Questionnaire results

These results were what inspired to further improve our product. We took on board every positive and negative and focused on enhancing the positives, whilst working on the negative aspects. The results were as followed:

Production Diary 2

The second detailed acccount of the work into the production of 'Broken Developments':

Shooting Schedule

7) Looking back at your prelim task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back on our Preliminary task, and other rough cut videos you can see clear progression from each video with variation shots more apparent, more advanced, effective effects, titles and also a better sequence of events.  All of these improvements have came from learning from the mistakes previously added in our preliminary task and rough cut videos.  

Screenshots of our prelim task

Firstly, I have learnt how my ideas for our product should be kept simple and not trying to do too much. Our preliminary task was a relatively simplistic idea, however the inexperience of our group and failure to make simple shots such as shot-reverse-shot very effective meant our preliminary task was in fact made quite complicated as the audience (classmates) were unable to identify what exactly was going on. We struggled with continuity in particular as simple shots, such as the shot-reverse-shot of me walking through the door, as I appeared more than three times in the film. Although when it came to making our first rough cut, we had mastered how to execute shot types well, yet I felt we got carried away by the chance of making a thriller film that we wanted to fit in as much footage as possible. Consequently, it was made into a very short story rather than an opening sequence which should give hints to what the film is about rather than telling the whole story. After analysing it as a group and then our target audience (classmates and other media students) they also felt that although our idea was good, we were trying to do far too much in 2 minutes and should try and keep it more simplistic. We also tried to add in more characters with Sarah and I having characters, however we felt although these characters could have a role in the latter of the film it didn’t fit the opening sequence as it came across far too confusing. This led to us as a group sitting down as a group and deciding what clips we liked, wanted to use and didn’t want need. This left us with clips of just Charlie (Antagonist) and Laura (Protagonist), reflecting what we set out to: create a conventional thriller opening sequence. I really liked the use of Charlie’s messed bedroom and the creepy stalking of Laura and wanted them to be used as our main clips.  The progression of our preliminary task to our product now to me is really highlighted in the fact that we have learnt how to make the product, by going back to basics and making the opening sequence simplistic, rather than trying to create a story which happened in previous rough cuts and the prelim task.

close-up of Charlie, still a key feature of our product

Secondly, the progression of our soundtrack using Soundtrack Pro has improved greatly since the prelim task and rough cut videos. In our Prelim task, we were not too strong on how to use Soundtrack pro which is evident in the product as the soundtrack is just one continuous drone, missing any non-diegetic effects to emphasise actions such as a punch, or a door shutting. Subsequently, there was no real extra effect or emphasis which would thrill the audience, which a soundtrack should do. We wanted our soundtrack to build tension and act as an enigma code, however our prelim task didn’t portray this at all. Nevertheless, as we become more confident with soundtrack pro we began to use a wider use of sounds using a ‘drone’ as our base track as it’s eerie noise created tension, and the idea that something was not right. This then evolved as the product evolved to the use of impact noises to show danger and pain, as well as spooky screams to possibly reflect Laura’s pain as she was murdered. I also began to experiment more with different samples by trying piano noises alongside futuristic noises, shortening and lengthening samples and changing the volume of certain tracks to emphasise certain moments in the film. I used the use of fade to great effect, as the quietening of noise implied something dangerous was about to happen, or a change of scene to suit the change in sound.  I also found more non-dietetic sounds that could be used such as a slash of sword noise to indicate danger as well as Charlie stabbing a needle into a voodoo doll, and the impact sounds made the audience react in shock to close-ups of Laura’s face.

Character from 'Ripper Street' 

Thirdly, the progression of our product has also been mirrored since getting to grips with Final Cut Pro. In our Preliminary task we were unaware of effects available, and unsure of how to add them in into appropriate places. However, since we began to familiarise ourselves and learn more and more about the software as well as what effects would give what, it was apparent that as a group we all had a good idea of effects and how they should be used. We were inspired by effects in ‘Ripper Street’, and ‘Se7en’, however after adding in similar effects we didn’t always feel they suited our product. Therefore we learnt what sort of effects we should stick to, thus improving our thriller piece. Our preliminary task included no effects at all, yet now effects play a vital role into the success of our product as they help to build tension, make the work seem more professional and create eerie suspense. In particular the use of colour correction which enhanced the colour red to imply danger, whilst the darkening of Laura’s face to a murky grey creates a very realistic of a dead, Protagonist. Furthermore, the gruesome wound on her neck was made more effective thus making the audience feel shocked by the fatal injury.

Overall, we have learnt greatly since the making of our very ordinary and unprofessional preliminary task which didn’t carry a soundtrack, any effects, or a real plot. However, as we gained more experience in production field, we really began to progress from a very basic prelim task to something far more effective with a specifically designed soundtrack, which had a variation of Argentinian pianos and painful screams. Whilst a list of effects, especially the use of colour correction which created a sinister image, as colours of negative connotations were highlighted to indicate the future. Subsequently, I believe this highlights what we have learnt a great deal of experience and technique in the progression from our prelim task to our full product.

6) What have you learnt about technologies in the process of constructing your film sequence?

Technology has been pivotal into the process of constructing our product, from filming to editing; the technology has been a key element of our film sequence. 

An example of the tripod we used - vital for tilt and especially pan used when filming the Antagonist's bedroom

Example of the HD HandyCam we used

Firstly, I have had to get to grips with the video camera which we have recorded all of our filming on across the duration of the filming process. Although the video camera is quite simple to use, I have had to familiarise myself with what button does what, for example the record button on the back of the camera, the replay button on the side of the camera to replay our footage, and using the touch screen to flick through previous footage deleting unnecessary footage or checking all footage we need is there on our checklist. Whilst filming, we did sometimes encounter problems with our Sony HD camera, yet there were often problems due to our inexperience with the video camera. However, as we continued to record more and more we began to become more confident and aware of what we had to do to create the best quality film. This meant practicing movements such as a ‘pan’, (without having to record), with a steady hand to ensure shots were only needed to be taken once. I had to get to grips with the tripod, using the level measure on the top to get the perfect angle to film with, as well as ensuring it’s stability whilst filming. I also had to enforce that the camera was tightly screwed onto the tripod so it remained on the tripod when panning/tilting, keeping the camera safe, as well as clean footage.

The second piece of technology we mainly used was Final Cut Pro on the Apple Mac, which enabled us to move our footage from our video camera (using a USB hard drive being plugged into our Mac) into Final Cut Pro; a movie making application. We had to import our clips into final cut pro where we could select certain clips to put into the project. This was excellent as it enabled us to review clips before placing them in, so we could be efficient in what clips were put in. When placing clips into a project it was a case of drag into the appropriate area which was very easy to do, saving time rather than having to re-import the clips onto the project. We could also adjust the size of the clip by clicking on the clip and shortening it until the length we want, therefore making it easier to edit our work.

Here is a screenshot of our work with Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro was also excellent when editing with special effect as the application boasted a wide range effects from ‘blur’ to ‘fade’ all of which could be used in our thriller. In our product, colour correct was the most common effect as we felt that this emphasis on certain colours such as the red on the voodoo doll, emphasised the colour which has connotations of death and blood. Subsequently, this enabled us to reveal certain enigma codes to the audience, but it also made some footage seem realistic, for example the close-up of Laura’s (dead) face, required colour correction to make her appear more cold, pale and dead in essence, which was done by pulling the colour cursor over a colour which would have the effect that Laura really was dead. After applying an effect by a double click, and trialling it, the project needed to be ‘rendered’. This was done using control+R. Other effects used were overlays so the audience could establish links between Charlie and Laura, whilst Vignette was also experimented with. 

Motion

Motion+ is another software we used alongside Final Cut Pro. It enabled us to put in different templates of different titles for different characters. Actors were just given their name in the font (American Typewriter) with the effect which made it look like it was moving. This was done by selecting an effect to use. We felt this also reflected our genre as it seemed mysterious. Often in film, directors and other important roles e.g. Lighting, is given their department prior to their name, to highlight their importance. The Motion was trial and error initially before getting to grips with how it works and what meant what. We knew that all titles had to be kept within the inside blue square pictured in the below screenshot. This meant all titles were well within the frame and looking professional. 

Soundtrack Pro

The last piece of technology used was Soundtrack Pro; another application used on the Apple Mac. Soundtrack pro is an application full of music samples from guitars to people to electronic sounds, all of which are excellent when trying to make a soundtrack for a thriller product. Soundtrack Pro enables us to make a soundtrack without the hassle of an orchestra used in blockbusters such as the James Bond films. Soundtrack Pro is an application I haven’t previously used, however it’s very easy to get to grips with the software. Each sound sample is found under a header of ‘acoustic’ or ‘drums’, which means that if you know what you want, e.g. a piano playing, you can look under the category of which piano would fall under, and search through the category until you find something suitable. To preview a sample, a simple click of the sample is needed then to press the play button (in form of a triangle on its side) below to hear it. Then, if you like it, a drag is needed into your project and it is then part of your soundtrack. Similarly to Final Cut Pro, you can adjust the size of the sample by dragging one end of the sample to shorten or lengthen it. Another part of Soundtrack Pro which is also key, is how you can play two samples at the same time, this can be done by dragging one sample over another sample (so they are merged), or to create another effect you can put the sample into a bar below which will act as an underlying sound giving a different effect. Each line/bar which the samples are put into has an electronic dial where you can edit the sample e.g. changing the loudness or frequency to suit your specific needs.

This is a screenshot of our soundtrack on Final Cut Pro to see if the soundtrack fitted perfectly

Here are some screenshots of the outstanding effects we used:

Before 'colour correct'

After 'colour correct'

This clearly shows the excellent effect of colour correct. The red of the voodoo doll appears brighter, thus conveying connotations of evil and death, whilst the darkening on Charlie's face makes him see mysterious and unusual. These improvements shown in the colour correction indicates how I have learnt about technology in the construction of our film sequence.

5) Who would be the audience for your media product?

Prior to the creation of our media product, we as a group, discussed what target audience our product would be. This was done using demographics and the British Board of Film Certificate (BBFC) to decide what certificate our production should be rewarded to help us to finalise our target audience.

Our product is a thriller, thus it is to be expected to carry a certain amount of suspense filled scenes and especially in our product scenes which some viewers may see as disturbing due to the element of crime. Consequently, it came to our attention that a BBFC certificate of 15 would be suitable as the sinister elements in our product match the criteria of a 15 certificate, which is:

15 BBFC logo

-strong violence,  frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references,  discriminatory language/behaviour, drug taking.

The criteria above was from the official BBFC site. From this criteria we aimed our audience to be of 16-25 years old as we feel that our product which carries a large proportion of the above elements for it to be rewarded a 15 BBFC certificate. But we decided our main target audience to be of 16-25 (students and young adults) as the composition of disturbing scenes and a modern day setting would be ideal for the target audience of 16-25 year olds.

Our audience was also chosen by the choosing parts of society (demographics) who we feel would enjoy and wish to watch our product the most, which we felt was students (hence the age from 16+) and casual workers, who may consist of graduated students who now have gone on to a first full-time job which could make them included as a ‘casual worker’. Subsequently, we chose the demographics of  D, C1, C2, B and a making it enjoyable for people of all backgrounds. Another way of selecting our target audience was by choosing what sort of individuals we would like our product to attract from a shortlist of different types of thrill-seekers.  From the list we choose ‘Strugglers’ who escape from reality, and ‘Explorers’ who seek discovery and predict the course of the events in the film. These two types of thrill-seekers were chosen using Physco-graphics as ‘Strugglers’ would represent Laura and ‘Explorers’ would enjoy the product as the various enigma codes employed means it implies what is to come in the film, which of course Explorers seek.

4) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Film 4 logo

First of all, our media product is a thriller film therefore the media institution to distribute our product would need to be a film institution. Film institutions are vital into the making of a successful product as the institution supply the money to make the film/product, attract actors/actresses to the product, advertise, and distribute the film across the country and on some occasions with blockbuster films, worldwide.

Our product is a relatively cheap (£10 spent on props) , British film which doesn’t require too many expensive scenes using special effects, as the majority of our product is filmed in already built and ready to use. This perfectly fits the mould of ‘Film 4’, a British institution, owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. Film 4 was made in 1982 and has now gone on to become a major part of the majority of UK films, or smaller budget worldwide films. This small budget and focus on British films would be perfectly suited for our film which is set in Britain and relatively cheap in expense with the majority of scenes set in already made scenes.  Although Film 4 tends to focus on mainly British audience we feel that our product has such classic conventions it has the potential to go multinational.

Why would Film 4 be a suitable choice for our media product?

Film 4 tends to base itself on less expensive and more low key (often British) films which perhaps doesn't require such expensive effects and scenes to make the film effective. I believe that our film would be more likely to suit the criteria of Film 4 as our film too does not use many hi-tech effects. Also our film is set in Britain, in generally public places, thus no money is needed to hire out expensive scenes and no travelling is needed. Overall, I believe our film tends to suit the criteria of a Film 4 film, therefore I feel that if we were to adopt Film 4 as our institute it would advertise our film well. Subsequently, we took a recording from the Film 4 introduction to films and placed it in ours to give our product a very professional look.







Film 4's British blockbuster 'Attack The Block':