evaluation question 7. Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression fro

At the beginning of the media studies year i was set the task to create a preliminary film for continuity and this storyline was to have a shot of someone opening a door and then jump cutting to them on the other side, then we had to use the 180 degree rule to have a conversation. When i created this video my continuity editing skills were not very good at all, this was because i started to use the software called iMovie and this was on the schools eMacs. This was the first time i had ever used a Mac operating system and it affected the way in which i edited as the layout of the desktop was different to windows and the software (iMovie) followed a similar layout to the desktop so it was confusing. Another factor that affected my editing was that there were only 5 Macs in the school so i had a limited time on them and this made me rush the editing process of the preliminary.

After experiencing editing on the Macs at school i decided to use some software of my own as this would enable me to edit when ever and where ever i wanted to and i would always be able to edit due to there not being anyone using my laptop. For the first draft i used all of the basic editing tools and kept it simple, this was because i used the draft to get used to some of the editing elements that are in SONY Vegas Pro, then i practiced in my own time some of the more complex editing such as transitions and effects to the sound and video.

I then started to edit my first draft to complete the final version of my film and in this section i used some of the transitions that were in Vegas Pro, the special effects, titles scrolling past the screen and i changed the volume output for all of the sounds e.g. the music and the footsteps running.

When i did the preliminary task there were lots of continuity errors, but in my final opening scene there are barely any continuity errors and this is because i have had lots more time to perfect the continuity and review the film to make sure that the continuity was good. In the filming of the final draft i made sure that none of my equipment was in the shot and that no one would get in the way of the shot, i did this by planning out what i would be doing and if any of my equipment got in the way i would simply move it, to make sure that no one walked into my shot i checked around the area for anyone walking and then waited for them to pass if people were walking by.

evaluation question 6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

evaluation question 5. How did you attract/address your audience?

I have tried to give the effect of a fast chase in my final version of Giesel. I did this by editing the music, the effects and the video clips. For the music that i have used in my film opening i have used a heavy beating tune for when the chasing begins and this is there to give the effect of a heartbeat as it increases the tension in the audience and it also makes the chasing seem to be faster and more energetic, at the end of the film clip when the police officer is getting strangled there a high pitch screeching sound and then there is a beat that is heavier than the actual chase and this is used to shock the audience and make them feel uncomfortable (i have used this sound because it is not a pleasant feel to be strangled so i have used the music to show how bad it is). The sound that i have used is to attract the audience as it increases the tension and makes them uncomfortable

I have edited the video clips so that they are a short as they can be, but without confusing the audience, on some of the video clips i have broken them up as they are too long to be kept as their original lengths. If they were kept as they were then the scene would not seem as fast as the camera angles will be at slow editing removing the pace of the chase and this would draw the audience away from the film as the atmosphere of a conventional chase will not be there.

The effects that i have used are only at the beginning and the end, this is to show the audience the messiness and rushing of the film clips.

evaluation question 4.Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience that I have aimed my film opening scene at are teenage boys at the age of around 14 –20. The possible taste of this target audience group would be the following:

Music genre: rock, rap, dance, punk, drum and bass, game, alternate, pop

Shops: games, clothes, gadgets, computers, fashion, sports, shoes, fast foods, scents (aftershave ect...)

Television programmes: soaps, comedy, drama, TV series e.g. top gear, sports

Leisure activities: socialising, internet surfing, gaming , TV, music, hobbies, sports, talking via internet e.g. MSN / Face Book

The target audience that I have chosen will watch my film because it is full of action and the plot of the story is of a typical thriller / action film as there is someone in distress and then someone rescues the person in distress, this is where the binary opposites come into play as there is a good guy, a bad guy, a quest, a reward, and a donor. The genre of film that i am creating is based around the age groups of teenage boys, this is because the storyline is full of excitement, adventure and action and the good characters in the plot will be role models to the young teenagers an example of this sort of role model would be James Bond or Rambo

evaluation question 3. What kind of media institutions might distribute your media products and why?

20^th century Fox, this is because they cover all genres of films such as action, comedy, animation, adventure and they are one of the most well known media producers and distributors that are on the market. This production company finds founding for the films that they are producing and this is used to help out the makers of the film. They then help out with all of the advertising and the distribution to the cinemas . 20^th century fox have franchised vast amounts of films till this date and they are still going with plans for more franchises in 2015, some examples of the films that they have franchised are: die hard, alien, speed, x-men and planet of the apes. This means that they will be one of the best distributors for my film as they have lost of experience in the thriller/ action genre of films.

The distributor 20^th century fox needs to be reliable as they will need to sell the film out to cinemas and advertise it to the public to maximise the profits made.

The money that will be used may come from the national lottery – uk film council, this is because they have supported films such as this is England, and this film is what has inspired me in some elements, such as the characters, this is because they look like what they are supposed to be e.g. Rhys looks like a robber in the film. The founding from the national lottery would be used to produce digital copies of the film and send them off to the cinemas as they are a fraction of the price of a 35mm print and this means that i can maximise the numbers of cinemas that screen my film.

evaluation question 2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

1. I have decided to choose Joe for the role of the kidnapper as he does not appear like the kidnapping type and this means that when his identity is revealed later on in the story it will shock the audience, this idea was inspired to me by reviewing the dark knight bank robbery scene and the audience find out which one of all the people wearing clown masks (working for the joker) is the actual joker, the mask that he wears hides his identity until he takes it off and this is where my inspiration for the hidden identity came from.

2. For the robber i have decided to dress him up in a coat with lots of pockets and he is wearing dark clothing, i had this idea from when i was researching into chase scenes and the hot fuzz robbery scene gave me inspiration for the robber having lots of pockets and a backpack, this was so that he could put all of the stolen possessions in his pockets and bag, so they were out of sight.

3. For the undercover police officer i have dressed him up in casual clothing so that he does not look like a police officer and this inspiration came from Beverly Hills Cop II as the police officer (played by Eddie Murphy) is undercover and he is dressed nothing like a police officer so the bad guys think that he is an innocent pedestrian. My inspiration for the undercover police officer came from Beverly Hills Cop II.

evaluation question 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

At the beginning of my project i was set the task to create a film opening that used the convention of the genre and the situation, to accomplish this task i have researched and used some of the conventions that were in the films i researched into and these conventions that i have found have shaped my final film video.

1. Introduction to the title of the film

In the first frame of my film opening there was a clip of the title of the film. The title is made in a hostage note fashion and this emphasises and follows the name of the film, which is Geisel (“hostage” in English), then the letters are swept away and it then fades into the beginning of the storyline, this is a convention of a thriller film as it shows the audience the present and then there is a change of scene to the past where it establishes the beginning of the film (the present) and then later on in the film there may be a scene where the shot at the beginning is played again like in American Beauty and then the story carries on from the point at the beginning of the film, this is one of the conventions that are in thriller / action films as it builds tension in the audience and makes them watch the rest of the story.

2. Setting and location

I have chosen the setting of a built up urban street because it gives the effect of a sub urban location. In the film there is not an establishing shot and this is because the area is built up and it shows the audience automatically that it is in an urban area as there are houses all around. This convention is mostly found in street chases or chases that are in built up area as there is no need to show the audience the location of the story, the only time where there is an establishing shot in an urban area is when the film is based in a capital city such as the league of extraordinary gentlemen where there is a shot of the Eiffel tower in the background.

3. Costumes and props

I have decided to follow the typical conventional costumes for the robber and the kidnapper, this is because this makes them stand out as the troublesome kind of person always making rash decisions.

For the kidnapper I have followed another convention and this is to keep their identity hidden for the time being as this can set up the story for a strange twisted ending or beginning this convention is mostly found in the thriller genre of films.

For the robber i have decided to go for the casual everyday look as this is what most robbers and criminals look like in real life and in most of the films, this means that the robbers costume fits in with the convention of the clothing for a robber.

For the police officer i wanted to give the look and impression that he is not really a police officer and this is breaking the typical convention for a police officer as they are in uniform and if they are not in uniform they have a bullet proof vest and radio’s, but i have given the police officer only casual street wear clothing and this is to confuse the audience as they will not know that he is a police officer and this is part of the surprise later on in the story.

4. Camera work and editing

For the camera work that is involved in my opening scene there is a lot of shots of the robber and the police officer running past the camera and this is to emphasise the action in the chase. I have used some panning shots in the film but mainly the shots are stills and they are close to the action, this increases the feel of the speed of the chase and this is a convention of a chase scene because it is enhancing the speed of the chase and making the audience sit on the edge of their seats.

For the editing that i have used in the film opening i have used mainly quick short and fast shots, which change with no effects, this is because it shows the recklessness of a chase and it also boosts the effect of the speed of the chase making it feel faster and this is another convention of a chase as the editing increases the speed of a chase with the fast paced editing cutting from clip to clip. At the end there is a cliff hanger for the audience making them want to watch on and this escalates into a flash back sequence which has the effect of flashing after every clip and it is in black and white to suggest a memory.

5. Genre and how the opening suggests it

For this frame i have selected the shoot out and this is most common in thriller / action films, this suggests that my film is of the action/ thriller genre as the chase turns into a shoot out and this fits into the convention of a typical action and thriller film as one of the main conventions in the genre of film is that there is a shootout in the story and some other elements of action (such as the chase), this means that my film is a cross between action and thriller.

6. Special FX

In this scene I have used FX and transitions to create a typical flashback sequence and to accomplish this perfect flashback sequence i have done a little research into how other flashbacks are used in other films and this can be seen on my blog and to improve the editing of the flashbacks i have researched into montage. For the flash back i have met the convention and that is to highlight all of the main events and to make it look like a flashback of the memory (not confusing the audience)

7. How the characters are introduced

This shows that all of the main characters are introduced by the previous character that has been introduced e.g. the robber in introduced by running, then the police officer is introduced by beginning the chase and then the kidnapper is introduced when the police officer is looking out for the robber with his gun drawn. This means that all of the characters are introduced in a sequence that is all down to the chase and this is most typical of a chase scene as there is always a introduction to the person running away and then the chaser is introduced moments after.

8. How does the music affect the video

The music that i have used in this clip is used to raise the beat of the chase and also make it seem faster, so i have opted for a heavy beat in the background music that is almost level to the sounds in the film (the running), this meets the convention for the music used as it raises the atmosphere within the audience and the beat of the music enhances the chase scene.

9. Title font and style

The title font and style that i have used in the introduction of all of the people’s names involved in this video is kept simple, this is to allow the audience to read the text fast and easily so they only then need to concentrate on the film that is being played and this is used in most action and thriller films such as Rambo, this is another convention of a action/thriller film.