Question 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

The term new technologies covers a wide and vast range of different meanings. However, in general,  it means the different types of electronic communications that have emerged and developed from computer technology.  As a society we are constantly moving into a digital age through the use of such things as computers, laptops, software, cameras, televisions, high definition and many more. Today's society has moved away from using old technologies such as newspapers, books, CDs, and videos and is always inventing new 'state of the art' equipment that is used by a majority of people.   

Above is a montage of all the different new technologies I have used during this project.

1.     Youtube - This website has been very helpful through the whole process of making our short films. It allowed us to look at previous examples of short films that had been uploaded and to look at a wide range of different genres. In addition, as well as looking at other people's individual work it was also a place where we could upload our own work.  We put video evidence of the different tasks we had completed such as our pre-production lighting experiments along with short clips from production. Our final short film will also be uploaded onto this website where we can receive feedback.  Today, without ''Youtube' the sharing and displaying of videos would be impossible unless shown at a cinema to a previously arranged audience. 

2.     Sony PD150 - This was the camera we used to film 'Karma'.  It was a very expensive piece of equipment and one that we had never used before.  This meant that before filming, Liam our camera operator, had to prepare and familiarise himself by doing practice shots.  This new technology allowed  our short film to have a professional look. Without, digital cameras we would have had to film using a photogenic camera that takes a rapid sequence of photos on a strip of film. 

3.     Flip Video Camera - Last year during our project of an opening sequence we used a flip video camera; this meant that we were all very confident using this equipment.   It is very simple, quick and effective. We used this camera to film all our evidence that we wanted to upload onto Youtube, for example our audience feedback could quickly be recorded using this video. If this new technology hadn’t been invented then showing evidence of group work and audience feedback wouldn't have been done as easily and instead we would have had to keep a log by writing down our progress as well as given questionnaires for audience feedback, which is much more time consuming. Just like with the Sony PD150 if this technology hadn't been invented we would have had to use a photogenic camera that takes a rapid sequences of photos on a strip of film. 

4.     Scanner - Using the scanner was a great way of uploading our pre-production work onto our Blogger sites. We used the scanner for documents that couldn’t be done using the computer such as the storyboards; this was due to the fact that they had to be hand drawn. Without this technology we wouldn’t have been able to upload and publish some of our pre-production documents which in turn meant we could have lost marks. 

5.    Mobile Phone - At the start of our production all members of the group exchanged numbers with each other. This turned out to be very useful when it came to production as Emily, our director, could easily arrange days for filming. It was also a quick way to make sure that our actors were available as they attended different schools for some lessons.  We also used our mobile phones to take photos and send the pictures to each other to be used for Blogger work.  Without mobile phones, organising filming and group meetings would have been very time consuming and much more difficult to arrange.  In addition without any digital technology we would have had to write letters to each other to plan dates, times and places to meet for filming, which in turn would require a reply!

6.     USB - These were very useful when it came to sharing work within the group.  For example, rather than everyone having to scan the storyboards, which was time consuming, it meant that only one person needed to and we could copy them quickly onto our USB memory sticks. I also used my USB as a backup for all my documents on the computer, meaning if I lost them in hard copy I had a spare and wouldn't need to panic! If it wasn’t for the development of this new technology then sharing and copying work would take up a lot more time that could be spent on other more meaningful tasks. In addition, we wouldn't have been able to share work and individually would have had to reproduce the documents.  

7.     SLR Camera - We used this camera a lot throughout pre-production and production. It was used to take all our location recce photos which where then merged together to create one large picture. During production we used it to take photos of our actors to enable us to look out for continuity in clothing and also to have photos of us as a group setting up the equipment and being on set of the location.  I also used the camera to take my photo cards for the short film, the camera created a high quality professional finish to the photos that wouldn’t have been created using a normal digital camera. Without this technology it would have been very hard to show evidence production and location to the Director.   We could have used an 'old fashioned' camera that uses roles of negative film to develop our photos but the negative side to using this type of camera is that you can't preview or delete your photos, meaning you have to think carefully before taking you photo as well as the cost of having to have the film developed.

8.     Blogger - This is an online website that we all signed up to and is used as a website to publish and display all our work.  Through using this website it allows us to personalise our page, choosing different designs and layouts for our work. During this project we have to meet a number of different criteria and through blogger we can display these tasks easily and effectively through different posts, which can be easily marked.  Through the use of the Internet and blogger it meant that we didn't have to carry around all our work and it was all saved online, which is easily accessible.  If we didn't use Blogger then we would have to display our work on paper and create a portfolio.  

9.    Adobe Premier - This is the programme and software that we used to do all our editing; all our edit suites at school have this installed. This allows us to create a professional short film where we can save, edit and add effects to our short film such as sounds and lights. This new technology has allowed us to create a professional looking short film that would have previously only been used by professionals and would have been hard to come by.  Without this new technology we wouldn’t be able to edit our short film.  Had we used a photogenic camera that takes a rapid sequences of photos on a strip of film, we could have edited our film through razoring the strip of film and then sticking them back together. 

It's clear that without these new technologies our pre-production and production work would not be the same qaulity. We wouldn’t have high quality photos that we can use for our postcards or to use of location recces for evidence.  The Sony PD150 and the small flip videos used to show group tasks and audience feedback allowed us to present high quality filming. It is fair to say that without these new technologies our whole project would have taken a lot longer to complete and sharing our work with others would have been more difficult and much harder.

As a group these new technologies have enhanced the quality of every aspect of our project. Without realising it these new technologies have become part of everyday life.  When I think of the equipment my parents would have had to have used to make such a film I consider myself to be very fortunate to be able to use such professional and modern equipment.  Doing research into photogenic cameras that use strips of film it is obvious that the process was very time consuming and probably expensive and directors wouldn't have had as many options to experiment and the freedom to make mistakes as we do today. Even though these photogenic technologies seem very outdated there are still examples of people using this equipment today.  

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

After finishing our Short film, Postcard and Film Review we then had to receive audience feedback on our products. The aim of our feedback was to ask a range of people including our target audience, classmates and teachers.  Through receiving this feedback it allowed us to hear other peoples views on our products, including positive comments, areas we could have improved and what when wrong!

Short Film Karma

The first set of audience feedback that we received was from our classmates. As a class we spent a lesson watching each others films while making notes, we looked out for what we liked about their film, areas we didn’t understand or could have been improved and overall positives. After collecting and finalising our notes we then went away and filmed individuals opinions on our short film.

As a group we decided to ask a series of questions for the other groups to answer.  It was important that during evaluation of our film that everyone was critical with their opinions, this made it easier for us as a group to pick out improvements that could be made. Overall we found the feedback extremely helpful; they commented on points that we hadn’t thought about previously as well highlighting problems we had mentioned during post-production work. There were many positive comments made that showed they enjoyed our short film. For example, they agreed with the choice of location as they felt the school setting was appropriate for a social realist film where they had an understanding of this environment.  It was also clear that everyone liked the choice of music and the way we had manipulated and arranged them in our film. They commented on the opening scenes where we had used two pieces of contrasting music along side each other to create a motive.

However, there was also a reoccurring negative, which was with the ending. It was clear that there was confusion with the last few scenes and they felt this could have been improved.  Some said they would have liked to have seen more scenes showing LucieAnne as a bully to reinforce her character. Finally some said there was a lack of extras, this was a problem that we faced due to filming in school hours. We had a limited amount of people we could use who where available to film at the correct time.

I feel that if I was to do this project again I would try to develop the protagonist character with more depth. I would also add more scenes showing LucieAnne as a bully as well as more scenes reflecting that she comes from a troubled home life.  This would make our tag line stronger. In addition, I think that by developing the character would improve the ending and make it clearer to the audience. Finally I would have liked to use a wider range of camera angles, for example, in the science scene and alleyway. I think this would have created more suspense and anticipation for the audience when watching. 

After asking our classmates we then had to receive feedback from teachers. We asked Mrs Wright, a Key Stage five Pastoral Leader within the school environment, who, unlike our class mates,  has no experience with media.  However, she does have an interest in short films. It was interesting to hear her opinion, compared to our classmates.

Her feedback mentioned many positives. She thought our genre 'Social Realism' was effectively reflected throughout our film through the different locations.  She also liked the storyline, choice of music and the clear dialogue. However just like the feedback we received previously she also agreed that the ending was confusing, she found it unexpected and felt the storyline with the hoodies could have been developed.

Through this feedback it has reinforced to me that the ending of our film is our weakest point. I have learnt that to improve our film we needed to develop our protagonist character LucieAnne in more depth, and add additional scenes. I was pleased that they noticed the use of music and how it was constantly changing to reflect different emotions and create an atmosphere. I was also pleased they commented on the good acting skills of LucieAnne as this was her first time starring a in short film.   

Although we were able to get feedback from our classmates and teacher we were unable to receive feedback from our dominant target audience - professionals from the film industry. Their opinions would have been most valuable to us; they would have been able to provide a wide range of knowledge and share with us the vital improvements necessary for us to get our short film noticed within the professional industry. It would have been interesting to hear their opinions.  However, it was important to us to value the views of the general public who eventually could have viewed our short film and would then be our target audience.

Postcard and Film Review feedback

As well as our short film I also gathered feedback for my postcard. For my postcard I received a lot of audience feedback firstly for my 3 different designs and then my final 3 designs that I had edited. I collected a wide range of feedback and the clips below are just an example of some I received.

Through my feedback looking at how effective my postcard is I learnt many things. Ryan has mentioned that I have used a wide range of conventions throughout my postcard, he picked up on the use of the title and tag line as well as the use of the photo and how it has been edited.  He also mentioned the use of conventions used on the back of the postcard where I had used the correct lay out. I feel that if I was to do this again I would move my title and tagline all the way across the bottom to make slightly bigger.  I feel they weren't prominent enough and wouldn’t be remembered as much as the picture. I wouldn’t have changed anything about my back as I feel it was very effective and followed all the conventions of a professional product.

For my film review I again received feedback on effectiveness as well as the over all product. Matt has commented on the layout, which follows conventions of the magazine 'Sight and Sound'. I have used a photo as my main focal point and included vital information. I originally planned to add a short synopsis to the bottom of my film review as this was a convention that was commonly used within reviews however, I decided against this as I have included the same information within my writing content. I decided against putting it on is I felt it would be repeating information already commented upon. If I were to do my film review again I have learnt that I could improve upon my technical language and include more critical analysis.   

Finally by using audience feedback I have found that it’s a quick and easy way to get different views and opinions. It was clear to understand the positives and negatives from my products as well as our group short film and areas we could improve upon. Looking at all the information I have gathered if I were to do this task again I would definitely change the ending to our short film to make it stronger and more effective. However, for my own individual tasks such as my postcard and film review I would only need to make minor adjustments as they both received positive feedback.

Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Postcards

My ancillary task consisted of three different postcard designs that I later developed into three different postcards of the same design.  Below are screen grabs that gave me ideas for my first three postcard designs, why I chose to use them and my final design. For my designs I wanted to convey the theme of the film yet still have an element of suspicion to the postcard. 
I wanted to create three different designs, which were a combination of stills from the film and additional pictures taken during production. Even though I had designed three different ideas they were all located in the same section of the alleyway.  I decided to pick this location as I felt it was the most significant and represented the character's softer and worried side compared to her hard exterior.

In my first design I planned for LucieAnne's expression to show elements of worry, startled and anxious. I wanted the expression to draw the audience in and question why and what is causing the expression on her face.  For my second design I wanted a picture of LucieAnne as she is walking up the alleyway, which could be taken as a still from the film. I wanted the image to make the audience wonder and question what she is walking away from and what had happened previously to this picture.  In my final design it was showing just the alleyway where we filmed and then to edit the photo in Photoshop and add in signs, which showed the name of the film and represented that Karma is anywhere and everywhere you go.

This still from our film shows where I got the idea for postcard design 1. This is a very similar image to the one I used for my final design. I really liked the emotion in her face and I thought it would catch the audiences attention. 

This still taken from our film was where I got the idea for postcard design 2; you can see the location of the alleyway along with a full length image of LucieAnne. 

After completing all three of my designs I decided to go with my first design of LucieAnne looking over her shoulder with a worried expression. Even though I liked my second design I didn’t feel that the picture would grab the attention of a passerby and make him or her want to see the film. For my third postcard I could clearly picture what I wanted it to look like however, in reality when it came to experimenting and trying to edit and add in the sign post it was a lot harder than I first thought. I decided that it was a lot of time wasted when I had another design that was much stronger.  I finally chose my first design for a number of reasons. I personally felt that this was my strongest design and to make sure it was a design the public would also like I asked my target audience for feedback.  They  agreed with me! I also felt that for a marketing campaign, the image conveyed mystery with nothing being revealed or given away. After deciding I was going to use my first design and I then edited my photo using Photoshop.

Postcard 1

For this postcard I changed the settings to black and white and added in red hints to add warmth to the image. I also changed the level of lighting and decided to change the image to make it slightly lighter in order to make the red more noticeable. For the writing I chose white with a red glow to match the red hint I had added. Even though I liked the black and white effects I didn’t feel that it was eye catching and I preferred a different style and font of writing.

Postcard 2

In this image I used the highlight and shadow tool where I was able to intensify the shadows in the photo. I also changed the colour levels and increased the cyan and decreased the yellow levels. Even though I preferred this to the black and white effects I felt that it had a cold and dull element to the picture, which wouldn’t be suitable for a marketing campaign and I wanted an image that would attract an audience.

Postcard 3- my final design

For this photo I used the channel mixer and changed the yellow and red colours. I also added an 85 filter to bring warmth to the over all image. Even though I was trying to create a look of mystery and coldness in her emotion, I felt that the photo needed to be warm as it brings the image and character to life, for example it highlights her facial features such as her lips and cheeks.  I feel that adding warmth to the photo has been very effective, I think it gives her a look of innocence as well as mystery with her expression. I also think the writing is effective as I have used a simple but bold front that draws in  attention but doesn't take away focus from the focal picture.  To make sure it was a design that the public would like I asked my target audience for feedback on which design they preferred and why, I chose to ask my target audience as they are similar ages and stages in their lives who can relate to the film and its messages. My most dominant audience is people who attend film festivals and have a large interest in short films. Thinking about this I had to make sure my post card followed conventions and was attractive to my target audience and to individuals within the film industry.  

When combining my postcard with my short film there are a number of conventions that have been shared. For example, in both my postcard and film I have included the title, production company, main roles within the group such as directors, camera, lighting and production designer. I have also used a similar image for my postcard as a still taken from our film. 

Film review

For my final film review I decided that I wanted to create an article that would replicate one from magazine 'Sight and Sound'. I decided to choose 'Sight and Sound' as they are recognised as a prestigious, respectable and high end film magazine that is distributed monthly, and brought by those in the film profession. Even though you typically find feature films in this magazine I would expect to see our short film review as part of a ‘short film special addition.’  I decided to go with an article from 'Sight and Sound' rather than 'Empire' or 'Newspaper' as I felt it had much more content and was overall more serious and less comical.  I also feel that this magazine would have a better audience for getting our short film noticed in the film world and was a place where business or investors would be more drawn to.

At the top of my article I used my marketing postcard as the image conveyed mystery however, nothing is revealed or given away, hoping this would lead to the audience reading the article.  I followed the conventions of a 'Sight and Sound' article and had information in the top left hand corner including, director, actors, certificate and duration.  Following the conventions of a typical film review I then went on to a short introduction into the film and introduced the characters and main actors.  Then I went on to giving the location of filming, how it was filmed and the different equipment used before mentioning the criticisms and positives of the film.

In my review I tried to make to make sure the reader was getting a good in depth of understanding about the film, along with the director's aims, whether these were met and the messages Emily was trying to convey. I decided to talk about not only the role of the director but also the camera, lighting and production design pointing out their positives and also improvements that could have been made.  I also talked about the opening few scenes and how they are used to portray the message of LucieAnne having a troubled home life which led to her becoming a bully.  I think the opening scenes are the strongest as the audience can identify and build and understanding of LucieAnne as a character.

Below is showing how I tried to make the film review and film join together. I have drawn arrows showing the title of the film, the information showing roles within the group, location and ideas for the picture used in the review and finally showing how and where I have mentioned her troubled home life which is reflected in the film through the first opening scenes.

Overall I feel that my film review is effective as I have used a number of conventions that are used in professional magazines. I have used the correct layout and included a picture and vital information to give a short overview.

 


Audience Feedback on the effectiveness of my Postcard and Film Review

This video clip is an additional task that I completed. I asked Ryan and Matt, both media students, for their opinion on how effective they thought my Postcard and Film review was.
As a group we all discussed each others products and wrote notes, after discussion we then filmed each other opinions. 

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

After completing my short film, Postcards and Film Review I think had to think about if my work used, developed or challenged forms and conventions of real media products.  I looked at each example individually shown below.

Short film- Karma 

Shot 1

I think that this shot meets the code and conventions of a short film because it is a quick establishing shot that you would expect to see at the start of any film whether it is a feature or short.  It instantly gives the audience an impression of the background and class she comes from.

Shot 2

I think that this shot used conventions from real media products. This is because we had to use reflectors when filming to add more highlights to her face and reduce shadows. The use of additional lighting and reflectors is used in nearly every scene during a film as lighting is one of the most important aspects of producing a professional and good quality film. 

Shot 3

I have chosen the frame of the title as I feel it met the code and conventions of a short film. We decided to place our title near the beginning of our film as you would expect. We also met the conventions through the simplicity of the title using a plain black background with white writing.

Shot 4

In this still I believe we both develop and meet conventions. I think we have achieved this by producing and establishing a shot that instantly informs the audience of the location of the next scene and shot. However, it develops the conventions and this scene is giving two messages, firstly why LucieAnne is late for school and also establishing the location.  

Shot 5

This shot use conventions of real media for a number of reasons. Firstly, from the expression on LucieAnne face it is clear to the audience that something is bothering her however it’s unclear what is attracting LucieAnnes attention, which in turn creates suspense and sustains the audiences attention.  The use of conventions in this scene creates mystery and causes the audience to ask questions. The mise-en scene shows the isolation and bareness of the location adding to the mystery and tension.

 Shot 6

This frame is showing a jump cut that we used in this scene. We decided to do this to bring impact, emotions and a fast pace associated with the drama and stress of being bullied. 

Shot 7

I chose the screen shot as I feel it meets the codes and conventions of a short film.  Through the camera angle it gives the audience an opportunity to look through the eyes of the bullied student looking up at LucieAnne who looks powerful and dominant.

Shot 8

I have also chosen this shot to represent creative angles we have used which I feel develops conventions of existing films. Our film does use conventional basic shots and camera movement however, we wanted to explore the use of using different camera angles to make it interesting to watch. We also felt that it was important in these scenes to be creative as there is limited speech and character interactions throughout the film.

Shot 9

Through this shot and the ones following I think we have developed and used convention of the real media. I feel we use the conventions through reverse shot, a common filming technique used to show conversation between two characters. I feel we develop the conventions by using the different camera angles.  Firstly, we get the point of view of LucieAnne looking down on the student which is then quickly changed to a view looking up on LucieAnne. These fast changes quickly show the changes in opinions and views between LucieAnne and the Student.

Shot 10

I think this shot challenges the conventions of existing media products because the image is the least important part of the shot and the voice over of LucieAnne and her father is the main focal point to this shot.  The image having no immediate relevance to the voice over, I feel develops conventions of short films as we are gathering information on her family life and nothing about the shot itself.

Shot 11

This is one of the first shots we see of LucieAnne. The frame is developing her character to the audience through her expression and mise-en scene, such as her costume, hair and use of props such as headphones. This is using convention of real media to develop the main character personality to the audience.

Shot 12

I chose this shot as it portrays LucieAnne’s innocence through her character movement and facial expressions.  I think this shot uses conventions of a real media text as it is used to develop her character, which is seen in most films.

Shot 13

In this shot I feel we have kept to conventions of existing products. It’s a simple shot used to show LucieAnne personality.  We get to see her friends for the first time and their reactions to LucieAnnes behaviour.  This again can be seen as an establishing shot to introduce her friends and normal everyday life which is commonly seen in short films to help the audience have a better understanding of LucieAnne’s lifestyle.

Shot 14

I feel that the title pages and credits use conventions of real media as we have chosen to quickly show the titles in appropriate places, mostly between two different scenes.  For the credits we have used fast paced music, which matches the speed of the credits moving along the page.

Shot 15

I think that in this shot we have challenged the forms and convention of real media products.  The boys are representing the students bullying our protagonist LucieAnne.  It is unusual to see boys as the bullied as you would stereotypically expect them to be girls.

Shot 16

I think that this shot is conventional as it is showing how we have used a wide range of different shot sizes in our short film. We have used this shot to show the audience LucieAnne actions.  This shot is through the eyes of the student being bullied so we see a different perspective.  

Postcard

As you can see I have tried to design and create an example of a professional postcard shown above. For the front of my post card I believe I have used forms and conventions of real media products. Before designing my postcard I did research into different example that already existed for short films. I looked at the layout, pictures used, tag lines added during editing as well as production logos. When creating my own design I tried to follow these conventions so my postcard would reflect a professional standard. To make sure this was achieved I took my picture using a high quality digital SLR camera. For editing I used the software 'Photoshop' that is used by the professionals.  I decided to have the title of my film in the bottom right hand corner and a short tag line directly beneath, but the main focus of my postcard was the image.

For the back of my postcard I have used and developed forms and conventions of real media products. After looking at the conventions through my research it was clear that there were a number of different pieces of information that needed to be present on my postcard. I followed these conventions by including vital information such as, short film synopsis, space to write viewing times and other information wanted, the director, camera, lighting and production designer.  I also included lines to write an address and website for the film. I feel I have developed the forms and conventions by adding our production logo in the space of the stamp. Although I didn’t notice this on any of the postcards I looked at, I felt this was a good way to advertise our production company.

Film Review

I think that throughout my film review I have used conventions that reflect real media products.  Before starting my film review I looked at many examples of film reviews that came from a range of sources such as, newspapers, magazines - both industrial and commercial and online reviews.  I decided I wanted to produce a review that reflected 'Sight and Sound' magazine; which meant I studied their articles in much more depth to get a good understanding of how to produce what a similar film review.

 After looking at many reviews I tried to use as many convention as possible to replicate their ideas and articles. To start with I used the same conventional layout, I decided to have the picture as my main focal point and then write in columns directly underneath. I have used conventions of having important information at the start of the review such as director, duration, certificate and cast. This is used for all film reviews whether short or long. In addition, I have added information down the right- hand side, which would be used to fill the space on the page. I have also added a line between the two different pieces of information to show they are separate articles. Overall, I feel I have used convention throughout my review.   

Post 20: Final Products

Postcard



Film Review

For my film I have decided to give our film a certificate of 15. The main reason behind this was the use of swearing during the opening scenes.  The British Board of Film Classification states that films with a certificate of 15 will have ‘frequent and strong language.’ I feel that without the swearing our film could have been given the certificate 12, as it doesn’t show any violence, nudity or inappropriate language. For this certificate choice I used the website British Board of Film Classification, on here they indentify the guidelines for different certificate. The link below shows the guidelines for a 15 and a 12 where you can see the difference between them and how our film could be a 12 if it wasnt for the swearing.
Guidelines for certificate 15  
Guidelines for certificate 12

 

Karma Short Film

When we uploaded our film to Youtube we noticed that it had changed the format, we shot scenes in a 16:9 format however this has been changed to 4:3. In our copy at school used to show our target audience the format is correct. 

Post 19: Post-Production Report

After filming we straight away moved on to logging, capturing and editing our short film. Even through filming over a number of different days wasn’t ideal it did have it benefits when it came to editing. This was because after we had finished filming a few scenes we then had time to start logging our footage, which in turn became helpful on our last day of filming as we was able to film and finish editing our short film all in one day.

As a group we did experience some problems, our first major problem was after filming the first two scene we realised that the sound hadn’t been recorded meaning we had to then re-film this footage. However after doing these scenes again we was able to start editing. As a group we decided to take it in turns to log, capture and edited, we felt this was a good idea as one person is on the computer while the other sits around. This also worked in our favour has we could individual continue with editing during free periods. The first decided I made was during editing scene 1 and 2. Emily our director has already selected our music and I decided that these first scenes should have two different pieces of music; the first was a mysterious slow piece while the other was a loud rock piece, which repressed her iPod music.  I had never seen this on any previous short films however I feel that it worked really well. I decided to use two contrasting pieces of music; this created a motive throughout our short film and was used to show the different side and personality to our protagonist character. After finishing these scene I then showed it to the group and asked for their opinion, they all agreed and liked the idea of having the two different pieces of music as it added suspense and atmosphere to the scene. 

The music however did cause us many problems, as we had used so many different pieces of music along with atmosphere noise. This meant that the sound levels where off and constantly changing, this was because we had changed them to fade in and out to mix the sounds together. To over come this problem I had to spend a lot of time looking at each individual sound level. I found that moving the sounds dotes wasn’t accurate enough, meaning I had to type in the sound level numbers to make sure they stayed constant throughout the film. 

This shows how I changed the sound levels for the music and how I over lapped the two pieces of music. 

During editing we also came across some other problems such as continuity.  The first problem we found was in the open scene with the shots of the letterbox and the house. When we placed the shots next to each other it was clear that the camera position had been moved slightly however was very noticeable, to over come this problem we decided to add a title in between these two scenes.  We found that during the classroom scene we had problems with the teacher and he positing, for example in one shot his back was toward the white board but in the next he was facing the board. To try and over come this problem we decided to add a fade between the scenes however we didn’t feel this looked correct so after playing around we decided to delete a shot, which resolved the problem.

Just like in our AS project we added dissolves and fades between scenes, which helped the movement between the end shot of one scene and the beginning shot of the next. We also used lighting effects in one of our shot as a shadow had caused the protagonist face to become a lot darker than in the previous scene. This was quickly fixed by increased the lighting and reducing the shadows.  

Above shows the shot where we had to add additional lighting using the light and shadow effects, I think that it was effective and you wouldn't be able to tell we used an effect if you didn't know it was there.

This image shows how we added dissolves between scene as well as additions shots for the credits, we used the same process for the titles at the beginning of the film.  

Overall I think editing was completed quickly for a number of reasons, we all took it in turns, which helped reduce our workload, and we had experience of using the edit suits. I feel that last year our lack of experience on the edit suits slowed us down.  Even through we all took it in turns on the edit suits we always made sure we consulted the group on progress we had made and any ideas we had, this meant we all had our say in what was happening and was all very pleased with the final film. 

Below is our logging sheets that made capturing and editing much easier and quicker, we completed this for even shot we filmed.

Post 18: Production Report

In the days and weeks leading up to filming it was important to plan what days we would be filming, due to the fact we was using students from school this lead to us filming over a range of days either during free periods or after school.  This did cause us a few problems as our lead actor couldn’t do some of the days we had planned however this lead to an increase in organisational skills as we had to plan filming dates in advance.  When we finally came to filming we decided to start at the beginning and shot scene 1 and 2. There was a number of problems we had with these two scenes such as the alley way is positioned directly next to a primary school, when we came to film it was obvious that it was break time from the increased back ground noise. This was unwanted background noise that would create a problem as the time period was meant to be reflecting early morning. Another problem we had was the number of parents collecting their children from nursery, this lead to people constantly being in shot meaning we had a lot of waiting around to do.  However this wasn’t the worst of our problems as when we returned back to look over our footage we noticed that no sound had been recorded, this was very frustrating however there was nothing we could do about it and we would just have to film again.

When we came to filming scenes 1 and 2 again we found that we had a better understanding of what we had to do and as a group be was much quicker and better organised than previously. After making the mistake of not having sound the first time this lead to us constantly checking the sounds levels from now on. This wasn’t the only problem we faced for example, when filming scene 1 we had to remove my dog from inside the house as all the movement lead to loud barking which we didn’t want. We also had to do a lot of waiting as there was a great deal of unwanted background noise such as trains, airplanes, cars and a removal lorry parked down the road.  However in the time spent waiting we used it, as an opportunity to rehearse shots making sure Emily the director was happy with the shots and character movement within the frame.  Rehearsing the shots was also helpful for Liam using the Camera to practice and see if he wanted to use zoom or was going to be panning.  When filming scene 2 we quickly began to notice we was getting lens flare from the sun, this lead to use having to reposition the camera and use a reflector to block the sun.

When filming the classroom scene we needed to use extras to make it look realistic, this lead to use having 4/5 extras in our class scenes. As a group we had to decide whether having this small amount of extra was enough and would portray a class of students, we quickly decided that it would be convincing as in sixth form you have smaller classes than normal. Being a classroom meant that we had to use props to decorate the room. As I had the role of Production Designer this was part of my job and it was my responsibility to make sure we had all the right props we would need for example, scene 8 in science I asked to borrow text books, work books, pencil cases, practical equipment such as liquids and test tubes.  When filming in the alleyway for the second time we had a continuity problem with weather, our first scene in the alley way had been a sunny warm day however this day was on contrast and was rainy and cold. This lead to use having to be very careful with all the expensive equipment making sure it didn’t get wet, we placed an umbrella over the camera but had to be careful not to get the sounds of the rain hitting the umbrella.  Even through the weather continuity was bad it wasn’t as noticeable when we came to edit.

After looking over our shots we noticed that had all off them created a sense that Lucieanne was the victim of all the bullying rather than her being a bully as well. This meant that when we filmed our finally scene we really wanted to enforce that Lucieanne was a bully herself. From the script and story board Emily had originally planned for Lucieanne to push a student on the floor however as a group we decided that this was a bit to violent so we changed it too having her push a student into the wall as she walked passed.  For the scene in the Corridor we again had to change the location from Technology to English, this was because the technology corridor had too much background noise that we didn’t want. 

As part of my job I was in charge of looking out for continuity, this was a massive skill that I developed during filming and editing. From our AS task I understood continuity however this year I developed my understanding in much more detail. For example it was important that when we was moving to a different shot that Bryony our main stayed in the same position or that we rewound the camera to see her positioning from the shot before. It was also important when we used extra that I was watching there movement to watch out for continuity, this was partially hard in some scenes such as the alleyway as it was a walking scene, which we had to do many takes for. As I group I feel we worked really well together we helped each other out when we could, and gave suggestions on ways we could improve a shot. For example different camera positions or having to alter the script slightly.

Below is a video taken during production looking at character LucieAnne's costume, hair and make up. We took this video so we woudnt have continuaty problems throughout the rest of our filming.