Evaluation Activity 3- Voiceover

Different types of promotion By Jamie Hutton

With promotion/advertising through the media is done so many ways to introduce the release of a film to its viewers;

other media are overtaking many of the "traditional" media such as television, radio and newspaper because of a shift toward consumer's usage of the Internet for news and music as well as devices like digital video recorders.

This is a web page for the film Avatar this is one strategy of promoting a film creating its own web page

• Trailers
• Posters
• Internet
• Movie premiers
• Film festivals
• Press junket 

these are examples of film promoting.

Camera Problems (over time)

We used a school camera for our second opening sequence, Over Time. The problems that we encountered with the opening sequence of Over Time is that when we captured all of the footage we uploaded it to the computer and found that when put on it became all fuzzy and not as good quality as we hoped, this may be due to the lighting that we used, we needed dark lighting so that we could create the horror effect of the lighting being dark and negative. As soon as we finished editing, we then uploaded it to youtube however yet again the megapixels were not as we expected and the quality was extremely poor. There was nothing else we could do as whatever we would of filmed the pixels would of been the same and would be the same quality. 

Camera problems with first film (infatuation)

When we was filming our opening sequence we used our own private camera as the school camera we had kept breaking. This came as an advantage to us as we already knew how to use the camera and the pixels were much better making the film much clearer and of a better quality. How our tri-pod had broken so it was extremely hard to use and get clear still shots as the camera kept shaking. We couldn't go back to school to change the tri pod as we were already at the location and we had limited time. We ended up not using the tri pod and when we uploaded it onto the computer the footage was exceedingly shaking so it couldn't be used. In the end we decided the change our whole film completely as the editing proved to be to hard as we have limited editing techniques.

This was our own camera that we used. It was of much quality compared to the school ones as it had more megapixels and better sound.

This was the first camera we used that we borrowed from the school. It kept breaking and running out of battery and the pixels weren't as good quality and the sound was fuzzy.

Script for Evaluation Activity 3

• This script is written in preparation for our Activity 3 Voice over task.

What does a production company do?   ( This will be read by Jamie Hutton)

A production company is responsible for the physical production of film , television program or any form of media whether it be a radio station, performing arts etc . A production company will also be responsible for the raising or funding for the production however they can also accomplish this through an emissary. The production company could be  a small or  large company.

Discussion of your production company name and logo and the role of such companies.


(This will be read By Yharnna Joseph)

For our production company, we have decided to  choose ‘Dreamworks’ which is an American film studio which was established in 1994. Dreamwork produces a variety of genres, for example for a comedy it has produced ‘Meet the Parents’ it has also produced Shrek which is an unconventional fairy-tale, however on the contrary Dreamwork have also produced horrors such as The Ring which was a huge success worldwide, its gross profit was $128,579,698 in the USA on 2^nd February 2003. Due to the fact that the genre is horror, DreamWork have specifically used an unusual and new production logo, which contrasts against the original logo which is normally used, in the sense that it’s dark and gloomy , which correlates exceptionally well with the conventions of a typical horror as it almost evokes a daunting and dismal atmosphere ,whilst also setting the correct mood  for the film. 

 When researching production companies we were particularly inspired , by Dimension films and DreamWorks production company however as a group we agreed that the Dreamworks logo had a greater impact on the film , than the Dimensions Film Logo did, the reason for this was that we felt that the dimensions film logo appeared rather dull , whereas the Dreamworks logo was had more scary elementsto it , causing it to be more appealing .

What is a Distributor company ? (This will be read By Evie Mullahy )

A film distributor is a company who takes responsibility for releasing and distributing films to the public either theatrically or for home or personal viewing which consists of 

• DVD,
•  Video-On-Demand,
•  Download, 
• Television etc).

 A distributor may distribute films directly depending on whether or not the distributor owns the theaters or distribution networks. If not Films can be distributed through theatrical exhibitors and other sub-distributors.A film distributer will gain a lot of profit from distributing films, and also build a respectable reputation.


(This Will be read by Louise Jarvis)
If our film were to be produced by a successfull production company such as Dreamworks, this company would be responsible for the  funding of our film. A production comapany would fund our film through reinvesting part of their profit which they had previously made and then putting it into the production of our film. However on the other hand , If we were unable to find an established production comapany and film distributor, and had to produce our film independantly we would have to research and find  finance from investors or sponsors.

 An example of investing would be to approach an established and successful investor or company where we would then present a reasonable proposal , for example we would ask for money to help  finance our film and the productions , in return for a decent share of any profits that the film will turnover. Using this method satisfies both the Investor and film writer , as profits are made all round.

Problems we had with Youtube

When we eventually finished editing our opening sequence we then had to put it on to the blog, however before we could do this we had to put it on to youtube so that we could embed the html code. We uploaded the video to youtube, however it took an extremely long time, we then found out that it failed so we tried a few more time however, it still kept failing. we then went on to imovie where we exported the video and uploaded the video to youtube. We were then able to put the html code on to the blog. 

We thought that the video would be all done, however, when Yharnna put the captions on the video as part of an evaluation activity the video had changed, so once again we had to upload the video again, however we came across the same problems once again, so we had to export the video once again and then eventually the video was again uploaded to youtube!

use of sounds within our opening sequence by Jamie Hutton

There are two types of sound. diegetic and non-diegetic;

Diegetic is the sound within the frame which the characters can here, for example a fire alarm.

Non-diegetic is the sound that is edited in after filming, E.g. a voice over.

Both type of sounds can be very effective within the film as they can both represent the genre of our film. when looking for non-diegetic sounds we used a very momentous sound as the music which created a chilling thrill for the audience. We used this music as our film genre is psychological horror so we wanted to make the viewers feel uncomfortable and mysterious of what is going on. 

 we composed our music, which worked well we changed parts as we needed it to be in time with the opening sequence shots.

The diegetic sounds help the viewers know the characters are aware within the film. We used the ringing of the telephone as an alarm within our opening as the noise can represent a signal that something is going to happen. The noise from outside the office captures to the viewer and character that some body is outside.

By Jamie Hutton

Dream Works Production

For our opening we knew we wanted to use dream works as it was a well known production company and it suited the type of film we wanted to make which is a psychological thriller. All the dream works openings we found were quite upbeat and had a fairy tale sense to them with light hearted music as dream works also does cartoon films such as Shrek and Kung fu Panda.In the end we then found the opening to The Ring which has the same conventions as us; mysterious/horror/thriller and it was also a Dream Works production. Their opening was a lot spookier it had effects over the writing that looked like electricity and it matched the credits we used at the end of our opening sequence, the coloring was a lot darker so straight away you can tell its going to be a scary film. So we copied the Dream Works opening from The Ring and edited it into the beginning of our film.


Louise Jarvis

Mainstream or indie? By Jamie Hutton

Mainstream films are a huge market which is spread world wide, where as indie movies have small budgets and are inly released within the country they were made.


There are major advantages and disadvantages in both categories. For example, the Indie community has received a huge boost in recent years with the invention of YouTube and other video hosting sites which encourage the creativity. The Indie community has also got some of the most resilient and determined workers in the industry, who get more done with less time and money than any other producer out there. Some films can be very original and can rise to greatness because of a little exposure to the greater community. 


Our psychological/horror opening sequence is aimed and put within the indie film market as its got a wide audience but has a small budget, the audience for our film is 18+ but targeted within the British industry.


By Jamie hutton

Certificate 18

We decided to change the certificate of our film because of the context of horror, it could cause nightmares on the audience and as it is a psychological thriller it may cause confusion on an audience aged 15 and above. Some of the conventions of a thriller that has been certificated 18 are manly to do with how big an effect it will have on the audience. We think that due to the fact that our film is set in an environment people can relate to it could cause disturbance to them. Another reason we changed the certificate to 18 is because 15 year olds still go to school and the opening of our film is set in a school so it could disturb them s much that it effects their education or day to day life.


Louise Jarvis

Evaluation Activity 4

Evaluation Activity 4

Since our Movie genre is a psychological thriller, with plenty scary elements, we believe that our movie would most likely attract a target audience of around the age of eighteen and onwards; The reasoning for this is because at the age of 18 + , the audience are able to grasp , the sophisticated concepts which are presented throughout our movie. For example a twelve year old would not be able to absorb and appreciate the frightful nature of our film and is instead more likely to become distressed and uncomfortable whilst watching the movie, whereas an adult is mature enough to appreciate the contents of our movie. After carrying out a survey amongst 18 -40 years old, it shows that the most popular stores to shop at are HMV, WH Smiths and Blockbusters. Most people who answered my questionnaire said they pretty much so , just listen to music played on the radio which could consist of ; Rock , pop, and R&B , however the older end of our target audience said they enjoyed listening to classical music.

                                                                            

By Yharnna Joseph

                                                                                                 

Evaluation Activity 3

Evaluation Activity 3

A production company is responsible for the physical production of film , television program or any form of media whether it be a radio station, performing arts ect . A production company will also be responsible for raising or funding for the production however they can also acomplish this through an emissary. The production company could be  a small or  large company.

A production company  sells its products to a film studio or presents it at a theatrical venue, or, in the case of film and television, it may be the studio itself. A coproduction is a theatrical presentation or film made by more than one company or a Conglomerate of multiple companies. It is common for actors to form their own production companies so that they can have more control over their own careers.

Since our opening sequence overtime shares huge amount of simularities with the film scream  In terms of the storyline, which is almost identical meaning that both films would attract the same audience . I have therefore researched the production Companies that produced scream which are two companies called Dimension Films and Woods Entertainment.

Dimension films is a motion picture unit which is currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films. could be a possible production company for our sequel . Dimension Films shares half the proceeds from the Scary Movie flicks and any other future installments in pre-existing Dimension franchises.

Dimensions Films have produced well known films such as :

• Scream 4
• Dracula III: Legacy                             
• Scary Movie
• Spy Kids
• Starsky & Hutch
• Hellraiser: Deader
• Bad Santa                                                                                  This is The Dimension Films Logo

A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing (DVD, Video-On-Demand, Download, Television etc). A distributor may do this directly (if the distributor owns the theaters or distribution networks) or through theatrical exhibitors and other sub-distributors.

Appropirate Distributors for our film would be :

Kinowelt Filmverleih (1997) (Germany) (theatrical)

RCV Film Distribution (1997) (Netherlands) (theatrical)

Alliance (Canada)

Asmik Ace Entertainment (Japan)

Becker Home Video (Australia)

Cecchi Gori Group

Cipa (France)

Dimension Films

Filmes Castello Lopes (Portugal)

Fox Network (1999) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)

Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)  

Laurenfilm (Spain)

Les Films Number One

Since they're all successful Distributors , who have Distriubuted successful films , I believe that any of these Distributors would be Ideal for our sequel .

Pros and Cons of a horror/Thriller

Pros of a horror/Thriller :

• Horror films Captivate the audience with excessive suspense and fasted pasted scenes , causing the audience to be more alert and engrossed into the film.
• Some of the most successful films ever to be created; such as exorcist and saw , were of a horror genre , which suggests that horror films are popular amongst the Film market.
• Horror films often focus on good Vs evil , which intrigues and attracts viewers
• Because of the extreme suspense , and fast paste throughout a horror film , the audience are always excited and anxious.
• Horror films can be made to a good standard on a low budget.
• There is usually a satisfying ending to a horror film due to the fact of suspense, tension, heart-racing action throughout the film.

Cons of a horror/Thriller :

• Horrors often cause dread and alarm.
• Horrors also expose our worst fears
• Horror films can often cause nightmares
• Horror films can create people to fear death 

Conventions of a Horror/thriller Film

Context of a Horror film:
Centering on the dark side of life ,essentially Horror Films are designed to terrify and panic the audience , leading them on through the use excessive suspense,whilst also evoking their most dreaded horrors.
Horror films captivate and entertain the audience in a cathartic experience. 

Characters:
Within a Horror film there is always a dominant character throughout the film who , in other words is the lead character who is always destined to survive until the very end , Leaving the film as the hero. The monster often carries a unique trademark characteristic in the way of which they  murder their Victims.

Existing Horror films which Inspired our group to create our opening sequence are as follows:

• The scream
• Scary Movie
• Saw
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Factors to Consider when creating a horror are:

•  Mise en cine
• Cinematography
• Apparel/costumes
• Captivating storyline/Plot.

Additional conventions to consider when creating a horror film are the non-digetic and digetic sounds within the film. Throughout a horror film the non-digetic music is usually used to create suspense and fear amongst the audience , this is usually created through the use of increasing tempo's throughout the film , which correlate to the current event in the film. For example in a typical horror , if an attack is about to commence the non-digetic sounds usually increase in tempo which adds anxiety amongst the viewers. Music is essential In horrors and often helps evoke a frightening experience for the audience.

Establishing the setting for our Filming

This image to the left
Is a photograph of
Mrs Edwards office
 where our opening
sequence will commence.
The Desk , office chairs
and filing cabinets are all
part of a typical office.
The mise en scene works perfect
with the office environment we are
trying to create.

 This is a photographed image
of the desk that Mrs Edwards
 will be working on. It has been
 shot from her perspective ,
creating the idea that she's
looking down onto her desk.
This image includes all the
props which will be used to
create the correct office environment.

I have also photographed the
desk that Mrs Edwards  will be
working on , again but from the
perspective of the audience
looking in at Mrs Edwards.

 This image displays the corridor
 that will feature the longest
throughout our sequence .
 The Villain will appear towards
the end of the Corridor. I believe
 that this corridor has an isolated
and cold look to it, which works
very with our story line plot.

Costume and Props

Character profiles:
The story line for our opening sequence revolves around a teacher who is Working past school hours to mark books and write assignments. However In order to construct an effective opening sequence is  Vital that we are accurate when arranging and designing the costumes for the characters. There will only be two characters present throughout our film which are the teacher and the Villain.                                                   
 



Name : Marie  Browning                                        Name :   Jamie Hutton

Character Name: Suzanne Edwards                 Character Name: Unknown?

Occupation : School teacher                             Occupation : Murderer

Age In Film : 24                                                Age In Film : 30+

Characteristics: Friendly, Hardworking,            Characteristics: Obsessive, sinister,

 Considerate & Punctual.                                          Malicious, Vengeful, Corrupt

Researching Character Costumes :

• Suzanne Edwards (teacher) :

I have used Google to research the general way in which female teachers are expected to dress . After research I chose & collated three pictures which I felt best represented teachers dressing style. My research shows that the typical attire for a female teacher is as follows: Formal , Smart , No revealing or Low cut tops, suit trousers or skirts . 

Suzanne Edwards - School teacher

After researching Appropriate Teacher clothing                       

Our group had worked hard , to ensure that the

main character represented a female teacher

In the correct way. In order to do this we dressed

Marie rather formally , In a Grey cardigan,

White shirt and a black three quarter skirt. The 

effect of this formal dress code , caused Marie
to look mature, in age and meet the age
 specification which had been stated ;
that her character will be 24 years old.

To the left is a screen grab of two Victimised characters
 Pamela Anderson (Left) and Jenny McCarthy (right)
 From the film Scary movie , which is of the same genre
 of ours, with a similar story line. Clearly we can see an
 immense difference in the character clothing and
 appearance.The two characters are dressed rather seductive
 and sexy , this idea has been created through the use of their
Low cut & revealing tops. The simple fact that these characters
look seductive, automatically causes them to look younger.
However we have tried to avoid this type of clothing & appearance
to create a more realistic teacher appearance for our main character.

Villain :
In order to successfully create a costume or a scary appearance for our Villain , we will need to research other Villains from films similar to ours with the same genre . Researching other Villains will give us a clearer idea as to what conventions work well with each other to make a scary Villain, and evoke a frightening feeling .

Villain Research :

This character is from the film 

Texas chainsaw massacre. He

 is a cold-hearted , vicious villain

 Who Brutally murders people with

 a chainsaw. As we can see his face

 is disguised by a horrific mask

 which has been constructed with

 Human skin from his victims. His

 Disguised appearance causes him

 to appear more scarier , and adds

 a mysterious feeling.

The character to the left shows the

Villain from the films 'Scary Movie'

And the 'Scream' The fact that the

Villain wears a scream mask , and

hides his identity adds a sense of

secrecy to the film , which contributes

to the daunting feeling throughout the

film .

 

Jamie Hutton-Villain