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

I learnt that its important to have the right kind of non diegetic sound to match the genre and style of the video. Originally I tried using this music in the video above in the first video. However I thought that this didn't match the genre of drama and adventure, and it just didn't go with the video. So I went onto the internet and searched for more music, and most of it was very disappointing. Eventually I came across the track that I used on my final video.  I thought that this was more generic of a film opening and the genres of my film, also it suited the character and gave off the satire tone that I was trying to show through my film. In my preliminary task I didn't add any music because it didn't suit the film and would have given off the wrong genre of the film. However it was too empty without the music and it would have improved it to have music in the background. Therefore I have improved by ensuring that I have used the right type of music in my final film, so that it conveys the right emotions and feeling for the film.

I also learnt that its important to film as much footage as you can. Despite filming the reverse tracking shot 7 times, when it came to editing I still wasn't satisfied with the footage I had. The only problem was, I had to stick with the footage I got because the person who played the role of the main character had already decided to dye her hair, meaning that I couldn't film the footage again. This taught me a valuable lesson in always filming enough footage, ensuring that you can produce the best product possible. I did film more footage than what I had used in the preliminary task, as on some of the shots I had to cut it short and it cut off the speech too quickly, and I didn't have any other footage to correct this error with.

In the preliminary task I didn't stick to the 180 degree rule when filming, as I didn't understand it properly and I thought that it would still apply as long as I filmed over someone's shoulder. In my final film, I defiantly stuck to the 180 degree rule, as each time I filmed I made sure that I stayed on one side of the character so that I didn't break the rule. Also in most of my shots, I only had one location for the character as I wanted the film to be short and snappy. This ensured that I stuck to the 180 degree rule.

In my final product I used shot reverse shot to show the tension between the main characters and the other characters in the scene. In the preliminary task  I only used shot reverse shot to swap between when the characters were speaking. However in the opening of my film I wanted to show how the characters were getting closer to one another and the hate between them was building up. From this I have learn't that I can use shot reverse shot in different ways other than just showing when one characters speaking. I can now use it to show characters reactions to one another when in their presence.

I didn't use any match on action in my film because I wanted it to be snappy and quick so that I could fit in all of the footage, and show the main characters mundane life. Therefore I haven't progressed in any match on action since the preliminary task. I could have  used match on action when the main character steals the money and walks out of the house, however this would have made the shot unnecessarily long  and boring to watch. Match on action isn't always good to use if you are on a time limit.

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

This is a picture of me with all of the equipment I used to film and edit the film opening I produced.

The small tripod I used for the low angles, which was useful to be able to get a stable shot from a low angle where I needed to move away from the camera. For example when the main character came down the stairs, she needed to step over the camera in order to make the shot successful. Therefore the small tripod was useful for supporting the camera when I wasn't able to hold it.

I used the normal size tripod to film the shots that were in the house so that I could get stable shots. Also I used the tripod when panning on some footage I didn't use so that it wasn't shaky. For some of the outside shots I didn't use the tripod because of the lack of space in the area I was filming in. It was difficult to use the tripod when I was filming shots where I didn't have space for the tripod. For example when I was filming the first shot of the alarm clock, I couldn't use the tripod because the bed was in the way. Therefore I have learnt that I should always clear space, so that the tripod can stand.

On the screen of the laptop, you can see that I am using my video editing program Photoshop Premiere elements 11. I learnt that choosing the right part of the shot was important, because if the footage wasn't cut in the right place then it could make the film look bad. For example at the beginning of the footage the camera might have jolted slightly, therefore it's important to cut this out of the film. Also I learnt how to make the text disappear behind the character, it was a long process of adding text and making sure that it was in the same place as the rest of the text and then deleting part of it each time so that it would look like the text is disappearing behind the character.  

I also used this piece of equipment which is used for carrying things. I transformed this into a dolly of some sort by connecting the tripod to it and making sure that it was secure. From using this piece of equipment I have learnt that you can use anything to create a dolly if you want to. Also I learnt that you have to be careful when using the dolly because you might not reverse in a straight line when concentrating on what your filming. Also if I were to film this again I would maybe attach some string to it so that I could keep the dolly at a steady level, instead of letting it rock up and down.

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

I have added annotations to the opening of my film to show how my film links to openings of similar films and also to reflect on genre conventions, use of music and the selling points of my film. Please turn on the annotations to see the evaluation.

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

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

Evaluation 2-How does your media product represent a particular social group?

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

One of the genre's of my film are adventure, therefore by showing the main character walking through a forest with a bag on her shoulder, shows that she's going on an adventure, and that adventure will be the base of the genre. This is typical of an adventure film because it shows the character on a journey to somewhere new, and discovering new things. The setting is unknown to the audience as they haven't been introduced to it and therefore they will expect the character to explore it more later on within the film. This challenges the conventions of a film opening, because usually the film won't delve straight into a character going exploring different locations. However because my film is fast pace, the character is constantly changing it's surroundings and the audience can see that the opening of the film is explaining the context of the character before the main of the film begins.

The inter titles on my film are aimed towards a teenage audience. I have used two main colours, white and blue. I have used these because they are visible in all of the film, also they're not a dramatic colour, developing the genre of adventure and drama. I decided to choose font that looks like writing so that it would appeal to teenage audiences, as the older teenagers and young adults are my target audience. The text however is still simplistic, developing the genre of drama because it shows that it's going to have a realistic narrative, and isn't going to have lots of special effects and CGI. I edited it so that when the main character walks past the actors name, it disappears when she comes into contact with it. This shows that the character is that actor and is the main character of the entire film. The inter titles conform to the conventions of a real film because an audience will expect to see the titles do different things, other than just fade in and out. It also shows that the film has taken time to produce, and time and care has been put into it, which would be expected from an actual film opening. In a film where the main character is on a journey, it is expected for them to interact with the inter-titles as the audience can then see that the film is going to be about them.

The main characters costume is a typical teenage outfit. The clothes are dark colour showing that the characters general mood is down, also it shows that the character wants to blend into the background and wants to go un-noticed on her journey. This develops the genre of drama, as the main character wants to avoid people recognising her, therefore the audience can tell that the girl has gone through events in her life that have been big and have made her want to be a different person, and leave her home.  The coat and the beanie show that the character is prepared for different types of weather and is therefore going on an adventure. The bag shows that she is prepared herself for a long journey, suggesting that the film will be based on the genre of drama and adventure.

I have chosen to choose the same font for the main title as the font I have used for the inter-titles. I chose to do this so that the fonts don't confuse the audience by changing. Also I didn't want to change to a font that would suddenly become dramatic and make the film look like it was of the genre action. I changed the colour of the font so that it stood out from the inter-titles, defining it's self as the main title. Also I needed a colour that stood out from the colours on the screen.However the colour pink does challenge the genre of adventure, as usually on an adventure film the colour would be bolder and proud. Whereas the colour and font of this title is quite weak, reflecting the characters personality and the upcoming narrative. It conforms more to the genre of drama because it's basic, showing that its going to be about a realistic story. Therefore the pink stands out from rest of the colours on the film. I chose to place the title to the side of the girl because it makes it look like the girl is looking the other way ignoring the title, almost as if she is ignoring the fact that she is running away from everything. I think the title challenges the conventions of a real film opening because usually the title will be big, grand and it will be positioned in the centre of the screen to show off the title of the film. Also the title will usually be bolder so that it makes the audience focus on the title. However I wanted my film to make the audience focus on the title, but more importantly on the girl, so that they can get involved with the character and start to think about what the rest of the film may be about.

I have placed my titles in the centre of the screen, interacting with the footage. I think this is typical of a film opening because especially when presenting the production companies involved with the films, they are displayed as the main focus on the screen. Even though there are other things going on in the footage, the main focus is drawn to the inter-titles, in the mundane task of making coffee. The two colours of the font are typical of a film because it outlines the important name in this frame. The production company would want the audience to know that they are involved, and therefore would want to be placed in the centre frame, and the colours help the audience to take extra notice of the title.

I have tried to use many different camera angles to make the film visually appealing. This is conventional of a film opening because the produces would want to use different camera angles to impress and engage their target audience, in order to make them watch the rest of the film. I have used a low angle here to put focus on the characters shoes, showing what type of character they are and also to show that they are going on a journey. Depending on the type of genre of film, this could challenge the conventions of an opening of a film. For example, in a drama, the face of the character is required more to show their emotions, however in an adventure a low angle is expected to show different details of a character.

I have used special effects in the beginning of my film by speeding up the footage to show a shift in time of the characters journey. This is conventional of a film opening because the film needs to appeal to the audience by showing off the many skills that will be displayed throughout the film. Therefore the audience will be engaged to watch the rest of the film to see what interesting ways the footage will be displayed.

I have introduced my character by showing their settings, which in my main characters case, is their bedroom. The audience can see that the character is un-organised from the cluttered side table, as well as the alarm going off slightly later than what is expected for people to get ready and out the house in time for school. The character looks panicked when waking up, showing that they are unprepared and have let them self down from being un-able to wake up the correct time. This is very typical of a film opening, as it shows the characters daily routine, and what they encounter on a daily basis. It also gives background information on the character that the audience should know. The side characters are introduced briefly to show that they are a part in the main characters life, and influence their decision. I have used a slightly darker filter on the side characters, who bully the main character, this shows that the main character doesn't like them, and that they have a bad influence on her life. This is conventional of a film because it introduces the key characters, but focuses more on the main character as the narrative will be based around them.

I have shown the daily routine of the main character to introduce the audience to the life that the character leads. This is conventional of a film opening because it gives background information on the main character, and allows the audience to become comfortable with them. Also it shows how their daily routine will influence the decisions that they make in the rest of the film. I have shown how my character get to school late, and gets bullied. When they get home they are faced with many chores. This shows the loop of the characters life, and shows how they are unhappy with the way that they are living, allowing the audience to understand the personality and struggles of the character. Therefore the audience will know that the character is fed up and wants to live a different league of life. Many openings are shown like this to start of the journey of the main character, giving the background information on their life, and showing how they live their life in a mundane way everyday. The audience will then be expecting the character to live a completely different life and experience different things throughout the film.

Final Film, opening two minutes of "On The Run"

Please turn off the annotations to be able to watch my final film and turn them back on for evaluation five, thank you.

Diary of Editing 25th February

When editing this time I payed more attention to the music. When the music fades out to the black I wanted to create an echo sound that gets louder at the end. I could make the sound haver re-verb as one of the effects on premier elements, but couldn't fade out the music whilst making it louder at the end because it would sound jumpy and choppy which is not the effect I wanted to achieve. I slowed down the same music after the blackout to show a difference in the girl and what her ambitions are. The music has a dreary tone to it and it emphasises the bass notes. The slow music seems like it should have been used at some points before the blackout. However I'm not sure if I like the music that I've chosen for my film, therefore I have experimented with different music tracks. I have chosen to see what the other  soundtracks sounded like by using the ones from my previous sound research and planning task. The second sound track matched the film a lot better, however it goes against my idea of having contrasting non diegetic music to give the film a satire tone. I also used the time frame tool to speed up the bus part, I sped it up from 100% up to something like 600% to be able to

condense it down to eight seconds. I've also started to look at different transitions that I could use, however a lot of them are way too dramatic and give off the wrong effect on the opening sequence as a whole. The type of transition that would look best is one that slightly blurs between scenes to represent how the girls life is a blur and she doesn't really feel like everything is going well.

Diary of Editing-17th February

This time when I was editing I refined a few things so that the film plays smoother. I did this by cutting out parts of seconds that cut out where the camera jogs slightly. Some of the footage I have made longer than planned, however if it goes over the time that I had originally planned for the film to be, I can easily cut some unneeded parts out. Also I have started to experiment with filters,

however I can't find any that I like yet, I may have to just keep with very simple transitions or not use them at all. In my editing diary post before, I talked about saving filters as presets; I found out I can't do this, but I can save other things that are unneeded as presets which is frustrating. I will just have to work around this and make the filter match the shot. I am still unsatisfied with the filters that I have put on the footage so far, I want it to look brighter, but I want it to still look professional without the filters flickering, which I don't want on my film. I want the filters to create a sarcastic satire tone to
the film, so that the audience know that the girl is having a bad time. I have started to look at how I can edit the sound to match the film. Some of it I have slowed down for the second day when the girl wakes up and leaves home. I have discovered a new tool that helps me to edit the sound on my editor, therefore I will be experimenting with that, to get the best outcome of sound possible. I am going to try and make the sound have reverb so that it resembles how the girl is sad and is unsure what to do, whilst leaving everything behind.

Diary of Editing- 5th February

This is the second draft of my film edited. I have edited roughly edited half of it, I still need to cut some parts of it shorter where the camera jogs so I can get smooth pieces of film together. Also I have decided that when the girl wakes up I'm going to put darker filters on the part where she runs away. I made the music slower and decided not to maintain the audio pitch so that it represents how the girl's life is mundane and she hates the situation that she's in. I still need to continue to put filters on the film so that I can maintain the effect I want to show.  Also I need to add the working title sequence at the beginning of the film.

Diary of Editing- 1st February

I started to edit my film today. I had to make the timeline of the tracks really big, so that I could see everything by seconds, this allowed me to time things specifically and get the footage equally snappy.

I've tried out some pre-set filters on the film to make it look brighter and clearer, however there aren't any that I like, therefore I'm going to have to manually create a filter that I think works with the images to make them look brighter, I will have to find out a way of saving the filter I'm making, or I will have to manually create the filter each time.


Some of the shots weren't working as I planned, therefore I have cut the shots to show the girl walking up the bully, and then it cutting to the bullies. It then goes back and forth creating tension and a comical approach to it. This was more affective than showing the girl walk towards the bullies and then just cutting to the bullies, as it doesn't express the tension and hatred between the characters.

I plan to put a darker filter on the bullies to make them look more menacing, and to resemble their characters more.

Filming diary part 3- Saturday 31st January

Today I filmed the inside shots inside of my house. The bedroom I used to film in was my sister old bedroom, therefore I had to make it look like a teenage bedroom again, I put posters up on the walls including photo's to make it look like a sixteen year old's bedroom. It's also used as a music room, so I had to move all of the amplifiers out of the way. In a way this helped me keep to the 180 degree rule as I shifted all of the equipment to one side, therefore I could focus on keeping on one side of the room, so that the audience wouldn't become confused when viewing the film. The shot where the girl wakes up was interesting, because as you could see I had to put the tripod on the bed with Rosie, so that I could get the camera right above her head to achieve that eye level mid shot.

Some shots I could only film once or twice because Rosie has a lack of energy from being ill,

therefore I had to make sure that filmed the shots as perfectly as I could. For example when she ran down the stairs, I could only film that once, to ensure that she had enough energy to be able to act in the rest of my filming. When she was putting on her socks, it was a difficult shot to film because I had to get the framing right so that I could swap from a close up to an extreme close up to achieve the shot that I wanted. Also she could have fallen down at any point because I wanted her feet to be on the floor for the shot so that it didn't cause any confusion when watching it, if her feet were against the bed sheet. Therefore this was another shot that I only filmed once or twice. Some of the shots I can film again in my own spare time, for example I have to film, the clock again because it was shaky from holding the camera. When I film it again, I will have to film it on a tripod and get it at the right position, taking into consideration the amount of space I have in the room. This will make the shots at the beginning of the film, snappy and effective as it will enhance how quickly everything is moving. Also I would like to film the shot where the bed is being made, so that I can perfect the duvet flip, I may have to put the shot in slow motion so that I can achieve the shot that I want to create.

Throughout the film I had to make sure I had the same lighting in all of the scenes, I had to ensure that I used the same lighting from day to day to make it look like it was the same day and setting. Also I had to consider what the lightning looked like when I was filming. For example when I had some of the lights turned off, when Rosie walked towards the front door, we went from being able to see her face, to her face becoming darker and not being able to see the details on her face. I then put the lights on, that were on in all of the other scenes, and I was able to see the details of her face throughout the whole shot, which worked out better because I had the same lighting as in the rest of the film, creating a convincing setting.

Filming diary part 2- Monday 26th January

Today I filmed the inside school scenes. I put my framing lesson into practice in the shot where the girl gets bullied by people throwing paper at her. I had five people in this shot including the girl. I sat three people behind the girl and another person sat next to the girl. The person sat next to the girl wasn't really in the frame, but it gave the impression that it was a full class by showing part of the persons arm in the shot. One of the bullies had her bag on the seat next to her signifying that she didn't like people to sit next to her. When panning upwards I had to make sure that I got the girl and the bullies behind her in the shot at the same time. At first I tried panning up to show the bullies and then pan back down to see the girls reaction, however in the time I had to do this in, it was difficult. Therefore I decided to just pan up and then see the bullies throw the paper at the girl.

When the girl came up the stairs, I couldn't continue with the repetition of the girl always walking from left to right on the screen. The stair way that we were using was the only one in the block that had the right amount of lighting, the one I wanted to use originally was too dark. In the short amount of time we had left, I had to make do with what I've got. So instead I had the girl walk up the stairs and then pan, trying to keep her in centre frame which was challenging. I may have to shoot this scene again if I'm not fully satisfied with it when editing. This will be re filmed on Wednesday morning, if I have to re film it.

At first when the girl was walking down the corridor, I could only see the wall behind her, therefore I repositioned the camera so that it showed a display board of school work so that the audience defiantly know that she was in school.

Some of the shot were hard to follow on both days of filming as I had judged the timing poorly and needed more time to film the shot. This results in either having to cut out some shots and include the longer shots, or seeing what the shots look like in their planned time and working with it whilst editing.

From this film shooting, I have learnt that I need to be specific about what I want the actors to do, and to not be afraid to tell them what to do, even if they aren't in the correct positioning that I wanted them in.

Filming diary part 1- Sunday 25th January

Today I went out filming the outside scenes of my film. I started off with trying to accomplish a reverse tracking shot, this was very interesting. First of all I decided to use cello-tape and rubber bands to connect my tripod to an wheely office chair. However this was incredibly shaky when I tried to move it. So then I sat on the chair and got my mum to pull me back on it whilst I pushed the chair as well. This was still a little bit shaky, so I put my feet on the legs of the chair and then my weight made the chair move a little bit more smoothly. I still wasn't satisfied with how shaky the shot was. So I used  this tool that my dad uses to take heavy stuff to his allotment. I balanced the tripod on it. This worked a lot more successfully than the other methods that I chose.



When filming the part where the girl walks down the road, I got a number of different shots, some that were zoomed in, others that showed more of the scene. I tried panning, however I think the still shots look better because it shows that the girl is running away and we are watching her, instead of following the girl.

The bus was very shaky and it was hard to make sure that the camera stayed still. I didn't use a tripod for these shots because it would have been hard to make the tripod stable. Therefore I balanced my arms on the chairs, and held the camera tightly to make sure that it stayed as stable as possible. It still shaked a little bit, but I only really had one chance to be able to accomplish as stable as shot as possible. When I come to edit it I will be able to put a establisher on it so that it can show a smooth shot.

 When the girl was coming out of the house, closing the door and walking across the drive, it was hard to film because the porch windows were reflecting everything opposite it. This meant I had to film inside of the porch, showing the girl closing the door and then walking out of the porch and across the drive.

When we filmed in the park, we came across some difficulties because it was really muddy and we were sinking into the mud. Therefore we couldn't go to the forest parts in the park. We found some areas that looked like it could possibly be a forest in that park and in another park where we were able to film successfully. I found it hard to zoom in and pan the camera to the right when the girl was walking, as it was hard to zoom in without jogging the camera, making it difficult to get a steady shot.

We also shot some of coffee scene inside, I made sure that I got the lighting correct so that it didn't reflect weirdly on the mug. The steam from the kettle made the camera lens misty, but created a nice effect, when editing I will be able to cut it so that it doesn't stay misty. When the girl drank the drink I made sure to include the props that she had used before hand, I left the cap of the milk open, to show that the girl was in a rush, also I got the girl to drink quickly. I gave her a matching mug and put a cold drink in it so that she wouldn't burn her mouth on the drink.

I forgot to film the girl turning on the kettle, therefore I will film this on Wednesday when we plan to shoot the rest of the inside scenes.

Framing and angles practice

This is a video where we practised on our framing. Our aim was to make a school and a classroom look like a doctors waiting room no matter what. We framed the camera so that it didn't show any classroom display boards or desks. On the first shot, there are no boards or pictures to show that is a school. In the classroom we filmed by the window so that there were no display boards around. We also filmed an extreme close up of the clock to show that time was passing slowly for the person in the doctors waiting room. We then filmed a close up of my shoes to show that I was nervous. We set up some chairs and a table with some magazines on it, to make it look like there were informative leaflets for the patients in the waiting room. At the end we showed a high angle mid shot so that we could avoid showing anything that would give away that it's a classroom. Framing is important because you can make a room into anything that you want if you frame it correctly so that you don't show anything to give it away.

Film schedule

I'm thinking of filming this Thursday for the in school scenes. Then at the weekend I will shoot the outside scenes in the park and on the bus etc. Then if I have enough time in the day then I will shoot the house scenes. If I don't get time for that then I will film it on a Wednesday.

Diary post- practising panning movement and framing

We have now practised how to pan with the camera, by capturing someone walking past a camera. I found that I started off with the camera movement really fast and then slowed down, I now know that I will have to film these types of shots many times during my actual film so that I can get them right  and will also have a lot of footage to choose from. I think that if I can stand behind the camera on the tripod I will be able to see how fast it's moving and get a better view of what's happening on the camera.
Also we looked at framing, we had to make a classroom look like a doctor's waiting room. We did this by putting some chairs against a blank wall and put a table with some magazines next to them. This gave the illusion that it was a doctor's waiting room. Each time we filmed we made sure that there was nothing to do with a classroom in sight. We also used a variety of angles to show that no matter what shots and angles you use, if you frame it correctly then the room you have chosen, can look like anything you want it to be.