Evaluation (Part 8): Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The preliminary task, helped to us to get used to the technology and the editing. It showed us the how to use the basic form of editing, which was continuity editing.

The camera was a standard camera, but since it was just a simple task, we learnt how to use them properly. It helped us get some good shots, when Nicky was talking face to face with the devil, the lighting made the conversation dark. Since it was the devil the lighting made the atmosphere perfect. It was great filming all the different shots, because we new how it was going to come together.

The Apple Macs were great, because it helped us to edit our film. Once we got the hang of it, it was pretty simple and it brought the different parts of our film together nicely. We used i-Movie and it allowed us to add in sound effects, which added to the whole mood of our film, we could also put in credits at the end, because at this stage it was just about getting used to the technology and how we can improve on it.

There were some drawbacks, like the quality of the footage was not that great, because it was a standard camera. Also when Nicky was walking down the corridor, there was a noise in the background, which sounded like a plane. Furthermore, the acting wasn’t great and the costumes were not perfect. But since this was the first filming task, it was alright. The main purpose was to get used to the technology.

When we were making our actual opening sequence, the acting was a lot better. We were using HD cameras, so the quality was great. For editing, we used Final Cut, which allowed us to be more detailed, with our opening; we could change specific points in the film. So our end product for our BSR, was exactly what we wanted.

Evaluation (Part 7): What you have learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

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Evaluation (Part 6): How did you attract/address your audience?

Evaluation (Part 5): How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In our opening 2 minute sequence, we tried to give a stereotypical view of a young teenage girl getting ready to go out. But behind this, the main point that we were trying to get across to our audience is that she is being abused by her father.

Camera

Camera angles were important, to show the representation of how she is feeling and what we want the audience to think about the character. When molly is walking down the stairs, instead of the camera being at the bottom of the stairs pointing up, we did the opposite. At this point, it shows that she is very vulnerable, because in the story she could get caught by her father at any point, so she needs to be careful. By shooting her from a high angle, it gives a tense atmosphere that we wanted our audience to feel. This part of the opening was also filmed handheld, because we wanted the audience to feel like they were walking with her, to add the tense atmosphere. When the dad is shouting from the top of the stairs, the camera was at a low angle. This was to show that he has authority over her and to show his power. 

Mise-En-Scene

Our location for the opening sequence was a just an average working class house, because the character is a normal teenage girl, who leads a normal life, but with problems, this conforms to the conventions of British Social Realism. We also wanted to get across to our audience that these things can even happen in a normal environment, without anyone else knowing. The lighting at the beginning was quite bright, because we didn’t want to give away anything to the audience yet. So it was just like a teenager is getting ready to go out. When it showed the dad sleeping, the lighting on the room was darker, because we wanted to show that he was the antagonist. The climax of the opening sequence, when the dad finds out that molly is escaping; the lighting was quite low at this point. We wanted to represent that he is the one that is hurting molly. The costumes were meant to represent everyday working class people, which it did. So costume wasn’t much of a problem.

Sound

We mainly used diegetic sound, for example the radio. We used it as a sound bridge and was a hint to what our story was about. We also made a wild track, for when molly is outside. The only dialogue we had, was when the dad is talking, it shows his anger and his dominance over her. But at the beginning there was no dialogue, to build the tension.

Editing

There is mostly continuity editing, which is the main editing technique, we were meant to use. We used some jump cuts, when she is sorting out her room, to show that she is rushing and the time is passing. When she is applying make-up to her scars, it has been speeded up, to show that she has many scars. The part where she is tying her shoe laces has also been speeded up, to show that she is rushing to leave the house, so that she does not get caught.

Evaluation (Part 4): In what ways does our film use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real social realist films?

The narrative of the film was always at the fore fronts of our minds. Because, in our opinion, our story was quite different to the standard film fare, therefore it was imperative we got our narrative across. We noticed, from such films as "Fish Tank", how social realism films have the tendency to just drop in the action, rather than some slow, dramatic gradual build up you'd get in something like the Hollywood film "Transformers". "Fish Tank" cuts right to her panting in her dancing room; we dropped right in on Molly putting her lipstick on. Straight away, themes of dangerous beauty are established. And then we soon come to the reveal of the scars, so already in the first minute we have the introduction of the main themes of insecurity and violence.
The genre of British Social Realism has definite signs that confirm to the audience that we are watching that kind of film; they are all the gritty conventions, such as the shaky camerawork, minimal dialogue and quite mundane action on screen. We made sure to have these in our piece in order to get that feel.
With camerawork we went down the handheld route, because - while it is the go-to style these days - we wanted the invasiveness of the style. It allowed us fluid motions of the camerawork for more movement and not become boring on a tripod for long periods. It is a common method of social realism so will allow us to meet the brief. We were now given liberty to push the camera right into the faces of the characters for full emotion, and - with the close-ups of the scars - full shocking impact of the reveals.
When it comes to editing, we knew we needed long takes to establish that sense of documentary-style realism, that longer takes seem more like a natural occurrence. We had a long shot of her walking down the stairs, which adds verisimilitude. Exactly what we want social realism. We don't want escapism. And prior to that we had the shot of her setting her room up; whereas it was a long take previously, we chose to jump cut it and this gives it a quite jarring feel, creating unease which suits the uneasiness of the subject matter.
Apart from the imagery, we needed to get every ounce of impact from the audio of the film. A convention of social realism is the natural dialogue, and in most opening sequences the dialogue is kept minimal. We went this and we also left out any music. I think it worked to give a slightly eerie and cold feeling. For us that was perfect as it is supposed to be uncomfortable and for something resembling silence, it left a chilly feeling. However, of course, we did have a radio track playing in the background off a radio in the diegesis, but I think its blended to the atmosphere to not be so much of a distraction. Because of the fact we needed signs of the narrative, we dropped a phone-in segment about domestic abuse. It's comes off as forced but without it I don't think it's quite as good.
Our mise-en-scene was pretty innocuous when it comes to social realism; usually you may get the grey and dark palette of a "Kidulthood", but we tried to be different and I think the safe, standard colourful and well lit look of the film gives it that sense of surprise when it does turn out badly, and also from then on, the nice look becomes unnerving because it doesn't match the horribleness of what's on screen. The light also shines burningly on her face and scars, as if to put her on the spotlight as the protagonist of this story, and to highlight her pain clearly.
We've grown to understand during the course of school that there are plenty of iconic signs in life that hint at a message without blatantly coming right out. We've put a few in to give it the film that impressiveness that people in a film class could extract something deeper meaning. Our first shot is of the red lips, and this instantly sets out that sexual whiff and the feelings of desire towards this show of beauty, however the reluctant way she puts it on shows the uneasy and uncomfortable sense of desire, which encapsulates the relationship between Molly and her father. The fact she is uncomfortable by the feeling of beauty, almost ashamed by it, is reinforced when she wipes off the lipstick. That main image of the red is throughout the opening, when she puts on the red jacket she signifies that feeling again. She becomes the Red Riding Hood figure. Sexual, yet vulnerable. And the prize to the Wolf - the Dad.

Evaluation (Part 3): What impact did the media institution Film 4 have on each production stage and why?

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Evaluation (Part 2): Who would be the audience for your product?

Evaluation (Part 1): Brief

The brief was to make a 2 minute opening sequence for a film, based on a British Social Realism genre.

We named the piece "Molly's Lips" because her red lips are the iconic sign of danger and pain, since violence is the theme. In the opening sequence, we were trying to get across that she was being abused, without actually showing it. The story of the opening sequence is that she is getting ready to go out, without her dad finding out. This scene of her getting ready shows how she is insecure of the way she looks and she doesn’t want anyone else to know that she is being abused.

Well, I first got myself more recognised with the British Social Realism themes by researching other films. For example, “Nowhere Boy”, “Happy-Go-Lucky”, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” etc. I learnt that I had to take basic shots and use minimal editing. We also made a radio recording, to use as diegetic sound, to make the opening sequence more realistic and to show mundane everyday life. We used a long take, because they are like documentary style continuous shots that act as a window into this world because we see continuously in reality. We also used some jump cuts, because they are jarring and uncomfortable, to show passing time.

Final Cut of our Opening Two Minutes

Production Log (week 8)

This week was mainly about editing, because we had all the footage. We started our titles and put most of the clips together. Then we were told that our clips would be watched of where we are so far and feedback would be given. So we watched everybody's opening sequences and gave feedback, which was quite interesting because we could see what the other clips looked like and compare it to our own. When it came down to our opening sequence I was rather nervous becuase I didn't know what everybody would think of it. But we got pretty good feedback and we found out how we could improve.

Improvements that we need to consider and things we have left to do:
Change the dad from sleeping on a chair to a bed
*Add in the titles
*Record the radio sound and add in
*Need more clips of "Molly" - (scar on face, make-up, looking in the mirror, ....)
Need a bit more dialogue for dad
*Wild track for running bit

There is a bit more we need to do and we have only have 2 weeks left. So hopefully we can get everything done, the only thing im worried about is the sound. We need to get the wild track and the radiop done, apart from that I think we can do this.

Pre - Production Log (week 7)

This week we were told that the first draft of our opening must be done by this coming Friday, because everybody's opening would be shown to the class, so that we can see everyone's progress. Unfortunately we haven't filmed anything yet, we were going to film this weekend, but Aran's house was not free and I had guests over at my house. So we decided that we would film everything on Monday, because our main character "Molly", who actually will be played by Sara can only film on Monday.

So im hoping we can get everything done by Tuesday, so that we can start to edit. I don't think editing will take too long. Me and Aran, are planning to come after school, so that we can get extra editing time. Therefore, if everything goes to plan from now on, we should be able to get our first draft done by Thursday or Friday.

On Friday we were also told, that we could not add anything extra to our blogs, because our pre - production work was being marked. The only thing we were aloud to put on was our pre - production logs. But I had to change all my old posts to pre - production, or they would not be marked. So changing them was time consuming.

Although on the other hand, we have have made our logo for the production company. Since we didn't have any footage to edit, we decided to make the logo and we got it done in one lesson, which was great.

Pre - Production: Titles

In our film we will be using a minimum amount titles, as not to detract from the film. I think the more amount of titles, the more it pushes in the face of the audience that this is a constructed reality. A crafted piece of imagery made to present a story. If we have only 7 titles, compared 20, then that will minismise what I will call - from this day on, and so should you! - the "reality tearing" that titles can do to your film. Panic Room, by David Fincher, has over 20 titles and that to me was horribly teared.

Font for titles: Letter Gothic Std

I like this because it's very basic and workmanlike. It has typed, bookish quality to it that gives the film a feel of a case study, or this film is a presentation of a file on a rape case. No frills. No spills. No tearing.

Title 1: a Wonky Donkey production
Title 2: an Aran Knowles, Gokulan Loganathan and Kirtan Kaur Bhakar film
Title 3: (Actor 1)
Title 4: (Actor 2)
Title 5: Edited by Gokulan Loganathan, Aran Knowles and Kirtan Kaur Bhakar
Title 6: Casting by Gokulan Loganathan
Title 7: her Inside Sores

Title 1 will be displayed on a black background and will be faded onto the screen and then faded out. The logo will be in a central position.
Titles 2-6 will be flashed on screen in a non-distracting position, e.g bottom corner, and then flashed off. This is on order to keep it as minimalist as possible. We will most likely avoid animations or fades on these titles, but then again our stance may change once we see the final cut and how the titles fit best.
Title 7 is the title card of the film and it may come in by us fading to black the film at the end of the opening and then flashing the title in a central position. Again, we may change our minds once we see it togther.

Pre - Production Log (week 6)

This week we were introduced to the production schedule, it shows you when you’re going to film, location, equipment and stuff like that. We also finished the draft of our shooting script.

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But we are still trying to think of our actual film title and production company title.

We have a few ideas:
“No one knows”
“Red island on the White Sea”
“Molly is a Dolly”
“Scars”

For the production company, we were thinking of “Wonky Donkey productions”, but we are still unsure.

We have hired a camera for Wednesday, hopefully we can get all the filming done in one day, because we can check if there were any problems and use one extra day to perfect it, so that we have lots of time for editing. We were going to film this weekend, but we did not have a proper location, so we decided on Wednesday and location is Aran's house. After we had talk about the location, I told him that we don't have much time left, so he said that we should film in his house. Even though we have the location, we still need to get the actors. We were thinking of asking Sophie Jade Wilison, because we all agreed that she would be perfect for the role. Hopefully she agrees to be in our film and we can also find a "father" before we start filming on Wednesday.

Pre - Production 5 Part Narrative Structure

McKee's Narrative Structure for our Film on Prezi

Pre - Production Log (week 5)

This week in Miss Severn’s class, since she was away on Monday, we were told to tidy up our blogs. However, on Tuesday, we worked on our treatment and my group sat down to have a talk about our idea. At that time we were not really sure of our idea, so we were discussing the idea and how it would be filmed. The next day, we filmed our vox pops using a flip camera. We interviewed 10 or 11 people and then we edited the video after school. The feedback that we got from the vox pop was good, which can be used to develop our ideas.




In Miss Bain’s lesson, we started looking at shooting scripts. We found out that we would have to make a shooting script, for when we film our actual video. We had a little practise of using a shooting script in an activity that Miss devised for us. She gave us a shooting script of a past student, then we were put in groups and we had to use this script to record what it said. The activity was fun, but we found out that, it is quite difficult to follow the script exactly. We also realised how we could make our shooting scripts better, by making it more detailed but simple at the same time and so that anybody could understand it. We had to come up with a few tips for a good shooting script, for example, make sure that the duration is suitable, because sometimes it may take longer to shoot a clip within a short time span.
Then on Friday, we started on the draft of our own shooting script. It was quite confusing, because we were not sure on which shot to put where. But we got down a few ideas, which was good.

Pre - Production Treatment

Our target audience are British people between the ages of 16 to 19 year olds. Our synopsis mainly focuses on females however can also relate to males as well.

"Abusive father? Sure, I can relate to that."

The themes that will occur and stand out for our target audience is the fact that these themes, relate to teenagers as there are people being females or males that abuse has become part of their lives.

Films such as 'Kidulthood' and 'Adulthood' are films which enables teenagers to response and look at the way they live and the way they react.  

Our targeted audience told us when using the method of vox pops that by watching British social realism films it lets them open up and relate their own personalities and lives with the story lines and/ or the characters within the film. 

By creating a film using our synposis will allow them to understand the right and wrong things in live and how even though these problems may not be happening to them in their lives other teenagers are and will be going throught them. 

By having our targeted audience between the ages of 16 to 19 year olds it educates them for the future if these problems were to be placed in their lives or people they may know. 

The technology we are using to make our opening sequences is a HD camera and an editing programme on an apple mac. But it is mainly about the way we film the footage and edit it, to make the best. Our opening sequence has to represent British Social Realism, so we need to use the technology to represent this. With the camera we could include, for example shaky cam. Also with the mac, the editing, we need to make sure that we do not edit too much. We need to use good unique editing techniques, so that our film can stand out. 

This is what a camera looks like

Since we are making a British Social Realism, we do not need too much technology. Independent films these days do not use much and are on low budgets. So the technology is very suitable, it also helps us to concentrate on the story line, because if you look at Hollywood films, most of them do not try hard on the story line, they worry too much on the action. The main point of a British Social Realism film is its theme and concept, so I think that the technology that we are using is good for us.
The main limitations are that we do not have enough money to make an amazing film. We will not be able to have explosions and amazing action. However, we do not need any of this, because we are making a British Social Realism opening. Also I think the time is definitely a limitation, because we do not have that much time to make it perfect.


The narrative of the film will be strongly driven by the central character, Molly, following her journey in the film:
Summer holidays, Molly wants to go to a party. She covers her scars and she runs away to her friend's party where ends up sleeping with a boy named Ricky. When she gets home it leads to an argument, which results in Molly getting beaten up badly. She then isolates herself in her room for the weekend, doing her best to avoid Dad and the world, and cleans herself up. The days pass and Molly still stays home and does what she can to avoid confrontation with her father. Because Dad works night shifts, Molly goes out late one night to find peace. She then goes back home to find a Dad there when he shouldn't be - he's been made redundant; he's suspicious so they begin another argument that results in Dad raping Molly. She doesn't phone the police or tell anyone. Later on Molly's friend Shannon comes to visit and Shannon is also with Ricky. Ricky tells her to get a pregnancy test after they leave because he wasn't protected the other night. Suddenly realising, Molly runs to buy one and takes it home, uses it and finds out it's positive. She leaves it on the dining room table and pack a few bare essentials and leaves the house.

The opening sequence will begin with an immediate image of her scars being detailed on by one, and then her covering them up with make-up and clothing. All without showing her face. We soon her full body and realise he's dressed for a party and that she's quite young. She slowly walks down the stairs and as she nears the door, her father, who was a sleep, is heard upstairs screaming about how he knows she's sneaking out and shouts profanity and threats. In a panicked move, Molly just runs out the door. She runs and runs and runs, until she stops and realises what she's just done and cries as she walks into her friend's house. She only lives down the road.
The conventions that we'll try and incorporate are those of minimal dialogue, character introduction, theme introduction and titles. Obviously it is just the opening and so we can't chuck everything in, otherwise it would be a bit cluttered but, hopefully, we get in the conventions that will create a foundation for the film, i.e. characters and themes. Because it's gritty social realism, we'll be minimalist about it and try to keep it simple; and because the theme of the film is quite bad we'll try to make it a cold and bitter opening. Hopelessness and doom and all that lovely stuff.

The characters are limited which makes for a more of a eerie atmosphere of loneliness and deprivation. Molly, the central character is a 15 year old middle-working class school girl living in a suburban house in London. She is quite normal really. However, she isn't the strongest mentally and isn't able to put up the best fight against anyone; and will become introvert if ever she is harmed. She has to deal with the unexplained absence of her mother which affects her deeply and so is only left in the care of her father, Joseph, who looked after her strongly during the years. He, too, is affected by his wife's absence, and he is a working class man who is doing his best to get along with the odd jobs that can. Mainly night shift, decent pay jobs and he has never seemed to have recovered from his wife, and so drink and drugs proved a nice substitute. He hates his daughter, because he sees her as a burden but he sticks with her because she is his wife's daughter.
The film will most probably support the stereotypes of public opinions of the people involved in domestic abuse. Especially to women, because Molly is more helpless and on the receiving end of a more dominant male. The reluctance to report the abuse is a common thing in the world too; and so, just like in real life, if Molly doesn't say then anything can happen and no-one will ever know.

When it comes to the general look and feel of the film, we will go for handheld, so we get a bit of the gritty, unglamorous look that that style carries - in the vein of Fish Tank and This Is England. However, while being quite stylish and arty, handheld is a bit stale these days as it seems the first choice way for all films; so a mixture of handheld and tripods might be the option. Also, intrusive shots are a must, i.e. close-ups, so we get every bit of nasty detail. When we're done shooting and are editing, maybe some creative ways of cutting may be a way forward, for example some fast/slow dynamics, where we have quick cuts of her scars and then the long take of her dealing with them. Of course the aim is to not make it look hideous, but for sure some creativity is needed. Then what's actually on screen has to be quite chavy, cheap-looking and tatty (it being social realism). 


In terms of institutions, since we are making this opening sequence for Film 4, it definitely has to be British Social Realism that is the main impact on the type of film we are making. 
Film 4 mainly advertise on their own TV channels and websites, because it is cheaper for them. It is also for their target audience, so they can focus on them directly
Our film would probably be exhibited in home releases and maybe independent film festivals. Also it may be exhibited on websites such as Film Four and Lovefilm.

Pre - Production VOX POPS!!!

This is part of our research, where we went around to people asking them specific questions to help us with our planning for our idea.




Questions asked in VOX POPS!!!

1) Do you watch British Social Realism films, if so why?
2) What kind of issues would you want dealt with in films?
3) What character would you relate to most in a film?
4) What do you think of an abusive father?
5) How would react to strong domestic violence?
6) What would you do if you were being abused by your parents?
7) What do you think of this synopsis,
“15 year old girl is abused by her father, but she keeps it to herself, the pain gets bigger, the scars get worse, she gets pregnant”


From this research I have gained a lot of ideas that we can use in our opening sequence. Firstly a lot of people would want drugs, sex and alcohol in films. Which can be dealt with and is a good idea for a British Social Realism film, but, I think it is too common because it is already in most or every other film. Secondly, all the people that we interviewed said that they like the idea of an abusive father. I also think this idea is really good, because it is uncommon, you do not see it much in films. Also because many people, especially children would have been through this, so it is something they can relate to, so I think it is a good idea, which we will stick with. When they were asked, what would they do if they were being abused by their parents, they said they would either call child line or tell someone. However, people actually in this situation, I think would not tell anyone, because they would be too afraid, so I think that is something we can linger on for our idea. Finally, everyone liked the synopsis, because they thought we could do a lot with it and because it would be a great controversial topic to deal with, also because many people can relate to it. Although, one person said, that because we said that she becomes pregnant, it gives too much away, they said the story has already been told. Yet I think that because we are only filming the opening sequence of a film, we will not have to portray or even include that she is pregnant. I think for the opening sequence, all we need to show that is, the girl is being abused by her father, so what will she do about it.

I think this research will be very helpful for when planning our idea, and for the actual video. But most importantly it was a lot of fun.

Pre - Production Log (week 3)

This week with Miss Severn, we looked at sound in opening sequences and how they are used to grab the audiences’ attention and give a sort of theme to the movie. For my analysis, I chose Nowhere Boy; this opening sequence had a nice uplifting song at the start, which also suited the era of the film. It also gave a theme to the movie, since the film is based on the Beatles.

In Miss Bain’s class we found out that for our opening sequence coursework, we had to include a 750 word treatment, so in that lesson, we made mini 25 word treatments for British Social Realism opening sequence ideas. I and my partner Aran came up with one for our idea of sex abuse:

“15 year old girl gets sexually abused by her father, she cannot handle the stress, the pain eats her, the scars get bigger, she becomes pregnant…”

Even though there is one more word extra, it still counts. We will also be using this for our vox pops; vox pops are like short snappy interviews, asking a few questions. We will be taking a camera around to people, so that we can ask them a few questions for research on our opening sequence. We will also include a fragment of this in the treatment.

Pre - Production Log (week 2)

This week we looked at opening sequences and their credits, we looked at where they were placed, how important they were and the duration of each. For my analysis I chose Happy-Go-Lucky, this opening sequence had a lot of credits at the start. We also learnt that Hollywood films have more credits at the start then independent films.

In Miss Bain’s class we learnt about the different techniques that opening sequences use to grab the audiences attention. We learnt a variety of techniques, for example, enigmas, which means it, makes a mystery or a question in your mind.

So now I understand, that we need all this we have learnt this week, to make the perfect opening sequence that are audience will enjoy.

Pre - Production Sound analysis of (Nowhere Boy)

In the beginning there is a sting/theme tune for the film 4 title. This maybe because it is the main production company, or just because this is there mark. There is a 1960's song, to suit the era and it is light hearted, to show the liveliness and the mischief of these young teenagers. It also ensures, the film starts of on a happy note. Their accent is, what is called 'scouse', the kind of northern accent. Also the most important aspect I think is that, whenever there is speech, the music quietens down, this is important if you want your audience to understand what is going on, also, so they can follow the story properly.

Pre - Production Analysis of film conventions in an opening sequence

For this analysis, I have chosen the film (Hunger)

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Pre - Production Analysis of Themes and Ideology

It is important that British Social Realism films have a theme and ideology, because they try and tell the audience the truth through their films. So they need a theme and ideology to push the beliefs even further, without the themes and ideologies there would not be any emotion behind the truthful message they are trying to get across.

The themes and ideologies are unique in a British Social Realism film, because they concentrate on the hard and gritty part of life. It is not always a happy ending, that’s what these films are putting across to the audience, that life is not fair all the time. Unlike Hollywood films, where you always get a happy ending, these Social Realism films represent real life, that’s why they are unique.

There is a pattern of the themes and ideologies in British Social Realism films, because they focus on the truth of life and what it really is. The main topics they would focus on are, alcohol, drugs, underage sex and pregnancy, gang violence and the struggles of families. All these themes and ideologies mostly represent the life of the working class, which is what mainly Social Realism films concentrate on.

My Synopsis

Since alcohol is a problem in Britain, with people consuming alcohol and doing illegal things like drunk driving. I thought it would be a great idea for a British Social Realism film.

My story will be about a 12 year old boy whose father drinks all the time. The boy’s mother died, so the father tries to bring up the only child, but he cannot. The story will be about how this boy looks after his father, by feeding, washing him and taking care of him. With the stress at home, he also has to go to school and make sure he concentrates. But one day, he gets in trouble in school, so he has to stay back and explain to them that it was not him. He’s in school for a long time and when he comes home he finds out that is father is dead…

Pre - Production Analysis of Opening Sequence

For this analysis I have chosen the opening of Happy-Go-Lucky, directed by Mike Leigh. As the opening credits are being played, we can see the main character riding on a bicycle through town; this is almost like an establishing shot, to let the audience know the location of the film and where it is set.



The production companies were very basic and look like they haven’t been spent much time on, to show that this film is very simple. The typography of the opening credits are very girly, to show us that the audience for this film are mostly girls and women, this also looks very plain and simple.

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Pre - Production Evaluating Past Students Work

This week we were given two past students’ blogs to analyse, we were also given the mark scheme to guide us. We had to use the mark scheme to give them a score on planning and research, construction, and evaluation.

Mark Scheme:

Blog 1 (Ellie):

Ellie’s blog showed that she put effort into her work, because her planning and research were quite detailed. However, her final video did not show this, because her video was very boring and the story line was quite confusing. It lacked the knowledge and the effort she had put into her research. I think this is because she lost interest in the project, it also showed in her evaluation, because it was not detailed and too generic. But, I think she was being honest.

Blog 2 (Gemma):

Gemma’s blog also had a lot of detail and her blog was well structured, so it was easy to understand. Her blog showed that she had done a lot of research and planning, which is useful for making the final video. Gemma’s final video, was good and I especially like her credit placement. Furthermore, she also used real footage from protests, which was very interesting. However, the only criticism I have is that she used a common beginning, “waking up from bed”. Her evaluation was very detailed and had an in depth analysis of her own strengths and weaknesses.

Overall, I thought both blogs were excellent. However, it was Gemma’s blog that stood out, because she had more detail in her blog and it was structured better. Also, her final video was more interesting and you can kind of figure out the main theme of the film.

The things that I have learnt from this are that a lot of detailed planning and research is important. Also that a well structured blog makes it easier to understand, which will make it easier to get through to your audience. In addition to this, I have also learnt that time management is important, because the time must but evenly managed between the three main areas to get the best outcome. I will also try not to loose interest in the project, and make sure that my blog is not boring. I will not use common beginnings, but a unique beginning to grab the audiences’ attention. 

Pre - Production Analysis of a British Social Realism film

For this analysis, I have chosen the film (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels):

Pre - Production Log (week 1)

This week, we have started our coursework. We are only in the first stage of our planning process, and have been informed of what there will be to come. Our project is to make a 2 minute opening sequence for a film, based on British Social Realism. Since we are British ourselves, this might appear simple, but yet there will be some challenges ahead. But I know we will overcome these hurdles and finish this project to a high standard.

On Tuesday we went on a media trip to seven kings high school, where there were various workshops and talks by successful people in the media field. It was interesting to see, that there are lots of things you can do with media. We also looked at some other peoples work, which were inspiring. This trip helped me to recap everything that we have learnt and also most importantly, gave me a lot of ideas of what I can use for opening sequence.

On Thursday, we were given the level 4 criteria and the coursework mark scheme. We used the mark scheme to analyse 2 past students’ blogs;

Blog 1

Blog 2

Analysing and marking these blogs, gave me an idea of how my blog should be and how much detail I need to put in. Both blogs had their strengths and weaknesses, but I thought blog 2 was better overall, because she went into more detail with her planning and evaluation. These blogs have also helped me to realise that my blog is just one big scrapbook, and any ideas I get, I should just plonk them onto my blog, because it is all part of the planning process. When we were analysing the blogs, I noticed that they were extremely long; this is because they put in all their ideas. This is not just to get marks, when it comes down to the actual filming, we can look back at different ideas, which will help us make the most amazing 2 minute opening sequence ever.

So from my first production log, I say let the games begin…

Fish Tank Case Study

Themes and Situations

Mia the main character of Fish Tank lives in a council estate with her mother and her sister. From the beginning of the movie, there is teenage rivalry and violence. This is a social realist film, so it represents real life with all its difficulties. Mia’s mother is abusive towards her; this shows that she does not know how to take care of her kids. There are many illegal things in this movie, like underage drinking, with Mia and her sister Tyler, there is also underage smoking, Tyler, who is probably about 10 years old is smoking with her friend. Furthermore, there is a scene which includes underage sex, with Mia and Conner. This all comes back to link with British social realism; it represents a teenager’s life in urban surroundings.

Representation

There is a stereotype of Mia’s mum, as a single mum; she would struggle to look after her children. Also, for the audience it is information of how people are and how they live in these suburban areas. But other audience can relate with this film, with the accents, locations, and the behaviour of the characters. But this film gives a bad representation of Barking and Dagenham, which is where this movie is filmed.

Mise-en-scene

The costumes that they wear are chavy cheap clothes, to show lower/working class people. However, Conner wears better clothes, to show that he is more upper class than the others. Throughout the film, it is mostly natural lighting, this keeps to the fact that this is real life. It all ties in with real life situations, to give the audience information.

Music and Sound  

There is diegetic music, when she is listening to the music she dances to. This shows the type of music that young teenagers listen to in this day and age, the music they listen to can also reflect the attitude and behaviour of young teenagers. The non-diegetic sound of the surroundings is used to also create a realistic feel in the film.

Camera Work and Editing

Most of the film, there is a handheld camera, to give shakiness to the picture. This effect is maybe to show that it is not a calm film, that anything can happen at any moment, or it could reflect mia’s personality, because she does not stay in one place, she moves around a lot. There are many point of view shots, to show how the character sees things through their eyes. There are many points where mia is shown from a high angle, to show her vulnerability.

Dialogue

Most of the people have an Essex accent, and the teenagers use slang, which is very common with British teenagers. This is to keep with the realism of the film, to keep with theme of British social realism. Conner has an Irish accent, maybe to separate him from the others, and to give him more class than the others.

Secondary Research

The director of this film is Oscar winner Andrea Arnold. The production companies are; BBC films, UK film council, Limelight Communication, Content Film and Kasander Film Company. They filmed in; Barking, Dagenham, Havering, Stanford, Tilbury and Tower Hamlets, which are mostly, rough urban areas to stick with the theme of the movie. The film has won many awards, which includes the BAFTA film award and the British Independent film award. In the UK, the film made £103,108 and in the US it made $32,619. The marketing strategy was that they mainly used the internet to advertise their film as they needed to keep costs low.      (Source: IMDB)

In my opening sequence I would use, natural lighting to give a realistic feel. Maybe music that the audience can relate to, and simple camera work and editing to give a hard and gritty effect.