Preliminary task- Evaluation

When planning our prelim task we decided to draw out a storyboard and write out our shot list. This was very useful as we all knew what we were doing and the shots which would be used. We made a few changes to our shot list whilst filming because we decided that doing certain things would have a bigger impact on the audience, such as using the worms eye view at the beginning of the production as I was walking down the corridor which could make the audience feel like something bad was about to happen.

During the preparation and practise shots, we all had a go at shooting some different angles with a video camera. This was when I developed some camera skills such as shot-reverse-shot, worm’s eye and long shot. I feel much more confident with a camera after completing the preliminary task as I have learnt not only about the camera angles but about the rules of filming too. I feel I still need to develop my close up shot and my confidence by having more of an input with the filming of the project rather than the acting; I can improve on this during the thriller task.

My editing skills have improved as I understand how to use the program properly now, I can edit out clips we don’t need and I know how to make a series of frames run through smoothly. I still need to improve my confidence by using the program more so I understand how to add effects ECT.

Overall our preliminary task took just under two hours to film and one hour to edit, we tried to ensure we used a wide range of camera shots but not so many as to confuse the viewer. We decided that appropriate shots would be; worms eye view, over the shoulder, shot-reverse-shot and bird’s eye view. These shots worked well for us as we feel they helped portray the emotions shown in the footage.

When filming the conversation between Kirsty and myself, we decided to try two ways of filming it as the ' shot-reverse-shot' looked too unnatural in the raw footage. We tried filming the whole conversation with two cameras, one directed at me and one directed at Kirsty and this turned out to be the better footage as the conversation was much smoother.

Our group managed to avoid breaking the 180 degree rule when filming our footage. The 180 degree rule means making sure the characters have the same left/ right relationship to eachother. If this rule is broken it is likely that the viewer will become confused.

We used match on action to create a feeling of continuity within the footage, we did this by overlaping the footage to create a visual bridge.

We worked very well as a group and I would happily work as a group again! We all had different ideas which we tried our best to accommodate and our ideas all seemed to work well together. Everyone was listened to and no one was afraid to put their ideas across to the group which I think is very important. There were times when we had to be patient as Kirsty and I forgot our lines or laughed during filming but we re-filmed those parts and are looking to put our outtakes video on our blogs.

Thriller films i have viewed.

1.) Wolf creek- This is a 2005 film set in the Australian outback, it has typical thriller characteristics such as the psychotic character, the innocent victims and the setting.

2.) Pulp fiction- Ths is a 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino. This fits in with the thriller genre along with many other genres such as action. The typical thriller characteristics it includes are settings such as the basement and car boot, it also conveys addrenaline through the characters chosen such as hit men and gangsters.

3.) Ashes to ashes- this is not strictly a thriller film but the series has many thriller elements to it, such as the settings, the mystery and the themes throughout such as murder.

4.) The Matrix- this is not strictly thriller (it is sci-fi thriller) yet it has many thriller elements, this was made in 1999 and directed by Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. The thriller characteristics introduced within this film are assasins, psychotic individuals and locations such as lifts, on top of a sky scraper and tunnels.

Winters bone (2010) Review

Haunting, Grim, but somehow Optimistic

8 August 2010 | Winter's Bone is about a 17 year old girl name Rolly Dee set out to find her father who put their house for his bailbond and then vanishes. If she doesn't find him, her family will be turned out to the Ozarks. Challenging her outlaw kin's code of silence and risking her life, Ree hacks through the lies, evasions and threats offered up by her relatives and begins to piece together the truth.

Let me, just begin by saying this movie is perfectly acted. Jennifer Lawrence gives an Oscar Worthy performance as Rolly Dee. I was surprised how excellent she was, because I was sceptical of her in the "The Bill Engvall" show. But she turned me to a believer and boy, she can REALLY act. Her performance actually surpasses some of Meryl Streep's performances. Hopefully the Academy will recognize her and give an Oscar nomination or maybe even a win! The film is well directed by Debra Granik and is easily her best work yet. She definitely has potential to become the "new" Kathryn Bigelow. Anyways the film is really bleak and powerful, but it still has a tone of hopeful in it. Very interesting and mesmerizing movie to watch. It is a bit slow at times, but trust me it never gets boring or dull.

10/10 Highly recommended.

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Neo noir, with a twist of white trash., 1 February 2010

Author: dwight ward from United States
This shockingly diverse film offers numerous delights to the viewer. Beginning with simple title credits, and ending in a beautiful display of foliage. Winter's Bone will grab your attention and never let go.

Based on a novel of the same name, it's the story of a seventeen year old girl who is searching for her missing father. Sound like something you've seen before? Well it's not! The basic premise surrounds itself with remarkably new idea's and situation's. A feeling of noir envelopes the screen and each character and action leads you on a most enjoyable journey. The Actor's and more importantly Actress, are dug so deep into their characters that there isn't a single fake second.

Debra Granik does an amazing job in the director/screenwriter role. Her vision entangles the story together and propels it forward to the unforgettable climax. The world that is shown through this film is one i was unfamiliar with, but after seeing it all i can think about is the life those characters lead. And how different it is from my own.

A film that deserved the grand jury award at Sundance and one which I plan to see again. Winter's Bone is a film for everyone, be you young, old, or in the middle. Just walk into the cinema with an empty plate and you will leave filled.

Winters bone (2010) Trailer

Prelim task- story board

Questionnaire

Hobbies:

I love playing guitar, ukulele and drums, listening to music and cooking in my spare time, I also have two kittens called Roody and Belle.

Print media:

Print media is not my strongest point as i do not read the newspaper very often, i  would like to learn more about this industry as it seems there is a lot i do not know about it. if i need to access the news I will look at the BBC website on the internet as you can find what you need very easily. I like to read ‘Kerrang’ magazine as it keeps me up to date with all of my favourite music and it has very handy reviews which help me to find new bands. I enjoy reading music magazines as i would like to go into music journalism when i leave school!

Music industry:

The music industry is my favourite type of media as it is the industry  i wish to go into when i leave school. i find music very interesting and there is so much more to it than just the songs performed. The backround to each band, the meaning of the song and the history of the genres are just a few things i would like to delve into during my media course. I would also like to study the production of music videos and the way media and technology affects the music industry.

I like many different genres of music, i try to be open minded because i need a wide knowledge of all genres. My favourite genres are metal, 70’s punk, 50’s, 60’s and 80’s garage rock, heavy rock, electronic punk and alternative such as ‘ red hot chilli peppers’ and ‘ foo fighters’. My favourite bands include The Horrors, Slipknot, The gruesomes and Nirvana. This is one of my favourite songs at the moment- Slipknot- Duality I am not in a band at the moment but i have been in a few casual bands with friends and performed during my music GCSE course in front of my year. I have not composed much music out of choice but i got a B for my composition work. When accessing music i find it easiest to use the internet because it is very convenient. There is access to the internet in most places and there are many sites which let you listen to music for free, such as YouTube. There is a major disadvantage to accessing music online, this being illegal downloading. Bands use online shops like ‘iTunes’ to sell their music, this is an example of new technology affecting the music industry. There are many ways to purchase music online yet there are also many ways of not paying for it. Sites such as ‘ YouTube converter’ are being used to illegally download music without paying, what most people don’t realise is the bands they are stealing music from need the money from album sales to book gigs and advertise their music. Music is not made for everyone to take, would you go into sound clash and steal a record? It is exactly the same thing, composing music is a job and it makes me really angry that people think it is okay just to take it. If you like the band you need to support them, if everyone thought it was okay just to steal music then bands would break up and music would slowly die out! I think illegal downloading is extremely wrong and should be stopped completely.

Music is very influential, it can influence how we dress, who we are friends with, our hair styles and our attitudes. Music has a larger impact on us than most people think as it is always around us, whether we are on a bus or in a shop! The influences it can have on us can be very strong such as some people live their lives around a certain band who they can aspire to be, it can make them dress a certain way or act a certain way, music can even influence entire decades! Flappers were influenced by jazz and punk music inspires anarchy! So personally i think music is one of the most important aspects of life, even though you may not realise it.

Video games:

Video games are becoming very popular in modern life, children from a very young age are playing them and this is very likely to have an effect on the way they behave. For example, my brother is 9 years old and he is playing war games. I have already seen a change in his behaviour and this concerns me because there are many young children doing exactly the same thing! I feel that violent video games could have a negative effect on the behaviour and views of children and teens as the violence in war games could make them think it is okay to resolve issues with violence. These video games can also affect the way males view females, out of the violent games i have seen i have only viewed men fighting which could make a young boy under the impression that they are better than a female.

Technology is improving and the choice of video games is expanding, this means that games are getting more detailed and much more realistic, the graphics are better and there is even body controlled games. I think games are quite influential to inexperienced minds, they have the ability to change a person’s views without them even realising it! As i mentioned above, my brother likes to play war games, we noticed that after playing them for a few days he became more violent and moody and he started wanting to play fight with his friends, after we stopped him playing the games he went back to normal. This proves that even after a few days, video games can have an effect on a person.

New technology:

Technology is rapidly changing and as it does; our understanding of the world is too. Technologies such as the internet have created a broad basis on which we find information, the internet makes it easy for us to find facts quickly and helps us to understand things which a book or a film may not. This information is available to anyone, and it is instant whereas looking through a text book or going to the library is more long winded.  I use the internet to help with homework and to find out information; i also use it to learn songs on guitar and ukulele so it can be used for almost anything! It also increases my ability to have contact with people through email, social networking sites such as ‘Facebook’ and blogging. Technology has made it so much easier to access films, catch up on TV programs and listen to music; I watch inbetweeners on ‘4oD’ all the time! It is very easy to go online and watch movies or TV programs because you can access them when it suits you. You can listen to all of your favourite music for free whenever you wish and you can even get the internet on your mobile phones so you can access all of this when you are away from home. There are changes being made to television and film viewing such as ‘plus one’ channels which makes it more convenient for us. Blue Ray and HD viewing are very popular because they show a better quality of picture and sound, this shows that we are always interested if there is something which is going to make our lives easier or more convenient!

New technologies also make it easier to make my own media texts as there are many different forms i could use; i could type an article, i could make a power point or write a blog! There is also the option of attaching images and noises to the document which can be found on the internet.

Television:

My favourite TV program is definitely ‘The Mighty Boosh’! It is an adult comedy which has a cult following. It is extremely funny and memorable because there are so many hilarious one liners. It is very unpredictable and generally strange, this is what makes it so funny! ‘friends’ is also really funny, it is a very ‘easy to watch’ program and is great to watch after school with a cup of tea! It is also very easy to relate to. My favourite channels are most certainly ‘scuzz’ which is a music channel showing metal, punk and rock music videos. I also like ‘food network’ because it gives me great cooking tips! It shows lots of cooking and food related programs. ‘E4’ is my favourite channel to watch comedy and real life programs on. Overall my favourite television genre would be comedy as it is so easy to watch and can keep me entertained for hours.

Producing media:

I have not had much experience of media production but last year i organised and helped write some articles for a fanzine called ‘Amusia’. It was organised on a forum on the internet for my favourite band ‘The Horrors’. I came up with the idea and organised the fanzine, i had editors to help perfect all of the pages and articles people posted for it and a forum member put the magazine together. Amusia was going to be an internet magazine and there were going to be hard copies given out by fans at the gigs, unfortunately it was never finished but the experience of organising a fanzine was very helpful and i would most certainly do it again!

Feature film:

My favourite film genre is horror, although i also enjoy comedy. Horror is very interesting as it has to make you feel a certain way for it to make an impact on the viewer, the adrenaline rush you get from watching a horror film is absolutely amazing and if the horror film is good, it should make you experience fear as the character does. Comedy is very easy to watch compared to a horror film, i enjoy it because it can be watched at any time and it can keep me entertained for hours! My favourite film is the perfect example of this, it is absolutely hilarious and i can watch it over and over without it getting boring! ‘Anchorman’ is a 2004 film set in the 1970’s. It is about a news anchor called Ron Burgundy and his affections for a female addition to the news team, Veronica Corningstone. There are a handful of famous actors in this film yet all of the actors seem to work very well together and some (such as Will Ferrell and David Coechner) have worked together in similar films prior to this. The actors and actresses include; Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd and Steve Carell. The more famous additions included Ben Stiller and Jack Black. The thing that caught my eye when watching this film was the cinematography, the film is shot as though it is low budget and amateur which adds to the hilariousness of the whole thing. Anchorman clip- Brick killed a guy Another factor that caught my eye was the many quotable phrases said throughout the film! Memorable quotes are usually the key component to writing a comedy/ romcom script, for example most people who have watched anchorman know the quote ‘I love lamp’ said by ‘Brick’ because it is from one of the best scenes in the film! The film also stands out as the main actor ( Will Ferrell) also helps write the script, which means the lines he says in the film are very natural so his acting seems more realistic.

My favourite horror film is definitely ‘Wolf Creek’ a 2005 film directed by Greg Mclean. It was based on a true story and set in the Australian Outback where three backpackers ‘break down’ and become stranded in the middle of nowhere, luckily they are rescued by a passing local and taken back to his camp. The actors used are not well known yet they play their parts very convincingly, the murderer was played by John Jarratt, and the backpackers were played by Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi and Nathan Phillips. The events which occur after this are horrific and I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys gore, suspense and chase scenes. I prefer this film to any other horrors I have watched because it has some hints towards being a psychological thriller, the film itself is not extremely gory yet it makes you think rather a lot and concludes at the end. The cinematography is very interesting within this film as there are many effective camera shots. There is a great use of long shots as the setting is so large, over the shoulder shots are used during chase scenes and close ups are used to show the actors/ actresses emotions. The most interesting shot in my opinion was a part where the camera made the viewer feel they were looking through a sniper. Wolf Creek- Sniper scene

Pulp Fiction is one of the most interesting films I have watched, it is a ‘cult classic’ from 1994 which has a cult following. This means that the film is not mainstream and was not made to appeal to a wide audience. Pulp fiction is about four different stories; a gangster’s wife, two hit men, a boxer and some ‘diner bandits’. The story line is rather difficult to explain as there are many twists but the actors play them very effectively. There are many famous actors in this film including; John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson and Uma Thurman. The action in this film is most important as throughout the film there is minimal dialogue. The cinematography is also important, there is a very interesting part of the film where the character has a flash back of their father talking to him, as the father is talking to him it seems as though the audience is looking through the eyes of the boy and this really makes the viewer feel involved with the film and puts us in the characters shoes. The sound track to pulp fiction is obviously very important as it represents the time period in which it was set!

I prefer to consume films either through the internet or via DVD as they are most convenient although i prefer to view films as a social activity so the cinema is the best option for that! My favourite cinema around Norwich is probably the Odeon as it is surrounded by restaurants and clubs and has the most spacious venue. The option for cinema food is also more varied which is definitely a reason to go there!

Conclusion:

I do not usually get offended by media texts as they are usually opinions and i think everybody is entitled to their own opinions although, obscene cruelty and hideous behaviour reported in the news with great detail offends me. I think it is absolutely awful to recite interviews explaining deaths and murders in detail to the public; it can really affect young minds. A few years ago i was watching the news and i heard a story about a man being beaten up and his head being jumped on which killed him, it was a group attack consisting of all males and one female, the female explained in an interview that she did not know they were going to kill the man and explained how the crunching of the victims skull as her friends stood on it haunted her every night.. This story still makes me feel sick.

The Mighty Boosh is probably the most inspiring and interesting media i have seen, it is not conventionally inspiring or influential but it has a cult following and i really feel that it has influenced the way i speak and even the way i view myself and others around me. It has shown me not to view life too seriously and that even the most terrible things can be made amusing!

If i was to produce a media text i would organise a music magazine because i really enjoyed the last experience! It would be about a certain genre of music which i feel could have a major influence on people who enjoy listening to that genre. As i said above, music can have a very large influence on your life and how you view the world for example, people who like to listen to heavy genres and subgenres such as metal and death metal could view the world in a negative way and could listen to that music because it is full of negative emotions and can be used as a way to relieve them. The articles would be not only reviews of bands but explaining a bands past and their views on the music industry and the history of the genre so the reader can know the background information which is what makes a person passionate about a band.

I chose media studies as an A level option because i would like to go into music journalism when i leave school and this will help me to have a wider understanding of the media industry, i am really looking forward to filming the music video next year as it is my area of media interest and it will help me to understand more about the music industry in the process.