Here it is! After months of hard graft, it's finally finished. I've also posted some dominant stills from within the Product, which could have been used within the marketing of the product:
Friday, March 27, 2009
Foundation Project: The Final Cut
Here it is! After months of hard graft, it's finally finished. I've also posted some dominant stills from within the Product, which could have been used within the marketing of the product:
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Evaluation - Question 7
Looking back at your preliminary task what do you feel you have learnt about the progression from it to the finished Product?
Our preliminary task was to film two characters having a conversation in a room, using the same camera and software that we would use in our Foundation Project, and to edit the footage into a short linear sequence. We filmed the sequence in an interior set, and used two found actors. One actor entered through a door and established themselves, while the other character got up from a chair, after looking through a bag. A few lines of dialogue were then exchanged between the two characters, before the character that first entered the room then left again. We shot our preliminary task as a thriller, and did this by centring the lines of dialogue around the person in the room searching for something in the bag, as if they were conducting a robbery.
When we did this preliminary task, I had little or no idea about how to use a camera, or how a media shoot actually worked. Before the shooting day, I was taught how to adjust the relevant settings on the camera, e.g. shutter-speed, exposure and aperture settings. I was also taught how to film, attach the camera to a tripod and how to pan the camera while on the tripod. On the day of the preliminary shoot, I was very nervous about using the camera and had the settings done for me by the technician we had on hand to help us. However by the day of our real shoot, I was perfectly confident with all the settings on the camera. I set up all the settings on the camera and checked them myself. I also did a lot of the camerawork on the shooting day, which was all done by handcam, as I felt more confident with my ability to use the camera and take decent shots.
We were helped extensively on our preliminary shoot, especially with organisation. The staff allocated us a specific time, and when we arrived all our equipment was setup and left at the location we were to be shooting at. However when we were put into groups and decided on our idea, we had to take matters into our hands. We wrote up a detailed shooting schedule for the day of the shoot, after obtaining permission to shoot in the location we wanted to use. On the day of the shoot, we all turned up early to the equipment store and took all the equipment we needed. We then brought it to the shooting location and set it all up, making sure it worked before any of the performers had even arrived.
I also learnt the useful skill of how to write a script and a treatment. Our preliminary task was scripted for us, and we were given precise shooting specifications. When it got to our Foundation Project, we were allowed full control of what we wanted to shoot and how. To do this, our teacher taught how to write a treatment in 3 acts, and then to take the opening of the first act and turn it into our idea for our Foundation Project. We then took this idea and write a script for it, under our teacher’s guidance.
Teamwork was also a large part of the entire learning process. At the beginning of the preliminary task, communication was almost non-existent and we all completed the task while still being inside our own individual little bubbles. When we got into our group for the Foundation Project, we spent several sessions arguing over what idea to chose, and relations were very frosty within the group. However when we had finally settled on the idea, I feel that the initial arguing brought us all closer together, as we knew exactly what each other liked and didn’t like. This played to our advantage, as ideas were quickly thrown around the group and using our newly acquired skills in researching and brainstorming, we were able to quickly get the idea into shape. When it came to the day of the shoot, we kept in constant contact when any of us left the set by calling each other on our mobile phones, to run decisions by each other. We also communicated during the editing process, agreeing times to meet up and edit together.
The shoot day was probably the biggest learning experience for everyone. Our shoot day for the preliminary project was not set up by us, and aside from almost going over the allotted shooting time the whole day went well. We did a lot of planning for our Foundation Project shooting day, but unfortunately not all of it helped on the day. We had the majority of our actors cancel on the beginning of the shooting day, as they hadn’t had permission to leave their lessons. This played into our hands however, as we had an extended amount of time to set up the equipment and choreograph the sequence, so that everything would run smoother later in the day. When we got all our actors together, it was quiet late in the day so we had to carefully select what footage we wanted to shoot, as the light was fading. We also showed out adaptability out on our shooting day, as we changed the ending of our original idea due to the time constraints we faced and also the fact that our lead actress took ill halfway through the shoot. The days were completely difference, in terms of both timing and structure. The preliminary shoot was only one hour long, as we didn’t have to shoot much footage and got most things done in one take. As a result of this, we didn’t have any breaks during the shoot itself. However during our Foundation shoot, many things were different. For a start, we needed much more footage, so the shooting day was 8 hours long. Consequently, we had to allow our actors to have breaks, especially as the acting work was strenuous as it involved running around a lot. We also implemented a call system on the day of our Foundation shoot, whereby only actors that were needed would be called to the shooting location. This worked well, as it meant we didn’t have people hanging around on set and interrupting the shooting when we weren’t shooting the group scenes.
Editing was a real eye-opener for us. Our preliminary project editing was fairly basic, we were shown how to take all our footage and cut it into little useful chunks using Final Cut Pro, a professional video editing software. We were then shown how to cut these chunks into small clips, and thread these clips together into a sequence. This worked well for our preliminary sequence, which wasn’t complex at all. However, when we did our Foundation Project we wanted to make a more polished and interesting product. So we did the basic editing, and then took it to the next level. We used an industry-standard effect program Abobe After Effects to change the saturation levels and colour some of the footage. We also used it to create black vinyetting around the edges of the footage to focus the audience’s attention on what we wanted them to see. We also used Soundtrack Pro to create the sounds for our Product, which heightened the tension and mood of the whole sequence.
I f I could go back I wouldn’t change much about the whole experience. In the majority, it was good, but also had down points which helped us to learn from our mistakes. I probably would have spent less time arguing about the original idea. I also definitely would have made the actors agree in a more concrete sense to come to the shoot day on time, and made sure they were confirmed and able to attend. I feel like what we did gave us an experience of what it would be like to work within the Media Industry as we experience deadlines and the pressures of working in a time constrained environment. We also had to plan and devise everything we did, and adapt it on the spot as happens in real film production. We also used industry-standard software and equipment and had the experience of working like real post-production specialists.
Over the process of 4 months I feel that I have developed many relevant technical skills and broadened my interpersonal communication abilities. I have realised that film making is a challenging, sometimes frustrating and yet rewarding experience. In the end, I am very proud of the product that we managed to create, and the whole experience life changing.
Our preliminary task was to film two characters having a conversation in a room, using the same camera and software that we would use in our Foundation Project, and to edit the footage into a short linear sequence. We filmed the sequence in an interior set, and used two found actors. One actor entered through a door and established themselves, while the other character got up from a chair, after looking through a bag. A few lines of dialogue were then exchanged between the two characters, before the character that first entered the room then left again. We shot our preliminary task as a thriller, and did this by centring the lines of dialogue around the person in the room searching for something in the bag, as if they were conducting a robbery.
When we did this preliminary task, I had little or no idea about how to use a camera, or how a media shoot actually worked. Before the shooting day, I was taught how to adjust the relevant settings on the camera, e.g. shutter-speed, exposure and aperture settings. I was also taught how to film, attach the camera to a tripod and how to pan the camera while on the tripod. On the day of the preliminary shoot, I was very nervous about using the camera and had the settings done for me by the technician we had on hand to help us. However by the day of our real shoot, I was perfectly confident with all the settings on the camera. I set up all the settings on the camera and checked them myself. I also did a lot of the camerawork on the shooting day, which was all done by handcam, as I felt more confident with my ability to use the camera and take decent shots.
We were helped extensively on our preliminary shoot, especially with organisation. The staff allocated us a specific time, and when we arrived all our equipment was setup and left at the location we were to be shooting at. However when we were put into groups and decided on our idea, we had to take matters into our hands. We wrote up a detailed shooting schedule for the day of the shoot, after obtaining permission to shoot in the location we wanted to use. On the day of the shoot, we all turned up early to the equipment store and took all the equipment we needed. We then brought it to the shooting location and set it all up, making sure it worked before any of the performers had even arrived.
I also learnt the useful skill of how to write a script and a treatment. Our preliminary task was scripted for us, and we were given precise shooting specifications. When it got to our Foundation Project, we were allowed full control of what we wanted to shoot and how. To do this, our teacher taught how to write a treatment in 3 acts, and then to take the opening of the first act and turn it into our idea for our Foundation Project. We then took this idea and write a script for it, under our teacher’s guidance.
Teamwork was also a large part of the entire learning process. At the beginning of the preliminary task, communication was almost non-existent and we all completed the task while still being inside our own individual little bubbles. When we got into our group for the Foundation Project, we spent several sessions arguing over what idea to chose, and relations were very frosty within the group. However when we had finally settled on the idea, I feel that the initial arguing brought us all closer together, as we knew exactly what each other liked and didn’t like. This played to our advantage, as ideas were quickly thrown around the group and using our newly acquired skills in researching and brainstorming, we were able to quickly get the idea into shape. When it came to the day of the shoot, we kept in constant contact when any of us left the set by calling each other on our mobile phones, to run decisions by each other. We also communicated during the editing process, agreeing times to meet up and edit together.
The shoot day was probably the biggest learning experience for everyone. Our shoot day for the preliminary project was not set up by us, and aside from almost going over the allotted shooting time the whole day went well. We did a lot of planning for our Foundation Project shooting day, but unfortunately not all of it helped on the day. We had the majority of our actors cancel on the beginning of the shooting day, as they hadn’t had permission to leave their lessons. This played into our hands however, as we had an extended amount of time to set up the equipment and choreograph the sequence, so that everything would run smoother later in the day. When we got all our actors together, it was quiet late in the day so we had to carefully select what footage we wanted to shoot, as the light was fading. We also showed out adaptability out on our shooting day, as we changed the ending of our original idea due to the time constraints we faced and also the fact that our lead actress took ill halfway through the shoot. The days were completely difference, in terms of both timing and structure. The preliminary shoot was only one hour long, as we didn’t have to shoot much footage and got most things done in one take. As a result of this, we didn’t have any breaks during the shoot itself. However during our Foundation shoot, many things were different. For a start, we needed much more footage, so the shooting day was 8 hours long. Consequently, we had to allow our actors to have breaks, especially as the acting work was strenuous as it involved running around a lot. We also implemented a call system on the day of our Foundation shoot, whereby only actors that were needed would be called to the shooting location. This worked well, as it meant we didn’t have people hanging around on set and interrupting the shooting when we weren’t shooting the group scenes.
Editing was a real eye-opener for us. Our preliminary project editing was fairly basic, we were shown how to take all our footage and cut it into little useful chunks using Final Cut Pro, a professional video editing software. We were then shown how to cut these chunks into small clips, and thread these clips together into a sequence. This worked well for our preliminary sequence, which wasn’t complex at all. However, when we did our Foundation Project we wanted to make a more polished and interesting product. So we did the basic editing, and then took it to the next level. We used an industry-standard effect program Abobe After Effects to change the saturation levels and colour some of the footage. We also used it to create black vinyetting around the edges of the footage to focus the audience’s attention on what we wanted them to see. We also used Soundtrack Pro to create the sounds for our Product, which heightened the tension and mood of the whole sequence.
I f I could go back I wouldn’t change much about the whole experience. In the majority, it was good, but also had down points which helped us to learn from our mistakes. I probably would have spent less time arguing about the original idea. I also definitely would have made the actors agree in a more concrete sense to come to the shoot day on time, and made sure they were confirmed and able to attend. I feel like what we did gave us an experience of what it would be like to work within the Media Industry as we experience deadlines and the pressures of working in a time constrained environment. We also had to plan and devise everything we did, and adapt it on the spot as happens in real film production. We also used industry-standard software and equipment and had the experience of working like real post-production specialists.
Over the process of 4 months I feel that I have developed many relevant technical skills and broadened my interpersonal communication abilities. I have realised that film making is a challenging, sometimes frustrating and yet rewarding experience. In the end, I am very proud of the product that we managed to create, and the whole experience life changing.
Evaluation - Question 6
What have you learnt about Media Technologies from the process of constructing your Product?
During the process of constructing our Product, I learnt many things about Media Technologies, the majority of which I had never heard of before, and am now proficient in every one of them. To create our product to a high standard, it was important that we knew how to use every bit of hardware and software we were going to utilise, and how to do it properly.
The first thing we had to learn how to use was the camera. This was imperative. We used Sony PD 170 DVCAM Camcorder to capture our original footage. We were taught how to adjust all the settings on the camera, which was important as our type of product required very specific settings. We needed a high shutter speed, so we could get clear and unblurred footage of the zombie running at high speed. We also needed specific aperture settings, as we were shooting outside in natural light. These settings needed to be changed throughout the shoot, as we gradually started to lose light.
We used a rifle microphone for sound, as we needed to have the sound coming specifically from the zombies. Having a rifle microphone also allowed us more freedom of movement, so we could follow the zombies with the camera and the microphone, and capture audio and video at the same time.
After capturing our footage, we needed to edit it. The main program we used for putting all our footage together was Apple’s Final Cut Pro. All our raw footage was imported onto the computer and called our “Rushes”. We then watched carefully through our rushes and found the clips we needed to use. We cut these clips into smaller clips called “Logs” and placed them into a separate folder called the “Log Bin”. From here, we imported our Logs onto the timeline in Final Cut Pro, and proceeded to arrange them in our preferred order. Clips were cut into smaller pieces where required, so other clips could be placed between segments of another clip. When our sequence was finished being pieced together, we deleted all the sounds tracks as those were to be added later, and then moved onto adding effects.
We used Adobe After Effects to add visual effects to our sequence, which was important in creating the right feel for our product. To do this, we first had to export the clip we wanted to use from Final Cut Pro as a QuickTime movie file, and then we imported it into After Effects. We wanted to have credits appear on the screen, so we used motion tracking to fix an item of text to two points on the footage. The by changing the size and rotation of the text during the time of the clip, we created the illusion that the text was travelling towards the screen. We added a Gaussian blur effect to blur the text in and out of focus, to allow time for more than one credit to appear on each clip. We also added vinyetting (a border of black around the edges of the screen) to focus the audience’s attention in on our main characters and to ignore any other distractions on screen.
When After Effects was done, we exported the clips as After Effects files, and then imported them back into Final Cut Pro. As we had kept the time codes the same in After Effects as in Final Cut, we were able to just drop the clips back into place of their predecessors. We then checked everything through, the editing was done and the project was finished.
We have learnt a lot during the process of shooting and editing. I went from not understanding how to even work a digital video camera to being able to adjust complex settings on the camera to enable a specific visual style to be shot effectively.
During the process of constructing our Product, I learnt many things about Media Technologies, the majority of which I had never heard of before, and am now proficient in every one of them. To create our product to a high standard, it was important that we knew how to use every bit of hardware and software we were going to utilise, and how to do it properly.
The first thing we had to learn how to use was the camera. This was imperative. We used Sony PD 170 DVCAM Camcorder to capture our original footage. We were taught how to adjust all the settings on the camera, which was important as our type of product required very specific settings. We needed a high shutter speed, so we could get clear and unblurred footage of the zombie running at high speed. We also needed specific aperture settings, as we were shooting outside in natural light. These settings needed to be changed throughout the shoot, as we gradually started to lose light.
We used a rifle microphone for sound, as we needed to have the sound coming specifically from the zombies. Having a rifle microphone also allowed us more freedom of movement, so we could follow the zombies with the camera and the microphone, and capture audio and video at the same time.
After capturing our footage, we needed to edit it. The main program we used for putting all our footage together was Apple’s Final Cut Pro. All our raw footage was imported onto the computer and called our “Rushes”. We then watched carefully through our rushes and found the clips we needed to use. We cut these clips into smaller clips called “Logs” and placed them into a separate folder called the “Log Bin”. From here, we imported our Logs onto the timeline in Final Cut Pro, and proceeded to arrange them in our preferred order. Clips were cut into smaller pieces where required, so other clips could be placed between segments of another clip. When our sequence was finished being pieced together, we deleted all the sounds tracks as those were to be added later, and then moved onto adding effects.
We used Adobe After Effects to add visual effects to our sequence, which was important in creating the right feel for our product. To do this, we first had to export the clip we wanted to use from Final Cut Pro as a QuickTime movie file, and then we imported it into After Effects. We wanted to have credits appear on the screen, so we used motion tracking to fix an item of text to two points on the footage. The by changing the size and rotation of the text during the time of the clip, we created the illusion that the text was travelling towards the screen. We added a Gaussian blur effect to blur the text in and out of focus, to allow time for more than one credit to appear on each clip. We also added vinyetting (a border of black around the edges of the screen) to focus the audience’s attention in on our main characters and to ignore any other distractions on screen.
When After Effects was done, we exported the clips as After Effects files, and then imported them back into Final Cut Pro. As we had kept the time codes the same in After Effects as in Final Cut, we were able to just drop the clips back into place of their predecessors. We then checked everything through, the editing was done and the project was finished.
We have learnt a lot during the process of shooting and editing. I went from not understanding how to even work a digital video camera to being able to adjust complex settings on the camera to enable a specific visual style to be shot effectively.
Evaluation - Question 5
How did you attract/address your Audience?
To promote our film, a variety of marketing techniques would be used. We thought about misé en scene and the power of the visual image. This is because stills of zombies, especially shots with violence in the misé en scene show exactly what the film is about, and would look really good on posters and other marketing mediums.
The ideal way to run the marketing campaign would be to use a combination of viral and standard marketing, with a preference toward the former. This has been used to great success in the marketing of independent films, such as Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’s Blair Witch Project (1999).
We would start the marketing campaign by releasing a small video clip on the internet, in the form of a news report with no writing or logos that suggest it was a film. This would be posted on a third-party, such as on a well-known social networking site. This would be followed up with a specialist website, devoted to reporting the zombie “outbreak”. This information would spread through the internet like a virus, gathering more and more interest and coverage from more established websites and social news websites, like Digg. This pretence that the outbreak was real would be the centre of the marketing campaign, and would allow for more avenues of marketing to be used. Handing out fake newspaper reports to passersby on the streets after film screenings would raise interest. This whole process of allowing a product to market itself by word of mouth is known as “Viral Marketing”. This is because the adverts for the product and associated ideas spread like a virus around the internet and other mediums, transferred from one person to another through conversation, or from website to website by emails or “posts”.
After the awareness raised by the viral marketing, the standard marketing would finally begin to roll into action. Dominant stills form the film, such as zombies arms reaching for one of the girls would be released as teaser posters, featuring a tagline. Simultaneously with this, teaser trailers would be released. Then theatrical trailers and posters would be put up around the towns and cities where the film was going to be screened. The viral marketing could be continued here, by making one of theatrical posters a poster with just the word “Quarantine” stamped on it in block capitals, with instructions for “survivors” of the infection. An idea to target our specific audience of 15-25 year old males would be to advertise in pubs. Ideas such as posters above urinals, and urinal cakes which show a picture when urinated on have been used by British films in the past, for example Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009). This is a good marketing technique, as it guarantees the right type of people will view the marketing. Also, after view the marketing, the people will go and talk to their friends about it, as people discuss things in a pub, this makes more people aware of the product, as is the goal of viral marketing.
To promote our film, a variety of marketing techniques would be used. We thought about misé en scene and the power of the visual image. This is because stills of zombies, especially shots with violence in the misé en scene show exactly what the film is about, and would look really good on posters and other marketing mediums.
The ideal way to run the marketing campaign would be to use a combination of viral and standard marketing, with a preference toward the former. This has been used to great success in the marketing of independent films, such as Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’s Blair Witch Project (1999).
We would start the marketing campaign by releasing a small video clip on the internet, in the form of a news report with no writing or logos that suggest it was a film. This would be posted on a third-party, such as on a well-known social networking site. This would be followed up with a specialist website, devoted to reporting the zombie “outbreak”. This information would spread through the internet like a virus, gathering more and more interest and coverage from more established websites and social news websites, like Digg. This pretence that the outbreak was real would be the centre of the marketing campaign, and would allow for more avenues of marketing to be used. Handing out fake newspaper reports to passersby on the streets after film screenings would raise interest. This whole process of allowing a product to market itself by word of mouth is known as “Viral Marketing”. This is because the adverts for the product and associated ideas spread like a virus around the internet and other mediums, transferred from one person to another through conversation, or from website to website by emails or “posts”.
After the awareness raised by the viral marketing, the standard marketing would finally begin to roll into action. Dominant stills form the film, such as zombies arms reaching for one of the girls would be released as teaser posters, featuring a tagline. Simultaneously with this, teaser trailers would be released. Then theatrical trailers and posters would be put up around the towns and cities where the film was going to be screened. The viral marketing could be continued here, by making one of theatrical posters a poster with just the word “Quarantine” stamped on it in block capitals, with instructions for “survivors” of the infection. An idea to target our specific audience of 15-25 year old males would be to advertise in pubs. Ideas such as posters above urinals, and urinal cakes which show a picture when urinated on have been used by British films in the past, for example Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009). This is a good marketing technique, as it guarantees the right type of people will view the marketing. Also, after view the marketing, the people will go and talk to their friends about it, as people discuss things in a pub, this makes more people aware of the product, as is the goal of viral marketing.
Evaluation - Question 4
Who would be the Audience for your Product?
Our primary audience would probably be 15-25 year old males, the demographic group that goes to the cinema most. The psychographic category that most of these men will come under is “Explorer”. Explorers want to discover new things and value adventure and difference. They also pick things that will satisfy them quickly and to a good extend. This will attract them to our product, as it is action-packed from the first second of footage on the screen. Our product appeals to this audience, as it is full of action and violence, which are two large factors which draw in that audience demographic, other examples being sex, foul language and nudity. Most of the people watching our product would come under the demographic group of C2 and below, as this target group tend to not pick subtler and more plot-driven films, as compared to ours which is carried along by the action.
Our primary audience would probably be 15-25 year old males, the demographic group that goes to the cinema most. The psychographic category that most of these men will come under is “Explorer”. Explorers want to discover new things and value adventure and difference. They also pick things that will satisfy them quickly and to a good extend. This will attract them to our product, as it is action-packed from the first second of footage on the screen. Our product appeals to this audience, as it is full of action and violence, which are two large factors which draw in that audience demographic, other examples being sex, foul language and nudity. Most of the people watching our product would come under the demographic group of C2 and below, as this target group tend to not pick subtler and more plot-driven films, as compared to ours which is carried along by the action.
The product would be released during down time in terms of mainstream motion picture releases. This would be a time when no major blockbusters were coming out, so audiences would not have a varied choice, or an obvious choice to pick when going to the cinema. However, as an independent film it would have a limited release only within the United Kingdom and probably in only one chain of cinemas. This would probably a one week or maybe fortnight run, and then the film would be distributed on DVD by Arrow Films 3 months after the initial release.
Evaluation - Question 3
What kind of Media Institution might distribute your Media Product and why?
Our type of film would probably be made as a low budget independent film.
There are many reasons for this, the prominent one would be the limitatory financial constraints. As a result, we used “found actors”, who were unpaid an uncontracted. We also used pre-existing sets and sets which were free for us to use. Money was saved on costume as our actors came to the shoot in their own clothes and the makeup and prosthetics were supplied for free by a friend. We had only one day of shooting, due to time constraints, and the amount of money each hour of shooting cost.
Our product would be released by a United Kingdom distribution company, as our film is low budget and not designed for worldwide distribution. An example of this would be Arrow Films, a specialist low budget horror film distributor. Arrow Films are a film distribution company based in Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. They release 3 to 4 new titles every month and have the rights to over 160 titles, especially in classic, modern and cult horror films.
To enable our product to be classed in a different category, we would need a bigger budget. This would be spent on higher profile cast members, marketing and possibly trained professionals to help us with the process. This would help the film secure a well-known studios backing, and enable a large release to be achieved.
Our type of film would probably be made as a low budget independent film.
There are many reasons for this, the prominent one would be the limitatory financial constraints. As a result, we used “found actors”, who were unpaid an uncontracted. We also used pre-existing sets and sets which were free for us to use. Money was saved on costume as our actors came to the shoot in their own clothes and the makeup and prosthetics were supplied for free by a friend. We had only one day of shooting, due to time constraints, and the amount of money each hour of shooting cost.
Our product would be released by a United Kingdom distribution company, as our film is low budget and not designed for worldwide distribution. An example of this would be Arrow Films, a specialist low budget horror film distributor. Arrow Films are a film distribution company based in Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. They release 3 to 4 new titles every month and have the rights to over 160 titles, especially in classic, modern and cult horror films.
To enable our product to be classed in a different category, we would need a bigger budget. This would be spent on higher profile cast members, marketing and possibly trained professionals to help us with the process. This would help the film secure a well-known studios backing, and enable a large release to be achieved.
Evaluation - Question 2
How does your Media product represent social groups?
Within our product, there are two groups of people: The girls and the zombies.
They are both dressed in relatively little clothes for the cold weather around them. This was sexual stereotyping on our part, as wearing little clothes makes women look like victims and they have little to protect their body from nakedness and so they appear more helpless in the face of the mass of zombies. The behaviour of the girls was typical of women in zombie films. They ran aimlessly with no plan, until one was cornered and the other killed. This is teasing for the audience, as it is a kind of “cat and mouse” chase, which builds suspense and increases the enjoyment of the film.
These girls were stereotypes of the helpless woman in zombie films. They are blonde, which suggests innocence that the zombies many violate if the girls are caught. We used the stereotype of the girls because it heightens the scariness of the zombies, and the amount of damage they could do if they caught the girls. The point of view shots from the zombies, which were shaky added more to the effect of the women being clumsy and scared. We also shot the girls from high angles, to make them appear smaller, weaker and less powerful than the zombies.
We could have challenged the representation of women in our product by making one or both of the characters powerful and able to stand up to the zombies. This has been used in a few zombie films, most notably Alice from the Resident Evil film series However, this would not be good for our product, as it is important that the girls are powerless compared to the zombies so the suspense is great during the chase sequence.
The zombies are portrayed as a mass, which helps to make the audience more sympathetic towards the girls. This is because having an individual against a mass is always uneven odds, and scary when they are being pursued. The zombies are in the same age group as the girls, this is because the transformation in zombies took place at house party, where the two girls were the only survivors, all this is found out later in the film. This adds a new dimension, as the girls are actually being pursued and attacked by their old friends, showing a total loss of humanity and descent into animalism.
Within our product, there are two groups of people: The girls and the zombies.
They are both dressed in relatively little clothes for the cold weather around them. This was sexual stereotyping on our part, as wearing little clothes makes women look like victims and they have little to protect their body from nakedness and so they appear more helpless in the face of the mass of zombies. The behaviour of the girls was typical of women in zombie films. They ran aimlessly with no plan, until one was cornered and the other killed. This is teasing for the audience, as it is a kind of “cat and mouse” chase, which builds suspense and increases the enjoyment of the film.
These girls were stereotypes of the helpless woman in zombie films. They are blonde, which suggests innocence that the zombies many violate if the girls are caught. We used the stereotype of the girls because it heightens the scariness of the zombies, and the amount of damage they could do if they caught the girls. The point of view shots from the zombies, which were shaky added more to the effect of the women being clumsy and scared. We also shot the girls from high angles, to make them appear smaller, weaker and less powerful than the zombies.
We could have challenged the representation of women in our product by making one or both of the characters powerful and able to stand up to the zombies. This has been used in a few zombie films, most notably Alice from the Resident Evil film series However, this would not be good for our product, as it is important that the girls are powerless compared to the zombies so the suspense is great during the chase sequence.
The zombies are portrayed as a mass, which helps to make the audience more sympathetic towards the girls. This is because having an individual against a mass is always uneven odds, and scary when they are being pursued. The zombies are in the same age group as the girls, this is because the transformation in zombies took place at house party, where the two girls were the only survivors, all this is found out later in the film. This adds a new dimension, as the girls are actually being pursued and attacked by their old friends, showing a total loss of humanity and descent into animalism.
Evaluation - Question 1
In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of real Media products?
Our product, Dead Reckoning (2009), directed by Alex Kohnert is an example of a contemporary zombie film, a genre which has seen a resurgence in popularity during the last decade as a result of several high profile remakes and adaptations of popular zombie stories. Our product utilises many genre conventions such as camerawork and makeup artistry, but attempted to enrich the form. My biggest influences while coming up with the concept of the product were from two recent zombie films: Zak Snyder’s 2003 Dawn of the Dead remake and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002).
In zombie movies, there are many underlying and overtly obvious themes, the ones that we utilised in our product were: the use of female victims in vulnerable situations, isolated locations and individuals against the mass. In zombie films females are usually portrayed as weak and helpless compared to men, as in our product. In zombie movies, zombies usually travel in hordes, and very rarely are alone for extended periods of time. Many zombie movies are also set in isolated locations, as it amplifies the sense of helplessness that the victims feel.
The look and appearance of the zombies in our product actually heralded more from zombie films of old. We used pale white makeup as the main feature of the zombies, as we didn’t have the means to create complex prosthetic facemasks and injuries. We also just left our zombies wearing normal, unsoiled clothes to suggest that the transformation into zombies was quick and unexpected.
We utilised zombie choreography much like examples from contemporary zombie films. In recent times, zombies have been portrayed as creatures that can run and have basic intelligence, unlike in old zombie films like George A. Romero’s 1968 genre-creating Night of the Living Dead. We also expanded on this, by giving the zombies more humanistic qualities, like being able to plan and execute more complex strategies and manoeuvres.
The camerawork also borrowed many tried and tested techniques from modern zombie filmmaking. None of our shots used a tripod throughout the whole day of filming, so all our footage was shot using handcam techniques. Handcam footage makes a sequence feel fast-paced and action-packed, as a result of the shaky on-screen image. This technique was used extensively in the remake of Dawn of the Dead, significantly when the humans were being chased by the zombies, as in our product.
Many zombie films start out slowly, with very little action and sometimes show what life was like before whatever caused the zombie infestation. We however, decided not to do this as we wanted to grab the audience’s attention from the start. Another convention we challenged was the use of slow motion. This is not used often in zombie films, as it usually makes the zombies look silly, however it is used in León Klimovsky’s Vengeance of the Zombies (1973). But, as our zombies were stationary when slow motion was used, the technique is effective in heightening the atmosphere of the sequence.
Our product, Dead Reckoning (2009), directed by Alex Kohnert is an example of a contemporary zombie film, a genre which has seen a resurgence in popularity during the last decade as a result of several high profile remakes and adaptations of popular zombie stories. Our product utilises many genre conventions such as camerawork and makeup artistry, but attempted to enrich the form. My biggest influences while coming up with the concept of the product were from two recent zombie films: Zak Snyder’s 2003 Dawn of the Dead remake and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002).
In zombie movies, there are many underlying and overtly obvious themes, the ones that we utilised in our product were: the use of female victims in vulnerable situations, isolated locations and individuals against the mass. In zombie films females are usually portrayed as weak and helpless compared to men, as in our product. In zombie movies, zombies usually travel in hordes, and very rarely are alone for extended periods of time. Many zombie movies are also set in isolated locations, as it amplifies the sense of helplessness that the victims feel.
The look and appearance of the zombies in our product actually heralded more from zombie films of old. We used pale white makeup as the main feature of the zombies, as we didn’t have the means to create complex prosthetic facemasks and injuries. We also just left our zombies wearing normal, unsoiled clothes to suggest that the transformation into zombies was quick and unexpected.
We utilised zombie choreography much like examples from contemporary zombie films. In recent times, zombies have been portrayed as creatures that can run and have basic intelligence, unlike in old zombie films like George A. Romero’s 1968 genre-creating Night of the Living Dead. We also expanded on this, by giving the zombies more humanistic qualities, like being able to plan and execute more complex strategies and manoeuvres.
The camerawork also borrowed many tried and tested techniques from modern zombie filmmaking. None of our shots used a tripod throughout the whole day of filming, so all our footage was shot using handcam techniques. Handcam footage makes a sequence feel fast-paced and action-packed, as a result of the shaky on-screen image. This technique was used extensively in the remake of Dawn of the Dead, significantly when the humans were being chased by the zombies, as in our product.
Many zombie films start out slowly, with very little action and sometimes show what life was like before whatever caused the zombie infestation. We however, decided not to do this as we wanted to grab the audience’s attention from the start. Another convention we challenged was the use of slow motion. This is not used often in zombie films, as it usually makes the zombies look silly, however it is used in León Klimovsky’s Vengeance of the Zombies (1973). But, as our zombies were stationary when slow motion was used, the technique is effective in heightening the atmosphere of the sequence.
Evaluation - Question 1
In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of real Media products?
Our product, Dead Reckoning (2009), directed by Alex Kohnert is an example of a contemporary zombie film, a genre which has seen a resurgence in popularity during the last decade as a result of several high profile remakes and adaptations of popular zombie stories. Our product utilises many genre conventions such as camerawork and makeup artistry, but attempted to enrich the form. My biggest influences while coming up with the concept of the product were from two recent zombie films: Zak Snyder’s 2003 Dawn of the Dead remake and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002).
In zombie movies, there are many underlying and overtly obvious themes, the ones that we utilised in our product were: the use of female victims in vulnerable situations, isolated locations and individuals against the mass. In zombie films females are usually portrayed as weak and helpless compared to men, as in our product. In zombie movies, zombies usually travel in hordes, and very rarely are alone for extended periods of time. Many zombie movies are also set in isolated locations, as it amplifies the sense of helplessness that the victims feel.
The look and appearance of the zombies in our product actually heralded more from zombie films of old. We used pale white makeup as the main feature of the zombies, as we didn’t have the means to create complex prosthetic facemasks and injuries. We also just left our zombies wearing normal, unsoiled clothes to suggest that the transformation into zombies was quick and unexpected.
We utilised zombie choreography much like examples from contemporary zombie films. In recent times, zombies have been portrayed as creatures that can run and have basic intelligence, unlike in old zombie films like George A. Romero’s 1968 genre-creating Night of the Living Dead. We also expanded on this, by giving the zombies more humanistic qualities, like being able to plan and execute more complex strategies and manoeuvres.
The camerawork also borrowed many tried and tested techniques from modern zombie filmmaking. None of our shots used a tripod throughout the whole day of filming, so all our footage was shot using handcam techniques. Handcam footage makes a sequence feel fast-paced and action-packed, as a result of the shaky on-screen image. This technique was used extensively in the remake of Dawn of the Dead, significantly when the humans were being chased by the zombies, as in our product.
Many zombie films start out slowly, with very little action and sometimes show what life was like before whatever caused the zombie infestation. We however, decided not to do this as we wanted to grab the audience’s attention from the start. Another convention we challenged was the use of slow motion. This is not used often in zombie films, as it usually makes the zombies look silly, however it is used in León Klimovsky’s Vengeance of the Zombies (1973). But, as our zombies were stationary when slow motion was used, the technique is effective in heightening the atmosphere of the sequence.
Our product, Dead Reckoning (2009), directed by Alex Kohnert is an example of a contemporary zombie film, a genre which has seen a resurgence in popularity during the last decade as a result of several high profile remakes and adaptations of popular zombie stories. Our product utilises many genre conventions such as camerawork and makeup artistry, but attempted to enrich the form. My biggest influences while coming up with the concept of the product were from two recent zombie films: Zak Snyder’s 2003 Dawn of the Dead remake and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002).
In zombie movies, there are many underlying and overtly obvious themes, the ones that we utilised in our product were: the use of female victims in vulnerable situations, isolated locations and individuals against the mass. In zombie films females are usually portrayed as weak and helpless compared to men, as in our product. In zombie movies, zombies usually travel in hordes, and very rarely are alone for extended periods of time. Many zombie movies are also set in isolated locations, as it amplifies the sense of helplessness that the victims feel.
The look and appearance of the zombies in our product actually heralded more from zombie films of old. We used pale white makeup as the main feature of the zombies, as we didn’t have the means to create complex prosthetic facemasks and injuries. We also just left our zombies wearing normal, unsoiled clothes to suggest that the transformation into zombies was quick and unexpected.
We utilised zombie choreography much like examples from contemporary zombie films. In recent times, zombies have been portrayed as creatures that can run and have basic intelligence, unlike in old zombie films like George A. Romero’s 1968 genre-creating Night of the Living Dead. We also expanded on this, by giving the zombies more humanistic qualities, like being able to plan and execute more complex strategies and manoeuvres.
The camerawork also borrowed many tried and tested techniques from modern zombie filmmaking. None of our shots used a tripod throughout the whole day of filming, so all our footage was shot using handcam techniques. Handcam footage makes a sequence feel fast-paced and action-packed, as a result of the shaky on-screen image. This technique was used extensively in the remake of Dawn of the Dead, significantly when the humans were being chased by the zombies, as in our product.
Many zombie films start out slowly, with very little action and sometimes show what life was like before whatever caused the zombie infestation. We however, decided not to do this as we wanted to grab the audience’s attention from the start. Another convention we challenged was the use of slow motion. This is not used often in zombie films, as it usually makes the zombies look silly, however it is used in León Klimovsky’s Vengeance of the Zombies (1973). But, as our zombies were stationary when slow motion was used, the technique is effective in heightening the atmosphere of the sequence.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The long, hard road home - Editing
The piecing together of our footage was done using Final Cut Pro and the effects and coloration was done using Adobe After Effects. The main features we used within Final Cut Pro were the ability to rearrange footage into a sequence, and the ability to split footage so different parts could be used at different parts of the sequence. While choosing the shots to pick, we rejected the long shots and establishing shots we had filmed, as we didn't think they were representative of the feel of the sequence. When we got all our footage together, we sorted it into different "bins" after looking through the long tape of unchanged footage, the "rush". After picking what footage we wanted from the rush, we put it on the timeline in Final Cut Pro, and edited it into the sequence we wanted it to become.
The majority of our work however, was done in After Effects. We used motion tracking for the credits, to allow the on screen movement of the text. After we had done this, we did a lot of coloration. We changed the brightness, contrast and saturation, we also changed the color of certain areas of the footage. We also used masks to create vinyetting around the edges, to focus the viewer’s attention on where we wanted them to look. This created a blurry world around the girl, which was full of energy yet unseen, which was juxtaposed against the girls uncolored and clear area.
After finishing all the editing, and getting all the footage we back needed back into the sequence in Final Cut Pro, we got into creating a soundtrack. For this we used Soundtrack Pro, and also Final Cut Pro. The first layer of sound was ambient sounds, which we just dropped straight into the Final Cut Pro timeline. Afterwards, extra sounds, like the sound of the hand banging on the fence were created in Soundtrack Pro. I did this by taking a normal sound of metal crunching, and distorting it. Then by putting the reverb up, and adding in some more effects, I got the sound I wanted and then exported back into Final Cut Pro.
During this process I learnt a lot about editing techniques, much of which I didn't know from before. However, I did know some of the basics of Final Cut Pro from our Preliminary Task. A lot of the things we did in After Effects, like motion tracking are very advanced techniques, and will prove very useful for our A2 project. The editing process also gave us an insight into the real media industry, as it took almost twice as long as pre-production. This made it the most frustrating part of the Foundation Project, as it took up a lot of free time for not much progress for a long time, due to exams.
The majority of our work however, was done in After Effects. We used motion tracking for the credits, to allow the on screen movement of the text. After we had done this, we did a lot of coloration. We changed the brightness, contrast and saturation, we also changed the color of certain areas of the footage. We also used masks to create vinyetting around the edges, to focus the viewer’s attention on where we wanted them to look. This created a blurry world around the girl, which was full of energy yet unseen, which was juxtaposed against the girls uncolored and clear area.
After finishing all the editing, and getting all the footage we back needed back into the sequence in Final Cut Pro, we got into creating a soundtrack. For this we used Soundtrack Pro, and also Final Cut Pro. The first layer of sound was ambient sounds, which we just dropped straight into the Final Cut Pro timeline. Afterwards, extra sounds, like the sound of the hand banging on the fence were created in Soundtrack Pro. I did this by taking a normal sound of metal crunching, and distorting it. Then by putting the reverb up, and adding in some more effects, I got the sound I wanted and then exported back into Final Cut Pro.
During this process I learnt a lot about editing techniques, much of which I didn't know from before. However, I did know some of the basics of Final Cut Pro from our Preliminary Task. A lot of the things we did in After Effects, like motion tracking are very advanced techniques, and will prove very useful for our A2 project. The editing process also gave us an insight into the real media industry, as it took almost twice as long as pre-production. This made it the most frustrating part of the Foundation Project, as it took up a lot of free time for not much progress for a long time, due to exams.
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