screen shots of editing

these are a few screen shots of my editing

Storyboard for "Soul Harvester"

 

 

final opening

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Title of the Film:

The title of the film I gave it a lot of thought and it can be found in the eighth key frame, it is called "Soul Harvester" and it is displayed on a black background and I used the same font as the rest of my titles throughout and it is in the colour of white. the genre of my film is horror/thriller and i thought this title was most appropriate. Many horror films keep their titles simple as it gives a more eerie effect.

Examples of the plain but eerie titles can be found by looking at these links:

- Haunting in connecticut

- Paranormal activity

- Prom Night

"Soul Harvester" is a metaphor for death which I thought was appropriate for my film because it is about a serial killer who kills lots of women. It also can be interpreted a different way if you read it as harvest souls it gave me a thought that farmers cut down many crops during the harvest season and this serial killer is killing so many women it is like what the farmers do.

Setting/Location:

The location I chose can be seen in frame 5 and 6. It was set in my house situated in the Brent. My road is a private road so there are rarely any disturbances so i thought this would be the most appropriate place. It worked out to my advantage aswell because the upstairs front bedroom window have blinds and I really wanted to do the shot where we see him looking at the girl through the blinds (frame 5) which I was very happy with. We rarely see much of the location or the setting because mainly I wanted to focus on the key character with the extreme close up shots (frame 2 and 4). However I think the setting of when we did see the girl walking home it could have been a little darker to make it a bit spooky. Other than that I am really happy with the shots i captured and how it has turned out.

Costumes and props:

Costumes and props are very important in a film because they also show the personality of a character. for example: if you are trying to show someone is a clown you would dress them up in bright colours and makeup and as a prop juggling balls.

For my actors their costumes and props are most important:

Serial Killer: we see him wearing smart clothes because throughout the film I want to portray him to constantly have to be dressed nice and that is just his personality smart dress smart person. at the end we see him with a shovel. this also is throughout the film would play a vital role as he would use this quite often such as burying bodies, killings, etc.

Victim: The victim dresses as a normal six form student just coming home from a day at school. Her props are her bag which shows she is a six form student.

We also see a prop of a dead girls bracelet this is in contrast with a killing before he come after his next victim and he kept it as a rememberance.

Camerawork and editing:

Throughout the filming of my opening sequence, the camera work was very simple but very effective. I think if i had used to many different camera angles and shots it would have been too confusing and over done. I used the schools camera to capture my footage because it was easier to do my extreme close up shots of the killers face, i also used the tripod to keep it as steady as possible. This was my main shot throughout. I tried to keep it simple by just using over the shoulder shots, extreme close ups and match on action because it created the same mood and effect throughout. I think the more shots used the more confusing and chaotic it would have been. sometimes that works but I did not think lots of different shots would have worked for this particular film i was producing.

When I came to editing I had too much footage which I did not need to use as some of it did not connect this was not a problem because I didn't have to put it in. It took many takes to do certain shots to make sure it was perfect so i had a few to choose out of which took up more time which i could have used to make everything as perfect as possible. I didn't use any sound effects as the music took control throughout the film as it linked in with each shot and title as it all synced. I also used editing on dipping to black and white which was very important especially for key frame 4 and 5. key frame 4 I used it to overlap with another shot like he was looking at the bracelet. The lighting also mainly came from the light outside of the room we filmed in however i tweaked it a little to make it a bit brighter to show it was a flashback. I think I could have improved on the ending by putting a sound like a crush when he hit down the shovel like it was the victim from earlier.

title font and style

the title font and style can be seen in key frame 8. I kept it white on a black background not too over the top just something simple because it works better and makes it more eerie. I thought this would work throughout and it would be more eyecatching then in all different colours because it looks more professional and it also attracts the audience to watch the film.

story and how the opening sets it up:

The story is about a Serial Killer but for some reason the pattern of his killings are only women which would not be revealed until the end of the film. However as we get more into the film we go back into his past killings and what brought him to do this. I think the opening suggests this very well because we see flashbacks of killings which can be seen in key frame 3 and with the blood I think emphasizes that he had killed the girl. Also we get a feeling of the insanity that goes through his mind in the close up shots knowing that he is a killer. I think the opening supports the story very well.



Genre and how the opening suggests it:

The genre of my film is horror/thriller this is because it is eerie with violence however a very unanswered film until the end which will summarise it up. i think the opening suggest this by the beginning with the writing of what has happened. this works for many other films such as the strangers and instantly tells the audience it is a horror.

This is the beginning of The Strangers it instantly tells us the genre of the film because of words such as 'crimes' and 'brutal events' telling us a bit already.

also i think it suggests it by how silent it is giving the eerie effect and leaving the audience questioning what is going to happen after the opening of the film. Also the piano music is very slow and dark instantly making it feel like a horror. Also i think the effect of having many close up shots of half of his face instantly makes an uncomfortable mood. The lighting also of the memory flashbacks contrasting with the blood also makes it very dark and mysterious which i think has worked very well to make it the genre I wanted it to be. i think my genre contrasts mostly with the film The Strangers by the way it is set up and tells the audience instantly with the beginning part of the writing shot.

click on "the strangers" which is highlighted in orange to watch the opening sequence of the 2008 film the strangers

how characters are introduced:

The first character is introduced within the first set of footage i had caught (key frame 2 + 3) I decided to open with the serial killer first because I wanted to get across to the audience how his mind works and how uncomfortable he makes the audience feel. Also he will be the main character throughout the film so I thought it was most appropriate. The second character is the victim where we see her come in closer to the end of the opening sequence because she is just another victim not a main character (key frame 5). I thought it was very effective to bring the character in because it adds more tenson to the fact that the audience have learned that the main character is a serial killer and he is insane and she is next to be killed making an uncomfortable atmosphere.

special effects:



I used very little special effects because I only had the music and relied mainly on the lighting that come through the room I used to film my footage. However I brightened the lighting a little by changing the contrast level on Premiere Pro. I also used dip to white and dip to black effect to change shots and to fade the titles.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Bradley playing James P.Eldwin the serial killer        -        killer Richard Fenton character from "Prom Night"

The character I am comparing my character to is the serial killer in the 2008 film "Prom Night". The killer becomes obsessed with a student and kills her family and gets put into prison for it. A few years later he escapes and goes back after her because he wants her and begins killing anyone that gets in his way.

Similarities:
- I think my character in my opening sequence has a lot of similarities to this character because they both kill people that get in their way. Some killings however have some connection to certain killings.

- Not intentionally but if you look at their lips they are both pursed in the same way like they are both in thought. This was really effective as it seems my actor took his role seriously and captured what to be and act like as a serial killer. 
- They are also both mentally disturbed which worsened as they murdered more people.
- They are also are set in the same genres of horror/thriller/mystery however Prom Night is more horror.

Differences:
- They are both in different plots for instance they are both serial killers however the Prom Night killer is lusting after something however my serial killer we don't know his reasons for it. 
-Prom Night killer kills not just women and he kills mainly younger people (the girls friend at the prom) and my killer from what we know only kills women.



I would also like to compare Vicky who plays the victim in my film to the victim in Prom Night the 2008 film, Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow) :

Vicky playing the victim in "Soul Harvester"      Brittany Snow playing in the film Prom Night

Similarities:

- They both play victims in a film.
- For the opening sequence they are both introduced on their way home via car or walking and entering a house calling out using sort of the same lines "mum/dad i'm home"
- they are both around the same age of 16/17 both students as you can tell.
-They are also both wearing similar wear of coats as they have just come home.
- They both play in the same genre of film horror/thriller/mystery.

Differences:

- Vickys character is British and Brittany Snows character is American.
- Brittany Snows character (Donna Keppel) is the main character of the movie however Vickys character is not the main character.

3. what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

                           RedRoom Productions

Description of my Production Company name and logo:

My production company is called "RedRoom" Production. I called the production this because I thought it sound very professional like a high budget production company. the logo i thought was suitable because it is eerie and my production company will focus mainly on horror/thriller film productions. To create the logo I found the picture on google and used photoshop to create the red effect i think it collaborates well with the film i have decided to create.  

what does a production company do?

A production company is responsible for the production of the film and must present it at a high standard quality by making sure the film is professional and aimed at the right target market. This could be for any media they are responsible for such as advertising, Films, tv programmes and radio. They also are responsible for the financial side of the film for example the budget of the film. if it is a low budget film they have a limit of how much would be spent on special effects, castings and crew members. this is why many low budget movies casts are not well known and special effects are not at a high standard. They are also responsible for how filming goes and if it is running well.

The idea of a distributor and who that might be about and why?

A film distributor can be within a company or a indvidual. they are responsible for the releasing of a film to the public such as through cinemas and DVDs. This can be done directly which many well known distrubtors do such as Disney which distributes their own films on their own channel. 

Where the money might have come from for a film such as yours

My film is going to be produced at a low budget because I am a first time film maker which not much input would be put into from outside investors because they would be taking a risk on a film that is not at a high standard. Compared to many films such as I Am Legend, Narnia and Harry potter. For this film to be produced I would be putting in most of my own money.

Why the various people are named in the titles

In my film I had set out the titles in which i thought was most suitable. I put first the production company because they are the main contributors. I then put the actors names as it went within the film at the right shots. Many Production companies set it out this way if they are using well known actors as they are the main reason for this story being made. I then put the writers and editors last because it is getting closer to the film which they had edited or inspired to write about.

my film would be promoted via adverts and promotional characters i will construct a trailer to get it well known. many other films would do this for example Despicables they had promotional characters and a well known trailer.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience I am targeting my film "Soul Harvester" at are young adults preferably between the age of 15-25. anyone older can watch it however i do not think it will be suitable for anyone younger as it is a horror film. This is who i am preferably aiming my film at:

This is Casey Ruston she is 16 years old and lives in Welling. She enjoys photography and has a passion for music. In her spare time she likes to play the electric guitar and likes going to the cinema with her friends. She attends North West Kent College during the week doing a course on photography and works weekends and most evenings in HMV.

 She loves fashion and dresses nicely and shops in mainly high street shops such as New Look, Topshop, H&M and Punky Fish.

She has a passion for music and attends to many of the best concerts. she mainly enjoys rock music and listens to many bands such as: Paramore, Enter Shikari, You me at six and Fall Out Boy. she likes to collaborate her fashion sense within the music she listens to.

Caseys preferable choice genre of films are Horror/Thriller however enjoys the odd comedy film and chick flick. The horror films she likes to watch are Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project, Prom Night, When a Stranger calls and many more. The Comedy and chick flick films she likes to watch are Step Brothers, Wedding crashers, Mean girls and He's just not that into you.

Casey enjoys watching tv programmes aswell such as 90210, One Tree Hill, Friends and Supernatural.
I think my film would be very suitable for her because she enjoys watching horror films with friends and I think she would enjoy this if it came out in the cinemas as my film is very mysterious and eerie and it is mainly focused around young women around her age which might entice her to see it.


Feedback from my Media group:

To get feedback on my film I asked people to comment on the movie and this is the feedback I recieved and what i think of what they said:

This was the first comment made by Aimee which is a very positive comment, she says how the opening sequence makes her feel scared and that she would continue watching the movie. This is fantastic feedback to hear of my opening sequence and it puts the movie on a positive start.

Kirsten another young adult around the age of 16/17 also commented on my opening sequence. she liked the close up shots i used however she had one criticism about my music which she thought got too slow coming towards the end of the sequence. At first i thought this collaborated quite well to sort of come to the end because it seemed like if i carried on with my music sharp and loud and it ended it could have seemed like it wasn't meant to cut off at that time so i thought quieting the music would have worked better. I also wanted it to feel like you were in that persons position lieing their on floor everything blurry and drowsy so when the music quietened meant the end of their life. However it seemed not to come across like this so i do think getting this feedback has helped to look at it from the audiences point of view and how the music does affect how they feel and what they think is happening next time i will take this into consideration.

5. How did you attract /address your audience?

to view notes and speech bubbles enlarge the video by clicking on full screen because they do not seem to appear watching them at normal view.

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

For me to be able to complete my opening sequence, I had to use a wide range of technology which all were useful in different ways.

Video Camera:

Because I had used the schools camera previously for my preliminary task and remake of Footloose I felt very confident using a piece of equipment I had learned to use before so I chose to use a school camera. Also there pictures when watching videoing is much clearer and more defined. This photograph (on the right)  is not the exact camera I used to produce my project however it is very similar with the same components. I also thought this camera was at a great advantage because it was small which made it easier to handle when filming and it made the camera more easier to keep it steady.

Tripod:


I found this piece of equipment very useful when doing my close up shots. This is because if it was hand-held you could see it slightly shaking however using the tripod kept it looking professional and it was steady. It kept everything at the same level however sometimes it was a bit of a problem because with the close up I had to keep checking back on my work to see if the tear shots were at the same level as the beginning when the actor blinks.







Apple Mac Computer:


If I did not have this computer I could not have produced my film at all. It is very important like the Camera and Premiere Pro software because without any of them I could not have shot my footage, transferred it to the computer or edited it. The computer was very easy to use as I am familiar with using them throughout my school years.








Premiere Pro:
As I have already mentioned without this piece of software my film would have been pointless as it would have just stayed on the camera as this is the only way to import it. Also I did all my editing on this software with the lighting and music to give it that extra eerie look. I've learned a lot using this software and how much it benefits at making a proffesional film. i've never known technology like this however it is very beneficial and can change a simple piece of footage into something quite amazing.




     Websites and programmes I used:  Youtube, Blogger, Itunes & Google.

Youtube- youtube was a website which i found very useful. this is because it allowed me to watch opening sequences of films that were similar to the genre i had chosen. the opening sequences i looked at for influences were Dexter, Prom Night, Paranormal Activity and The strangers. They all are in the genre of horror, thriller and mystery. I also used youtube to import my final film aswell as my remake film and preliminary film this was so i could put it on my blog. I also used it for parts of my evaluation e.g. the voice over and the annotations. Youtube played a big role for my work overall and it helped me out a lot. without it i think my work would suffer a lot.

Itunes- Itunes was a software i used to download royalty free music. it helped me listen to the different music i had imported and which one i thought was more appropriate for my film. it also helped import onto premiere pro much easier.

Blogger- Blogger is a website i used to upload my video and a way to show my completed work. This helped me a lot keeping my work in a safe place where there could be no mistakes made of misplaced work.

Google- Google helped me throughout all information i needed to collect or know. for example knowing the different genres of movies I looked at which one appealed to me and what one i preferably wanted to do for my main film. it also helped to get to other website links such as youtube. it is always something everyone relies on for more information on a subject or a guidline and it helped me a lot.

These are screen shots of editing i used on Adobe Premiere Pro. I used a variety of tools and my main effects i used were the additive dissolve, cross dissolve, dip to black and dip to white and I have chosen images where i thought would be appropriate to show where i used the effects.

I also chose an image of how I changed the levels of the music when there was other contrasts of music. e.g. the police radio then it contrasted with a radio report. I also used this because you can see where i have also used dip to black.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Looking back at my preliminary task it helped me improve a lot on my camera shots. Within the preliminary task we had to include the shots of match on action, shot reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. I included only one of these shots in my final opening film which was the match on action shot:

the difference of these shots are clearer which i think means i understood and got a grip of how to use the camera. the match on action is a very effective shot to use and i found that it was the best shot to use for my opening sequence because i did not use much dialogue so i found trying to use the 180 degree rule would not work.

                  

I think the preliminary task really helped me develop on my skills eventhough i didn't use all of the shots. I chose a variety but kept them simple because I didn't want it to be too chaotic. but my main shots were P.O.V shot, pan, extreme close ups, match on action. I think if I didn't do the preliminary task I would have struggled with the project a lot. The preliminary task was basically a developer for me as it helped me steady my hand, learn the different shots which can be effective in a film .

By looking at these shots and comparing them I feel i have improved a lot on the focus and understood it a lot more as I had no other help from friends I just done this making sure it was right. Im really happy with the outcome of this shot and the difference and improvements I have made. My overall opening sequence I really enjoyed making this film and it suprisingly turned out to be better than i expected.

How to annotate a youtube video

For a part of my evaluation we had to do annotations showing what we done and what we thought of it and how we wanted it to reflect on the audience. it was quite simple as it was sort of structured out like the premiere pro software and i found it quite useful. The picture above shows annotations of the first shot. the annotations include why i did the shot and how i thought it would affect the audience. in the second annotation the bottom right hand corner i used entered a link to show what influenced me on this shot.


These are the tools i used to help make the annotations and notes:

To begin with the annotations you simply click on annotations and you get a choice of speech bubbles or notes. I mainly used speech bubbles as it points to what you are talking about like a specific shot. when you click on the speech bubbles it pops up and you can adjust the size to it and as you can see from this screen shot you type the text you want to write in the box and if it is too big for the speech bubble just adjust it. below the text box for the speech bubble you can see 3 different small boxes which you click on and they drop down into a larger variety. the first one is the font size how big you want your font and the second it the colour of the font. the third is the colour of the speech bubble. It is best to keep it simple with dark colours because bright colours it can be hard to read this is what i found out when testing out the colours.

This screen shot is the link to watch the video clip that you have produced so once finished and published people can watch it by simply copying and pasting this link or by typing in the name of what you called the video.

Timeline:

This timeline is similar to the premier pro one. you can change the length of the speech bubbles and you can also cut them if they are too long. i think this made it alot easier keeping it within the timing of the shots. it was not difficult to use as if you need to shorten the speech bubble down to a fraction you simply zoomed in using the zoom in and out tool on the left hand side of the timeline and shortened it down that way.

Production Schedule

Production Log

My friend Vicky and I decided to film both our films at the same time as then we didn't have to take out two cameras and our locations are close together. So our production logs are similar as we done ours on the same day:

Thursday 25th November: Because the Male actor Bradley was not available i filmed the shots that were necessary using vicky e.g. the blood dripping down the arm shots and her walking home. Most shots are filmed which I am very happy with. The day has gone very well.

Tuesday 2nd December: Today Bradley was available for filming. Our aims today were to film shots for my film aswell as Vickys. However shots were more time consuming to complete (the blood tear) this was complicated as it kept getting in Bradley's eye. however we got this completed as well as an extra shot of him washing blood of hands however i did not use this in the final film. We also shot the footage where Bradley is looking through the blinds out at Vicky. We didn't do filming shots for Vickys film which i felt bad about however we filmed the scream for her film.

Tuesday 14th December: Filming is nearly completed! with bradley turning up late we decided to do Vickys first as Bradley could stay at mine afterwards to complete the last few shots which only needed him. we completed Vickys shots and afterwards Bradley and I filmed the ending shot of my film. This is was very successful and throughout the days i hadnt been filming i was editing the shots i had.

Asset list for "Soul Harvester"

When it came to choosing props I had to think very careful and in depth of what to use and what would be most appropriate. Also when choosing actors to play the characters I wanted I tried to use people that fitted the description at the time however I couldn't find an middle age man because i was filming this during school and work times.

The list:

Two actors- one male actor as he would be playing the serial killer, i used a school student as i couldnt find a middle age man as I filmed during the week of school hours and general working hours. This was a very important asset because he was the key feature of the film.
- I also had another actress Victoria Rose- she played two people during this film the victim of the opening sequence and she also played the dead girls arm with the dripping blood.

Red food colouring- this was for the blood as it is the closest thing i could get that looked like blood.

bowl of water- this was to catch the blood from it dripping off the girls arm.

Bracelet- this was a key feature in the film because it is something the killer kept from the dead girls arm.

Shovel- was used for the ending shot as the killers killing weapon.

Bag- This is to show she is coming back from school

Costumes and Props:

Killer: Blue shirt, smart trousers (this was to capture his insanity) black shoes.

Girl (victim): Black leggings, Black boots, Orange scarf, Leather jacket and a white hoodie

The Location:

The location was something i focused on trying to get almost perfect because i wanted to be able to capture the shot where the killer is looking through the blinds of the girl coming home. I decided to use my own house because the front bedroom has blinds and it was perfect for this shot. Also I didn't have to depend on using someone elses home for the filming.

Shot list for my final film opening "soul harvester"

Shot list

1. The first shot is going to be an extreme close up of half of a mans face creating an enigma effect.

2. The second shot is a medium close up shot of a girls arm/hand

3. The third shot then goes back to the extreme close up of half of the mans face.

4. The fourth shot goes back to the medium close up of the girls arm/ hand but this time with blood dripping down the arm/hand.

5. The fifth shot then returns back to the extreme close up of half the mans face however with a tear going down his face.

6. The sixth shot is of a medium shot of feet hanging and swaying like they have been hung.

 This shot then tilts downwards then upwards slowly.

7. The seventh shot is of the extreme close up of half the mans face however with a blood tear contrasting from the clear tear.

8. The eighth shot is a close up of a hand holding the girls bracelet covered in blood like he had taken it is a rememberence.

9. The ninth shot is the close up shot of the arm/hand with the blood dripping however it is closer in focusing more on the bracelet for the reason of the last shot.

10. The tenth shot is an over the shoulder shot from the mans view looking at the girl through the blinds walking home.

11. the eleventh shot is a long shot of the girl walking down her street to her home.

12. this next shot is a pan shot of the girl walking up to her house.

13.This next shot is a match on action shot of the girl opening her front door however it then cuts where we see her opening it from the inside.

14.the fourteenth shot is a medium shot a bit tilted upwards and it follows him as he looks the other way.

15.the next shot is an extreme close up of the mans lips which then turns into an evil smiles

16. the last shot is an upward shot of the man hitting down a shovel.

Script for "Soul Harvester"

(last few shots of the film)

Girl walking up to her house opens the door

Girl: Mum I'm home

Man turns around and has an evil smile