Final Sequence

Roll The Dice, final opening



Here is our completed film, Roll the Dice. The film was created to fit the typical conventions associated with the horror genre. These conventions include low key lighting, fast paced editing and a dramatic soundtrack.

Q7 evaluation

Q7) 
What do you think you have learnt in the progression from your preliminary task to the final opening sequence? 

At the beginning of the year we worked on our skills at filming, editing and creating media pieces. We then showcased this in the final task, which we had to record a discussion between two characters. In this we had to include match on action, shot reverse shot and making sure we stuck to the 180oc rule. We additionally focused on our camerawork and framing of shots particularly sticking to the rule of thirds. After this we started to plan our opening sequence particularly focusing on progressing in these elements. 

 

Firstly editing, although we did not use all the editing techniques mentioned we did stick to the 180oc rule, meaning the camera never passed an imaginary line. In terms of shot reverse shot we did not use this as there was no dialoged or conversations in the opening so this was not required. Match on action we did use, and developed on what we had done in the previous task, which we showed a door being opened. In our opening we shoed a character preparing to throw the dice then a shot to them actually landing. To conclude I think our editing skills have been improved in the aspects we actually used the techniques. They have been developed to make them much more complex and detailed from the previous preliminary tasks. 

 

 The overall framing of the opening is also much improved, we took into account all the titles making sure we left decent amount of space for the titles to fit in. Additionally we stuck to the rule of thirds in many of the relevant shots developing on this use in the preliminary task. The camera is also still, which is improved from the preliminary task. To conclude in general the overall layout and design of the positioning of the shots are better than the preliminary task, highlighted in the titles being in a good location. 



 

 Also the area we have developed the most is the soundtrack. The preliminary had little non-diegetic sound due to being a conversation. We therefore had to create our own soundtrack making sure it fitted the conventions of the horror genre and the opening itself. We used Garage Band, where we developed our soundtrack therefore developing our skills and knowledge on the preliminary task. 



 

 Finally we developed the creativity of our shots taking into account the overall design of the sequence, making sure it meet the conventions of this Mise en scene. Our opening needed to be low-key lighting so we made sure that the background was always dark, we also made sure that there were not any intrusive objects that are not relevant to the scene such as camera bags, which can be seen in the preliminary task.

Q5- Directors commentary

Screencast for Q5 



Here is my directors commentary, explaining how we attracted the target audience in our opening sequence, Rolle the Dice. i explain why we done what we done in terms of camerawork, mise-en-scene, sound and editing, all aimed at making it appealing to our young teenage target audience.

Audience Responce

Q5 Evaluation- Focus Groups

Focus Group



Here we done a focus group in order to see if we attracted the target audience we wanted with our opening sequence. the aim of a focus group is to allow us to see what other people think of the film in a more discussion sort of way instead of the typical questionnaires or vox plots. The group discussed amongst themselves what there opinion was based on the questions we designed to allow us to see if they understand the story line and attract the target audience.

Q5 evaluation

Questionnaire research



As well as the focus group we also done questionnaires which we then distributed to an audience which then answered the questions. The questions were designed to help us understand if we appealed to the target audience which is young, professionals. we then validated the results in tables and graphs which then allow us to compare the results.

evaluation q6

Q6)

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

In this project we learnt many new skills and developed original ones both in the process of filming and editing. The production of our film also required us to learn new ways of presenting our research into other opening sequence done through blogger.

Techniques we used include; Prezies, slide rockets, embedded YouTube videos and animatic, which all helped us gain an understanding as to what conventions are used within our genre. Additionally in terms of the animatic we were able get a good look at what our film could look like and could study the framing of each more closely. Also while filming we used technologies such as tripods and digital cameras which we developed our framing and use of Mise-en-scene while filming. Finally during the editing we used new programs such as final cut and live type whilst still developing our skills of IMovie, which we learnt during the introduction course.

Also from the project I was introduced to live type and final cut which we used during the editing process. Live type was used to add titles once the film had been exported. Titles were done by adding tracks to the program where you wanted the titles to be. Once selected the titles could then be moved around, resized, and effects could be added. Then once the titles had been done they had to be rendered to the film, iMovie format to do this you use final cut which renders them together and saves them as a QuickTime format.

Additionally I have developed skills, for example I have been able to frame the shots more interestingly to previously, mainly focusing on the overall look of the frames and the lighting. Also I have better skills using iMovie now being able to speed up, slow down, freeze and stabilize shots. These skills have allowed the result to be more professional. Finally I have improved my skills with Garage Band, which we used to make the score. I can now change the music taking into account the changes in shots and background sound needed such as the dice rolling.

These technologies have allowed me to therefore create something very creative. For instant during the planning, the animatic has allowed me to see where the film framing could be improved making the sequence better in the end result. Additionally Live type has allowed us to make interesting and unique titles making the sequence in general look more creative. Another technique, which has allowed me to display my work in a creative way, has been the use of Prezies these are interactive creative power points which was used to do some research into other films titles sequences allowing us to wright our titles according to the conventions of the horror genre.

Some technologies are more difficult to use. Live type required planning as only the titles could be done after the film had been completed and exported from the iMovie. This meant we had to create a lot of draft copies to help us create the titles for the opening as they were then the titles were overplayed by the movie which allowed us to position the text. Further more final cut required both to be created in the same size and quality so therefore we needed to have both finalized before we could render them together. This took a while to sort out the sizing so this process took a few attempts to complete.

Finally new technologies such as live type allowed us to create more visual interesting animations to the titles making them more interesting than previous when we edited them using iMovie. This is because this program limits the areas that you can put tiles and the limits the font, size and colour that make them less visual.

Here we have Prezi- this is an interactive power point style presentation device. it allows us to make interesting transactions, both in 2D and 3D, it allows us to insert video, music and images once gain making it more super visual. it is easy to control and simple options such as 'insert image' make it clear. 

Here is Garage band, which we used to make the soundtrack. to use this software we had to listen to the different instruments and beats on the lower right of the screenshot. then we had to drag the chosen beat into position, adjusting the location, effect and volume of that particular note.

Here is an example of how to attach a camera to a tripod. All you have to do is remove the quick release, screw camera mount from the tripod, then screw it to the bottom of the camera. once this is screw on clamp back onto tripod and then adjust the positing to fit framing. with the tripod you need to extend the legs out to the correct hight then tilt the handle to a correct angle.

Here is IMovie. this is a key part of the production of our opening sequence. this is the software we used to make the opening, this program is again easy to use by exporting the film onto the computer then dragging film files up onto the stage. once here you can trim them, crop them and add music. you can also add titles and  transitions between shots.

Evaluation q4

Q4)

who would be the audience for your media product?

From our market research we carried out at the beginning of the project we noticed many trends in what people would expect from a horror opening sequence. These include low-key lighting, close ups, quick cuts and a villain, when making the opening we took these into account and created an opening around these conventions. Also from this and the research we found that the typical audience would be young males in education or working class, professional jobs. We made a target audience profile to demonstrate what the typical audience is for our opening sequence;

Target audience profile:

Age: 16-24

Gender: Male

Location: within the UK, mainly in Cities

Occupation: in full time education or working class jobs

What he likes to watch: Luther and walking dead

Social activities: cinema, clubs

Favorite websites: social network sites, YouTube, and video games

Music interests: popular top 40 hits

Clothing: Fashionable clothing from designer companies

Why does he like this genre? It’s tense and scary

Here is a collage of all the different interest and hobbies we expect our target audience to be interested, as well as showing the different ways of life and the sort of careers they have and the spending that comes with that, highlighted through expensive clothing brands and a large game and DVD collection. 

Here is the target audience profile it demonstrates what we expect from the people who will

be watching our film. This was affective during making the sequence as it allowed us to

make it around their wants, which we learnt in the market research. In general the audience

is the working class young professionals, with a modern way of life highlighted in their

clothing, music and social activities.

Evaluation q3

Here is another popular Lionsgate film, called The Cabin In The Wood. this film was released in March 2012 at a budget of $30 million, in the box office the film has made $66 million. this particular line seems to relate well the overall design and storyline we achieved when we created our film.

Q3)
what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Our media piece is a horror, aimed at the young adults aged between 16 and 24. The title of our film is called roll the dice with the main story being focused around a game.
The intuition we chose to distribute our film was lionsgate. This is an American independent distributor, created in 1997. We chose to use this institution as it often creates similar horror films to our, aimed at the same target audience. The distributor also relates to our opening in terms of budget as films made by them often have lower budgets, which is the case with our opening sequence. Additionally this distributor is very much aimed at our target audience shown through the way they advertise on TV and on social networks, a typical website for a teenager/ young adult. Finally this distributor often takes on controversial films, which our film will fit into this trend. Lions Gate distribution are well known for their distribution of popular Tv shows and movies. these include Army of one and Rambo. Popular Tv shows include the Dead Zone and Boss. 

Our production company name is circus entertainment, we chose this as for some it is a scary, spooky location and makes them think of a dark, dull atmosphere, which we are aiming for from our opening sequence. 

If the film was to be put into production then we would screen the show in popular cinemas, charging a reduced price due to the sheer difference between the budget we had between each film. 

Here is a film distributed by Lionsgate, this film was a popular action film which was released in September 2011. since then the film has made box office sales of $82 million, the budget in the first place was $35 million 

evaluation q2

Q2)

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Feedback

Evaluation Q1

Q1)

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

Close ups of three objects in Roll the Dice

This is the production company
for Insidious

For this coursework we had to create a two-minute opening sequence to a new film, before doing this we had to research and find the typical conventions of an opening sequence. Commonly an opening sequence includes a production and distribution company, an establishing shot, titles, close ups and prompts the audience to ask questions and gain clues. Logos are often used to allow distribution and production companies to gain recognition and success from the film they have produced. Establishing shots are also used to give the audience a clear and detailed clue towards the location and allows them to ask why are they showing this and what significant has it in the film? Titles are again always used to give the cast and crew recognition for the work they have put into the film, commonly the cast go from most important character to least while crew goes from least to most important. Close ups are also always used in openings, especially horrors. This is because it doesn’t give the full picture and makes the audience ask questions as to what it is and why it is significant. Finally the audience is made to ask questions this engages the audience making it more interesting for the viewer. These conventions are all used in opening sequences for example in memento we see three props all extreme close ups, this makes the audience ask questions to what they are doing there and the reason behind them, these props also hide the identity of the character, later seen. Additionally we see an establishing shot in Brick, it is an empty river, this again makes the audience ask questions and give the audience more clues as to what might of happened at the location. In our film we used these conventions, for example we see close ups of three different objects, these are seen before anything else, making the audience ask questions as to why are they there and what is happening? Additionally it gives the audience clues as to the identity of the character.

Close ups in Insidious,
a typical convention

In the end we chose to create an opening to a new horror film, called roll the dice. The typical conventions of a horror is low-key lighting, often used to create suspense and curiosity for the audience, it also builds suspense and tension encouraging people to watch on. Another convention is close ups this again doesn’t give the whole picture which again makes the audience ask questions and again encourages viewers to watch on and see what happens in the end. Finally another convention is quick cuts, this once again builds suspense and tension, and it gives little quick snaps of clues which again makes the audience want to to watch on and see if later everything comes together.
Close ups are used for example in Insidious, we see a range of close ups, often in black and white, showing quick clues to the audience. Additionally this film uses low-key lighting, this is spooky and relates to the theme of the film whilst also building tension. Finally Saw uses quick cuts between the character and a light in the bath, this is typical of this convention as it again builds tension for the audience and makes it more quick and interesting. We have used these conventions in our opening to build suspense and tension. For example all the shots are low key and dark in colour, while the characters are in dark black clothing, this is spooky and relates to the spooky, scary theme of a horror film. Additionally we used close ups for example the shoe and bracelet, this reveals a little about the character and doesn’t give away their full identity.

In our film we have used many of these conventions however we have also developed on these. For example instead of quick cuts to each of the three props at the begging we pan the camera across while still making it quick and mysteries. This is different to insidious as the cuts are quick and don’t pan across an area. We developed this to pan across as it looks like the audience is actually there looking at all the props; it is shot from the audience’s point of view. Additionally we challenged the typical convention of an establishing shot. This is because the shots happen in a range of locations; additionally because it’s a horror it was difficult to find a spooky location to film an establishing shot. We challenged this as it makes the audience ask more questions without giving away clues. It is also more mysterious as you don’t know where the torture is happening and also why.

Shooting Schedules

Here is our planned shooting schedule which shows the location, date and shots we are planning to film on one perticular  day. As we go through the filming process we will add more to the shot schedule.

Roll The Dice Title Plan

Here is a plan for the opening sequence title;

Here is a shot of the films title, 'Roll The Dice'. We used the Red colour to show the feelings of the characters and also highlight the horror theme of the opening sequence. we applied the font colour to a  font downloaded from da font, the font was called, Blood crow. we think this is a good font as it shows a good example of horror and makes the sequence look more intense and secretive.

Here is an example of a title with the casting name in it. we will again use the same font and colour so the opening sequence flows. In terms of the positioning of the titles it will always be in the lower right or left of the shot whilst an action takes place on the screen. The titles in this sequence will also fade in and out to show. 

The order of the titles will also fit the the typical conventions of an opening sequence as they will follow the typical layout and order of the titles that appear during the typical opening of a horror genre film.