Final Video

Individual Blog - Jamila (:

Our film opening sequence will be filmed over a course of two lessons then edited in one. Our plan is to film the first page of our storyboard in the first lesson then the second page of the storyboard in the second lesson. Hopefully this will give us enough time to get enough footage and also get a good amount of shots so that in the editing process we can pick and choose which footage will look best in our film.
Graeme is the main character 1, acting as a student who gets hurt on his ride home from college and ends up with a magical book in his bag from a witch/mystery person. Charlotte is the person who is playing the character 2 witch/mystery person. Tom and I will probably doing the majority of the filming as neither of us are acting in the actual film, and then the whole group will help with the editing in the lesson. We decided that Graeme did not really need to bring in a specific costume, as he was playing a student who wears normal everyday clothes anyway, so our idea was to have him wearing casual clothes such as jeans and a hoodie. Charlotte however needed a certain costume, and as she was a mysterious/witchy character, so she needed a long black hooded cloak which would cover her up completely. Tom was responsible for bring this costume in, as he owned it. We are using many props in order to make our film opening sequence more realistic. For example Graeme (character 1) needs a bike so he is going to bring that in to use, and also he is using his school bag. Another prop is a magical book, which we are going to simply use a standard notepad and decorate it to look more 'magical'.
We will be filming mainly in the forest area of the Long Road campus, and if we ask permission from the college to film, hopefully there will be no problems with shooting our footage there. Also we are filming a small part in a classroom, so if we ask permission on the day to shoot in the room for a few minutes that should be fine.

Individual Post :Thomas Brewer

We begin filming our children's film opening sequence on Tuesdays lesson and will likely carry over onto Wednesdays lesson as well, we are aiming for around two minutes of footage and I believe that we should easily manage this within our time frame. All pre filming work has been completed and I believe that, we are well prepared and know what we are doing the only problem at present is deciding who will act which part, this will likely be decided on Tuesday with myself or Graeme playing the role of the school boy and Charlotte or Jamila as the witch. Who ever is not decided upon to act will film the clips and help direct the actors in what ways to carry out their scenes. The location we have settled on is the small wooded area at the edge of the college grounds and our classroom these should both hopefully be available to us with out any problems. As our film is a fantasy adventure mix we will be using props to help convey this, I will be brining in a cloak for the witch to wear, Graeme will be bringing in a bike for use in the opening scene and any one who can bring in a old/magical looking book we will use that as a prop as well. If all goes well then our opening scene should turn out quite well and we will finish up with good quality footage this will allow us to edit it easily and create a good standard opening scene.

Charlotte- Individual Blog :D

For our children’s film project we are going to be doing a fantasy/adventure hybrid. There are two main characters within our opening sequence; Character 1, a school boy and Character 2, a witch. We haven’t quite decided who will be acting but we know that Character 1 will be played by either Graeme or Tom and either Jamila or I will play the witch. We decided to have a witch as one of the main characters to help our genre of fantasy to come across as obviously witches aren’t real! We also decided to have a school boy as the other main character because we thought that school children watching our film could relate to him.

As for costumes we have decided that the school boy will just be wearing ordinary clothes and therefore we will not need to have any additional costume. For the witch’s costume, I am going to bring in a black witch’s wig and a witch’s hat. A cloak will be provided by someone else (not sure who yet!). The props that we will be using include a bike, which Graeme is bringing in so that we can use it to film. Also we will need a school bag which we all have anyway so we have the choice of any of our bags! We also need a “magical” book which we haven’t quite sorted out yet, however the book only comes in at the end so we have next lesson to decide what to do so we will have it for filming the following lesson.

 The setting of our film is based in a wooded area and therefore we will be filming in the wooded area on the college site. Also for the last few shots for our opening sequence we will be filming in and around the classrooms.  We shouldn’t need permission for either of these as they are both on the college site however we will double check and make sure we are okay to be filming there.

Once we’ve decided who is acting the other 2 people in our group will be in charge or filming and directing. We are all happy to be involved in any of the roles and therefore when we decide who’s doing what, hopefully everyone will get on well with their role in order for our task to be successful! J

By Charlotte (: 

Graeme - Individual Blog

Filming Plan

We are going to film the opening sequence of our childrens film on Tuesday and Wednesday's lessons. This gives us around 2 hours to film everything we need for our production. I think we should easily be able to get all our footage within the time given, we should also hopefully have time to review some of the footage and add some extra shots. I think we have planned the filming well and we mostly know what we are going to be doing on Tuesday and Wednesday.

As we wrote the story board we discussed ideas and concepts, who was acting what and what props we needed etc. At present we have a good idea of who is acting, the locations and props that we need. We have already discussed the location, (keeping in mind we are not allowed off the college site) we are going to film the first sequence in the small wooded area around the side of the college and film inside shots in and around our classroom. This way we know we have permission to film on site and therefore shouldnt cause any issues. However we should check whether it is okay to go and film in the wooded area with the bike. We havent made a final decision about who will be acting in the film, but we know that either myself or Tom will be one on the bike or character 1, and either Charlotte or Jamila will be the witch/ mystry character or character 2. We have left the chacacters quite undetailed so we could try different shots with different actors and see what works best with who, hopefully we can come to a decision quickly on Tuesday and get on with the filming. . Who ever is not acting in the shots will help to film it, compose the shots and direct the filming. Overall i am very happy with the way things have gone so far hopefully our final film will turn out really well.     

By Graeme :)

Soundtrack Planning

As already discussed our chosen genre is a fantasy/ adventure hybrid therefore our soundtrack must reflect this genre. The sound track is a very important part of any film and must be created or chosen with the genre or theme in mind. No only must the sound track match the genre it must also go with the on screen sequences. By looking at other films with a fantasy or adventure genre we can research music and see what may fit within our theme.

Harry Potter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xjGZrZ2OcE

Mise-En-Scene Research

Our children's film opening sequence genre is fantasy, and by researching the different areas of Mise-en-scene in other children's films such as costume, location, lighting and props, we can find out how to create a children's film feel.

COSTUME

The costumes which we are using in our children's film opening sequence vary. For character 1, the costume is ordinary casual clothes, to show that he is just a normal school pupil, and this adds to the children's film feel because it involves children and school, so children can relate to the situation of the film. Our second character is a mysterious character, either being a witch or cloaked character. This relates to children's fantasy film because there is usually an unrealistic character with magical powers. By looking at the costumes in the fantasy adventure film 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory' we know which costumes will best represent our genre. For example each child wears typical casual clothing, such as jeans, tracksuits, and jumpers etc. This is also how our first character will be dressed, in normal everyday clothes because that is the norm of children. Also in this film is the wacky character 'Willy Wonka' who wears dark trousers and a slightly wacky jacket and hat which doesn't really reveal much of his character but shows he is a bit strange. He carries his trademark cane and wears his well known hat. This is similar to our children's film because our second character is like Willy Wonka, in being mysterious and introvert. Therefore our second character will wear dark and mysterious clothing.

LIGHTING

Lighting is a really important part of mise-en-scene and therefore has to be just right. For our production we will have to be careful and watching lighting conditions as most of the filming will be taking place outside in a dense wooded area. This means the lighting may be quite low in places so we must be careful to pick our final locations carefully to aviod under exposure in the frames. In addition because we are filming during there is generally cloud in the sky most of the time which may give some of our shots a dull and gray look to them, we can make up for this in the post productiuon stage by editing the footage and lighting it up. Another area to consider is when we do the inside shots. although its not as much of a problem as outside filming we have to balance out the tranistion shots when going from outside to inside to avoid to much unnecessary change in light conditions. When filming inside we should make sure the character's do not have their backs to the biggest light source as this can cast heavy unflattering shadows on the face, although this could be used to our advantage we want our shots to be clear, well lit and balanced.

PROPS

Props are the movable objects used in the construction of the mise-en-scene. Props are important because they help set the scene and portray the genre. The main props that we are using for our opening sequence are; a bike, a "magical" book, a school bag and a log. We are using the bike for the school boy to cycle home from school on. We chose to do this because it's just a bit more exciting rather than walking and just makes it a bit more interesting. We are using a "magical book" to fit in with the fantasy genre as this will make the film appear authentic. We will use the school bag to help portray that the character is on his way home from school as this will help show that the film it is a children's film. Finally we are using the log within the bike stunt scene. We are using it in order for the bike to fall over so that the story line makes sense (you wouldn't normally just trip on nothing!) and as the location is in a wooded area tripping over a log makes sense. All of our props together will help create our fantasy/adventure genre because...

LOCATION

Location is an important part of mise-en-scene, because it can help the viewer to understand the storyline. For example, in the film 'Twilight', the characters are often filmed in the woods. The genre of this film is fantasy and the woods setting helps to give a mysterious and adventurous feel to the film. In our childrens film opening sequence, the main location is also the woods. This is because we liked the idea of having a mysterious place because it makes the feel more magical, therefore conveying with the whole fantasy genre.

Charlotte, Graeme and Jamila.

Story Board, Shot Types and Risk Assessment From

Here is our Story board, shot list, risk assessment and mindmap for our actual childrens film introduction;

Story Board;
Our story shows the genereal idea for our film. We will use the story board to outline our product which allows us to add in our own ideas as we film and edit it. We found that it works well this way as it lets us be more creative and add more ideas as we go along.

Shot List;
As you can see above our shot list contain 12 different shots we are going to include. The shot list tells us loads of details about the type of shots we areg going for. The information tells us the kind of shot going to be used, what the shot will be used for and key information like Land Props etc. Again, much like the story board this just gives us a genereal idea of what we want to achieve, and allows us to add last minute ideas and concepts.

Risk Assessment;
A risk assessment form has to be filled in before any shoot. The assessment looks at what you will be doing and whether there may be any potential risks to people or equiment. For example, you should take weather conditions, environment conditions and public safety into account when filling out the from. It then asks for ways that you could reduce the risk by taking precautions etc. The risk assessment is a very important part of any shoot.

Mind Map;
The mind map is a brief sumary of all our ideas for our childrens film opening. It shows all our idea's for Location, Genre, Narrative, Characters, Classification and Effects. The circled ideas our the final choices for our film.

Charlotte, Graeme, Jamila and Tom

Our Classification..

We are going to classify our film as a PG. This means that our film will be suitable for all ages with guidance from their parents. The film will not contain any bad language or sexual behaviour, however it can contain some very mild violence without harmful intent. In addition there will be no discrimination, no reference to drugs or alchol and imitable behaviour included. Because it will be a PG rated film we are going to follow the guide of it must not disturb any children aged 8 years or above.

Our film is going to be a fantasy/ adventure hybrid, and will contain lots of action. There may be some parts which very young children may find scary however it would be disturb to terrify them. There should not be any swearing and there will deffinatly not have any sexual content or imitable behaviour. Our film should be well within a PG rating.

Charlotte, Graeme, Jamila and Tom

BBFC Classification Research

Research into Classification

The BBFC endeavours to classify submitted works (films, DVD and games) in one of the following categories...



U or Universal
The universal rating means that anyone at any age view the film, DVD or game. These films have no rude language, no actual violence and immatational gestures. In film, DVD and games U's tend to be animatons, or cartoons. Some content that has recieved the U rating are as follows; Ratatouille (film) and Burnout Racing (game).

PG or Parental Guidance
The parental guidance rating allows children under the age of 12 to view the content, DVD or game with the permission of the parent. PG is an odd rating as it can only be advised and not actively enforced. The PG rating covers almost all animations and cartoons, aswell as very basic childrens film. Some content that has been rated with the PG classification are; Shrek Series (film) and Guitar Hero (game).

12 Rating
The 12 rating means you have to be at least 12 years or older to be able to view the content. This rating, unlike PG can be enforced. For example if you look under the age of 12 years and you are trying to get into a 12 rated film, you may be asked for proof of age or ID. It should also be noted that classification on this content can only be actively enforce in public places, for example the Cinema. It is the chose of parents if they wish to let their child view content not suitable for their age. The 12 rating covers a lot of childrens films, DVD's and games. In a 12 rating film, you may witness some basic swear words that may only be said once or twice during the film. In addition there would be very little reference to sex, drugs and violent if any at all. Some content that has recieve the 12 rating are; Twilight Series (film) and SIMS (game).

15 Rating
The 15 rating means you have to be at least 15 years or old to view the film, DVD or game. This rating allows people who are 15 years or older to view the content. Tipically 15 rated films allow some swearing that may occur more than a few times. In addition films, games and DVD's may include more detail in violence and horror, for example cuts and blood would be visible but not extremely detailed. There may also be some little nudity and sexual behaviour in the content, however none of it would show lots of detail.
Some content that has recieved the 15 rating are; The Men Who Stare At Goats (film) and Resident Evil (game).

18 Rating
The 18 rating is only unsuitable for people 18 years plus. This rating is the most severe classification that can be given to public content. Typical content with this rating includes; extreme language, hard drug use, supernatural horror,explicit sex, sadistic and sexual violence. However some films in the passed have had to be banned from the UK as they cannot be rated because of taking things to the extremes, in particular sexual violence. Some content that has recieve the 18 rating are as follows; GTA iv (game) and SAW series (film).

Charlotte, Jamila, Tom and Graeme

Conventions of Children's film genre; Action and Fantasy

Agent Cody Banks
The genre of this children's film is action/adventure. In the opening sequence the conventions that are used include a fast pace soundtrack which conveys urgency, that gives the audience clues that it is an action movie. Also, in the first 3 minutes of the opening sequence, it started off as a typical family morning but as it progresses we learn it is an action genre because a rescue has to be made, and because of the tension created by the music that is played when the rescuing of a baby trapped in a car takes place by the main character, Cody. He is introduced within the first minute of the opening sequence, and at first we think he is a normal teenager, but as it goes on we find out he is actually a secret agent. This is a convention of action genre because it involves spies and secret agents. The location is established straightaway in the opening sequence, which is suburban America.

Nanny McPhee
The genre of this film is fantasy. We can see this through the conventions used in the opening sequence. It starts off by using a strange, wacky situation which needs to be resolved. We find out that when Nanny McPhee comes to visit she uses magic and powers (to teach the children lessons) which shows that the genre is fantasy because in real life there is no such thing as magic powers. The editing that is used to create the sense of magic is visually engaging which emphasizes the fantasy of it. When introduced, the characters are quite eccentric for example the children aren't just naughty, they are over the top naughty doing things that everyday children wouldn't even think to do. We see within the opening that Nanny McPhee teaches the children lessons and eventually the children grow to get on with her and need her much more than they think. This establishes questions for the reader such as "Will Nanny McPhee last and be able to cope with these children, or will they get rid of her like they have all the other nannies?" and then "If so, what changes throughout the story in order for the children to grow to like this Nanny?".


Charlotte, Graeme, Jamila and Tom

Paired activity: How does the micro elements help construct the specific conventions?

Disney's UP opening sequence:

Location: The opening sequence mainly features a few location over and over again these are the house of the main character, a hospital room, a hill with tree and a Zoo.

Genre: The genre of the film is adventure although this is not shown much in the opening there are a few clips that show the theme of adventure such as Carl's adventure book and when they redesign one of their rooms with a painting and cultural objects from different places.

Music: Throughout the entire opening scene one song is played this is the same length as the opening clip and follows through the emotions of the opening playing happy and sad tones at different parts when its suitable.

Visuals: Being an animated film the use of colours and lighting is strong and obvious and helps reinforce the mood of the clip changing from vibrant and colourful to gray and dark to help display the changing

TOM AND GRAEME.

Paired work - Jamila and Charlotte.

Within the opening sequence of our chosen children's film, Finding Nemo, there were many various conventions. For example, the film begins with a logo for the production company, Walt Disney, which introduces the company that the film was made by. This particular production company is famous for various other children's films and therefore helps the genre come across. We then see the title sequence, which starts the film. Straight away we see that Finding Nemo has cheerful music which shows the genre of children's film because you know straight away that it is a happy/cheerful film. The opening sequence shows an insight of the characters such as Marlin the clownfish and also the unborn children which tell us they will somehow be involved in the story. The fact that the characters are talking fish show that this is a fun film aimed at children because it's a fantasy thing that children can engage with and enjoy. We get to know the location from the very beginning because it is in the sea, at a coral reef with lots of different fish. This gives us an idea of the film's narrative too, as we know it is in the ocean and it based around fish. This opening is visually engaging as it uses bright colours from the beginning including the variety of colours on the fish and the attractive background of coral reefs etc. to draw in young children, further adding to the genre of children's film.

Preliminary Task Sequence Evaluation

Filming
After completing the Story board we began filming the sequence for the Preliminary Task. We followed the notes on the Story board and actually added in new, different shots and dialogue as we filmed. Although we did not plan this, the result was good and we got all the footage plus extra bits that we needed. We only had an hour to gather all the footage needed therefore we had to rush some shots therefore the composure may not have been the best it could of. But now we know how long it actually takes to set up and film so we will give ourselves extra time when we plan our final video.

Editing
We watched all clips and decided which ones looked best. By using Final Cut express we were able to cut and edits parts of clips that we wanted to use in order to show continuity. Overall, our preliminary task showed good continuity because the clips flowed which helped the audience make sense of what was going on. To improve we could have experimented with sound, a wider range of transitions and text to make our film more professional. This would have also helped to show our knowledge of the programs within the editing process.


Graeme, Charlotte, Jamila, Thomas.

Preliminary Task Storyboard

Preliminary Storyboard;
This shows the general plan for our preliminary video. Each box represents a different shot and what will be in that particular shot, there is also a very brief description of the shot written below.

Thomas, Charlotte, Graeme, Jamila

How are the conventions constructed differently in your two film opening sequences!

Monsters Inc

The Opening credits engaged the viewer by means of bright colours and cheerful music that followed the timing and the fast pace of the animation. The animations itself suited the genre well as it used child like drawings that were fun and easy to relate to. Because animation is used it automatically draws in the younger viewers.

101 Dalmations
This opening sequence also shows conventions of children's film, for example the cheerful music at the beginning immediately grabs the viewer's attention. It uses actors rather than animation which helps to make it seem more realistic and believable. The introduction sets the tone and hints the genre to the audience as it is fun and playful, yet has a storyline.

Thomas, Charlotte, Graeme, Jamila