Sunday, 22 November 2009

Chasing Goose: Footage Images

While shooting my opening sequence to Chasing Goose, i took still images of some scenes. Here are some of the images:


These Shots consist of the Actors and me (The producer,director and editor of Chasing Goose.)

Monday, 16 November 2009

3.9. Posts of technical and logistical successes during production

During the two week program of shooting my footage, nearly everything went well and smooth.
I managed to shoot all my shots at a minimum of 3 times, giving me a range to select the best shots when editing my footage.
I also managed to get better angles in some shots that i was looking to do within the first place. This means that i have a variety of different shot types to choose from once i begin placing shots together.
I experimented with a few shots, taking them from different angles (shot types) to see if i can get better shots which would build up the tension and excitement within the thriller.
The overall process of shooting my footage went really well and i am now ready to begin editing. :)

Monday 16th November 2009 - After having trouble finding clips on the internet of news channels talking about gang crime in London, i decided to make the protagonist watch a film at the begginning of the opening sequence, preferably watching a gang culture film, or a film that contained a sense on thriller. While searching through my DVD collection, i came across the British Award Winning film, Adulthood. I found an even BETTER piece of footage from the film than the news channel, which will fit in GREAT with the opening sequence. In order to use the footage, i got in contact with the Writer, Director and main actor of the film Noel Clarke via Twitter, asking him if i can use some of the footage for my opening sequence. In no time he replied back to me giving the all clear! :D



3.8. posts of technical and logical problems encountered at any stage during production

Within the process of shooting, i only had a few minor problems. These problems are as follows:

Also on Saturday 7th November 2009 only one actor was able to make shooting and the access to a car was unavailable. However, the actor that showed up was the main character, which was really well as this meant that i can shoot the scenes within the house that only include him, while leaving the other scenes to be shot the following week.

While filming on Saturday 14th November 2009, after shooting my last scenes, the battery pack was not fully charged and died on me. Due to the result of this, i had to arrange to do more shooting the next day (Sunday 15th November 2009) as we had run out of time, and myself and actors had destinations to reach.
Also the weather on both days kept constantly changing from sunny to rain, while sometimes the clouds where grey, pouring down with rain, and other times the weather was really bright.

While shooting footage with the actors and looking at the shots within my storyboard, i realised that some of the shots wouldn't drop in well with each other and would make the story line confusing. In result to this, i added a few more extra shots so that everything worked well, while still keeping the story line along the same plot.

Monday 16th November 2009 - While trying to find news clips of gang related information to burn onto a DVD disc and play on my television, for the protagonist of Chasing Goose to watch, i found it difficult to get clips from the internet and place it onto disc to play on my DVD player.
However i managed to resolve this, finding WAY better footage than i expected. (Please relate to 3.9. to see how i successfully resolved my problem.)

Thursday, 12 November 2009

Chasing Goose: Shooting Schedule

I created a shooting schedule for my production, so i know what shots i look to film on the two days i shoot. My shooting schedule consists of:
  • The dates i will be shooting.
  • The shots i will be shooting.
  • The angles of the shots that i look to shot.
Here is my Shooting Schedule:




Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Chasing Goose: Call sheet.

i created a call sheet so that myself and the other members/actors taking part in my production knew exactly what was going on, on what day of the week and time, and was able to contact other members taking part if any rehearsals was to be scheduled within their free time.
My call sheet consisted of:
  • Date of when shooting(s) are looking to take place.
  • Time shooting(s) are looking to take place.
  • The crew, cast members and actors that are taking part within the production.
  • The roles of people that are taking part within the shooting process.
Here is my call sheet information:

3.2. Analysis of two opening sequences in your chosen genre, from two different studios.

To help me analyse the genre 'Thriller' in more detail and how the opening of a thriller normally takes its impact, i anaylsed two thrillers. These two thrillers where 'Silence of the lambs' and 'The Butterfly Effect'. We watched both openings of the thrillers twice (which where 5 minutes long) and looked in detail at all aspects on all shot types, how they corresponded with the sound in the background and the mise-en-scene etc.

3.2.1. Deconstruction of the titles
In Silence of the Lambs the deconstruction of the titles are simple. It consisted of blocked black text on an image background with a white stroke.
In The Butterfly Effect the title shots are alot more complicated than Silence of the Lambs, as it consist of animated footage and fancy scientific text written in the colour green and the title is placed on an x-ray background.
The Butterfly Effect is alot more stronger as an opening sequence for a thriller than Silence of the Lambs, in my eyes, not because its fancy and animated, but simply because it consists of tension within itself.
Both titles have strong points within them, they are deconstructed really well as they both relate to the context of the thriller/sub-genre they are based upon.



3.2.2. Deconstruction of the shot sequence
Silence of the lambs starts off with the protagonist running through a forest. The first shot of her is an establishing shot, which then leads onto an over the shoulder shot. The over the shoulder shot looks as if it was filmed hand held or on a tracker. These are strong shots featured within the opening sequence, as if catches the audience attention bringing their minds to many conclusions, making them wonder if the protagonist is being chased within the forest (due to the over the shoulder shot) or if she is on the run from someone or if she is on a mission. A pan shot is also included as she climbs over obstacles within the woods. This is a great shot, as it catches all the scenery within the mise-en-scene.
The butterfly Effect's opening shot sequence are really strong, as it starts of with fast pace establishing shots and sharp sound effects. This is then followed by a variety of close ups which are really strong.
The establishing shot of the males shadow through the blinds and the effects place within the shot is deconstructed really well as it represents the effects of a butterfly .
The close ups are also deconstructed well as they cut into each other and are edited with fast pace building up tension from the very start. Also with the close ups in action, the mise-en-scene behind within the shots is also planned really well, as one close up shows the character hiding in an office under a desk. This is smart as the character is in a really tight space and the shot is a close up. Another shot that is deconstructed really well is an tilt shot from above onto the character while he is underneath the desk, as this looks like someone is watching him, especially after the action taken place within the opening shot.
Also the music played within the shot sequences build up the atmosphere, as the song has a 'conspiracy/mystery' effect to it.
The lighting also has a dark effect to it, as most of the shots are deconstructed within dark lighting or shot at night time.
The music added to the silence of the lambs also carries an 'mystery' effect to it and is quite slow. You can hear the character making breathing noises which shows that she has been running for a long time and is out of breath.
The lighting in silence of the lambs is shot in day light but the clouds have a grey effect to them. This represents the word 'Lambs' within the title, as the clouds lighting represents the colours of lambs.
3.2.3. Studio and Marketing
The budget of Silence of the Lambs was 19 Million dollars. The film gained a gross revenue of 272,742,922 dollars worldwide.

The director of the film is Jonathan Demme.

The producers are:
  • Kenneth Utt
  • Edward Saxon
  • Ron Bozman
The film was written by
  • Thomas Harris (Novel)
  • Ted Tally (Screen play)

The film stars some of the following actors:
  • Jodie Foster
  • Anthony Hopkins
  • Scott Glen
  • Ted Levine
  • Brook Smith
and many more.

The film was edited by Craig Mckay.

The distributors of the film are Orion Pictures.

The film was marketed in cinemas worldwide. Some marketing images of the film include a close up of Hopkins and Foster with Death's head Hawkmoths, covering their mouths.

The film won 5 Oscars and 39 other rewards.

These details tell the audience that the film is a really popular film and a really good thriller. With the film winning 5 Oscars, this represents that the film is a 'Must see before you die' film.


The Butterfly Effect cost a budget of 13 million dollars and gained a gross revenue of 96,000,000 dollars.

The directors of the film are:
  • Eric Bress
  • J. Mackye Gruber
The producers of the film are:
  • Anthony Rhulen
  • Chris Bender
  • J.C. Spink
  • A.J. Dix
The film was written by both directors:
  • Eric Bress
  • J. Mackye Gruber
The film stars some of the following actors:
  • Ashton Kutcher
  • Amy Smart
  • Melora Walters
  • Elden Henson
  • William Lee Scott
  • John Patrick Amedori
  • Irene Gorovaia
  • Logan Lerman

and many more.

The film was edited by Peter Amundson.

The distributors of the film are New Line Cinema.

The film was marketed by featuring in cinemas all over Europe. It was also released on DVD.
The cover of the film featured close ups of Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart's face and was a strong Movie Cover.

The film won the Pegasus Audience Award and was up for nomination 3 times.

The detail given for this film, gives the target audience the impact that the film is a medium budget range that gained good gross revenue. Also the distributors New Line Cinema have produced really good Thrillers in the past and this would take a huge impact on the films target audience. However the amount of awards won and the nominations the film was up for suggests that the film wasn't that strong within the sub-genre it was placed within. However it must of been a good film as The Butterfly Effect 2 was released


3.2.4. Audience
The target audience for Silence of the Lambs is for an audience of the age 15 and over. The gender that is most likely to watch the film would be Universal, as it features an army like scenario but with a woman as the main character, which catches the eyes of females aswell as males.

The target audience for The Butterfly Effect is for 15 -18s and over and mainly for an audience of the male gender. Although it is an open thriller that can appeal to both genders.

The opening sequence of Silence of the Lambs addresses the audiences attention by starting of the woods, with mystery like music in the background. Also the mise-en-scene within the opening shots showing the female climbing and making her way through obstacles while running in the woods, makes the audience want to know what exactly it is she is up to.

The opening sequence of The ButterFly Effect addresses its audience with fast pace action and neatly cut shots from the very beginning. Also the conspiracy style music played within the background builds in the audiences minds the that someoning BIG is about to happen and commands them to continue watching to find out. The close ups and establishing shots also build tension onto the audiences and addresses them to watch on.





'Chasing Goose': Time Management

As part of my process, i had to create a time management table, to keep record of what i am looking to do to, on what day within the process of my create my opening sequence. This meant that i had to include the following:
  • Creating and sorting out my contracts for my actors and for location permission.
  • Sorting out my location recee, taking images of where i am going to be shooting my footage.
  • planning dates for when i am going to go out and do some filming.
  • When i am going to work on editing my footage.
  • When i look to present my work to an audience and get feedback for my final edit.
  • When i decide to create my final edit.
  • When i look to plan my evaluation on my work.
  • When i look to create a DVD commentary about my opening sequence and talk about what i felt worked and didn't.
  • give a presentation of my footage.
  • Analysis on my footage.
  • And finally when i look to be blogging throughout the project.

Here is my Time Management table:


Wednesday, 4 November 2009

Chasing Goose: Filming Agreements

Before i start filming my footage, i will get all actors to sign an Actors Agreement Contract. This is so that i have permission from all actors, allowing me to film footage and take photography of them for my footage and to also get permission to own copyright and publish any material they are in.
As well as getting the Actors Agreement Contrac
t signed, i will also get permission from the resident of the area where i look to film. I will get the resident to sign a Location Contract allowing me to shoot my footage within the following destination.

Here are my two contracts, both completed with permission from the resident of the area and one sample from one of my actors taking part in my project ;

Actors Agreement Contract



















Location Agreement Contract

'Chasing Goose': Location Recee.

The following photographs shown here is the locations where i will be shooting my footage for my opening sequence of a thriller.

These two images are where the car scenes/shots will take place. The two locations are
driveways, and will feature the shots when the gang members are watching Tylers House, and when they chase his getaway. The shot types will consist off: pans, over the shoulder,medium shots, long shots and possibly close ups.


Both images are where Tyler will be making his final movments, featuring his escape from the gang and where he rips off a 'wanted' poster. Shots will consist of close ups, medium shots and possibly a long shot.

These two shots are where the house scene is going to be happening, where Tyler is watching Television before making a quick escape up the stairs. The shots are likely to be filmed as close ups and medium shots.


This image represents the shot where the gang member makes an entrance into the house, after kicking down the front door. The shot type for this is likely to be a long shot.


This is an image of the room where, Tyler runs into his bedroom to grab a jumper before making an escape out the backdoor. The shots for this scene is likely to be close ups and medium shots.

Friday, 30 October 2009

Opening Sequence of a Thriller!

For my main task i have been told to create an opening sequence to a 'thriller', which should have a duration of 100 - 120 seconds. The thriller must also include both titles, and opening shots. Other Students in my AS Media Studies Class are working as a group but i will be working solo due to being put in a pair with another student whos ideas and views are in a different contrast to my ideas and views on a thriller.

PLANNING/BRAINSTORM
To create the opening sequence of my thriller, ment that i had to go through a planning process before i started filming and editing. First i created a brainstorm on the theme 'thrillers' and listed what a thriller contains to then adding ideas to what my thriller could be about. After i annotated the brainstorm, i then chose what ideas of mines that i liked best and what sub-genre my thriller was going to sectioned under. I then brang all my ideas together on a piece of paper to create the Storyboards of my thriller.




STORYBOARDS
My storyboard consists of numerous shots showing images of each shot and including sounds, effects, mis-en-scene and what is happening in each shot. This storyboard will help me within the process of filming the opening sequence to my thriller.



SYNOPSIS

Tyler Coast, aged 17 is sitting at home eating a bowl of cereal while watching the news to see what is happening around the streets of London. As he is watching television, East Londons biggest M.O.B 'Bloodshed Hunters' are learking outside his house plotting the right moment to run into his house leaving him in a mouse trap and either killing him or beating him real nasty, due to him being a former member and messing around with Tony Feccetti, Bloodshed Hunters Don/boss. Tyler hears two workers from the Bloodshed gang and makes a quick escape from the living room to his room rushing to find clothes to put on before making a backroute escape from his house after his front door has been broken down by the gang members. He makes a rapid escape dodging numerous routes blocked by the gangs members and makes a tremendous escape while being chased. He meets up a friend who he calls to meet him with a change off clothing so he can mismatch his dresscode/identity fooling the gang members. He then rips off a poster the gang members have placed around his local area sayin 'wanted, reward given if he is caught!', with his face placed on the poster. A gang member at this point walks past Tyler being absolute fooled by his change of identity/clothing and tyler has a little laugh to himself. The question left is will the Bloodshed Hunters get their hands on their man they've been trying to get for the last year and a half?

SHOTLIST:OPENING SEQUENCE
  • Close up of television.
  • Close up of protagonist face.
  • Establishing shot of car outside house.
  • Close up of boy watching television.
  • Close up of television.
  • Over the shoulder shot of character in the car.
  • Extreme close up of hands.
  • Medium shot of protagonist running up stairs.
  • Medium shot of protagonist putting jumper on.
  • Long shot of door and character.
  • Medium shot of protagonist escaping throught the back door.
  • Birds-eye shot of protagonist and other characters.
  • Establishing shot of two characters.
  • Close up of characters feet.
  • Establishing shot of protagonist and another character.
  • Close up of protagonist ripping of a poster.
  • Extreme close up of protagonist smiling.

Wednesday, 28 October 2009

Preliminary Task

For my preliminary task me and my group had to create a short piece of footage based on different camera shots/techniques that are shown within TV Dramas. We had to show an Understanding of the 'three important rules', which are:
  • Match on Action.
  • Shot/reverse shot.
  • 180-degree rule.
With these rules in mind, we went off to film our footage before transferring it into Final Cut Pro and editing the footage to create a final footage with the three rules in place.
Me and My group decided to base our footage on the sub-genre 'Crime'.

PLANNING
Me and my group first began our piece by planning out our footage onto a storyboard. The storyboard contained drawings of the different type shots. Under each shot we wrote down the name of the shot, the transitions within the shot and the sounds that was happening within and around the shot. While doing the storyboard, we kept to task, making sure our piece was simple and making sure the conventions of a TV drama where kept to its expected level and not gone over the top with fancy effects, difficult angles etc.
After drawing and labelling the storyboard, we then wrote up a script/dialogue of what the characters within the footage where going to say or what their speech was based along along with stage directions. Noting that the shots and the three important rules where the main focus, we kept the script at a minimum level.

STORYBOARDS




SCRIPT


Long shot/establishing shot of corridor for 2-4 seconds.
Mid shot of front door.


Officer opens door as camera is in a close up angle of officers face. He delivers his line before taking seat.


Officer:
Hello Ms.Geeta, I'm PC Paul you are being held here today due to the murder of Patrick Mackenzie. What ever you say will be given as evidence.

Girl
: Whatever man!

Officer: Now Ms.Geeta, please can you tell the recorded tape where you was on the 17Th of May 2009?

Girl: I was at my mothers house! Why do you want to know so much man!

Officer: That's not what our CCTV cameras show us Ms.Geeta.

Girl: I've had enough of this man!

Girl stands up

I'm out!

Officer: Ms.Geeta! Sit right down!

SHOTLIST
  • Establishing shot of door.
  • Mid shot as character begins to open the door.
  • Close up of characters head, as it enters through the door.
  • Establishing shot of character walking across the room.
  • Shot/reverse shot of characters having a conversation.
  • Close ups to show characters facial expressions.
  • Over the shoulder shot Showing the important character of the shot.
  • Long shot of character exiting the scene.
SHOOTING
When shooting our footage we made sure kept focused on the conventions of a TV drama. We did this by shooting every shot at least 3 times and shooting the same shots for both characters. (This was so that we can have a wider range when editing.) An example of this is an over the shoulder shot. Each character would have contained an over the shoulder shot, which was recorded three times or more. An over the shoulder shot features the 'most important' person within the shot on the left hand side. This is because the audience analysis the text on the screen, reading from left to right. This was kept in mind to make sure that the layout of each shot was correct. We also shot our footage from one side of the room, making sure that we don't break the 180-degree rule.

EDITING.
Once we finished filming we had to edit our footage individually using the software Final Cut Pro. Before i edited i had to transfer the footage onto a Apple Mac. I did this by connecting the Camera with the tape inside to the Mac using a USB Cord. The Camera was then detected by the Mac, and i imported the footage into i-movie before transferring the file onto Final Cut Pro. Once the file was on Final Cut Pro, i had to move it from View mode into the canvas. At first the footage shown in the canvas wasn't playing any sound so i had to render my footage which took approx 10 minutes. Once rendered i began cutting up my footage and placing shots into what i felt was its designated area. While cutting and placing shots into there position, i kept in mind the 'Match on Action' rule, making sure i cut carefully and making sure the final product made sense.