Talk about colour, font, font size, position of credits, effects, length of time, what the credits say and refer to other film credits
The first thing we discussed involving credits was what each credit would say. We decided that we were going to use the following credits: Name of production company, A film by, Starring, Casting by, Music composed by, Production designer, Edited by, Produced by, Written by, Directed by, Eye Spy (name of film). We looked at other films to help us with the opening credits as they show how spaced apart each credit is and what the credits say.
We chose the colour red for our credits because it represents death and fear which are conventions of the thriller genre. Originally we chose a font that looked digital to fit in with our theme but it did not look like a typical thriller font so we changed it to the font shown in the image below.
We put all of the production roles at the top of the screen and the names at the bottom of the screen so that every time a new credit is shown it can be clearly identified. We tried to keep all of the credits on the screen for roughly the same amount of time and all the same size except for the final credit which says "Eye Spy" because it is the end of the opening scene where the screen turns back and the credit starts off small but then zooms in. We added an effect called "earthquake" to the credits that showed our names to make the credit look more thriller-like.
It is important for the audience to have a relationship with the characters because it enables the audience to identify each character's purpose and emotions. By building up a relationship between the characters and the audience, the audience can understand why certain things happen in the film.
We knew that we had to choose characters that are similar to those that are in popular thriller films so that our production would appeal to our audience. Because our group had 3 members, we knew that we had to at least one member directing the film so we could only have 2 characters (we could have used actors from outside of our group but it would be a lot harder to organise filming days). Once we had determined who was going to act in the production (Daniel and Liam) we had to decide who was going to play the villain and who was going to play the victim. We tried to keep our characters stereotypical by having Liam as the villain and Daniel as the victim because Liam is a lot taller than Daniel which makes the villain have a lot more power than the victim.
Daniel plays a young adult that lives with his parents and he spends a lot of the time on the internet. This means that he is a relatable character for the target audience because many young adults go on the internet a lot. He is vulnerable as he lives on his own, he wears a white top to show innocence and the audience would feel sympathetic when he dies because they are given no clear indication as to why his death occurs. By showing him being murdered, the audience may be scared because the same could hapen to them.
Liam plays the killer who wears a mask that hides his face. This creates an enigma for the audience because they want to know who the killer is and know why he killed the victim. The victim is also taller than the victim which represents how much power the killer has over the victim. He is shown to the audience at the end in around 10 shots, so not much can be identified from him. The audience portray him as evil and find him mysterious because he does not talk and wears a distinctive mask. At the very end of the opening scene, he looks up at the camera which is done to shock the audience.
The credits are wrote in white for the majority of the opening as many of them are wrote on top of a black or a dark background to show good against evil. Each credit is on the screen for around 3 seconds and are all the same size font except the final credit which is the title of the movie. Some of the credits are red, which can symbolise a warning towards the protagonist or could represent violence/death.
When the credits appear they shake for a few seconds. This effect is used to make the audience focus on the credit. The last credit is wrote in large red writing on a black background. The camera then zooms in until the whole screen is black. The transition from red to black shows the warning that is given and how it eventually leads to darkness/evil.
Leonardo DiCaprio is the focus of this poster which suggests that he is the most important character in the film.
The colour red, in general, is used to show danger and to send out a warning.
DiCaprio is wearing a suit but looks scruffy which suggests that he is an all-action character who is in trouble and that he has a well-respected job.
Although it is clear that DiCaprio's character is in danger, the bright light coming from the lighthouse suggests that there is some hope for him that involves the lighthouse.
Also, DiCaprio is the only character on this poster which suggests that he is alone which backs up the idea of him being in danger.
Meetings are vital in the production process because the whole group have to have an understanding of what is best for the group. The best way to do this is through sharing ideas in meetings. Meetings helped every group member get their opinion through. It also allows a group to be organised and keep track of time.
Overall do you think your group worked well
together?
I think that worked very well as a group because we all worked with same objective in mind (to create a successful, conventional thriller). After every meeting that took place, we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve when we carried out tasks. This was an advantage because it meant that no time was wasted when we carried out tasks. When we created our credits, we knew what we were going to write because we had decided in a group meeting. When we chose the soundtrack, we decided that we would all look on a different website. This helped us save time.
Date
Action
To be done
by
By whom
Discussions
05.11.2012
Review individual
storyboards
07.11.2012
Whole group
We discussed ideas and
concepts that we have, and we reflected on the ideas and then created a group
storyboard.
12.11.2012
Planning the cinematography
14.11.2012
Whole group
We started to plan what
camera shots, lighting, costume, setting and iconography we wanted to use in our
opening.
14.11.2012
Creating the
Questionnaire
19.11.2012
Individual then as a
group
We each created a
questionnaire and then we joined the questions together that we thought were
better.
19.11.2012
Recording the results from
the questionnaire
21.11.2012
Whole group
We gave our questionnaire to
32 pupils in our school and recorded the results.
21.11.2012
Risk Assessment
Planning the day we can
film
21.11.2012
Whole group
We decided as a group what
we thought would be a potential hazard and how we can prevent it.
We also decided that we
would film on the Friday and Sunday.
23.11.2012
Filming our thriller
opening
25.11.2012
Whole group
We filmed our thriller using
the group storyboards as guidance. Also we followed the group risk assessment so
there would be less of a chance that an injury would occur.
26.11.2012
Editing our
thriller
19.12.2012
Whole group
We discussed ideas on how we
should edit our scenes and what transitions we should add. Also we were looking
for as soundtrack, which would go well with our
thriller.
Audience feedback is essential to carry out because it helps me reflect on the success of my film by receiving positive and constructive comments from an audience that represents my target audience. By screening our production to people who weren't involved in the production, elements of our film may be identified as good or bad that we had different opinions on. Also, audience feedback will help us identify what was good and what was not so good or what was missing. This will help us with future productions.
Where did you screen your production?
Firstly, we uploaded our thriller opening onto YouTube. Then, we screened our production to 6 people who were all aged 16 or 17 during a Media lesson and asked for a brief written response from each viewer. We also received feedback from users from around the world via the comments section on YouTube.
How did YouTube help?
YouTube is a video sharing website and is where we uploaded our thriller film. If we didn't have access to YouTube then we would not have been able to screen our production to an audience. We also received feedback from the comments section of YouTube which enabled us to receive feedback from people who we did not know. This is important because if we know everyone that that gives us feedback, then there may be biased opinions with some comments.
What feedback did you receive?
We received good feedback as well as constructive criticisms which is a good thing because we knew that our production wasn't flawless, so we could see what people didn't like or did like. One person said that the camera quality was not good enough which is a fair point to make, but because we only made the opening to the film, we did not feel that it was necessary to purchase a superior camera. This was because we were on a small budget. If we were to make the whole film, then we would have bought ,or loaned, a camera of better quality.
Another criticism of my film was that if we were to make the whole film, then it would be too short because there is a murder at the start of the film and that there would be no meaning for the rest of the film. However, they did not understand that if we were to make the rest of the film, we would use the beginning as the ending and the film would consist of what happened prior to that scene to solve the enigma.
We also received a large amount of good feedback. One person said that they were impressed with the different camera shots we used for the murder scene which was something my group had already recognised as a strong positive of our production.
Reflection
If I was going to create another thriller opening, then I would keep a large proportion of what we did the same as I feel that it was a successful production. I would only make minor adjustments such as filming each scene multiple times so that we would be able to choose what scene had the best lighting, sound and if there were any human errors involved.
I would also check the weather prior to filming because we had to film on a Sunday rather than the Saturday because of heavy rain which created a background noise and got the camera lens wet. This required good improvisation skills that we wouldn't have had to use if we planned what days we were going to film on.
In a group of three we had to create a short scene. Firstly we organised where we were going to film, then we spent about 45 minutes getting all of the footage and finally, we edited the footage using Final Cut Express.
What was the purpose of the task? One purpose of this task was to experiment with the filming equipment. For example how long would the tripod legs need to be for a close-up, a medium shot or a long shot and how to use zoom. Another purpose of this task was to get used to the editing software e.g. how to get our footage on to the editing software and how to save our work. What did you learn to do? Some things we learnt were basic such as: how to rotate the camera effectively and getting to know where the buttons were on the camera. Other things we learnt were more complex, such as: how to film difficult shots such as a panning shot or how to use zoom without the camera becoming unfocused. We also learnt how and hwere to position the tripod depending on what and where we were filming.
What were your strengths? We worked well as a group. We bounced ideas off of each ther to come up with the best camera shots and we al contributed towards our preliminary task. We had to work in a short space of time which can be difficult due to pressure. We were also able to film many different shots with the camera and edit them together smoothly to create a realisitic preliminary task.
What problems did you have and how did you overcome them? In the two early shots that show Daniel walking through the door and him walking towards the camera, the door was still closing in the first shot and it was closed in the second shot. To overcome this, we had to use all of the footage in the first shot and cut a lot of footage at the beginning of the second shot to enable the clips to run smoothly together. During the shots that show me and Daniel talking to each other, we moved out of our original positions so we had to judge where to stand by watching the clips back on the camera. Also, we did not finish in the given time so we had to film for an extra 15 minutes or so during another lesson.
How will this task assist you with creating your thriller?
Our preliminary task will assist us when making our thriller film because it has helped us learn how to use the equipment properly, which reduces safety hazards and means that the filming process for our thriller will take a shorter amount of time. We also learnt that we should allow time at the beginning and ending of each shot. This will stop us from cutting to early and enable the shots to run smoothly when put together.
Also, we now have good knowledge when it comes to knowing how suitable different camera shots are for different scenes. We have also learnt that we will need the background to be silent because in one shot of our preliminary task music can be vaguely heard.
