Friday 30 March 2012

Evaluation Task

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




We tried showing that are film could be suitable for the big screen by using typical convention from the genre we were given, which was THRILLER. We demonstrated these fixed conventions throughout our film because not all of them would be relevant. 

At the start of our opening we have introduced the main character straight away, but we have not shown her face because we wont to create enigmas within the audience. This was to create tension and to engage the audience! Enigmas are a typical convention in a thriller film. 

Another one we included was 'The protagonist will be in peril inane or more scenes before the resolution.' This was straightforward to do in opening sequence as we could use this when introducing the audience to character and this would be easily perceived not to be giving a decision as it would leave the audience not really bothered about watching Silent minds. This would also be easily shown through cinematography and other micro elements, which could help create tension!!!!


This is the main character Lucy, but the audience might not work it out, which create enigmas. This is an other shoulder shot, which capture a figure in the window! The aims for this shot was to show lucy in peril and to make the audience question them selfs about the refection, is it lucy in the reflection??! 
This shot makes lucy look vulnerable, which builds tension and engages the audience!

This is two shot over layering each other, it show Lucy self harming and it also shows Lucys eyes. Lucy eyes show shes scared and its showing that something is bothering her. This makes the audience feel sorry for the character, which builds a connection with the audience! The shot is a close up which still doesn't reveal her whole face!! 


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

We have combined two social groups and represented both of them in depth! We have represented youth and mental health and explore both of them in one character 'Lucy'. Lucy has schizophrenia, so we have link them to micro elements to try and show our two represented social groups, but the same time using the right conventions to keep the genre as a thriller film!! 

We have research the mental illness 'schizophrenia': 
"Throughout recorded history, the disorder we now know as schizophrenia has been a source of bewilderment. Those suffering from the illness once were thought to be possessed by demons and were feared, tormented, exiled or locked up forever.
In spite of advances in the understanding of its causes, course and treatment, schizophrenia continues to confound both health professionals and the public. It is easier for the average person to cope with the idea of cancer than it is to understand the odd behavior, hallucinations or strange ideas of the person with schizophrenia.
As with many mental disorders, the causes of schizophrenia are poorly understood. Friends and family commonly are shocked, afraid or angry when they learn of the diagnosis. People often imagine a person with schizophrenia as being more violent or out-of-control than a person who has another kind of serious mental illness. But these kinds of prejudices and misperceptions can be readily corrected.
Expectations become more realistic as schizophrenia is better understood as a disorder that requires ongoing -- often lifetime -- treatment. Demystification of the illness, along with recent insights from neuroscience and neuropsychology, gives new hope for finding more effective treatments for an illness that previously carried a grave prognosis.
Schizophrenia is characterized by a broad range of unusual behaviors that cause profound disruption in the lives of people suffering from the condition, as well as in the lives of the people around them. Schizophrenia strikes without regard to gender, race, social class or culture." 

-Delusions & Hallucinations Are Common in Schizophrenia

-Social isolation and withdrawal

-Irrational, bizarre or odd statements or beliefs

-Increased paranoia or questioning others' motivations

-Becoming more emotionless

-Hostility or suspiciousness

-Increasing reliance on drugs or alcohol (in an attempt to self-medicate)

-Lack of motivation

-Speaking in a strange manner unlike themselves

-Inappropriate laughter

-Insomnia or oversleeping

-Deterioration in their personal appearance and hygiene

Black Swan shows throughout the film the fight 'Nina Sayers' to keep the black swan within her. In the movie the director has also investigate how modern day elements contribute to her fight and how the coercion of day to day life for a high end dances soon builds up leading to an outbreak she is no longer able to contain which soon leads to her taking her own life!!!!! 





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





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

Our target audience would be between the ages of 15 - 30, It has to be above the age of 15 because of our chosen classification age of 15. This is an bigger enough audience to engage and show them in depth what living with a mental illness is like! 

To get people to more about our thriller, I decided to write a review, but before i could write one, i need to do a bit of research before hand!!


Here is an online review :
Here is a magazine review: 



Here is a few magazine/web pages my review could feature on:




Here is my review: 


5.How did you attract/address your audience?

We made a voice over our opening talking about micro elements and how they attracted our audience. I was the spokes person for Camerawork and Sound.

Here was my speech:

 The camera work for our thriller opening sequence mostly were close up of objects and part of Lucy's face, this was used to create enigmas within our audience. Also this helps create a surreal environment and to create tension in the atmosphere. In the opening sequence we have used a montage (made mostly of close ups), this was used to show how mentally unstable the main character Lucy is and what weird thing happen in side her head.

The sound for our opening thriller sequence we decided to layer ambiences and distorted sound effects, this was to create enigmas and to create a unnerve environment. The sounds were random and not in a order, which created enigmas within the audience!!


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

- The HD video camera and tripod that were provided for us were very easy to handle and use. The quality is also a big plus. One problem with it maybe is that the tripod wouldn't be very useful in small spaces and areas.
-Final Cut Express helped me learn about how to create dynamic scenes using transitions such as fade to black and to use quick cuts during the editing process. It was also very useful when layering two clips over one another, this was very effective in our opening sequences! One of its drawbacks that we had to solve was its incompatibility with other cameras other than what we have been provided with.
-GarageBand was very useful for using loops that were provided that were suitable for our film. GarageBand was also very helpful when adding ambiences and over sound effect to our opening. 

LMDB

Thursday 29 March 2012

Evaluation Task

Question1: In what does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Answer:
To try and show our final media sequence as an opening that could fit into the professional industry of film making we used typical conventions of the genre we had been given (thriller)
We showed these specific conventions throughout our film as not all of them would be applicable to us. the first one we used was 'The protagonist will be in peril inane or more scenes before the resolution.' This was simple to do in opening as we could in twine this when introducing the audience to character and we would obviously not be giving a resolution as it would leave no reason for the audience to continue watching. This would also be easily shown through camera work however to add that crucial tension we would combine the micro elements.
The second was 'Themes of identity are common.' By exploring this concept we decided on a double/split personality. This is portrayed in by the mixture of the shot lighting as throughout the sequence it goes from very dark enclosed places, to wide open spaced with free, natural lighting (and atmosphere) Due to the combination of the micro elements this builds enigmas within the audience and evidently tension as the audience in unaware of what may or may not be coming next (which in itself is another convention of a typical thriller)
The third conventions which was prominent within our opening sequence is 'The antagonist ensnares the protagonist in a complex web until the protagonist feels isolated and hopeless' Although we included this in convention in our thriller we decided to challenge it and develop it into a 'complex web' itself. This was because that we thought it would mentally stimulating for the audience to engage with the idea that the protagonist is the antagonist themselves. So to initiate this idea we gave small hints allowing it to have the 'snow ball' effect through the film.
To show you what I have been talking about I have taken some stills from our opening and written by them about how exactly they show the conventions in which we have chosen to put in the thriller.
This extreme close up immediately shows the audience that our character is very stressed and upset about something leading the audience to wonder what. This shot is also intense as the eyes really draw the viewer in and engage them with the distress that the is quite obviously feeling.
This over the shoulder shot also shows the character in peril and by not showing the face it creates enigmas within the audiences mind as although they have hunches that it is the same person they are not 100% sure.
This shot is more complex than the others as the extreme close up simply shows the character putting on eyeliner which is a standard day to day event for many teenagers but due to dark and intense lighting this creates an unnerving atmosphere. Also this shot does not run alone, soon after an unsettling shot runs (like the ones above) showing a clear personality switch.
This we felt was a far more subtle and abstract way of showing how the two minds are locked and forced together to create this complex story line that will engage the audiences mind.
Within this shot we layered to shots onto one another this is fairly contemporary editing style and we felt gave our thriller a new fresh development on the convention. We chose to do these two specific clips as the thorn spiking shows the girl self harming (even despite the severity being very minimal) Also the eyes show someone looking very uneasy and nevus about something therefore creating ambiguity.
This final shot which is also the final shot of the opening sequence shows just how isolated and alone the character becomes due to the constant conflict her two polar opposite personalities have. Also by having her in the dark it emphasises how she feels completely push out and how she is now living on the absolute periphery of society. In addition we used the candles in the back ground as this echoes enlightenment giving the viewer hope that our character will make it out of this rut and thus they will want to go on the journey with her.


Question2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Answer
Within our thriller the social group that we decided to explore was evident from the outset, schizophrenia. We decided to explore this particular social group and this mental health issue as it links to many of the conventions we wanted to develop and give our fresh take on them creating a new thriller that doesn't run parallel with all the other generic thrillers that have been out on the screen for the last five years.
However there are some break that mould and this is one of those that inspired our piece;
I chose Black Swan as this shows throughout the film the battle Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) has to keep the black inside her. In the film the director has also explored how modern day elements contribute to her on going struggle and how the pressures of day to day life for a high end dances soon mount up leading to an outbreak she is no longer able to contain which soon leads to her suicide.
I got a video 'mash-up' off of youtube which I felt showed what I just stated.
As well as looking at fabricated stories I also looked at real life stories that made news and was surprised at how far all these suffers would go when they hear these voices. One that really caught my eye was the case of David Berkowitz A.K.A 'Son of Sam' in 1978. In 1977 Berkowitz went on a killing spree murdering a total of 7 people, when it came to his trial Berkowitz pled guilty for all 7 counts of murder giving very vivid descriptions of how he killed each and every one of them. At his trial when asked why he said it was demanded to do it by his neighbour and these very strong orders were sent via the barking of his neighbours dog giving him a total of 365 years in jail and still to this day lawyers are deciding whether or not he is 'legally insane.' This story amazed me how eccentric it was and just how over powering these voices are to the sufferers.
I feel this still best shows our characters unstable mind as the mixture of the smoking, which is often done when a person is anxious or feeling anxiety, and the twitching of the rings which we have sped up to again highlight the anxiety building up in the scene. This in turn is creating enigmas and ambiguity within audience leaving them to wonder what our character is spiralling into and how/if she will be able to get out of it.

Question3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Answer
The type of institute that would distribute our thriller would most likely be one of the smaller cinema companies as this would allow for the right type of audience to watch our thriller. We decided this as many of the people that go into the major companies to watch a thriller are simply going for the gore and guts and for the cheap and simplistic thrills, however as we feel our film is more sophisticated we didn't want this sort of viewing.
We also decided to go into the smaller screening companies as our thriller production company is very small and would therefore be hidden and living in the shadows of the big and well established companies that are all over the market.



Question4: Who would be your audience for your media product?
Answer
As we decided that the rating for our film would be 15 our target market would be anything between 15 and 30, this would allow enough of a market that there is enough of a viewing however still being able to focus and channel our ideas so we can truly engage them and give them a thrilling over all experience as any good thriller should.
So I could engage them in the first place I decide that I would write a review as this is what many people rely on to tell whether the film they are planning on going to see will be what they are looking for, so...
So I could get a better idea of how a film review should sound I looked at a review by Empire Film Magazine of the new film out in a couple days, Contraband.

From this I was shown that as well as your personal opinion that you should also include a short plot description however it is crucial you do not give the story line away as this will ruin the film for the viewer.
My Review of Silent Minds
Plot
This is the story of a young girl going through her last year of college. The stresses of an average teenager are always there, but on top of all this an overpowering mother and abandoning father, Lucy Write is forced on the periphery of society. Easily swayed Lucy soon falls into the wrong crowd and when they turn on her she is forced to be alone. Festering in her own disturbing thoughts it is abundantly clear there is something seriously wrong. 
Verdict
This unconventional thriller really feeds the mind both creatively and factually. Engaging the audience from the very first sequence the film shows many teens out there how important it is to have that network of truly caring people. Chaos from the outset and throughout and a taunting tone that shows the audience just how soul crushing a disease like schizophrenia can be to a person.
The mixture of micro elements highlights the tension that is constantly breeding through the film and due to the contemporary editing techniques it gives the film as a whole a fresh and open minded look on the youths of today and what they are really having to deal with and face in modern society on a day to day basis.
Unlike many of the films out on the big screen a the minute the opening to this thriller is crucial to the plot. This is the first time we are introduced to Lucy and immediately we are drawn to her and intrigued by this issue that is engulfing her. The mish-mash of clips engage and involve the audience with the disease making us feel her crippling pain and there for dragging us through the ordeal with her.
In all the thriller, although is very much thought provocative is in a twisted way refreshing as we are able to see today's youth in a way he haven't seen before and I would advise anyone who wants a ride that will not be forgotten to go and see this film. 


Question5: How did you attract/address your audience?
Answer
To show how we engaged the audience in specific parts of our opening we decided to do a running commentary telling how we used the mixture of micro elements to engage the audience and leave them wanting answers.
The script for my part of the commentary.
Thriller Conventions
In our opening to ensure we made the appropriate genre we made a conscious decision to follow three of the typical thriller conventions.
The first was showing the protagonist in peril. Although this was not apparent straight away the audience is soon made aware of the  immediate personality change creating enigmas for the audience to engage with.
The next is the antagonist ensnaring the protagonist in a complex web. This idea in its self is very complex as in our thriller both the antagonist and the protagonist are in fact the same person.
 We hoped this would confuse the audience enough that they would be intreged with the storyline but not too much that they would give up with the plot. this idea was first introduced to the audience in the monologue.
the third conventions we tried to involve in our sequence was combine micro elements to build a paramour amount of tension. I felt, despite this sounding the easiest, was probably going to be the hardest. Thankfully this was no the case and and at certain points I feel we were able to really force the audience into feeling insecure and unsettled in the same the character does.
Characterisation
Unlike many other thrillers on the big screen at the moment within Silent Minds we have explored the idea of our character having schizophrenia and therefore having two completely split personalities.
By doing this we hope to make the audience feel complete polar opposite emotions, fear and empathy.



Question6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?
Answer
During the process of making our opening sequence I learnt a lot about the technical elements that go into making a professional and engaging thriller for the audience. Although I did not have much input when it came to the filming as I was not actually present when it took place I already had previous knowledge on how the cameras worked due to the making of the preliminary tasks. 
Despite this I feel that my editing and music producing skills have come on in leaps and bounds from those very first tasks we did. I have also learnt how rot use photo shop in an a lot more efficient way therefore allowing me to get it done quicker and more professional looking.
I feel through this process that it has been my editing skills that have bee improved the most, this is because (as I didn't do any of the filming) I did a majority of it for our opening sequence. 
Heres how and why:
Final Cut Express is an editing software on Apple Macs. It is a lower grade of the software that many of the big name film companies use when it comes to editing there blockbusters.
At first when it came to editing the process was very slow as I was unfamiliar of where specific techniques so was constantly asking for help. However once I really began organising, cutting the clips down and changing the speed I started to get much quicker and became far more efficient. Once I had really got the hang of the simple techniques I started exploring different effects and transitions to give our sequence fresh, different and more contemporary look to it.
One technique that I learnt to do was over lap two clips. This was show the very busy and confused mind that our character had therefore engaging the audience with her problem.
Garageband is also a piece of software on the Apple Macs which allows you to take beats and symphonies and layer them allowing you to make your own piece of music.
Within our thriller we actually used two pieces of music and layered them onto one another to create this very unsettling ambience that ran through out the whole of our opening. 
I already had previous knowledge of how to use garage band as I have it one my personal laptop at home however due to making another and more advanced I have been able to enhance this knowledge further. 


Question7: Looking back to your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Answer
After looking back at the preliminary task we did at the very beginning of the project I think it is safe to say that all the skills and knowledge we had to start with have been trebled and more. 
The preliminary task looked extremely jovial and in way shape or form this was mainly because it was carried out in a very short time period and therefore couldn't really plan different angles, mise en scene or even enhance the small amount we did have with skilful knowledge (mainly because that was still very limited) 
However this all changed when it came to doing our main project. The planning for our opening sequence was extensive from analysing mainstream thrillers to those made by previous students. We then began looking at ideas for our own, this was very initial ideas so they were not developed and were very raw as they had not been thought throw on a practical level for example we had the idea of having an extreme close up of blood shot eyes and without making this looking tacky or fake. We then began to channel these thoughts and decided that we would go with the mentally unstable idea as this would give our thriller the unpredictable nature that a thriller needs to engage the audience and really engage and anticipate what will or will not happen next.
We then started looking beyond the actual film itself and started looking at fabricating our own production company, this started with the logo. 

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Article/review


Here is research of an article from a well known magazine called Empire magazine, which publishes articles based around films and feature films. This is how they layout there online article: 

It is very important to not give away the whole story line, give the audience and critical engaging description of the film but not reveal the whole plot!! Give a mix of good and bad opinions!


Here is my rough design and a written review of our thriller film:


Silent Minds 

***



Plot
Lucy Write is confused and is a mentally unstable teenager! She if faced with a number of problems and some things she doesn't take well, leaving her to rebel or break down! Lucy also gets into the wrong crowd at college and she also has family problems!



Verdict 
Silent minds is a creative and factual film, it show deep meanings and expresses life with schizophrenia in a contemporary way! The film show whats it like for a teenager with schizophrenia and how hard it is. The film uses montages and contemporary filming to show the thoughts of the teenage girl Lucy. There is lots of micro elements which are used to engage the audience, for example the music at the start is quite disturbing, which creates an unsettling environment for the viewers. There is lots of enigmas within the audience, which creates tension throughout, the enigmas are like not showing the whole characters face and random object which have a deeper meaning! 
The film goes into depth on teenagers in modern society and how most of them are stereotype as being a problems in today (thugs). There has never really been a film like this, Silent mind is a complex film, which represents youth and mental health in a whole different way! The film is focused on this one girl lucy and her ordeal through her teenage years. 

Monday 26 March 2012

Review of Silent Minds (Evaluation)

So I could get a better idea of how a film review should sound I looked at a review by Empire Film Magazine of the new film out in a couple days, Contraband.
From this I was shown that as well as your personal opinion that you should also include a short plot description however it is crucial you do not give the story line away as this will ruin the film for the viewer.


My Review of Silent Minds
Plot
This is the story of a young girl going through her last year of college. The stresses of an average teenager are always there, but on top of all this an overpowering mother and abandoning father, Lucy Write is forced on the periphery of society. Easily swayed Lucy soon falls into the wrong crowd and when they turn on her she is forced to be alone. Festering in her own disturbing thoughts it is abundantly clear there is something seriously wrong.

Verdict
This unconventional thriller really feeds the mind both creatively and factually. Engaging the audience from the very first sequence the film shows many teens out there how important it is to have that network of truly caring people. Chaos from the outset and throughout and a taunting tone that shows the audience just how soul crushing a disease like schizophrenia can be to a person.
The mixture of micro elements highlights the tension that is constantly breeding through the film and due to the contemporary editing techniques it gives the film as a whole a fresh and open minded look on the youths of today and what they are really having to deal with and face in modern society on a day to day basis.
Unlike many of the films out on the big screen a the minute the opening to this thriller is crucial to the plot. This is the first time we are introduced to Lucy and immediately we are drawn to her and intrigued by this issue that is engulfing her. The mish-mash of clips engage and involve the audience with the disease making us feel her crippling pain and there for dragging us through the ordeal with her.
In all the thriller, although is very much thought provocative is in a twisted way refreshing as we are able to see today's youth in a way he haven't seen before and I would advise anyone who wants a ride that will not be forgotten to go and see this film.     

Silent Minds s126 Triller opening sequence



Silent Minds is Thriller film about an innocent girl with a mental health illness, who is confused and easily influenced by the problems in modern society! She is a teenager with schizophrenia, which makes life even hard for her! She gets into the wrong crowd at college and starts drinking and abusing drugs, which creates evil situation for this confused innocent young lady! On top of all these problems she has family problems and like a normal teenager, leaves her angry and up set! So she tries to runs away from her problems and stays at hostel in the city, where she makes friend with boy who is in a similar situation!

Friday 23 March 2012

Voice Over Scrpit

Thriller Conventions
In our opening to ensure we made the appropriate genre we made a conscious decision to follow three of the typical thriller conventions.
The first was showing the protagonist in peril. Although this was not apparent straight away the audience is soon made aware of the  immediate personality change creating enigmas for the audience to engage with.
The next is the antagonist ensnaring the protagonist in a complex web. This idea in its self is very complex as in our thriller both the antagonist and the protagonist are in fact the same person.
 We hoped this would confuse the audience enough that they would be intreged with the storyline but not too much that they would give up with the plot. this idea was first introduced to the audience in the monologue.
the third conventions we tried to involve in our sequence was combine micro elements to build a paramour amount of tension. I felt, despite this sounding the easiest, was probably going to be the hardest. Thankfully this was no the case and and at certain points I feel we were able to really force the audience into feeling insecure and unsettled in the same the character does.

Characterisation
Unlike many other thrillers on the big screen at the moment within Silent Minds we have explored the idea of our character having schizophrenia and therefore having two completely split personalities.
By doing this we hope to make the audience feel complete polar opposite emotions, fear and empathy.

Thursday 22 March 2012

What Thriller Conventions We Used.

During the planning of our opening sequence we did a lot of research into the stereotypical conventions which were in a thriller this was so we could ensure that we included them so that when the viewer came to watch our opening they were immediately aware that the genre was thriller.
the first convention we included in our opening was 'The protagonist will be seen 'in peril' in one or more scenes before the resolution.' 
We chose this one as it would be easy to show in the opening as we wouldn't have to go into the plot too much and give away the story line or answer any enigmas. We did this by showing Charlie in dark scenes and her looking very uneasy and although none were blatant and simplistic each scene hinted to the audience.
The second one we used was 'The antagonist ensnares the protagonist in an increasingly complex web, until the protagonist feels isolated and helpless.' This convention its self was 'complex' as the antagonist and the protagonist is the same person. In our thriller we have explored the mind of a teenage schizophrenic thus the idea of the 'goodie' and the 'baddy' being the same person. We have introduced the start of this 'snow ball' plot when our main character has a short monologue halfway through the opening sequence.
The third conventions which formed our opening and made it the thriller which we wanted it to be so much was 'Micro elements combine in a build up of suspense.' I felt this was the most important to capture in our opening. This was because if the micro elements were all out off sink with each other the clip would look random and completely novice. 
To ensure this did not happen when it came to editing I ensured that I used specific methods and grouped specific clips together to build the tension and create those all important enigmas which essentially make a thriller adequate, good or amazing! For example when it came to the dramatic monologue I faded it to black to leave the audience to think and process what they were hearing, however as well as the monologue being played we also had the unsettling music that ran throughout the whole opening adding to the ambience and tension. 
I hope by having these conventions it will alert the audience immediately that this is a deep complex thriller which they will hopefully want to continue to watch and enjoy.

My Individual Contribution

During the making of the opening I believe that the majority of my time went into the editing of the sequence.
I didn't d have any involvement in the filming so I decided that I would do the majority of the editing. 
I found this easy as I had a very strong idea in my head of how I wanted the film to look and thanks to Billy capturing this on the camera all I had to do was  arrange them in an order which followed the story board and the idea that the main character (Charlie) was slowing but surely loosing her mind and being trapped.
This was easy to portray, as like said before what Billy had filmed worked perfectly on screen and the transitions we had planned on using from the beginning were already offered on the Final Cut software. 


Wednesday 21 March 2012

What Equipment We Used.

Whilst producing the opening of Silent Minds there were three main pieces of equipment we used.

  1. Camera 
  2. Garage Band 
  3. Final Cut 
All these pieces of technology were just as important as each other and although there other small pieces that came together to make overall production I feel without these the opening would not even be on the screen and worth watching.
The first was the camera, we used one camera throughout the whole of the filming to ensure that the quality was all the same and the film didn't look tacky or low budget. Even though I was there for the filming (due to external reasons) I was told that there were no complications and as we used our own camera and not the colleges we were able to film in the dark environments that make up the majority of the shots in our opening.
The second piece of software which was crucial to the unsettling environment, that we stove for to ensure our opening followed the conventions of a thriller, was Garage Band.
We used this in two instances, one for the base music which was played at the beginning of the opening however faded when the montage became more twisted. When making this music we used the software at a pretty basic level using the sounds already on the mac and layering them to create a subtle yet uneasy song.
The second way was more complicated. We downloaded a song off youtube which had extremely harsh sounds but with this by itself would be copyright and it was too much for the opening so we modified it on Garage Band. Once the 'music' was on the programme we layered more ambiences and lowered the level sound of the original piece. 
Once both these pieces were on final cut we were shown that alone they were ok but my making the layered sound so much more developed it added a tension that made the opening as a whole so much better.
The final and most important piece of software that we used was Final Cut. This is was made the film a film. It allowed us to enhance the clips so we are able to build as many enigmas as possible and use the clips to the best of their ability, I feel without this although it would be a montage it wouldn't make sense and would ramble leaving the audience confused and bored.
We also used Photoshop very briefly to create the logos which we then decide to leave out as it would look tacky along side the rest of the footage. 

What skills have I learnt?

During the process of making the opening sequence to Silent Minds I have both learnt new skills and enhanced those I already had.
The first is the most obvious, using Final Cut on the mac. When starting the editing I already had a basic knowledge of how the programme worked however this was extremely simple and whilst editing the preliminary task it looked very juvenile and not professional at all.
Since then I have learnt;

  • How to add transitions and how to make them both longer and shorter.
  • How to fade clips and audio manually 
  • How to add credits and customise them to fit the genre of my film
  • How to split clips so I am able to use specific parts at specific times
  • How remove the audio replacing it with more appropriate material
  • How to layer one clip onto another so you are able to see both at the same time  

Friday 16 March 2012

My plan for the music of the opening

My idea for the background music for this opening sequence was to create an unsettling environment and to leave the viewers on edge. I created this on garage band, which is a music producing software! When making the music I layered loads of ambience's and made some louder than others to give a surreal feel to the montage and because the montage is random clips, i made the music random! The music is random, making the audience question them self and wanting to find out the story! 


I made a film poster for our film, silent minds. the picture on the poster is quite surreal and distorted because this matches the sort of  clips used in the film.

Monday 12 March 2012

Group 27 Feed Back

- We like the font and the style of the credits, as it gives a thriller feel.
- The close up on the characters and the shots where you cannot see her face, give hardly any indication of who she is and what she's doing. This gives great sense of enigma. :)
- there are a lot of positives for instance some of the shots used, are engaging, this includes extreme close ups and close ups, which keep hold back information keeping the audience interested which in turn makes the opening sequence more successful.

however there is also some improvements needed, for example there is no direction in the story line, therefore it might make people loose interest. there should be a sense of enigma but there also needs to be a bit more structure to the sequence. another way  of improving it would be adding sound, this would help set the atmosphere and also give the audience a sense of what the genre of the sequence is. the editing needs to be improved as there are black gaps of nothing in the middle of the sequence. 

Rough Cut of Silent Minds

Film Review


Wednesday 7 March 2012

Marketing Silent Minds

When marketing the film there are five main areas;

  • Cinema trailers (for example playing the trailer before a film) 
  • TV trailers (playing the trailer within the ad breaks, preferably at times when our target audience would be watching)
  • Posters (in shopping centres or in magazine spreads)
  • Promotional interviews 
  • Word of mouth (showing previews and hoping people will enjoy it and tell friends and family)
Although all these methods are effective if we were to use them all this would become extremely costly. 
To find out which were the best for our fill I decided to research into what films (mainly thrillers) that were out soon were using to advertise.  
One film that I have seen advertised a lot is The Devil Inside. I have seen many trailers both on the tele and posters around college and at the cinema its self.
(One of the many posters)
 (The trailer used both on the tele and in the cinema. There are also others that have slight variations)

This was the same as many of the other films that were out at the moment due to this I feel that this would fit our film as well. 
The trailer would simply mean taking clips from the film and editing and although this may be expensive to get screen time it wouldn't be too expensive to create or time consuming.
Also the poster would simply consist of a photo shoot and photo-shopping.  

Tuesday 6 March 2012

The Social Groups have we have used in our Opening.

In our opening we have explored the younger generation and the problems and situations they have to face that older people when they were younger would not have had to deal with it.
In addition we also decided that our main character would be schizophrenic as within the opening sequence this would create enigmas as the audience would be unaware of this at the time and will be wondering why the contrast in the clips and in the film as a whole the audience will be unsure of the character will do next as a result o her unpredictable mind.
Even though I am aware that schizophrenics are unpredictable in there minds I had little information on how their personalities change so I decided do a bit of research.

This was from a website called Mind (http://www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditions/schizophrenia#what%20is)
Views on schizophrenia have changed over the years. Questions have been asked about whether schizophrenia is one condition or more than one syndrome with related features. These questions drive both debate and research. Although there may be some discussion over the true nature of schizophrenia, most psychiatrists will diagnose and treat in the same way.
Many people argue that when considering a diagnosis of schizophrenia it is important to think about individual experience. In this way, each symptom of schizophrenia might then be seen as a logical or natural reaction to difficult life events or life experience.
Some people argue that because psychiatric experts can’t agree about the definitions, causes, and suitable treatments for schizophrenia, it shouldn’t be used as a diagnostic category at all. 

NHS said (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Introduction.aspx)

Schizophrenia is a long-term mental health condition that causes a range of different psychological symptoms. These include:
  • hallucinations - hearing or seeing things that do not exist
  • delusions - unusual beliefs that are not based on reality and often contradict the evidence
  • muddled thoughts based on the hallucinations or delusions
  • changes in behaviour
Doctors describe schizophrenia as a psychotic illness. This means that sometimes a person may not be able to distinguish their own thoughts and ideas from reality.
The exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown. However, most experts believe that the condition is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.