Thursday, November 12, 2009
The editing continues...
After filming the video the footage was all uploaded onto Final Cut Pro. We cut the sequence into the different shot types and binned them. We then put markers on the timeline to help cut to the beat. We have worked on a rough cut of the video. Although we used markers we still had trouble trying to sync everything. The video contains montage seequenes of the light bulbs and these have taken a long time to get right. Finally we desaturated the cut in After effects and added a similar green/blue colour hue that was in their previous video.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Bands Of the same Label- Fouls, Subways, The Younge Knives
All these bands have simular things in common, all un manufactured, organic, genuine and raw, what you would expect from a british independant label. Transgressive Records Predominantly sighns indie bands, and those other bands as well as the ones I have talked about are simular in many ways to the Flashguns, particually their organic/indie/raw feel.
Editing developing the concept
We have decided to emphasize the band in an organic way because there is no real narrative, but by emphasizing the space and the lighting around the band we can still make the video look intreguing, as the band will look more like a raw, live preformance kind of band as opposed to a manufactured over produced and over manipulated commercial artist.
Editing Storyboard within FCP
We have been editing for two days now and it is proving to be quite slow and repetative work, but at the same time is is coming together well and once finished it will give us a good insight as to how our video might end up looking like. We are nearly done and we will be able to determine what shots work best and when they work well.
Storyboarding- SHooting
We have now finished filming the story board and have begun piecing it together on Final Cut Pro with our track.
Storyboarding
We have written down discriptions of the shots we are using and now we are drawing them in. We have thaught up as many interesting shot angles we can, and as soon as we have drawn them all otu we will shoot them.
Props
As our idea is just performence with no narrative and the only efect is lighting, out props list only consists of the essentuals like guitars, drumkit and lights. The band are bringing their own cloths and possibly instrements. The school will provide the cameras, most of the lighting and the rest of the lighting is being hired in.
Studio Layour plans
We have now devided on our theme of the extreme lighting so we have started to map out the lighting olan which is relitively complex, we have drawn the wide shot and are begginning to think about the performence layout
The Timeline
We have started to organize our timeline and mapping out all the important events/changes in the song. We are drawing it all out on a long piece of paper and this is helping us get familier with the song, we will soon know exactly what is happening and when it is happening throughout the tune.
The Band, Record Label and Target Audience
Bells at midnight by Flashguns. We chose this song for its clearly defined beat and structure which will make shot cuts easier to manipulate. The lead singer of the band is Jim's brother, so the band will be easier to work with and they allready have a semi established star image. They are sighned to an independant British record label called Transgressive.
Transgressive Records are an independent record label. Acts on the label include: The Foals, Mystery Jets and Graham Coxon. This independent label is the sort of label which would be likely to sign a band like Flashguns. We will be targeting the same target audience as these bands.
Transgressive are a label which sign small acts who might not necessarily get found without their help. This is from a mission statement made by Tim Dellow and Toby L the founders of Transgressive.
TARGET AUDIENCE
We are lucky to be using a band one of the group know. I used the bands Myspace in order to look at their contacts to see what age group would support, follow and buy the band’s songs and videos The main audience ranges from 13-30 but most are around 18-25. You need to be 18 or over to see a gig at a lot of the venues which the band play at. However there are some 15 and 16 plus concerts which the band play with an organization named All-Agis.
Distribution via the web has helped young fans to download the bands tracks. I Tunes has played a big part in this due to its ease to use. The flashguns has a lot of female fans because their songs are about personal emotional issues.
INSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND
The bands name is Flashguns. Originating from London and Brighton have just finished their gap year which was spent playing gigs, various festivals, recording and picking up attention from various record labels, the likes of Columbia, Universal Studios, XL, Tramp Records and Geffen, however they remain unsigned. They are managed by September management.
They have just recently released a four track E.P. named 'Matching Parts, Similar Hearts', the main track 'I Dont Not Love You' received a lot of radio play with radio 1 DJ Steve Lamaque, Scott Mills, Huw Stevens and Nick Grimshaw. Previous to this E.P. they have released two singles named 'Locarno', and 'Time House Blues'.
They have been a band for around two years now, they formed at public school. The guitarist and the drummer had been playing in bands together for around three years. There influences include bands like The Smiths, The Cure, Weezer, Nirvana, The Killers, Biffy Clyro, Radiohead, Deftones and many more.
Their edgy, poppy sound attracts an audience from the ages of 12-40. They have previously toured with Jamie T, and are currently on the Bombay Bicycle Club tour, and have played the likes of Underage Festival and Reading Festival.
The three peice used to be a four peice, however their keyboardist left the band only recently due to family problems and his own personal problems. This has benefitted the band as he was always known to be the member holding them back. They have introduced a backing track into their live performance to replace him, and have also added extra vocal, keyboard and guitar lines. The use of the backing track has added a great deal to their live performance.
Transgressive Records are an independent record label. Acts on the label include: The Foals, Mystery Jets and Graham Coxon. This independent label is the sort of label which would be likely to sign a band like Flashguns. We will be targeting the same target audience as these bands.
Transgressive are a label which sign small acts who might not necessarily get found without their help. This is from a mission statement made by Tim Dellow and Toby L the founders of Transgressive.
TARGET AUDIENCE
We are lucky to be using a band one of the group know. I used the bands Myspace in order to look at their contacts to see what age group would support, follow and buy the band’s songs and videos The main audience ranges from 13-30 but most are around 18-25. You need to be 18 or over to see a gig at a lot of the venues which the band play at. However there are some 15 and 16 plus concerts which the band play with an organization named All-Agis.
Distribution via the web has helped young fans to download the bands tracks. I Tunes has played a big part in this due to its ease to use. The flashguns has a lot of female fans because their songs are about personal emotional issues.
INSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND
The bands name is Flashguns. Originating from London and Brighton have just finished their gap year which was spent playing gigs, various festivals, recording and picking up attention from various record labels, the likes of Columbia, Universal Studios, XL, Tramp Records and Geffen, however they remain unsigned. They are managed by September management.
They have just recently released a four track E.P. named 'Matching Parts, Similar Hearts', the main track 'I Dont Not Love You' received a lot of radio play with radio 1 DJ Steve Lamaque, Scott Mills, Huw Stevens and Nick Grimshaw. Previous to this E.P. they have released two singles named 'Locarno', and 'Time House Blues'.
They have been a band for around two years now, they formed at public school. The guitarist and the drummer had been playing in bands together for around three years. There influences include bands like The Smiths, The Cure, Weezer, Nirvana, The Killers, Biffy Clyro, Radiohead, Deftones and many more.
Their edgy, poppy sound attracts an audience from the ages of 12-40. They have previously toured with Jamie T, and are currently on the Bombay Bicycle Club tour, and have played the likes of Underage Festival and Reading Festival.
The three peice used to be a four peice, however their keyboardist left the band only recently due to family problems and his own personal problems. This has benefitted the band as he was always known to be the member holding them back. They have introduced a backing track into their live performance to replace him, and have also added extra vocal, keyboard and guitar lines. The use of the backing track has added a great deal to their live performance.
The SOng
Bells at midnight by Flashguns. We chose this song for its clearly defined beat and structure which will make storyboarding easier and editing choices easier too.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Planning
After we had decided on our song and theme, we needed to develop our idea. We began by story boarding and working out lighting plans.
Here are some of the storyboards we used to get ideas for shots, angles etc and establish what our video might end up looking like. Because our video is only a performance based piece, it was essential for us to use as many interesting and exciting different shots to keep the audience interested.
We Filmed our story boards a JVC 1500E so that we could make a mock up of our actual music video and get an idea of what it would vaguely look like.
The most challenging task for us when developing and planning our idea was the lighting plan. We drew up a sketch of what the set would look like, and then before the day of the shoot we spent some time organizing and finalizing the set and how the lights were organized.
Here are some of the storyboards we used to get ideas for shots, angles etc and establish what our video might end up looking like. Because our video is only a performance based piece, it was essential for us to use as many interesting and exciting different shots to keep the audience interested.
We Filmed our story boards a JVC 1500E so that we could make a mock up of our actual music video and get an idea of what it would vaguely look like.
The most challenging task for us when developing and planning our idea was the lighting plan. We drew up a sketch of what the set would look like, and then before the day of the shoot we spent some time organizing and finalizing the set and how the lights were organized.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Initial Research : The Music Industry
Musical taste can be a controversial topic- almost to the point of tribalism.
It is contentious because it defines and often signifies personality and lifestyle. Musical taste is about the way you dress, speak and sometimes act.
However, all commentators agree that Music and its trends - sit at the epicentre of popular culture.
Not only to the extent that an individual can derive a sense of identity but to the extent the global community can be changed by Musical Trends
The pop video is only one strand of a often multimedia campaign.
The overview is a diagram of the contributing and sometimes, conflicting forces behind music/media creation.
The Industry is dominated by 4 transnational corporations known as ‘The Majors’
Universal
SonyBMG
Warner Bros
EMI
Most majors also own, or licence, a string of smaller subsidiary companies in order to reach different kinds of audiences in different kinds of genre. These companies are known as ‘major-independents’ Finally, there are a huge number of small companies with little or no financial connection to the majors. These companies often concentrate on a small number of artists, within specialised niches in the industry known as ‘independents’.
Most record companies organise themselves internally into several key areas:
Artists and Repertoire
Marketing/Artist Development
Promotions
Legal
Financial
The industry as a whole has a complex relationship with a number of different media and puposes. Radio, TV, Print media, Film, New Media. There is a synergy and symbiosis that helps to represent and is reshaping fans expectations, who can be a recording artist / performer and the brand image of bands and record labels.
It is contentious because it defines and often signifies personality and lifestyle. Musical taste is about the way you dress, speak and sometimes act.
However, all commentators agree that Music and its trends - sit at the epicentre of popular culture.
Not only to the extent that an individual can derive a sense of identity but to the extent the global community can be changed by Musical Trends
The pop video is only one strand of a often multimedia campaign.
The overview is a diagram of the contributing and sometimes, conflicting forces behind music/media creation.
The Industry is dominated by 4 transnational corporations known as ‘The Majors’
Universal
SonyBMG
Warner Bros
EMI
Most majors also own, or licence, a string of smaller subsidiary companies in order to reach different kinds of audiences in different kinds of genre. These companies are known as ‘major-independents’ Finally, there are a huge number of small companies with little or no financial connection to the majors. These companies often concentrate on a small number of artists, within specialised niches in the industry known as ‘independents’.
Most record companies organise themselves internally into several key areas:
Artists and Repertoire
Marketing/Artist Development
Promotions
Legal
Financial
The industry as a whole has a complex relationship with a number of different media and puposes. Radio, TV, Print media, Film, New Media. There is a synergy and symbiosis that helps to represent and is reshaping fans expectations, who can be a recording artist / performer and the brand image of bands and record labels.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A2 PROMO MUSIC VIDEO PROJECT
The Band:
Jim's Brother's band, "Flashguns" have decided to let us shoot their music video. It is a 3 piece unsighned band ho have been playing together for several years. They play indie/grunge/rock music. They have an indie kind of band image (all grey suits) which we hope to develop further for out video, and hopefully in the future they are likely to continue playing together and maybe get sighned.
They are notn sighned to a record label, but if they were it would probably be to an independant kind of label.
Audience for the band are probably 15-25 indie/rock liking people of middle class.
Jim's Brother's band, "Flashguns" have decided to let us shoot their music video. It is a 3 piece unsighned band ho have been playing together for several years. They play indie/grunge/rock music. They have an indie kind of band image (all grey suits) which we hope to develop further for out video, and hopefully in the future they are likely to continue playing together and maybe get sighned.
They are notn sighned to a record label, but if they were it would probably be to an independant kind of label.
Audience for the band are probably 15-25 indie/rock liking people of middle class.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Our Media Project- Final Evaluation
Media Project Essay
Our media project comprises the opening/title sequence of a film entitled Occult (2009) directed by Max Curnow and produced by Ella Melhuish and Holly Morley. Actors: Lucy Adams as the girl victim, me as the unidentified priest and Hugo as the father.
Primary task: Our primary task was to create a horror film opening/title sequence. It involves 3 characters within an interior set, in two different time scopes. There are flashbacks of a dead girl in the same interior as the two men, who are exchanging dialogue within a small cellar.
The piece is about a father who goes to see a priest for counselling about his daughter who we learn has been killed. The twist in the narrative is that the girl was actually killed in the same room in which they are speaking in, and that the priest is the murderer. The father is unaware of this. As the father begins to describe what happened to his daughter, a series of flashbacks appear on screen and the sequence of events leading to her murder unfold. We see short clips of the helpless tied down daughter, and flashes of her corpse covered in blood. The film concludes with the priest murdering the father. Using different types of camera shots, observed in various horror films, we tried to use the kinds of methods used by film makers used to create an atmosphere of brooding suspense. These techniques included hand held close-up’s, focussing in and out on the body, and medium shots, and in establishing wide shots we hoped to create a sense of dramatic movement within the confined room. Using the convention of the priest, as one of the male protagonists whose face is never actually seen, the idea was to develop a character who at first seems to be a person to be trusted (a conventional thaught process when looking at a priest). In using the isolated location and the cold, white-walled cellar, the plan was to further generate a feeling of menace. The religious aspect and dominant evil male contrasting with the vulnerable female victim who is seen tied up and covered with blood, brings in dark and even sexual undertones. The aim was to really emphasize the fear in the girl and the violence of the priest. This is also emphasized by introducing discordant sounds and long, dark pedal notes on the film’s soundtrack. Blood and death are main scary and shocking elements of the horror film, and we tried to exercise these notions in our sequence, hopefully to astound and intrigue a horror film audience. In films such as The Exorcist and The Omen the crucifix is used as a powerful symbol and we chose to use it also in our shoot.
Representations of social groups: We have challenged the representation of the priest in society as a good, peaceful, trustworthy and God worshipping person, and we have turned him into a mad, cold hearted killer who takes his religious views to the extreme. This we have done by concealing his identity, so that the audience is made uneasy by the unknown.
The social groups represented include the helpless, young female victim who wears a white gown to symbolise purity and innocence. The father is portrayed as an ordinary, working class dad, and this is depicted by his clothes, subliminal status and the language he uses. The priest is recognizable because of his particular dress which represents a member of a Christian organisation, and also his use of language which is religious and mostly filled with false reassurance. We never get to see his face which is an intriguing twist, and we soon find that he is a multi complex character. Listening to the characters speak we can hear them voice their emotions and even status, who is dominant and who is inferior in the conversation. The priest’s language is cold and blunt, and the father is distressed, helpless and at times, angry. The girl is full of fear, and although all we hear is heavy breathing, her physical gestures tell the audience of her restless distress and fear.
The body language used by the characters also gives us an insight as to how they are feeling. The priest acts in a supreme manner, straight backed and gliding around the room. The father’s hands are constantly fidgeting and he is hunched in his seat. The girl is distressed as she tries to free herself from the ropes that bind her. The stereotypes we have used could include the helpless young pure female, the serene priest and the concerned father. Shooting using close ups and medium shots so that we can see all of the characters reactions and facial expressions means that we can fully acknowledge and experience the character’s personalities and even their thoughts. We constructed the characters so that we had an evil villain and two victims. The audience is made uneasy from the beginning because of the lack of the priest’s identity, so we do not know his true intentions, which unbalances what could have been a balanced equilibrium. As the two innocent characters are killed off so quickly in this first sequence, we need to find out as much as we can about them before they are killed, in order to acknowledge the situation. The priest however is still a mystery, so the audience is drawn in by the unknown.
The sort of media institution that might distribute our media project would probably be mid budget companies. Arrow films for example would be a good distribution deal because of their wide selection of medium budget horror they have distributed. Financially the film would be medium expensive, nothing too extreme. The cast could include well known actors but nothing too huge, not at a Hollywood scale for example. The location too does not have to be too elaborate, i.e. no huge built sets, and no need for computer generated locations. Expertise for fine editing, special effects and set design (and more) will also be needed, again no one too high end though.Marketing would be standard mainstream like posters, TV trailers, sponsorships, merchandise etc. This would include advertising, press releases, cast interviews too. For these marketing aims, more expertise may be needed.If we wanted to change our Media Product into a mainstream category we could increase our budget, hire very high end actors and really professional well known expertise, use special locations and sets, marketing would be extended, possible viral marketing and even demonstrations/ handouts. European or even worldwide distribution is probably to be encouraged, as a wider audience means higher revenue.
Audience for our Media product: The certificate for our film would be BFI 18 or 15 because is probably too graphic and shocking for a younger watcher. 15 would be a preferable certificate so that younger people could watch the film, meaning a wider audience. Cinema release would be good at a 15 certificate but for DVD sales it could be raised to 18 as a director’s cut could attract more audience to the product. Standard marketing would be used as it is medium budget, such as soundtracks and competitions. Viral marketing is probably less appealing for this film, but tag lines and title images could be used beneficially.I have learnt a lot about the technology side of media during the making of our project. I feel I have become accustomed to using hardware like operating the camera correctly, setting up the tripod for filming, how to do position lighting and what shade/intensity of light to use and how to capture sound correctly, compressing the sounds and positioning. Editing too has been very useful, if not a bit difficult to get the hang of at first.
Software: Editing the recording.Shot logging: Learning to organize and piece together our project within final cut pro took some time to getting used to, but I believe that we all successfully managed to get to grips with the program. Bin construction and choosing the shots we were going to use took a lot of time, but soon we had all our clips organized by plotting in and out points, and using the razor tool to cut up the shots and modify the length of our sequences. After this we could start piecing them together and dragging/dropping them into the timeline.We used effects like making the shots opaque on top of each other, and linking shots whenever the priest walks in front of the camera, to go into shots of the dead girl. Synchronizing the audio with the video was a strenuous task but we managed to link the dialogue with the images well. We used dissolve effects between shots to make the changes smoother, and after we had pieced together the sequence and its audio, it was time to add the soundtrack.Soundtrack:I used Cubase SX3 to construct the horror soundtrack. I used dark intimidating sounds and long dark synthesized pedal notes to create an intimidating atmosphere, and some hard hitting distorted drums at the end killing sequence to represent this unbalance of the equilibrium, and add a whole new level of intensity. I used several channels for all of the sounds I used within hypersonic, and mixed it so that during the dialogue there were simple, low level and deep pedal notes in the background, but in the strangulation scene the dialogue cuts out and the music becomes relentless and brutal.
I feel I have learnt a lot about the organization skills needed when completing a project like this. I learnt about how valuable our time was on the shoot day, and how we must work to get the most out of the time and shots that we had. Working as a team was a useful experience, as we all had to work together and share ideas in order to create a good piece. Planning and developing the piece meant we all had to contribute evenly to make sure that we were all set for a good shoot. Writing up the script, contracts, story board and treatments was also a team effort, so we assigned each other different jobs in order to get the work done. The producer drew up the storyboards, I wrote up the script/treatment and the Co Producer organized company formation, and contract formation. We used the blog to log all of our progress with our media project and exchange thoughts over the network.
The shoot day went as planned, and we discovered the reality of a shoot behind the scenes. It was an interesting environment to work in, and we all learnt about using our time preciously. I was quite nervous about getting things right and making sure I didn’t mess up, so at times it was quite stressful, especially when I slipped up with my organization or timing when I was acting as the priest, but I learnt to recover from these situations and restore good feelings and energy within the group.The experience gave me an insight as to what it must be like working within the film industry, and it was hard work! Keeping up with a professional standard must be very tiresome, but I think we all got a taste of what it must be like to work in that environment.If I could go back and change things about our product I would probably organize my time better and spend more time analyzing and thinking about what to do on the shoot day in more detail. However I feel like this experience has been very beneficial to me and my group members, and I am looking forward to the next project I will work on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EstYr-AFuK4&feature=channel_page
rubymcowan (1 week ago)
I thought the lighting in this opening sequence was very effective especially the high contrasts created in the scene with the priest. In addition the cut-aways to the dead girl creating a sort of anxiety amongst the viewer; and obviously draws them in. I believe the target audience for this is around 15-18 and upwards due to the graphic images.
Exactly the response we were hoping to achieve from our audience
Anonynous
I really like how the title sequence is presented throughout the whole piece. I thought this was a good opening sequence with the very amazing shots using the effects of shadows from the use of lighting. The make up of Lucy is very effective as well.
Also what we were aiming for, so far we are provoking the correct reactions from the audience.
katywebb7 (1 week ago)
This sequence is very well put together. The contrast in colour palettes, of the priest who is shown in darkness and the dead victim who is shown in bright light was very effective. The shadow of the priest implies that he is hiding something, which is slowly revealed through, the effective cuts to shots of the victim, in between the priest talking
28katieread (3 days ago)
i though the lighting was very effective and the casting was also really good. the music at the end was really well used but the credits, apart from the final one, were not very clear.
Good constructive criticism, now I know how we could have improved the sequence for the viewer by having clearer credits, so I will know we will not make the same mistake again
hurtwoodhousemedia (3 days ago)
I really liked the use if shadows especially in the opening. Also the contrasting colours between the priest and the dead girl was really good.
We aimed the colours to represent subliminal intentions of the character, so the dark priest dressed in black and the innocent pure girl in white.
I think that looking at the comments we got, we managed to satisfy the intended audience. There was some useful feedback which we could use constructively for improving the piece next time, for instance making sure the credits are clear. The comments made appreciated some of the techniques and shots we wanted to achieve, so it felt good that we had got our shots right.
Our media project comprises the opening/title sequence of a film entitled Occult (2009) directed by Max Curnow and produced by Ella Melhuish and Holly Morley. Actors: Lucy Adams as the girl victim, me as the unidentified priest and Hugo as the father.
Primary task: Our primary task was to create a horror film opening/title sequence. It involves 3 characters within an interior set, in two different time scopes. There are flashbacks of a dead girl in the same interior as the two men, who are exchanging dialogue within a small cellar.
The piece is about a father who goes to see a priest for counselling about his daughter who we learn has been killed. The twist in the narrative is that the girl was actually killed in the same room in which they are speaking in, and that the priest is the murderer. The father is unaware of this. As the father begins to describe what happened to his daughter, a series of flashbacks appear on screen and the sequence of events leading to her murder unfold. We see short clips of the helpless tied down daughter, and flashes of her corpse covered in blood. The film concludes with the priest murdering the father. Using different types of camera shots, observed in various horror films, we tried to use the kinds of methods used by film makers used to create an atmosphere of brooding suspense. These techniques included hand held close-up’s, focussing in and out on the body, and medium shots, and in establishing wide shots we hoped to create a sense of dramatic movement within the confined room. Using the convention of the priest, as one of the male protagonists whose face is never actually seen, the idea was to develop a character who at first seems to be a person to be trusted (a conventional thaught process when looking at a priest). In using the isolated location and the cold, white-walled cellar, the plan was to further generate a feeling of menace. The religious aspect and dominant evil male contrasting with the vulnerable female victim who is seen tied up and covered with blood, brings in dark and even sexual undertones. The aim was to really emphasize the fear in the girl and the violence of the priest. This is also emphasized by introducing discordant sounds and long, dark pedal notes on the film’s soundtrack. Blood and death are main scary and shocking elements of the horror film, and we tried to exercise these notions in our sequence, hopefully to astound and intrigue a horror film audience. In films such as The Exorcist and The Omen the crucifix is used as a powerful symbol and we chose to use it also in our shoot.
Representations of social groups: We have challenged the representation of the priest in society as a good, peaceful, trustworthy and God worshipping person, and we have turned him into a mad, cold hearted killer who takes his religious views to the extreme. This we have done by concealing his identity, so that the audience is made uneasy by the unknown.
The social groups represented include the helpless, young female victim who wears a white gown to symbolise purity and innocence. The father is portrayed as an ordinary, working class dad, and this is depicted by his clothes, subliminal status and the language he uses. The priest is recognizable because of his particular dress which represents a member of a Christian organisation, and also his use of language which is religious and mostly filled with false reassurance. We never get to see his face which is an intriguing twist, and we soon find that he is a multi complex character. Listening to the characters speak we can hear them voice their emotions and even status, who is dominant and who is inferior in the conversation. The priest’s language is cold and blunt, and the father is distressed, helpless and at times, angry. The girl is full of fear, and although all we hear is heavy breathing, her physical gestures tell the audience of her restless distress and fear.
The body language used by the characters also gives us an insight as to how they are feeling. The priest acts in a supreme manner, straight backed and gliding around the room. The father’s hands are constantly fidgeting and he is hunched in his seat. The girl is distressed as she tries to free herself from the ropes that bind her. The stereotypes we have used could include the helpless young pure female, the serene priest and the concerned father. Shooting using close ups and medium shots so that we can see all of the characters reactions and facial expressions means that we can fully acknowledge and experience the character’s personalities and even their thoughts. We constructed the characters so that we had an evil villain and two victims. The audience is made uneasy from the beginning because of the lack of the priest’s identity, so we do not know his true intentions, which unbalances what could have been a balanced equilibrium. As the two innocent characters are killed off so quickly in this first sequence, we need to find out as much as we can about them before they are killed, in order to acknowledge the situation. The priest however is still a mystery, so the audience is drawn in by the unknown.
The sort of media institution that might distribute our media project would probably be mid budget companies. Arrow films for example would be a good distribution deal because of their wide selection of medium budget horror they have distributed. Financially the film would be medium expensive, nothing too extreme. The cast could include well known actors but nothing too huge, not at a Hollywood scale for example. The location too does not have to be too elaborate, i.e. no huge built sets, and no need for computer generated locations. Expertise for fine editing, special effects and set design (and more) will also be needed, again no one too high end though.Marketing would be standard mainstream like posters, TV trailers, sponsorships, merchandise etc. This would include advertising, press releases, cast interviews too. For these marketing aims, more expertise may be needed.If we wanted to change our Media Product into a mainstream category we could increase our budget, hire very high end actors and really professional well known expertise, use special locations and sets, marketing would be extended, possible viral marketing and even demonstrations/ handouts. European or even worldwide distribution is probably to be encouraged, as a wider audience means higher revenue.
Audience for our Media product: The certificate for our film would be BFI 18 or 15 because is probably too graphic and shocking for a younger watcher. 15 would be a preferable certificate so that younger people could watch the film, meaning a wider audience. Cinema release would be good at a 15 certificate but for DVD sales it could be raised to 18 as a director’s cut could attract more audience to the product. Standard marketing would be used as it is medium budget, such as soundtracks and competitions. Viral marketing is probably less appealing for this film, but tag lines and title images could be used beneficially.I have learnt a lot about the technology side of media during the making of our project. I feel I have become accustomed to using hardware like operating the camera correctly, setting up the tripod for filming, how to do position lighting and what shade/intensity of light to use and how to capture sound correctly, compressing the sounds and positioning. Editing too has been very useful, if not a bit difficult to get the hang of at first.
Software: Editing the recording.Shot logging: Learning to organize and piece together our project within final cut pro took some time to getting used to, but I believe that we all successfully managed to get to grips with the program. Bin construction and choosing the shots we were going to use took a lot of time, but soon we had all our clips organized by plotting in and out points, and using the razor tool to cut up the shots and modify the length of our sequences. After this we could start piecing them together and dragging/dropping them into the timeline.We used effects like making the shots opaque on top of each other, and linking shots whenever the priest walks in front of the camera, to go into shots of the dead girl. Synchronizing the audio with the video was a strenuous task but we managed to link the dialogue with the images well. We used dissolve effects between shots to make the changes smoother, and after we had pieced together the sequence and its audio, it was time to add the soundtrack.Soundtrack:I used Cubase SX3 to construct the horror soundtrack. I used dark intimidating sounds and long dark synthesized pedal notes to create an intimidating atmosphere, and some hard hitting distorted drums at the end killing sequence to represent this unbalance of the equilibrium, and add a whole new level of intensity. I used several channels for all of the sounds I used within hypersonic, and mixed it so that during the dialogue there were simple, low level and deep pedal notes in the background, but in the strangulation scene the dialogue cuts out and the music becomes relentless and brutal.
I feel I have learnt a lot about the organization skills needed when completing a project like this. I learnt about how valuable our time was on the shoot day, and how we must work to get the most out of the time and shots that we had. Working as a team was a useful experience, as we all had to work together and share ideas in order to create a good piece. Planning and developing the piece meant we all had to contribute evenly to make sure that we were all set for a good shoot. Writing up the script, contracts, story board and treatments was also a team effort, so we assigned each other different jobs in order to get the work done. The producer drew up the storyboards, I wrote up the script/treatment and the Co Producer organized company formation, and contract formation. We used the blog to log all of our progress with our media project and exchange thoughts over the network.
The shoot day went as planned, and we discovered the reality of a shoot behind the scenes. It was an interesting environment to work in, and we all learnt about using our time preciously. I was quite nervous about getting things right and making sure I didn’t mess up, so at times it was quite stressful, especially when I slipped up with my organization or timing when I was acting as the priest, but I learnt to recover from these situations and restore good feelings and energy within the group.The experience gave me an insight as to what it must be like working within the film industry, and it was hard work! Keeping up with a professional standard must be very tiresome, but I think we all got a taste of what it must be like to work in that environment.If I could go back and change things about our product I would probably organize my time better and spend more time analyzing and thinking about what to do on the shoot day in more detail. However I feel like this experience has been very beneficial to me and my group members, and I am looking forward to the next project I will work on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EstYr-AFuK4&feature=channel_page
Comments on Occult via Youtube:
rubymcowan (1 week ago)
I thought the lighting in this opening sequence was very effective especially the high contrasts created in the scene with the priest. In addition the cut-aways to the dead girl creating a sort of anxiety amongst the viewer; and obviously draws them in. I believe the target audience for this is around 15-18 and upwards due to the graphic images.
Exactly the response we were hoping to achieve from our audience
Anonynous
I really like how the title sequence is presented throughout the whole piece. I thought this was a good opening sequence with the very amazing shots using the effects of shadows from the use of lighting. The make up of Lucy is very effective as well.
Also what we were aiming for, so far we are provoking the correct reactions from the audience.
katywebb7 (1 week ago)
This sequence is very well put together. The contrast in colour palettes, of the priest who is shown in darkness and the dead victim who is shown in bright light was very effective. The shadow of the priest implies that he is hiding something, which is slowly revealed through, the effective cuts to shots of the victim, in between the priest talking
28katieread (3 days ago)
i though the lighting was very effective and the casting was also really good. the music at the end was really well used but the credits, apart from the final one, were not very clear.
Good constructive criticism, now I know how we could have improved the sequence for the viewer by having clearer credits, so I will know we will not make the same mistake again
hurtwoodhousemedia (3 days ago)
I really liked the use if shadows especially in the opening. Also the contrasting colours between the priest and the dead girl was really good.
We aimed the colours to represent subliminal intentions of the character, so the dark priest dressed in black and the innocent pure girl in white.
I think that looking at the comments we got, we managed to satisfy the intended audience. There was some useful feedback which we could use constructively for improving the piece next time, for instance making sure the credits are clear. The comments made appreciated some of the techniques and shots we wanted to achieve, so it felt good that we had got our shots right.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Soundtrack
Soundtrack:I used Cubase SX3 to construct the horror soundtrack. I used dark intimidating sounds and long dark synthesized pedal notes to create an intimidating atmosphere, and some hard hitting distorted drums at the end killing sequence to represent this unbalance of the equilibrium, and add a whole new level of intensity. I used several channels for all of the sounds I used within hypersonic, and mixed it so that during the dialogue there were simple, low level and deep pedal notes in the background, but in the strangulation scene the dialogue cuts out and the music becomes relentless and brutal.
Using hardware and Software: Editing
I have learnt a lot about the technology side of media during the making of our project. I feel I have become accustomed to using hardware like operating the camera correctly, setting up the tripod for filming, how to do position lighting and what shade/intensity of light to use and how to capture sound correctly, compressing the sounds and positioning. Editing too has been very useful, if not a bit difficult to get the hang of at first.
Software: Editing the recording.Shot logging: Learning to organize and piece together our project within final cut pro took some time to getting used to, but I believe that we all successfully managed to get to grips with the program. Bin construction and choosing the shots we were going to use took a lot of time, but soon we had all our clips organized by plotting in and out points, and using the razor tool to cut up the shots and modify the length of our sequences. After this we could start piecing them together and dragging/dropping them into the timeline.We used effects like making the shots opaque on top of each other, and linking shots whenever the priest walks in front of the camera, to go into shots of the dead girl. Synchronizing the audio with the video was a strenuous task but we managed to link the dialogue with the images well. We used dissolve effects between shots to make the changes smoother, and after we had pieced together the sequence and its audio, it was time to add the soundtrack.
Software: Editing the recording.Shot logging: Learning to organize and piece together our project within final cut pro took some time to getting used to, but I believe that we all successfully managed to get to grips with the program. Bin construction and choosing the shots we were going to use took a lot of time, but soon we had all our clips organized by plotting in and out points, and using the razor tool to cut up the shots and modify the length of our sequences. After this we could start piecing them together and dragging/dropping them into the timeline.We used effects like making the shots opaque on top of each other, and linking shots whenever the priest walks in front of the camera, to go into shots of the dead girl. Synchronizing the audio with the video was a strenuous task but we managed to link the dialogue with the images well. We used dissolve effects between shots to make the changes smoother, and after we had pieced together the sequence and its audio, it was time to add the soundtrack.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Media Project
Our media project is called Occult, it is a title/opening sequence for a film about an evil priest who kills people. A man sits down in a cold empty room to talk to a Priest about how he misses his dead daughter. While they are talking we see shots of a girl tied to a bed frame, covered in blood. We later learn that it was the priest, who then kills the father.
The conventions we apply to our sequence include
vunerable female victim, played by Lucy, who is tied up and covered in blood.
Male protagonists, the priest, we never see his face.
Isolated locations, the cold white walled cellar.
Religious extremities, the priest
Discordant notes in the soundtrack, long dark low pedal notes
Sexuality, vunerable female, dominant evil male
Fear of the girl
Death of the girl
Violence from the priest.
The idea of the sequence is that the murder of the girl happened in the same room which the men are talking in. The father is unaware of this but the priest is behind the plan. We used a slayer video as inspiration, they used the idea of a normal room, flashing into another shot where it is covered in blood.
Our media project is called Occult, it is a title/opening sequence for a film about an evil priest who kills people. A man sits down in a cold empty room to talk to a Priest about how he misses his dead daughter. While they are talking we see shots of a girl tied to a bed frame, covered in blood. We later learn that it was the priest, who then kills the father.
The conventions we apply to our sequence include
vunerable female victim, played by Lucy, who is tied up and covered in blood.
Male protagonists, the priest, we never see his face.
Isolated locations, the cold white walled cellar.
Religious extremities, the priest
Discordant notes in the soundtrack, long dark low pedal notes
Sexuality, vunerable female, dominant evil male
Fear of the girl
Death of the girl
Violence from the priest.
The idea of the sequence is that the murder of the girl happened in the same room which the men are talking in. The father is unaware of this but the priest is behind the plan. We used a slayer video as inspiration, they used the idea of a normal room, flashing into another shot where it is covered in blood.
Editing
Final Cut pro is the software we use for editing on the Apple Macs. I am also usring Cubase SX3 to create a soundtrack. We gathered together all the shots we wanted to use, these included wideshots, medium, close up and extreme close ups. We logged these shots after digitisation. we Then began piecing together the sequencing continuity editing. Matching the shots is made easier by the shots we took, because the character is constantly walking accross the screen, so we can go streight to a new shot. Piecing together dialogue is quite difficult but we find our way aroudn that by splitting up audio and playing it where we need it.
Using cubase i am arranging lots of huntin sounds using low synth pedal notes and strings.
Using cubase i am arranging lots of huntin sounds using low synth pedal notes and strings.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
On the morning of our media shoot we first arranged makeup/cloths and props at school, and met Russell, our hired actor for the first time. After gathering all of our things we drove to Ewherst House and started working with our location. We got together lots of props from around the house to make the cellar look like more of a living place, using a rug, chairs, cabinets, a table and other things too. Once we had created the setting, we began filming. Matt helped us to find good shots with a good mise-en scene. They were all steady because of the tripod, so we got some clear images.
We used lots of different shot types, encluding wide shots, medium shots, close ups and extreme close ups. We only shot in the one location, but as we changed the setting so much there is contrast between shots.
We had one light used in the shoot, which did a good job of creating shadows and interesting textures and effects. We also had plenty of good natural light spilling from the window which also made the lighting very interesting. These harsh shadows gave great effects on the fathers face, having lots of influence on the mood. After shooting these dialogue scenes we re decorated the room for the murder sequence, and covered our actress in blood, and using plastic sheeting to engulf the boy and bed. This gave some interesting reflective lighting effects, the artificial light giving a sinister effect.
We used lots of different shot types, encluding wide shots, medium shots, close ups and extreme close ups. We only shot in the one location, but as we changed the setting so much there is contrast between shots.
We had one light used in the shoot, which did a good job of creating shadows and interesting textures and effects. We also had plenty of good natural light spilling from the window which also made the lighting very interesting. These harsh shadows gave great effects on the fathers face, having lots of influence on the mood. After shooting these dialogue scenes we re decorated the room for the murder sequence, and covered our actress in blood, and using plastic sheeting to engulf the boy and bed. This gave some interesting reflective lighting effects, the artificial light giving a sinister effect.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Deformed, bloody and mutilated images often intreague people to see these films.
Props Needed
White Gown
Locket
Crucifix necklaces X2
Ties
Long black robes
Blood
Pictures
Paint
Knife
Bible
Desk
Chair X2
Large holy picture (Jesus)
Rug
Lamp- biology lab
Books – library
Arm chair – hurtwood
Bed frame – peaslake?
Hole punch and stapler – hurtwood
Responsibilities
Max
Crucifix necklaces X2
Long black robes X2
Pens (pen pot)
Ella
White gown
Ties
Locket
Organising book
Holly
Bible
Collar
plant
White Gown
Locket
Crucifix necklaces X2
Ties
Long black robes
Blood
Pictures
Paint
Knife
Bible
Desk
Chair X2
Large holy picture (Jesus)
Rug
Lamp- biology lab
Books – library
Arm chair – hurtwood
Bed frame – peaslake?
Hole punch and stapler – hurtwood
Responsibilities
Max
Crucifix necklaces X2
Long black robes X2
Pens (pen pot)
Ella
White gown
Ties
Locket
Organising book
Holly
Bible
Collar
plant
Friday, January 9, 2009
Chemical Productions
Co director: Ella
Producer: Holly
Director: Max
Newly revised script and concept.
Occult
Establishing shot: an old church with a graveyard. The priest shows a grieving father into his office. He shuts the door and offers the father a seat. He’s trying to console the father who has obviously come here for forgiveness.
Priest
I am so sorry for your loss,
You came to the right place for forgiveness
Father
Thank you father
My beautiful girl, why did it have to happen to her?
The priest looks at the father’s hands, which are holding tight onto a locket without the chain, his knuckles are white. (Flashback occurs in the same room except in this flashback the room is white and there is a bed covered in blood. The room is empty apart from a simplistic bed frame and a swinging light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The floors and walls are covered in plastic which is drenched in the same blood that’s on the bed. We zoom onto the same locket the father was holding, placed on the bed, lying in the blood.)
Priest
It is unfortunate
But god will accept those with willing hands
While priest is talking a Tear trickles down the fathers face as he remembers his daughter.
(At the same time, there is a drop of blood on part of the plastic covering the wall. At the same pace, the blood and tear drop at the same time.
The girl suddenly opens her eyes. She is gasping and looking round frantically. She is obviously distressed. She is in the same room that we just saw but it is not covered in blood but is still covered in the plastic. All she can see is a bare swinging light bulb and the only door.)
Father,
Who could do this to her? I don’t understand, the police found her with marks on her arms. (Exasperated)
She was tied down
(He begins to sob)
Flashbacks of the daughters darting eyes as she realises she is tied down. She tugs at the ties and panics as she knows they wont come loose, and wont be able to escape. Suddenly the door slowly opens. Two men enter the room wearing long dark robes. The girl cannot make out any of their features apart from the gold necklaces hanging around their necks. They start to advance.
Back to father;
Father
(exasperated)
She was having an affair with a married man, this is the only thing I can think of, but I had no idea it would escalate to this. If only I had said something. IF only I had stopped it.
Priest
Things were not in your hands
The father stops and opens the locket, inside there is a picture of a girl and a man. We recognize the girl from the flashbacks as the man’s daughter. We don’t recognize the man.
Father
Its not a coincidence that they were both murdered….
Shot of a dead man on the ground, we recognize him from the picture in the locket. He is lying on a patch of grass, his body is wonky and is covered in blood. On his arm is writing etched into his skin: “SINNER”
Father
What kind of people could do this?
Flashback to the girl in the room: Close ups of her panic and breathing to emphasize her terror, she opens her mouth to scream but nothing comes out, as the men start to get closer all you can see are their silhouettes. One of the men stands next to her, lifting his arm, the girl screams.
Flash to Priest in confession box in the church. In the background you can hear the screams of the girl as she is obviously being murdered as this is happening. He has blood on his hands.
Priest
Forgive me father, for I have sinned”
The screams suddenly stop.
There is a flash back to the white room covered in blood with the girl’s dead body on the bed, her arm is hanging off the edge, blood dripping off her hand. The light bulb is swinging.
Back to father and priest in office;
Priest
Till death do they part, thou shall not commit adultery, those are the words of our father
Father
But she didn’t deserve this, it was nothing…
Priest
Nothing…..?
The priest suddenly looks at the father, disbelief in his eyes that the father has said this.
The priest turns away, in thought. Something catches the father’s eye under the priest’s desk: he picks it up and realises it’s the chain which the locket belongs to. Suddenly the father realises the priest has something to do with his daughter’s death. He turns around but the priest is right next to him;
Priest
It is the duty of the disciples to intervene
Forgive me Father…
The priest hits the father over the head with a blunt object in his hand. The father hits the ground and is knocked out. There’s a close up of the fathers face as the priest drags him off by his feet.
THE END
Producer: Holly
Director: Max
Newly revised script and concept.
Occult
Establishing shot: an old church with a graveyard. The priest shows a grieving father into his office. He shuts the door and offers the father a seat. He’s trying to console the father who has obviously come here for forgiveness.
Priest
I am so sorry for your loss,
You came to the right place for forgiveness
Father
Thank you father
My beautiful girl, why did it have to happen to her?
The priest looks at the father’s hands, which are holding tight onto a locket without the chain, his knuckles are white. (Flashback occurs in the same room except in this flashback the room is white and there is a bed covered in blood. The room is empty apart from a simplistic bed frame and a swinging light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The floors and walls are covered in plastic which is drenched in the same blood that’s on the bed. We zoom onto the same locket the father was holding, placed on the bed, lying in the blood.)
Priest
It is unfortunate
But god will accept those with willing hands
While priest is talking a Tear trickles down the fathers face as he remembers his daughter.
(At the same time, there is a drop of blood on part of the plastic covering the wall. At the same pace, the blood and tear drop at the same time.
The girl suddenly opens her eyes. She is gasping and looking round frantically. She is obviously distressed. She is in the same room that we just saw but it is not covered in blood but is still covered in the plastic. All she can see is a bare swinging light bulb and the only door.)
Father,
Who could do this to her? I don’t understand, the police found her with marks on her arms. (Exasperated)
She was tied down
(He begins to sob)
Flashbacks of the daughters darting eyes as she realises she is tied down. She tugs at the ties and panics as she knows they wont come loose, and wont be able to escape. Suddenly the door slowly opens. Two men enter the room wearing long dark robes. The girl cannot make out any of their features apart from the gold necklaces hanging around their necks. They start to advance.
Back to father;
Father
(exasperated)
She was having an affair with a married man, this is the only thing I can think of, but I had no idea it would escalate to this. If only I had said something. IF only I had stopped it.
Priest
Things were not in your hands
The father stops and opens the locket, inside there is a picture of a girl and a man. We recognize the girl from the flashbacks as the man’s daughter. We don’t recognize the man.
Father
Its not a coincidence that they were both murdered….
Shot of a dead man on the ground, we recognize him from the picture in the locket. He is lying on a patch of grass, his body is wonky and is covered in blood. On his arm is writing etched into his skin: “SINNER”
Father
What kind of people could do this?
Flashback to the girl in the room: Close ups of her panic and breathing to emphasize her terror, she opens her mouth to scream but nothing comes out, as the men start to get closer all you can see are their silhouettes. One of the men stands next to her, lifting his arm, the girl screams.
Flash to Priest in confession box in the church. In the background you can hear the screams of the girl as she is obviously being murdered as this is happening. He has blood on his hands.
Priest
Forgive me father, for I have sinned”
The screams suddenly stop.
There is a flash back to the white room covered in blood with the girl’s dead body on the bed, her arm is hanging off the edge, blood dripping off her hand. The light bulb is swinging.
Back to father and priest in office;
Priest
Till death do they part, thou shall not commit adultery, those are the words of our father
Father
But she didn’t deserve this, it was nothing…
Priest
Nothing…..?
The priest suddenly looks at the father, disbelief in his eyes that the father has said this.
The priest turns away, in thought. Something catches the father’s eye under the priest’s desk: he picks it up and realises it’s the chain which the locket belongs to. Suddenly the father realises the priest has something to do with his daughter’s death. He turns around but the priest is right next to him;
Priest
It is the duty of the disciples to intervene
Forgive me Father…
The priest hits the father over the head with a blunt object in his hand. The father hits the ground and is knocked out. There’s a close up of the fathers face as the priest drags him off by his feet.
THE END
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