of the opening. Police sirens are used at the end again in order to make the audience realise the hitman has been set up. A further use of sound is the voice over used throughout which are spaced out and in keep with the action going on for instance when the hitman receives the folder the voice of “that was supposed to be my last job” alerts the audience that either it wasn’t his last job or something went wrong along the way which therefore helps to create an enigma which the viewer will hopefully want to know more about.

 The opening worked in developing ideas for classic noirs and updating them further into more broad readings. An example of this is the body at the start of the sequence which is used to immediately attract the attention of the viewer  however using this at the start does differ slightly from noirs such as Double Indemnity and D.O.A more hinting and talking about death with the body actually being shown to the viewer. Another instance where the noirs conventions are developed is in the flashback showing the exchange of the folder which evidently also introduces another character to the audience in the character shown giving the folder to the hitman makes may make the viewer think he is masterminding the set up. This use of another characters differs from both Double Indemnity and D.O.A. which mainly establish one or two at the most characters so having three characters in the sequence all of importance develops the perhaps more common approach.

 In the production of the sequence it was vital to establish what kinds of people were going to be presented in the opening. So we decided to use more working class characters just as many classic noirs had previously done in the past. The three characters in the opening very much challenge the classic examples of noirs in that they are different to more typical types of characters seen in noirs.

 The hitman is seen as the more up to date character in his role, rather than wearing a suit and formal shoes, he is shown wearing jeans and casual shoes. This type of mise-en-scene was used to fit in with the more everyday teenager of today but at the same time the black jacket and general dark clothing acts to show the viewer that perhaps there has previously been a darker side to the character.

 Moreover the femme fatale challenges classic examples of this type of character in that she is red headed whereas most femme fatale were seen to be either blonde or dark haired such as Phyllis in Double Indemnity being blonde. Although shown as being ginger not much else is revealed about the female character and there is a real sense of mystery surrounding the character only her clothing and back of her head are shown in the early shots and the face is not shown till the very final shot of the opening. This worked well I think in creating an enigma around the character.

 As for the character shown on the phone to the hitman and exchanging the folder a further example is shown of challenging noirs conventions in this character being of an ethnic background which gives the opening a more modern and contemporary feel to it. However on the other hand the role in which this character was cast was intended to be more stereotypical is that the character is seen to be the instigator of the set-up which perhaps gives a questionable broad look on society in general.

 As well as the choices having interesting points behind them and differing from for classics types of characters; using these types of characters does give the opening its own unique twist rather than just copying previous example. Additionally the narrative being revealed in a saturated flashback through editing helps to reveal more about the characters. As I mentioned costume helps to create character images and the sets chosen being streets and a park in particular help to relate to audience. Showing the opening from the point of view of the hitman using flashbacks and voiceovers does also aid in creating an effective visual representation for viewers.

 Furthermore as my group were all young we made use of the types of characters which young people or teenagers maybe likely to be in a film when casting roles, such as the hitman getting tangled up in the wrong kind of surrounding, this did however work though as it linked well to the target audience for the opening which are also teenagers. In addition I do not think that not having older characters would have added to the effectiveness of the finished production as the plan behind our sequence was to have a young environment where a teenager being the hitman has somehow got caught up in and is now trying to escape from.

 The idea of the sequence was aimed to create a feeling of an unknown underworld being the hitman and the boss like character or client of the hitman. This view of crime going on through teenagers is similar in a way to Brick (2005).

 Furthermore the ideology behind the opening was based around classic noirs where the central character makes a mistake and the past catching up with him which was the hitman not being able to leave his past behind him and instead being set-up for a killing. The message therefore is that life will eventually catch up with you and you can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Additionally this is shown with the hitman hearing the siren with blood on his hands.

 If we were looking to distribute our film opening as an entire film or short film to the general public and more mass market finding a distributor which is likely to support a film of this kind would be important. Therefore I think that distributors such as Vertigo films and BBC films maybe the kind if companies that could help as primary resources.

 Vertigo films were involved in distributing Outlaw which was a successful film in terms of the UK market and is based around crime just as my groups’ film opening, also the director of “The Football Factory” Nick Love was part of the creation of the company, and the Vertigo has gone on since its creation in 2002 to now produce low budget films.

 BBC films are responsible for being the film making part of the BBC and targets bringing the best of British talent to the public. They have worked in films such as Fish Tank and StreetDance UK the former being based around teenage life and crime similarly to our production. Fish Tank was funded by both BBC films and the UK film council which develops and promotes the UK film industry from financial sources which includes the national lottery.

 So if possible to entice companies such as the two I mentioned although their work with previous films is on a larger scale it would be a way into the more mass market for UK films. Also as with Fish Tank using two sources of funding to create the film could be helpful.

 On the topic of distribution considering types of cinemas/festivals which are likely to promote the movie and/or show it to the public and more importantly where the target audience can be best reached is also crucial. For such a low budget film to get anywhere in the UK market targeting the correct of way of the film getting viewed is important this is because the film is not going to be able to get into major cinemas or necessary to a mass audience straight away so thinking about how to access to market will be something to consider.

 As with low budget British films such as Colin (2008) which was made for just £45 but went on to be shown at cinemas following success at film festivals which lead to it being shown at the famous Cannes film festival in France similarly with our low budget film festivals would be the likely first choice of distribution. In terms of reaching the target audience using the national film week as with Fish Tank could prove helpful, if the film could get shown where teenagers are likely to be such as part of the film week this would allow teenagers to view it and hopefully obtain feedback also, however screenings at festivals would be the most likeliest resort for success for the film.

 So therefore looking at using local festivals or even festivals from further afield would be the objective. Making use of the internet would help to locate these festivals and creating a website about the film or putting on a website could prove effective. Using similar to YouTube to stream the media may attract the audience although it would be difficult with the competition and if the intention was profit YouTube would not to the best option.

 As for TV as an alternative source of distribution for the film, it would again be essential to think about what kinds of channels are likely to show the film, and indeed if these channels are likely to be view by the target audience of the film. Channels like E4 and BBC3 would therefore be the best choice as these channels have a mass teenage audience but it would though have to be considered what time the film could be shown. Although the violence is not mass in the opening and would not be particularly high in the rest of the film, it would still have to be thought that a film of this nature being a crime thriller is going to be shown at later in the day or night time, this may constraint the teenage crowd slightly but would reach the majority I feel. Dead Set was a spinoff series from Big Brother showed on E4 in 2008 and later channel 4 which was at night and although being about zombies it did appeal to youths particularly because of the violence showed. I think therefore if our film was to be shown on either BBC3 or E4 there is an audience for it and also it would differ from other shows as there is few if any examples of crime thriller with an entire teenage cast on TV.

 Additionally analysing the target audience for the film was necessary in defining what sort out people would be most interested in watching the film and which it would appeal to the most. As the actors all are teenagers in the film we felt that teenagers as I mentioned previously should be the target audience.

 Demographics and with marketing anything needed to thought about. So age would be teenagers likely to be around 15-20 as the high action, locations used such as the park as well as the hitman would hopefully find it interesting. Gender had to be considered also although as teenagers in general was the prime target market this was not so important however that said male may be the more likely as the crime side may appeal more to them but I do not think there would be a huge difference in the amount of male viewers compared the female as teenagers are the most common visitors to cinemas anyway and viewers of channels like BBC3 and E4 that I mentioned. Income would not be such a major issue unless the film made it to a cinema where prices can sometimes be high but teenagers generally go to but festivals would to low cost if any and most people have access to BBC3 and E4 on TV. Social class would be likely middle class but there is no particular target in this area. Lifestyles would be maybe teenagers to go to cinema are a responsibly regular basis or just have an interest in this type of film.

 Socioeconomic status for the film would be again likely middle though it may appeal to lower and high class also. The majority of teenagers would probably fall under middle class as this class is perhaps the class reflected with the characters and surroundings in the film.

 Another thing to consider in targeting the audience for the film is VALS (values attitudes and lifestyles). This can be broken down into different types of consumers under different categories. For this film as a teenage audience is the target I think firstly thinkers would be interested in the film, this is because there are many enigmas and twists to the narrative and the opening, so people you like to think about situations may enjoy this film. Strivers are a further section of audience who may favour a film of this nature, the story behind the hitman as with many other noirs is centred very much around money and wanting to escape a dangerous crime world, therefore people who strive for monetary success could be drawn to watch the film and plus youth such as teenagers will likely aim to be rich when they’re older. Believers may well also want to watch a film like this as the film is based on the beliefs of the hitman in thinking that he can escape the crime world he finds himself in with one last job, only to find that it is not that easy, so the messages in the film may speak to believers who may think crime does pay.

 Further to this when targeting possible audiences of a film the type of viewer in terms of passive or active thinking must be considered. An active thinker will try to understand the narrative, messages and values which are in a film while a passive thinker will just watch the film and the action and may not think to greatly about what messages the film brings. With a film of this nature though I feel that an active audience who get more out of the film although that being said a passive viewer may enjoy some of the action as well as it is a thriller. However as thinkers may well enjoy this type of film due to the hidden readings in the narrative; it is likely there that an active audience would be more inclined to enjoy the film.

 It is important to note that any film which is created and designed for viewing for the general public in cinemas must be reviewed first by the BBFC. They will examine the film and its contents and determine which rating is suitable for a film of its nature. For our film I think that a 15 rating would be the likely outcome of a review by the BBFC the violence in the film is not major but there are elements coupled with being a hitman in the film which may be seen as suggestive for an audience younger than 15. It would however be crucial if the film was released to ensure that the film meets 15 if not a younger age in order to be able to be viewed by as many teenagers as is possible which could mean that changes would have to be made to achieve this rating after an initial review by the BBFC.

 Following a screening of our film opening to the rest of the media class we able to gather feedback on elements of the film which went well and which could still do with some improvement. This was helpful as our media class is of the age of the target audience of the film.

 For editing the group liked the jump cuts are the hitman and unknown separately approaching the bench as they felt this broke up what could have been long drawn out footage. As for cinematography the shot zooming out on the female femme fatale character’s face worked well according to the group along with the establishing shot of the bench working to set the scene effectively. Mise-en-scene feedback was that the femme fatale’s fur coat was effective in creating the desired opinion of the character although with the fact that she was red headed worked in challenging noir classic, lighting works in noir style when the hitman finds the femme fatale and also there was good feedback on the lighting when the hitman puts the photo back in his jacket, the unknown character being ethnic the group thought was interesting casting and worked in creating a realistic storyline by this. However the group did report that the weapon the hitman is holding when entering the room where the femme fatale is not very visible and most of the group said they did not see the weapon on first viewing of the opening. In terms of sound the group said that they thought the music work well in the establishing shot of the bench and added feeling to the shot.

 After assessing the ECMS of the opening the group went on to look at the production values or the professional look of the footage. They thought that that opening had generally good production and said the bench shot worked sound with the hitman approaching and unknown in the corner of the shot with the bench establishing shot looking professional also. Though they did point out there were some rather amateurish elements to the opening which could have been cleared up in production. One occurring when the shadow is seen in the corner of the seen as unknown approaches the bench and another being the jumpy shot as the hitman enters the building. These were spotted on editing by our group but we did the shadow was to important and the entering seen was only shot once and not realised until the editing was virtually finished though on reflection these were major errors by our group which should have been amended.

 The group gave a satisfactory review of the narrative saying it was clear although character development of the hitman for instance getting into character for the hit on the femme fatale may have helped the narrative but otherwise they thought it was good.

 Characters and representation revealed that not seeing much of the femme fatale character and particularly not seeing her face until the end worked well creating a mystery or enigma. The unknown character was said to be effective in his role in the opening also.

 Genre feedback said that the “going too far” voiceover at the very end of the opening was effective. The lighting was said to help to sequence feel like a noir and cinematography in parts such as the scene with the hitman and femme fatale also helped to do this.

 Then the group was asked to vote on what audience they thought the opening was aimed at and 15-25 was the result of voting. So this is pleasing that the group thought not only teenagers would be interested in watching the production but also 20+ people which would broaden the films potential markets.

 For feedback the last section reviewed by the group on our noir was whether it worked as a film noir opening. This revealed that it was pretty successful as a noir opening. So the readings by classmates were generally in sync with what as a group we had hoped for.

 Attracting the audience to the opening is vital so therefore there needs to be elements to the film which will achieve this. The narrative in the film involved thriller like action from the start which is aimed at addressing the needs of the target audience with teenagers being young a not necessarily wanting to watch of long drawn out opening to a film. Despite this action throughout the opening feedback still revealed that the narrative was easy to follow.  Moreover the characters in the sequence relate to the audience further and although constraint on the casting with just four members of our group I think the characters portrayed teenage stereotype characters.

 The themes, messages and ideology within the film very much worked alongside convectional noirs to address a younger audience such as teenager by the way it is represented. The essential idea behind the film is one wrong decision and showing what can happen in a life of crime this could relate to some teenagers in a similar situation therefore there even could be an educational reading of the film.

 Additionally ECMS was used to attract and address the audience. Editing involved a lot of continuity editing and the generally quick pace editing to in keep with the thriller theme of the film. Jump cuts were used in the bench scene which feedback revealed worked well. The titles are interesting and put over the action mostly to avoid long drawn out footage in the sequence. Cinematography was effective throughout the style of the film was matched well by the shots and visual representation particularly in the bench scene and room scene with the hitman and the femme fatale was a scene which I shot in which we focused very much on representation. Mise-en-scene entailed focusing on costume which feedback showed was in fitting with the theme of the opening, each character was presented to meet the characteristics of them, and this worked successfully to address the audience in showing the personality of each character. On the subject of sound the most notable uses of it in the opening were the voiceovers and music which were both praised in the feedback. They made the sequence more interesting than just action and ensured the crowd were kept interested in particularly the voiceover so they did not lose interest.

 In order to attract the audience and create audience pleasures set up the story of the film in the opening was crucial. To achieve this using enigma throughout the opening proved helpful, using shots such as in the opening the first shot of the female and the phone call shots, these both set up the story and tell the story through shots rather than dialogue.

Technologies used in constructing opening on Prezi

  When looking back to the first task of the year which was the preliminary task I feel I gained vast knowledge and understanding when comparing it to the work completed on the film opening. The most notable error which was made on the preliminary task was not shooting enough shots which resulted for not planning thoroughly enough before the task and thinking about what shots were needed. A further errors made in the preliminary was poor sound quality, visual representation and not taking enough care on the setting on the task. These errors in the next task the exchange were generally eradicated although errors picked up in this task were namely poor choice of music and not clearing enough narrative.

 Moving onwards towards the film opening I made sure that adequate planning was carried out on this task in order to avoid making mistakes similar to those in previous tasks. So for the opening planning was made more in depth about what shots we wanted on the day of the shoot although we did go onto shoot further shot to add to the sequence at a later date. When shooting the shots shot length and quality needed to be considered in order to create a greater visual representation and make the sequence look like a noir which I think we were able to do. The setting of the opening was also carefully considered and making sure the set for each shot looked realistic and achieved what was desired for example when I shot the scene in the dark room I made sure the subjects was the most notable features to the scene and the setting was set up satisfactory.

 As for sound in the opening I think the music we picked worked well and the research me and another in my group carried out to find the music was in the end worth the time invested. The voiceover which I had chosen for the opening ended up clear and worked well in sync with the action taking place in the opening. Although as feedback showed and similarly to the exchange task there was an error made by the group in the narrative, the wire held by the hitman was not visible to most viewers first time, which was similar to the mistake in the exchange where what was exchanged was not noticed. So I think planning about what weapon the hitman should use the sequence more carefully may well have paid off in ensuring more clarity to the sequence.

  The planning which was carried in the task included writing a storyboard and script which I mentioned I completed as well as thinking of setting and whether it is accessible of the shoot day although with safety also, costume and other mise-en-scene elements such as lighting. These tasks were important to ensure that on the day of the shoot we as a group were prepared and this in turn helped to make the shoot day more organised, as we knew each task that needed to be carried out which helped with time management as well, so we did not run overtime.

 As in the previous group tasks each member of my group had a specific job within the group which each required different roles. My job in the group was that of director which meant I was responsible for tasks such as the script in pre-production and writing the director’s part of the treatment. Perhaps through my most integral role was that of cameraman for much of the shots on the shoot day. As director I had to think more in depth when planning the scenes in the opening and how to structure in the script. I found on of the more difficult part to writing the script was deciding where to put the voiceover in the script, and it was important the script was accurate as that would be what we would use as a group as a guide to the action although with the storyboard which helped to create it, the script was though amended following editing to cater for the extra shots and changes in idea we had on the sequence. My director’s part of the treatment was also crucial as it told of the cinematography to be used in the opening and how the intended visual representation of a thriller would be achieved through the shots used amongst other things. As director I shot the beginning of the sequence as cameraman, however although I did shoot some of the flashbacks scenes such as the phone call I was also acting so I had to make sure the others in the group carried out the script and storyboard accurately when filming, meeting the mood of a noir of the day by using the shots we had planned was an important. Additionally I did pick with another the music to be used in the opening and edit some of the start part of the sequence.

 The skills have I learnt during the production include how to write scripts by using the program Celtx. This proved helpful for my group and it was also the first time in which a script had been used in a task. In the production itself I furthered my camera skills shots some shots I had not before such as the close-ups at the start. Developing my skills with the camera I thought was the area where there was the most improvement also as director I was responsible to shoot a lot of the shots although everyone in the group shot parts of the sequence as they were required to in the task criteria. Using the lights to add effect and mood to shots as in classic noirs where lighting was a prominent feature to the productions was also a new skills I picked up during the task. I had not used the lights before in any of the previous tasks so using spot lights in this task was a new experience and I think the lighting which was an area praised in feedback worked very well in the opening. Lastly I picked up some more editing skills in editing part of the beginning of the sequence such as using the cut tool to split clips when editing on the timeline.

 From the preliminary task at the starts of the year I feel that my understanding and use of EMCS and forms and conventions has developed greatly. It was vital to focus of the representation of the opening was required to be of the noir nature. So doing my research tasks on my blog following the preliminary task I feel helped massively in forming a greater understanding of what a noir style film is like and how contemporary examples have challenged previous examples. Looking back to the preliminary tasks areas such as mise-en-scene and sound were not focused on greatly but were vitally crucial in making the opening look and feel like a noir. In order to achieve this costume, props and setting were all important as well as lighting as I stated. Sound for the production required music to match the action and make in feel like a neo noir of sorts and voiceover to tell the story of the protagonist from his point of view. So when thinking of the voiceovers which me along with another did and I had to integrate in the script as dialogue it was important that the story, messages and values were all thought all also.

 The academic and analytical which have learnt throughout the year and from the preliminary task include thinking in depth about what is intended by a piece of media and the readings behind it. Also understanding how different shots can be used instead of dialogue in order to address the audience of a media product. I have learnt as well how mood can be added to pieces of media through cleverly using ECMS such as lighting and mise-en-scene being combined together to add mood. When it come the film opening task thinking about how the messages and values could be instituted in the sequence was important and the task contrasted greatly from the basic first task of the preliminary. Using past classic and contemporary noirs as precedent for the production proved helpful in devising exactly how to go about approaching the opening.

 The RAILING concepts were also something I thought about when planning the opening. The representation and institutions needed to resemble a thriller and look authentic. Audience were a key thing to think about also and there were presented by using the characters in the sequence. Language needed to be thought about and I think the voiceover used in the production were clever in that they contrasted to the type of voiceover that were heard in classic noirs and yet still reflected them such as “the worst thing about going too far is not knowing you already have” this is a contrast in that the characters often knew what they were doing was wrong in classic noirs. Ideology I think came across well and it was much clearer what had gone on in the opening compared to the preliminary task which was more of a quick random meeting in comparison. Narrative was clear enough I feel in the production and my understanding of it has I think greatly increased, which was shown in having the opening told in non-linear narrative as I had planned in my own film idea, a term I had not heard of at the beginning of the year. Finally genre I think was clear to see a crime thriller with a noir like twist to it which I think worked well, using knowledge from the reach tasks helped to achieve this feel, whilst adding the scenes similar to my idea with the body of the floor I think tells the viewer that the film is a the crime type.

Storyboard for film noir opening

The Exchange Evaluation

My responsibilities in the group assignment ‘The Exchange’ were firstly writing a storyboard as the rest of my group had to do as well, pre-production work such as the call sheet, then as an actor in the shoot, filming some of the and part editing the final sequence.

 So firstly each person in the groups of four were assigned a storyboard and then all the storyboard would be put together and the best parts of each one would be used for the storyboard of the sequence. The storyboard was important in many ways to the sequence, it helped everyone to think about a setting for the shoot, it helped to established what type of shots were to be used in the shot, described each shoot and what was happening in it. For the task groups were required to have around twelve shots in their sequence and the storyboard should reflect each shot used. My storyboard after being feed back to the group helped to establish the setting for the shoot which was within the college groups on steps and down an alleyway. Some of my shots from the storyboard were used in the exchange shoot also such as a few of the close-ups and shots of the character which was me as the actor walking down the alleyway. So therefore I think my input to the group in terms of the storyboard was quite effective.

 Also I filled in the call sheet and location sheet which were along with the storyboard part of the pre-production work for the exchange shoot. The call sheet set out the roles within the group for each person and contact number and the location sheet said where the location is as well as general information surrounding the location.

 So as well as being an actor in the exchange I shot one of the shots in the sequence, this shot was where the character was standing on the steps waiting for the exchange, this shot I feel went well and I feel the introductory task using the camera which we done before helped when shooting this footage.

 Lastly in the group it was important to share around the responsibilities when we editing together the footage from to shoot to create our final sequence. So my roles in editing the exchange footage were to capture some of the shots as well as to edit part of the final footage after rendering the shots. I edited the opening few shots when the character in standing on the steps which moves into a close-up of the character. I think the edit when generally well, the experience of using the software on the Macs of Final Cut Pro in the preliminary task definitely helped me when editing in this project, and therefore I feel that my skills have improved over the two tasks, I found it easier to capture the shots and easier to use the timelines when editing this time around when compared to the first time using the programme. However despite there being improvement in my use of the software I feel that further enhancement to my skills can still be made in using different tools on the editing programme for example using the tools to make the length of clips slightly more accurate may save time when editing in the final task of the year for the film opening.

 Additionally I think my performance and contribution within my group of four was good, I felt hast I got my point and opinions across when discussing the possible options the shoot within the group, however there are still I feel areas where I think I could improve greatly upon such as a filming different shots and expanding my editing skills. So I think that next time within my group I would think to have more responsibility in these particular areas of the next task.

 I feel that I have learnt many new skills from this projects when compared to both the start of the course and from the first group task we were set. Firstly I think I have been more productive as I mentioned before within my group[ however as I also suggested there is still room for improvement but it is important to note any problems at this stage before starting work on the final project. So the new skills that I have learnt are framing in particular in terms of filming shots and this was helped by not only the previous project which was the first time I had used a video camera to shoot anything before but also from better understanding of camera placement for shots so it is evident to the audience what the important part of shots are and so there is a better finish to shots when shown in the final sequence. Also as I mentioned in terms of editing I think that better understanding of capturing and rendering clips as well as using the timeline was gained through this project along as I also suggested there is still plenty of room for improvement from me when it comes to editing.

 The technical quality of the video was largely satisfactory we used a number of different shots and I think the end edit sequence was good. Also I felt the framing and camera placement in general was good. Although was a minor error which I will go onto explain there were no major obvious errors were made for example breaking the 180 line rule or anything in the sequence so this was good. There were an area which when editing we thought as a group we could have dealt with better in being showing what exactly was exchanged more clearly so viewers could make out what was exchanged between the two characters. This was perhaps the most clearest error in judgement but when compared to our previous project, where nothing in particular was focused upon expect the facial recognition on camera of the character when exchanging dialogue, the lack of experience in realising how to focus more on the shot was why failed to realise the unclearness of the shot to the audience when watching when we shot it.

 Editing throughout the exchange was good there were a lot of sharp cut from character to character involving the three actors involved which we decided to use a we thought this added tension and made the scene more dramatic as film noirs themselves are typical examples of doing this as well as also using a fade out edit to end. The continuity was decent throughout along it may be said that some of these rapid cuts we which were created when edited could have been slightly slower so the audience were perhaps more surprised but nevertheless as I said this can work either way in making it fit the style of a thriller or not a being too quick. However generally otherwise the editing was good and as a group we were pleased with the final production in terms of this particular area. The titles were shown at the beginning and end which fitted quite well using just white text on a black background which was formal and I feel was both simple and effective for the task.

 With the cinematography of the sequence we used a range of different shots to add the mood of it such as close-ups to show the emotion of the character and mid shots and long shots to establish characters as well as set the scene also. The use of a number of different shots not only added to the tension but avoided there being the same shot used over and over again throughout the sequence.

 Mise-en-scene in the exchange was aimed to be in fitting with typical noir scenes where there is a sense of mystery and some wrongdoing occurring imminently. There are two characters wearing dark coats which is in fitting with the classic noirs and the other characters shown wearing more casual clothing which we chose to do so it looked as if he was hired by someone to deliver item to the shady character in black. This also worked well in perhaps creating a conflict between a more classic style noir character and maybe a more contemporary noir character. This we thought was a good mix, the character waiting for the exchange on the steps has jeans on as well which further helps to make this more of a contemporary scene, with both noirs era styles mixed in and freshening the style up as well.

 The sound used for the sequence was gentle slow starting music which built well to the action taking place in the shot throughout the scene for example when the character approaches down the alley as he is first seen entering into the shot the music picks up and gets more dramatic which we thought worked well. So I think the sound worked very well to the action it started of slowly then picked up at a significant time then died away again at the end.

 Narrative in the exchange I think was clear for viewers to understand and accurate in terms of meeting the criteria for the task.

 The genre was also I feel easy to see from watching the sequence. The thriller type mood was met well by both the action and the sound throughout.

 Representation on our production as the setting worked well I feel and gave us freedom to shot some great long shots for instance with the character holding the phone at the end the location allowed us to be able to frame this shot well and give the perspective view of the character also. We were able get some brilliant shots of the character approaching the one on the steps as well which we were pleased with. So the overall representation I think was satisfactory as we were able to get some great shots and scenes which presented the narrative of the sequence to the audience well.

 In the final production of the exchange I think our ideas came across well that we had from planning and the setting helped us to produce great shots. From what we had planned we were able to get on with the shooting quickly and still be accurate with the shots and get across the narrative well so it was important that our plans before were able to help us to do this. Next time we could improve upon maybe planning more similar shots of which we could pick the best ones out of to give us more choice when editing as we did encounter a few minor problems as I mentioned when editing this task.

 Before shooting the piece we decided the target audience for the sequence would be teenagers upon finishing the project each groups’ tasks was screened to the rest of the class. Our feedback pointed out both good and bad things about the production which is helpful going forward for the final film opening task of the year. The class suggested that the framing and camera placement was good in the production but did say that as we found upon editing that it was unclear what was exchanged. However this does work in two ways as we were only shooting an exchange scene so if it were a full film you would likely know later on in the film what was exchanged so again mystery was added by not showing exactly what was exchanged. Feedback revealed also that the music may be slightly too dramatic in general but particularly on the entrance which was both interesting to learn and helpful as well because as a group we felt it matched the mood but feedback revealed that this may not be the case in actual fact. So I think from this we discovered that more research may be needed for music in the next task, it was a last minute choice of music though although we thought it worked, in the next task we need to budget more time for finding music and maybe split up when editing to do this or find it out of class.

The editing and titles were said to be solid upon feedback however which was pleasing to learn along with the class ageing that the narrative was good. In other areas the class said it kind of felt like a film noir/thriller type sequence so perhaps more focus on noir traits is needed in the next task. The class did agree there were good technical production values and storyline shown though which again was good. Therefore the feedback I felt was important for us as a group to receive as it helped us to understand exactly where we went right and wrong and mistakes that we may have missed when filming and editing.

 In terms of our noir comparing to examples of noirs and thrillers I think we did largely manage to make our sequence fit this mood but as feedback revealed there is still room for improvement. A possible thing which could be done in the next task which another group doing this task done was put some of the sequence in black and white in order to enhance the feel of a film noir and make the visual representation more interesting for viewers.

 In conclusion I feel the production of the exchange did go well and there has been definite and evident progress made when comparing the two projects. I feel the planning needed to be and was more in depth for this project as the shoot was longer so required more thought. There were a few mistakes again in this project as with the preliminary task but this is perhaps to be expected when you consider this was only the second group project. Making mistakes at this stage means you can learn from them ready for the final project which I feel more confident about going into it as the next project now also. So much has been learnt in this project as along being largely satisfactory at times it has been troublesome also as I mentioned with editing etc. but the mistakes made and feedback received from the class on the task should definitely help in the final project.

The Exchange brief

 For the task The Exchange students were required to work in groups of 3-4 to shoot the exchange of something between two characters. There was a maximum limit of 12 shots for the sequence which was required to be no more than two minutes long. The item could be anything such as an envelope or package etc. The sequence is to then be shot and edited to add music and titles to fit the style of a thriller. Additionally the exchange setting was required to be around the proximity of the college campus. In addition the equipment required was a camera and tripod. The microphone on the camera was to be used to record sound but the shot required there to be no dialogue from the characters involved.

Evaluation of Preliminary task

 In order to effectively carry out the task it was important to make a sufficient storyboard and plan the shots well as there was a maximum of eight shots for the sequence. As a group we decided to use some close-up shots along with more obvious shots for the scene such as the over the shoulder shot during the exchange in dialogue. The close-ups were used to show a hand of one character opening the door as well as to focus on the legs of the character walking which also used a panning from right to left. Another panning shot was the character walking down the corridor this was shot using another right to left pan.

 Throughout the project it was important to improve efficiency and to make sure everyone knew how to carry out the tasks required for as a group to balance out the workload. So to do this we shared out the shooting the six shots for the task with each person in the group shooting their two one after the other. Also each person would hold the microphone which was recording the required sound while one of the other two were shooting we rotated this task also. It was important to share the workload during editing so we could get used to using the editing software. So we took turns extracting the shots from the camera and editing precisely what we needed for the final sequence.

 For the sequence I shot the part of the sequence were one character walks into the room to meet the other and sits down at the desk. Also my second shot was the dialogue exchange which was edited to be shown at the required parts of the sequence to ensure fluency. Further to this I edited the opening three shots where the character walks down the corridor, a close-up of the legs walking and the hand opening the door. I extracted the clips before editing the opening part of the interview also.

 Moreover I think that I made a satisfactory contribution to my group and the task in general. As much of the tasks we completed shared the responsibility I feel I contributed equally to the final end production of the sequence.

 I think my standard of the tasks I completed and the shots I shot for the sequence were to a decent standard. However as it was only the second time I had shot during the course there is still room for improvement I feel to my work. For example when shooting the character entering the room and sitting down, it took me three takes to get the shot correct, though I had not shot a similar tracking shot previous to the one for the sequence. Despite this I was relatively pleased with the shots I took for the sequence and shooting new shots is a helpful experience for working towards the next and eventually final tasks. An area I feel I could improve on in terms of taking shots is panning the camera to take shots, as this was the reason it took three take to get the sufficient take however I feel it was a decent result in the end, next time when shooting this kind of shot to help myself I will probably focus more I my framing to make sure I accurately capture what I am aiming to in the shot.

 In terms of editing it was the first time that I had used the Mac software so therefore it took me a while to get used to it. I still feel as though I need more practice on editing however since I had not previously edited before this is understandable for this to be the case. The edit of the shots which I carried out were completed to a satisfactory standard I feel although I feel the area which caused the most problems was the capturing and rendering of the shots. This is an area which I feel as a result I can improve on and will be important for me to gain adequate knowledge of it by the time it is needed for the final filming task of the year. I think that the task I have before the final one will provide me with the opportunity to practice upon my editing helpful and will be helpful for me.

 In addition from the preliminary task and the tasks which had be completed I think that many of my skills which are linked to filming improved. One example of where this applies is in completing the storyboard for the task. It was crucial as this was the first task I had completed which required a storyboard to make an accurate one which will be satisfactory for the shooting of the task. So therefore it was important that the storyboard for the task included what shots were to be used and in what order.

 Further skills which were enhanced through the task were camera skills, shooting a panning shot which I had only briefly practiced previous to the task, as well as shooting the meeting between the two characters which was easier. I think the camera skills which I obtained through the task will help for the next project and the final project.

 As I mentioned previously it was the first editing on the course for me in the preliminary task. So the skills I gained such as learning how to extract clips, render clips, edit scenes fluently and add effects to sequences will be crucial to the tasks I partake in the future.

 The technical quality of the video was generally well presented the sound throughout was good in set a realistic mood for the meeting. However there were some problems encountered when editing the sequence as we did not film enough shoots so that both people in the exchange were seen saying there lines on camera. As a result of this happening one of the lines of dialogue in the final footage is behind the back one of the actors. This presentation of the sequence would have looked better if we were able to have the face shot of the dialogue however I feel that otherwise the editing went well. For improvement when shooting my next task I think focusing on satisfactory framing of shots and leaving handles for editing before and after each shot would improve the technical quality of the next sequence for this one.

 I felt that the editing of the sequence was satisfactory and the final piece was to a good standard. The cinematography was also good I thought as there was a range of shots used although the sequence is only 0.26 seconds long. Also the mise-en-scene we decent but in order to achieve a greater representation for the audience the costumes and setting could have been worked on more and this obviously is more important for the later filming projects not so much for this one as it was more about getting used to using the camera equipment. The sound was recorded using a microphone and I think captured the mood of the sequence well although when editing next time I think the sound can be adjusted more so that it focused more on the important sounds. For example in the sequence when the actor is walking down the corridor instead of hearing the noise from his jacket maybe focusing more on the footsteps as he moves towards the door.

 I think that the sequence although has areas for improvement was a decent first attempt for a filming. In future shoots it will be important to focus on making sure the more aspects are thought carefully about when editing and filming such as sound and shooting enough shots. However as this was essentially an introduction task there was always likely to be areas where improvement could be made, so therefore I think generally the project went well, and with greater planning in costumes and setting etc. and more thought on the final piece the piece project should improve greatly when compared to this one.

 The project when finished I think did reflect the planning and research completed previously for the project. We were able to get a good amount of shot in an only a short sequence although we missed an important. As a result I think that editing went about as well as could have been expected.

 The target audience which were teenagers responded largely well to the sequence. Although they did point out that the face dialogue shot was missing but the general feedback was good for the sequence.

 As I mentioned before I think the sequence we shot in the group did look well quite well presented and reflected a realistic visual representation. This compared to other film and video of the kind where you see a meeting between to people was not too bad considering it the first attempt at shooting so therefore I was satisfied with the end result of the project.

 In conclusion I feel the overall the project went well and there have been many things which I have learnt from the shooting of this preliminary task. Even from such a small sequence as this there were evident areas where I feel improvement can be made so it is important to realise these areas before completing the next and then final projects which remain. The project was a good learning process for me and I feel that the lessons learnt should help me in the future to avoid making similar mistakes and realise how the visual you see when shooting the footage for a sequence can at times differ from the end outcome after editing, as with the dialogue mistake which was made by my group in this project, which was the fundamental mistake and most notable out of the mistakes which were made.

Perliminary task brief

For my preliminary task we were required to work in groups of three to produce a short sequence in which two characters exchange two lines of dialogue each to another. The characters in the scene also were to be shown coming into the room and sitting down as well as one of them walking along the corridor.

Own Idea of Film Noir Opening

 Before working in a group to come up with a group idea for a film opening to a film noir, individually each person in the group first had to create their own idea for a noir opening, which would then be presented to the rest of the group and parts out of each individuals’ idea would be used to create the final finished group idea for the film opening.

 So for my idea of a film noir opening I focused on trying to base it around the theme of film noir crime thriller and made it a flashback which would show the end of the film at the start similar to Double Indemnity which also used a non-linear narrative.

 My film opening idea starts with a female body lying on the floor presumed dead which is to immediately set an enigma just as classic noirs aimed to. There would then be a cut to a male character wearing all black leaving the scene of the crime in a hurry. He would then be shown throwing a weapon away which is presumed to be what was used on the female. The male then is shown meeting another man and receiving a package from the man. This male who gave the package the presumed hitman would in the next seen be shown going to the seen scene of the crime and finding the body which is followed by a dissolve flashback. In this flashback the hitman receives an email which shows a picture of the victim shown previously (female body on floor).

 Moreover for my idea for the noir opening I intended to interpret some stylistics from classic noirs so that there was a certain mood and feel to the opening based largely around mischief and wrong doings so the noir crime thriller edge is portrayed. To achieve I included typical noir scenes and characters in my opening. The female body lying on the floor at the start is the femme fatale and the hitman is the typical male character making a wrong decision and going too far. The scene where the hitman leaves the crime is typical in noirs the feel of tension as he hurries away is similar to that of Neff in Double Indemnity as in the opening he struggles to his office following killing the femme fatale Phyllis. So I think this idea would make and can be improved with the input of the rest of my group’s ideas as well.

 For the editing in order to attract viewers when watching the opening I planned to have high action quick cuts between shots. To do this using cuts between close-ups and mid-shots would be important and cutting between characters. A further editing technique which I mentioned before is to use flashbacks in the opening to show how the hitman came to be involved with the hit and at the same time make use of a classic noir feature in the flashback.

 Cinematography in the opening I planned to involve using close-ups and mid-shots. The close-ups would be to display character emotion and detail to the audience while mid-shots would be used especially in shots involving the hitman making his way to the hit. Also I had planned to use an establishing shot at some point to set the scene at this is often a helpful shot as a tool for film openings. So using the tripod and maybe free hand to film some shots such as close-ups with the camera in the opening is my intention. In addition shot sizing, framing and shot length would also be elements to think about when shooting. It is important to frame shots so that the subject is well positioned to give the audience a greater visual representation so using the rule of thirds and 180 degree line rule for footage will to achieve this. The shot size to be adequate also to add to the overall look of the footage. Importantly as well shot length is a crucial element to making sure that the footage does not run over the three minute maximum length of the opening. Therefore not having needless shots and making sure that everything shown to viewers is relevant will be something to think about as in such as short sequence and especially an opening engaging the audiences’ attention will be imperative.

 In terms of mise-en-scene the clothing of the characters needs to reflect how the viewer is expected to see the character in most cases in film. So the hitman dress code I plan will be likely to be dark clothing maybe black and professional looking due to his line of work. Whereas the female as in many classic noir’s I plan to have a femme fatale look so being seen as the viewer as seductive and attractive. The set for the shoot will likely be on college premises so maybe the studio, park or nearby streets could be possible settings for the sequence. This will in turn achieve the intention of making the viewer realise the background of characters and hopefully relate to the target audience which is teenagers in being shot in more rural surroundings. Props will include the weapon the hitman uses, the package and the computer with the email. Actors casting will be restricted to the people in my group for the task and will all likely be teenage actors so finding the person who most matches the characters will be the method of selecting cast.

 Lastly for sound in the opening sequence I plan to have quite fast pace music playing throughout the opening building as it goes along. This will hopefully create tension and add to the action packed footage. Also voiceovers may be helpful in telling to story of characters, so perhaps the hitman telling his story or the femme fatale character telling hers, using two characters for the voiceover could work also as being voices in the hitman’s head or an argument in the voiceover between the characters. These ideas will be to think about when presenting my idea to the rest of my group. Voiceovers were also very common in classic noirs as well but using developing their usual concept or likewise challenging it could be interesting in creating to more contemporary representation of a noir.