Evaluation

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


Other then camera and editing techniques, I think the biggest thing I have learnt is the importance of roles among the group. Certain aspects can be (and sometimes need to be) shared. For example filming the introduction needed to be a group effort, we were all in scenes at one point so we all needed to lend a hand filming at some point. I think another area team work is vital was the development of our final piece, after we filmed our preliminary. If one person had decided everything, people might not like it or agree and so feel less enthusiastic to work. On the other hand, I found editing it at the end on my own the best way to deal with it. I think if we had more then one person doing it, it would be crowded and maybe full of too many ideas.

Another important thing I have learnt is to remember the film and story line in its entirety, like an artist who would step back every now and then too look at the whole picture. I think to make a good introduction you need to remember it is part of an entire film, even if the rest of it will never be made.


Question 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

While making my intro I have learned a lot more about the technology used in media production. First was our camera which was a DV. This simply means it can be played digitally. Using this, we learned about how to add effects on the camera its self and the use of zooming in and out while filming. One of the things I was most shocked at was how a simple tripod can be so useful. Not only does it help keep the camera steady, it also provides smooth panning shots from a range of different heights. It can even be tilted to look at awkward angels that may of been hard to do with the same precision if it just been hand held.

The part I enjoyed the most was the editing and I learnt huge amounts of new infomation just using it over a few weeks. We used Adobe Premier Pro which was very useful. Just by experimenting I found out how to add transitions, titles, edits on the clip itself and backing music/sound effects. I am now confident I have quiet a good understanding of how the editing process works, at least at an amateur level.

Finally I learnt a lot about how to use technologies in my house, such as lights, to our advantage. We found the lights in my kitchen were too bright, even when using a dimmer bulb. To over come this we put a cone of paper around a low watt bulb to give the opening half a very dark, yet still visible look.



Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

The ways in which we tried to attract our audience was mainly through the use of lighting, camera angles and sound. We combined these three crucial elements in a way which made our movie seem very entertaining. The lighting is very dark for the first half, giving an aire of mystery and the unusual way the camera is dragged through the door way, as if you are actually on the ground. These are both quiet powerful camera techniques. The choice of songs, as I have said before, was vital. We chose a song that would appeal to younger people such as ourselves.

Equally as important was the cast. Because we used quiet a lot of well known British actors from shows which are popular with young people today, they may already have a fan base and so be more intrigued to go and watch our product.



Question 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience is old teenagers to young adults (18-22), probably more males then females. Movies about robberies and murders usually appeal more to men then females, but we haven't intentionally gone out of our way to make it more masculine. However, women may be more attracted when they discover that the leader of the group is female. This was intentional as we thought this swap in what is seen as typical roles for men and women was old fashioned, and we wanted something fresh and modern. It will also be for people who like quiet dry and dark comedies such as Little Miss Sunshine.



Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Revolver Entertainment has distributed quiet a lot of British made movies, such as Kidulthood, Shank and other relatively similar productions. It also distritbutes slightly more risky movies such as Banksy's Exit through the Gift Shop. I like that they really have a feel for good and cutting edge British films and could really help us. The fact it also has ties in America means our product could be more globally available.



Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups

My film is mostly about young adult/teenagers (18-20) and so in one of the two scenes they are in, it involves some violence and quiet a lot of very strong language (considering there is only a few lines in the opening). We did this so that the viewer thinks straight away that these are probably quiet similar to other delinquent teens that they have seen in previous movies. Although the characters have much more depth then just being stereotypical hooligans, we wanted to make it clear that despite their differences in appearance and character, they are all a little bit bad on the inside.

The cast I chose to play them was also very carefully thought out. All the people are chose to play these characters have previously played rolls that depicted them as being a little 'rough around the edges' and so as soon as the audience see's these actors, they will kind of expect what to see and how their characters in my movie are going to be portrayed.

The character played by Grace Brown is supposed to depict a queit upper class, well off buissness woman. We tried to show this mainly through the use of mise-en-scene. Her costume was the one we spent most the time on because she didn't have very many lines and we wanted to get across her character as quickly as possible. The choice of wearing high heels, I think, worked perfectly. It completely summarises up what her role is about, especially when she steps on the end of her cigarette. Also, by makeing her the boss of the boys we have kind of flipped the way in which females are normally depicted. She is the one calling the shots, and to fit this we needed an actress that would do this right.

Once again the person chose to play her was a hard choice. After seeing the movie Rock n Rolla and seeing how Thandie Newton portrayed herself as being quiet a stuck up, but sexy and powerful female roll we knew straight away she would fit in seamlessly. She is quiet old, especially to the rest of the cast, and this is also important. If the actress we chose was too young, I don't think they would be able to pull it off correctly. The only young actress I think might be able to do this would be Juno's Ellen Page. However, she might seem a bit too friendly, and not boss like with the boys.

The only other character is the burglar, but he is hardly in it so doesn't really have much effect on how any certain type of social group is represented. This was done intentionally so it remained a mystery as to who he is until right at the end when you find out the rest of the story.

Evaluation Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The opening scene to a movie can be vital. Some people judge a movie on the first two-three minutes so it is very important that it is captivating and interesting, leaving the viewer wondering what is going to happen next but without giving away too much of the storyline.

My movie has used these in the way a real media production would to create a professional looking opening scene. We built suspense by having the burglar slowly creep throw the house and not using any background music. Then, we leave the viewer with a question. Who is the burglar and why are the boys so worried? A way in which we may of challenged these conventions is by using the sped up travelling sequence. In my experience of movies this is used sometimes, but hardly ever in the first few minutes.It gives us time to clearly show who is starring in the movie, and the movies name via titles (another convention we have used). This scene was also made to play double speed to give the intro an energetic and jolty feel, getting the viewer excited for what is coming next.

The use of other quiet standard techniques were used, such as match-on-action when the girl is getting out of her car and ringing the door bell. We also tried to include some graphic matches. When the scene filmed from the floor is facing the light, we tried to fade that in with the lights on the street to make it flow smoothly and make the viewer less aware that it has actually be edited.

Another way we have tried to challenge the normal conventions of media is in the choice of music. We wanted to use something that really fitted what our movie was going to be about, and Poppa Wheelies Hood Mode was the perfect choice. Movies that are (loosely) in the same genre as ours usually use much older music, such as the Clash, Iron Maiden, Dead Kennedys etc. We wanted ours to feel more modern and appealing to a slightly younger audience.

Closing Post

This is the end of my project. I have found it hard and stressful at times, but also very fun and enjoyable. It has also left me with quiet a sense of achievement. Looking back on what I have done has made me question whether I should pursue this course longer instead of art.

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

Other then camera and editing techniques, I think the biggest thing I have learnt is the importance of roles among the group. Certain aspects can be (and sometimes need to be) shared. For example filming the introduction needed to be a group effort, we were all in scenes at one point so we all needed to lend a hand filming at some point. I think another area team work is vital was the development of our final piece, after we filmed our preliminary. If one person had decided everything, people might not like it or agree and so feel less enthusiastic to work. On the other hand, I found editing it at the end on my own the best way to deal with it. I think if we had more then one person doing it, it would be crowded and maybe full of too many ideas.
   Another important thing I have learnt is to remember the film and story line in its entirety, like an artist who would step back every now and then too look at the whole picture. I think to make a good introduction you need to remember it is part of an entire film, even if the rest of it will never be made.

Question 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

While making my intro I have learned a lot more about the technology used in media production. First was our camera which was a DV. This simply means it can be played digitally. Using this, we learned about how to add effects on the camera its self and the use of zooming in and out while filming. One of the things I was most shocked at was how a simple tripod can be so useful. Not only does it help keep the camera steady, it also provides smooth panning shots from a range of different heights. It can even be tilted to look at awkward angels that may of been hard to do with the same precision if it just been hand held.


   The part I enjoyed the most was the editing and I learnt huge amounts of new infomation just using it over a few weeks. We used Adobe Premier Pro which was very useful. Just by experimenting I found out how to add transitions, titles, edits on the clip itself and backing music/sound effects. I am now confident I have quiet a good understanding of how the editing process works, at least at an amateur level.
   Finally I learnt a lot about how to use technologies in my house, such as lights, to our advantage. We found the lights in my kitchen were too bright, even when using a dimmer bulb. To over come this we put a cone of paper around a low watt bulb to give the opening half a very dark, yet still visible look.

Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

 The ways in which we tried to attract our audience was mainly through the use of lighting, camera angles and sound. We combined these three crucial elements in a way which made our movie seem very entertaining. The lighting is very dark for the first half, giving an aire of mystery and the unusual way the camera is dragged through the door way, as if you are actually on the ground. These are both quiet powerful camera techniques. The choice of songs, as I have said before, was vital. We chose a song that would appeal to younger people such as ourselves.
  Equally as important was the cast. Because we used quiet a lot of well known British actors from shows which are popular with young people today, they may already have a fan base and so be more intrigued to go and watch our product.

Question 4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

 Our target audience is old teenagers to young adults (18-22), probably more males then females. Movies about robberies and murders usually appeal more to men then females, but we haven't intentionally gone out of our way to make it more masculine. However, women may be more attracted when they discover that the leader of the group is female. This was intentional as we thought this swap in what is seen as typical roles for men and women was old fashioned, and we wanted something fresh and modern. It will also be for people who like quiet dry and dark comedies such as Little Miss Sunshine.

Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Revolver Entertainment has distributed quiet a lot of British made movies, such as Kidulthood, Shank and other relatively similar productions. It also distritbutes slightly more risky movies such as Banksy's Exit through the Gift Shop. I like that they really have a feel for good and cutting edge British films and could really help us. The fact it also has ties in America means our product could be more globally available.

Question 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups

 My film is mostly about young adult/teenagers (18-20) and so in one of the two scenes they are in, it involves some violence and quiet a lot of very strong language (considering there is only a few lines in the opening). We did this so that the viewer thinks straight away that these are probably quiet similar to other delinquent teens that they have seen in previous movies. Although the characters have much more depth then just being stereotypical hooligans, we wanted to make it clear that despite their differences in appearance and character, they are all a little bit bad on the inside.
   The cast I chose to play them was also very carefully thought out. All the people are chose to play these characters have previously played rolls that depicted them as being a little 'rough around the edges' and so as soon as the audience see's these actors, they will kind of expect what to see and how their characters in my movie are going to be portrayed.
   The character played by Grace Brown is supposed to depict a queit upper class, well off buissness woman. We tried to show this mainly through the use of mise-en-scene. Her costume was the one we spent most the time on because she didn't have very many lines and we wanted to get across her character as quickly as possible. The choice of wearing high heels, I think, worked perfectly. It completely summarises up what her role is about, especially when she steps on the end of her cigarette. Also, by makeing her the boss of the boys we have kind of flipped the way in which females are normally depicted. She is the one calling the shots, and to fit this we needed an actress that would do this right.
   Once again the person chose to play her was a hard choice. After seeing the movie Rock n Rolla and seeing how Thandie Newton portrayed herself as being quiet a stuck up, but sexy and powerful female roll we knew straight away she would fit in seamlessly. She is quiet old, especially to the rest of the cast, and this is also important. If the actress we chose was too young, I don't think they would be able to pull it off correctly. The only young actress I think might be able to do this would be Juno's Ellen Page. However, she might seem a bit too friendly, and not boss like with the boys.
   The only other character is the burglar, but he is hardly in it so doesn't really have much effect on how any certain type of social group is represented. This was done intentionally so it remained a mystery as to who he is until right at the end when you find out the rest of the story.

Evaluation Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The opening scene to a movie can be vital. Some people judge a movie on the first two-three minutes so it is very important that it is captivating and interesting, leaving the viewer wondering what is going to happen next but without giving away too much of the storyline.
   My movie has used these in the way a real media production would to create a professional looking opening scene. We built suspense by having the burglar slowly creep throw the house and not using any background music. Then, we leave the viewer with a question. Who is the burglar and why are the boys so worried?  A way in which we may of challenged these conventions is by using the sped up travelling sequence. In my experience of movies this is used sometimes, but hardly ever in the first few minutes.It gives us time to clearly show who is starring in the movie, and the movies name via titles (another convention we have used). This scene was also made to play double speed to give the intro an energetic and jolty feel, getting the viewer excited for what is coming next.
   The use of other quiet standard techniques were used, such as match-on-action when the girl is getting out of her car and ringing the door bell. We also tried to include some graphic matches. When the scene filmed from the floor is facing the light, we tried to fade that in with the lights on the street to make it flow smoothly and make the viewer less aware that it has actually be edited.
   Another way we have tried to challenge the normal conventions of media is in the choice of music. We wanted to use something that really fitted what our movie was going to be about, and Poppa Wheelies Hood Mode was the perfect choice. Movies that are (loosely) in the same genre as ours usually use much older music, such as the Clash, Iron Maiden, Dead Kennedys etc. We wanted ours to feel more modern and appealing to a slightly younger audience.

Our Final Piece

Feedback

 To get a wide range of feedback from people that weren't just friends and family (who may have a biased opinion) we decided to make a group on Facebook which anyone could join and tell us what they thought. Also, most of the people who use Facebook would be in the target audience our movie was aimed at. Here are a few of the comments...

 After reading these it is quiet clear that our introduction went down well, but was let down right at the end by the failure to record what Grace was saying. Feedback like this is a vital part in movie development and would help a lot if we were to finished the movie off.

Pictures of Filming

Health and Safety

 While filming we are going to have to consider health and safety. To make sure there are no unnecessary injuries we took in to account a few things. Most of them were very simple, (not touching electrical equipment with wet hands, watching where you walk when there are wires on the floor) but other were a little more specific to what we were filming.
   At one point, Aaron is going to swing for me with a cricket bat. To make sure he doesn't accidentally hit me in the face, we stuck a line of tape across the floor where I needed to stop. This line will make sure I am too far back to be hit, even if he accidentally slips. We also are going to use candles to give low level lighting and so are at a slightly higher risk of having a fire. To avoid this we will make sure they aren't under anything that was going to catch light but were also far enough out the way so they wont be knocked and burn anyone.

Title Research

 The titles at the beginning of a movie usually come in a very similar order. First is what company has commissioned and produced the movies (20th Century Fox etc). After this comes the names of the starring actors and then finally the title of the actual movie itself.
   However this is not a strict rule and some movies have the actors names after the main title. The only one that is always first is who produced the movie. Usually, they have their own small clip, such as a horse riding towards the camera. This is used as a kind of logo that people become familiar with and recognise instantly. They then also have the name of their company during the movie before the title comes up. We will take this order of events into consideration when editing our final piece.

Location Pictures

Here is a few pictures of where we are planning to film.

  

Organisation of Actors, Props and Times

Storyboard and Shot List

Here is our final storyboard for our movie. We have added annotations about camera angles, shots, sound and other infomation that will be helpful when it comes to filming.

A gloved hand is shown opening a door in the dark

\/

The camera follows the man as he sneaks through a dark, empty house

\/

The camera zooms out on his silhouette to reveal a door way

\/

As he gets closer the lights are turned on by another first who was at first hidden. He swings a bat and as he does it cuts to black. The sound of the bat hitting something, then his body hitting the floor is played over the top.

\/

Fades back into 2 people standing over the camera looking down and discussing what a mess they are in

\/

Cut to movie title imposed over sped up travelling footage

\/

A car pulls up with a woman inside

\/

A close up is shown of the womans high heels as she gets out the car, followed by another close up of her walking to the door.

\/

A final close up of her finger pressing the doorbell

\/

Cut to inside where a boy is opening the door, revealing 'the boss'

The Effect of Sound

When picking a song to go in the background of our final piece, we didn't want to just use anything. The soundtrack to a movie is massively important as it can set the entire feel and give off certain emotions that are key to a film being successful. To try and get a feel of how music can change an movie I decided to experiment with some footage I put together of me and my friends skating. I then changed the background music to see what effect it had on the overall effect of the clips.      


  
For the first one I used the song 'Us' by Regina Spektor. It is quiet a mellow song and so makes to footage appear quiet relaxed and chilled out. It also gives it quiet a friendly feel (maybe because of the lyrics) and makes the three of us look like very close.











The next song I used ('Sleepyhead' remixed by Borgore) was much faster and so made the video seem much more frantic and high octane, even though the images being shown are exactly the same. After I did this it became very clear that I had to be careful with what music we used in our final piece. If we chose something wrong it could give off completely the wrong feel and possibly ruin what we are trying to achieve.

Now all I have to do is pick a song that will fit but also doesn't break any copyright laws. First, we thought about making a completely new song using a programme called 'Fruit Loops'. However, none of us have had much experience using this and we didn't believe we could make a song that sounded professional enough and that also fitted in with the genre of the movie. I then remembered I had recordings from a band I used to be in a few years ago. Because its my music that I have helped write and perform, I have the writes to use it as I wish.

   The recordings are very heavy music and could fit in well if I used them at the right place. They would give the movie a very energetic feel and hopefully really improve the quality of our final piece. If this song doesn't work, we found another song we liked on an online skate edit by an artist called Poppa Wheelie. After emailing him over myspace we found out he is non-profit based and makes songs purely for fun.

UPDATE

After showing the song we wished to use in our final piece to my teacher, he told us that it in fact sampled quiet alot from a Depeche Mode song called Waiting for the Night. We now need to look into a different area of copyright, the part concerning remixes.

   We found that a remix does not breach copyright laws if it is considerably different enough from the original i.e. it isn't just the same song with a different tempo or played on a different instrument. Luckily, Poppa Wheelie's remix also includes a different background beat and more vocals and so shouldn't break any laws.

Conventions of Genre

 The genre of movie we have chosen to do is a British Gangster movie with a very slight Teenage Comedy twist. When looking at other movies of this kind ('Snatch', 'Pineapple Express' etc) it is clear to see that certain 'guidelines' are in place when makeing these films. Guy Richie sticks very closely to these guidelines, especially when dealing with character stereotypes and who the expected audience is.

   When looking at Snatch it is clear to see that the movie is aimed at men aged 18 to probably about 30. It is quiet action packed and smart, with use of very coarse language and violent scenes. For these reasons, it couldn't be aimed at people younger, even though they probably will be interested in it. For our movie, we wanted it to be aimed at a slightly younger age group (from 17 to about 25). This group of people will know who is starring in the movie (giving them more interest in seeing it) and also may be more able to relate to the problems the characters face.

   We didn't want our characters to be as heavily stereotyped as the cockney lads from other similar British Gangster flicks. One of the main reasons is that our movie isn't going to be set in inner London, but in an unamed city in East Anglia. If the characters all spoke in rhyming slang and wore flat caps they would seem very out of place and a little too comical. Instead we want our main characters to be reckless and head strong teenagers.

   When looking at representation of teenagers in media, it is clear to see there are four main groups that our characters could be put into. Michael Bolt is a superfical teen whos more worried about makeing money then anything else. Nathan Rover fits perfectly into the sarcastic, self-aware but bitter group and Peter Smith is clearly a juvenile delinquent. The only one that doesn't fit nicely into one of these catagories is James Kavangh. He is a juvenile delinquent, but not in the same way Peter is. He could be seen as a dumb teen, but I don't think this would really go well with the characters past. I think the fact he cant be grouped as easily as the others is a good thing. It shows he isn't just a normal kid and kind of defeats the idea of stereotypical teens.
   Sound in this genre is used for alot of different reasons. Non-Diagetic sounds can sometimes be used to make a scene seem calm, or give it a fun and up beat feeling. Heavier, louder music can also be used to create a feeling of action or danger. This contrast can be clearly seen in the opening to Snatch. Diagetic sounds are often of street noises, (people talking, cars etc). This is used to give the movie an urban feel that sets the scene and feel through-out.
   The props and over all mise-en-scene used in gangster genre movies is usually very similar. The gangster boss alway resides in a finely decorated yet very dark room. This use of light makes this character seem even more menacing and dangerous. The main characters often live somewhere less then desirable, with dingy rooms and broken windows. However, the lighting in these sets is much brighter. The contrast between the 'good' and 'bad' characters is really emphasised by the use of light in these movies and that is something we will definately use when filming our own introduction.

   The costumes that are worn are always very similar too. The gangster boss always wear expensive looking suites with their fingers covered in gold soverigns and other various flashy rings. The other characters are more normally dressed, in jeans or work trousers, with shoes and shirts. This again shows the difference between the powerful crime lord and his lowely servants.

  Filming and Editing in this genre of movie is usually very adventorous. Certain scenes are filmed in very unconventional ways (such as through the CCTV at the beginning of Snatch). At other times, there is alot of fast cuts emphasise action scenes or parts depicting violence/torture etc. A very good example of how inventive the use of camera can be in British Gangster movies is the torture scene from Paul McGuigan's Gangster no. 1, in which the whole event is shown through the eyes of the victim. I think this is one of the most hard hitting and stomach turning scenes from any movie ever made. You are put in the shoes of the man on the floor making it somewhat unbearable to watch, but VERY memorable.

Characters and Casting

For our movie we needed three central characters who would be a little more then average teens, that were involved in events they shouldn't be (robbery, selling drugs etc). We also would need someone who was older and much more involved in the criminal world. This would be the same person that breaks into their house at the beginning and is killed. One last character we would need would be the person who gives the teenagers their assignments and tells them what to do (basically their criminal boss). Before casting these roles we would have to know what we were looking for, in regards to who they are, how they look and how they act.
   First we looked at our central characters. The first, and most dominant, is Michael Bolt, aka Bolty. He is a 18 year old boy who was kicked out of school at the age of 13 for pinning a teacher to the floor with a chair. Ever since then he has been on a downward spiral into the criminal world, getting more and more involved with the nasty people that inhabit it. He is cocky and headstrong but loyal to his two closest friends.
   Next is James Kavangh. In many ways James is the complete opposite of Michael, despite knowing him since he was 3 years old. He is quiet and reserved, but underneath this is a violent, crazed young man, who when provoked will lash out at unsuspecting people. When thinking of this character, we took alot of inspiration from Jason Statham's character in 'Mean Machine'. If we had the chance to film a full length movie we could even include flashbacks to James' past explaining why he was secret maniac that he was.

   The last member of the main four characters is Nathan Rover. Nathan is 'the brains' of the group. He is logical and well spoken  but at the same time extremely sarcastic. The reason they are friends goes back to a science lesson 3 years before when Nathan used his brains to pull a prank on a teacher, which went horribley wrong, severing three of the teachers fingers. Ever since then they have all been best friends.
   The robber who starts the movie off breaking into the boys house had to be a hardened criminal. His name is Robert 'Tubby' Brown. He is the son of the cities biggest crime lord and a seriously mean piece of work. Usually people would stay away from him, meerley because of his name but he has the attitude and weight to back himself up too.
   The last character we had to think about when planning for our movie is the boys boss Alice Bower. Alice is a thirty-something good looking woman who met the boys when they tried to mug her at a cash point. Instead of reporting to the police, she hired them and has used them for her means ever since. She is much like a mother figure to the boys and looks after them, despite ultimately ruining their lives in the long run.
   Now we had to cast who we thought would play these roles well if this movie was made and released in cinemas. The first three characters were the hardest as there aren't that many young British actors that are well known, and we do not have time, or the resources, to have auditions.

   For Michael we decided on Joe Dempsie who played Chris in Skins. After watching this movie, it is clear to see his character is similar to what Michael is supposed to be and would fit very well. Next was James. James was slightly harder to find an appropriate actor, but after searching we decided on using Gerard Kearns. He has recently become a star after playing Ian Gallagher in Channel 4's Shameless. He looks quiet fraile and vulnerable but also has the acting ability to flip these qualities in his favour. I think this is one of our best decisions in casting and would hopefully make James Kavangh's character very believable.

   At first we considered using Nicholas Hoult, who also starred in Skins, for Nathan Rover but changed our minds. Nicholas Hoult, although appearing very intelligent, doesn't look like he'd be involved in the world the other two boys are. We wanted someone who was abit 'rough around the edges'. When looking again we didn't stray far from Channel 4 tv shows and came across Misfits. The character played by Robert Sheehan perfectly fits how we imagined Nathan. He is sarcast and cocky but also very smart. 
      The next two characters were much easier to cast as we could choose from a larger selection of actors, not just ones still in their teens (or appearing to be). Robert Brown would be played by  Tommy Lister, the giant bully from the Friday movies. His scary appearance would go well with how Tubby is supposed to be. Finally was Alice Bower, the boys mentor and boss. Straight away we had a clear idea of who could play this woman. Guy Richie's Rock n Rolla features a very sexy, yet powerful actress called Thandie Newton. It was obvious that she would be the perfect person to play this role if it was made properly.
   When we produce our final piece, obviously we wont have access to all these professional actors, so instead we will use our friends. Michael Bolt will be played by Luke Sansby, James Kavangh and Robert Brown will be played by Aaron Leverton-Ferrar, Alice Bower will be played by Grace Brown and I will play Nathan Rover.

Director for our Movie

When considering who the Director and stars in our movie were going to be we looked at a lot of possible candidates from other similar movies. An obvious choice for a director for this kind of movie would be Guy Richie. However, we thought he would of brought the same old 'London Geezer' feel he has in all the movies of this genre he has made, so we decided to look a bit deeper. 
  We wanted the director to be British so it had an authentic feel and not an American generated stereo-type where every single character talks like a thug and has bad teeth. One of the latest successful British movies made in a similar style was Daniel Barber's 'Harry Brown'. This was a very hard hitting and quiet realistic (if not a little violent) film about a retired man who seeks revenge on a group youths who murdered his friend. 
  However, Barber's style may be a bit too graphic and gritty for what we wanted to produce. Danny Boyle was our next choice. Even though he has made some extremely gorey and dark movies, such as '28 Days Later', he has a lot more experience. We think he would be able to convey the feeling we wanted and hopefully help to produce something with a mood similar to 'Trainspotting'. 

Synopsis for our Movie

Three unsuspecting teens are victim to a burglary at the beginning of the movie which they quickly stop with a baseball bat. When the robber is unconscious and unmasked they soon realise they may have messed with the wrong person.

  The movie then goes back in time to the previous week, where they start a job which sounds fairly simple. However when they arrive things quickly go sour when they find that two other gangs are after the same goods. It then proceeds to rollercoaster out of control as they are flung into a world violence, crime and drugs.

  With the goods at hand, they manage to hide themselves away as the rest of the city is going crazy looking for what they have. Until the son of a high ranking gangster discovers their location and attempts to rob it back, linking back to the beginning of the movie.

How Digital Technology has effected 20th Century Fox

Over recent years, the progress film makers have made in developing and using digital technology has dramatically changed the film industry and the entire cinematic experience. One of the companies that has taken these changes full on and embraced them is 20th Century Fox, who because of these developments have made the most successful movie (money wise) ever made, 'Avatar'. 
One of the most recent things to have been introduced into cinema in the last year or so is strangely also one of the oldest, 3D. Invented in 1838 and first shown to the public in the Luminere brother's 'L’arrivée du train', 3D had an instantly huge effect on the audience. In some cinemas, viewers actually screamed in horror, believing a real train was about to run them over. 
  Despite being invented over 100 years ago, the first real boom in 3D movies didn't come until the 1950's, sparking the beginning of the 'Golden Age' of 3D. At first Fox was wary of this new technology but finally gave into demand and released Darryl F. Zunuck's 'Inferno' in 1953 . I found it quiet shocking that Fox didn't take to 3D technology as quickly as other film companies, especially considering their massive success with 'Avatar' now. 
  The fact that 3D is best viewed at the cinema means that many more people are going out to theatres to see films instead of just waiting for the DVD release or for it to come on TV. This in turn means 20th Century Fox is going to be making much more money from these kinds of films and so will probably produce many more unless the trend dies out (like it did in the 60's). 
  The next development in Digital Technology Fox has embraced, probably with less hesitation than 3D, is the invention of High Definition viewing. Although cinemas have been a much better quality then TV's for many years, HD now allows a pristine picture at home. Fox jumped straight on this new technology releasing FXHD very shortly after the release of the first HD televisions. 
  Because of this Fox would of have to of purchased alot of brand new equipment that could film and process the new HD technology. However, these expenses would be quickly paid for, especially when you consider that in the UK, FXHD is one of only a handful of HD channels available to view at the moment and probably shows some of the most popular TV shows of the time, including 'True Blood' and 'Family Guy'. Unlike 3D I do not believe HD is likely to become less popular and probably will only stopped being used if a newer, better version of it is produced. 
  Advancements in the quality of CGI is another development 20th Century Fox has taken fully on board. Again 'Avatar' is probably the best example of how CGI can be used to create something that is visually beautiful but also convincing and realistic. Before the first full length CGI movie came out (Pixar's 'Toy Story') CGI was mainly used in computer games and was blocky at best. Moving onto the big screen in this way meant it could receive more funding and evolve into what we see today. It is hard now to find a movie that doesn't have atleast a small part of CGI involved. 
  One of 20th Century Fox's newest movies, 'Alvin and the Chipmunks', is largely real life acting, but the main characters are three computer generated chipmunks that interact very convincingly with the actors. The first time this was done was in Universal's 'Casper' but now, due to practise and improvements in the technology Fox has been able to create a very realistic looking movie. I think if CGI is used correctly, you are not even aware it is being done. 
  The last development in technology I am going to look into is how the internet has affected how we view movies and TV. There are possibly hundreds of websites that illegally show pirated movies months before they are released on DVD to be watched at home. Another benefit of 3D technology is that these movies cannot be pirated due to the special projectors and screens required to make it work, however they can still be shown in normal quality. This is a problem I think 20th Century Fox is still yet to tackle, but in a way they have used this idea to make a profit. 
  TV shows produced by Fox can be watched on a website called 'FOX on Demand'. This gives the opportunity for alot more people, who may of previously been too busy to watch TV, to do so at their own convenience. Adverts are still shown on the website itself and during the programme, so the company is not loosing out on money that way. They are in fact probably making more money because only one advert is played during the break, meaning the company advertising will have to pay alot more for that slot. 
  In conclusion, 20th Century Fox have used Digital Technology hugely to their advantage (even if they needed a little convincing to do so). Because of these developments I think they have become one of the biggest companies in the cinema world and would not of had the massive success with movies such as 'Avatar' if the technology was not available or as advanced as it is today.

Snatch Introduction

The introduction for Guy Ritchie's Snatch sets the scene and feel of the movie straight away. You immediatly get an idea what the movie is about (the stolen diamond) and who some of the main characters are.

  The opening scene in it's self is like a mini movie with lots of speaking and also alot of action. It is very good at getting you immediately hooked and intrigued to find out what is going to happen next. Not only is the general idea really good, the way it is filmed is also extremely inventive.
  The robbers, all disguised as Rabbi's, are makeing their way into an office building with unusually high security. They manage to pass through a metal detector without being searched, despite setting the alarm off. This whole sequence, right up until they are in the room with the diamonds, is filmed through the tv on which the CCTV is shown. This gives you a sense of how tight the security is and that where they are going is probably going to have something worth protecting in.
  This scene is also really quiet peaceful. The use of the (non-diagetic) Kosha Nostra theme in the background, along with the robbers banter about the Virgin Mary not being a Virgin, gives them a feel of being genuine rabbi's that aren't doing anything unusual. Then, as soon as they reach their destination the costumes come off, their accents change and the music becomes much faster and heavier. The camera shots also change from being one fluid motion (from one CCTV screen to the next) to alot of sharp, jerky shots that add to the energy being shown in this part. All of this fits perfectly with the high octane, adrenaline fueled action that is being shown on screen. If they had allowed the same music to play, with the same kinds of shots it wouldn't have anywhere near the same kind of feel or dramatic effect.

City of God Introduction

For me, the introduction for Fernando Meirelles' City of God is a perfect example of how the beginning of a film should start. It is intriguing and very fun to watch, but at the same time is using the camera in a very clever way. The shots he uses are short and cut quickly to each other, this means straight away it has an energetic feel that gives you a sense of how the rest of the movie is going to be. Then, at the end it leaves you with a question, how did the boy with the camera get into the situation that he is in?       When makeing our own final piece, I think these are some very important things the remember. We need to make to beginning quiet exciting, but still retain some mystery. Then at the end, leave the viewer with a question that would be answered later on in the film.

Juno Introduction

Although Juno isn't part of the gangster movie genre, it does involve teenagers and has a very interesting introduction. To help us get a feel for filming and develop our own ideas we decided to remake this short sequence, paying close attention to camera, editing, mise en scene and sound.

 This is our version of the introduction for the movie 'Juno'. We all took turns in filming different parts and also took on different roles for other aspects of filming. Our friend, Grace Brown, played to role of Juno. Jack Hyatt provided the props and me and Aaron Leverton picked out the costume together. I think some of the scenes in this are a little bit shaky and make it look less professional, especially in the parts that were hand-held. If I re-filmed it I would focus on keeping a steady hand. I was particularly happy with the last shot, of Grace walking towards me as I panned up. I achieved this by rolling backwards, while crouching on a pair of rollerblades. I did this to make it appear as if I was on tracks. I tried using rollerblades to film other sections of the film but found it difficult because of bad weather. How the weather is going to effect our final piece is something we will have to consider so we can achieve the best results.

Movie Idea Research

After sharing our movie ideas with our class and getting feedback we found that they thought a British Gangster movie could be very unimaginative and boring, but they liked the idea of a Teenage Comedy. Despite these thoughts, we felt confident that we could produce an original and new movie in the British Gangster genre. The way we wanted to do this was by taking some elements from a Teenage Comedy and incorporateing it into our final piece.
  To help us get ideas for the storyline of our own movie we decided to look at other similar movies in the same genres and maybe some other films that involved teenagers (such as 'Kids' and 'Kidulthood'). An obvious starting point for this would be Guy Ritchie's 'Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels' which really pushed this kind of film into mainstream cinema.
  'Lock, Stock' is the story of four cockney lads who find themselves heavily in debt to an East End hard man. By a massive stroke of luck, they over hear the men in the flat next door planning to rob a group of out-of-their-depth marijuana growers and decide to then steal the money off of them afterwards. While all of this is going on, a porn-baron named 'Hatchet' Harry is madly searching for a pair of antique shotguns which were stolen by a pair of Scouse thieves. All of this results in absolute chaos in which the body count continues to rise throughout the movie.
  Something being stolen is useually the main story line in the British Gangster genre and also alot of Guy Ritchie's films. For example the movie 'Snatch' is about some expensive diamonds being stolen and his newest film of this type, 'Rock n Rolla', is about a powerful Russian buisnessman's favourite painting being unlawfully taken. This is something we are going to take into account but not focus on as, taking the advice of our class, may make our film abit typical and cliche.
  Another strong part of these kinds of films is when a relatively simple plan goes horribly wrong in very unexpected ways, usually leaving a long line of bullet riddled bodies. One of the only other films I can think of, that is not about gangsters, is David Green's 'Pineapple Express'. This fits in very nicely with the other kind of film we wanted to mix our ideas with.
  This stoner, teenage comedy (a modern offspring of the classic 'Cheech and Chong' movies) involves a couple of clueless drug addled friends who get themselves involved in something that leaves them completely out of their depth. This again results in high octane, but much funnier, consequences. This involvment of humor is something we would like to use but may find hard to fit into our relatively short time space in which our introduction needs to be filmed.

Movie Ideas

British Gangster Movie - Our first idea is to film the introduction for a Guy Ritchie style British Gangster movie like Snatch, Lock Stock, Rock and Rolla etc. In our movie a group of small time crooks find themselves in a predicament with a high ranking mob boss. They have either losted some of his money, drugs or maybe been forced into a bet they had no chance of winning.
 The movie starts off in a house, introduceing the main characters. Later it is revealed that more than one group is trying to get their hands on the money. Some of these groups could be heroin addicts who want the money for their next fix, gypsys who just want the money to spend and a corrupt polotician who wants the money to invest in a large buisness. It will involve some strong language (used in appropriate places), quiet dark humour and infrequent violence.

Apocalyptic Movie - Set in a post-apocalyptic London, a group of teenage surviors are part of a small p ercentage that have managed to countinue living. However they face finding somewhere safe to live, due to other gangs of crazed survivors, wild animals and maybe the odd mutated monster.

Teenage Comedy - This idea was inspired by movies such as Pineapple Express and other similar 'stoner' influenced movies. It will explore the lives a some drug addled teens as they seem to get themselves in a massively over blown situation, most of which seems to go other their heads.
  For our movies we wanted their to be a mass killer on the loose, who happens to buy marijuana off one of the characters. Slowly the main characters realise this and down to their drug fuelled paranoia, believe he is trying to kill them, even though he is not. However, their constant tip-toeing around him and accidental provocation leads to the murderer actually wanting them dead.
 

Preliminary Excersise

For the Preliminary Excersise we had to make a short film (from 30 seconds to 1 minute long) showing someone enter a room, walk across the room, sit down, have a short conversation and then leave again. While filming this we had to show what we knew about some basic aspects of filming and camera technique.
   One of the rules we had to take into consideration was the 180 degree rule (shown left). When filming, characters should always have the same left/right relationship so that it looks correct. If this rule wasn't used it would look as if the people involved kept moving places inbetween shots and wouldn't look correct. This also plays a part wen using shot, reverse shot. This is when two people are talking and it shows you the scene from both peoples perspective.

 Match-on-Action was also used when filming. For example, when we filmed the hand opening the door and instead of then showing the boy walk in and close it, we showed him sitting down or leaving again it wouldn't make sense. Matching the shots together correctly adds to the continuity of the filming and makes it look like one single event, not a series of events filmed at different times.







Evaluation
 Our Preliminary Excersise came out quiet well and I think we used all of the rules above appropriately. One of my favourite parts is when the hand reaches for the door and you see it open from the other side. This shows our knowledge of match on action. Also, the discussion shows our understading of shot, reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. One of the problems we had was using the microphone to record sound. For half, we forgot to attach it and has made the video sound quiet rough and not as clean as we would want in a final piece. When we film our final piece we will have to take special care in how we use it.

Camera

Distance and Angles


Long Shot (LS) - This shot allows the veiwer to veiw most of, if not all, of a particular subject also revealing the background a scenery.
Extreme Long Shot (ELS) - This shot is mainly intended to establish the suroundings. It's set at a far distance emphasisingh the background.
Establishing Shot (ELS) - Often used at the beggining of feature films. It allows audience to get to grips with the surropundings, allowing them to understand fully where they are.
Mid-Shots (MS) - In this shot there is roughly an equal amount of screening between the subject and the background. Normally shot above waist height, emphasising the top half of their body. This particular shot is often used to create a conversation between two actors on screen, switching beetween the two to create a a sence of actually being part of the conversation.
Close-up/Extreme Close-up (CU)(ECU) - Creates a highly dramatic feel. Most commonly used on a actors facial expression in great detail, fitting whole screen. It focuses the audience's attention on the feeling and reaction of a situation.

Movement

Zoom - While zooming the camera doesn't move. Its used to go from a long shot all the way to a close up whilst still maintaining a continuous picture flow. This is achevied by magnifying the subject. Zooming in and out reveals more or less of a scene bringing focus to to a wider or lesser range of objects.
Following Pan - This term means that the camera is still in a static position, however it swivles on a specific point. Its used to follow a subject with a space left infront.
Surveying Pan - Still in fixed a position, the camera slowly turns left or right to search a scene.
Tilt - Camera tilts up and down
Crab - Camera moves left or right
Tracking - Camera itself is moved gently towards or away from a subject. Draws the veiwer closer or futher away, creating a more or less intence realationship with subject. Tracking further away often creates a distance between veiwer and subject.
Hand Held - Creates a jerky and bouncy image, sugesting a critcal or caotic scene. Can also be used a Pooint-of-Veiw (POV)
Prosess Shot - A shot infront of a rear projection creating a scence of movment when really they are stationary. Used in car scenes to make out like they are driving.

Sound Types

Diagetic Sound - Diagetic sounds are part of the film world we are watching. This could be birds singing in a tree, someone talking or a song playing of the radio in the background.
Non-Diagetic Sound - This kind of sound is not recognised as part of the film world and include backing music that is not coming from a clear source or a voice-over which narrates part of the movie e.g. JD from Scrubs internal commentary on his day to day activities.
Sound Bridges - A sound bridge is when the sound from one scene will carry other to the next making the change seem more seamless and smooth, instead of being disjointed and sudden e.g. the whistle of a boiling kettle brdiges with the horn of a train.
Parallel Sound - Parallel sounds are the kinds of noises we expect to see in a scene. For example, if you are watching children playing happily on a beach, you would expect to hear laughter, kids talking etc.
Contrapuntal Sound - This kind of sound is the opposite of parallel sound. This is when you hear noises which do not fit in with the scene you are watching. A good example of this is the scene from 'Jaws' when people are having a good time on the beach, but instead of hearing the expected sounds of laughter, a sinister and dark music is playing telling you something bad is about to happen.