Underworld Assignment (Lyn)

Underworld Script

Tattoo Vox Pop: Final piece (Dean)

College promo evaluation (Mike)

In my production the visual aspect was well produced. The shots were framed with the guidance of the rule of thirds, as well as the composition being eye pleasing and intriguing. All of the shots included in the final cut were in focus and were well exposed. However there was a minor issue with the audio. The music jumps in parts, as a result of rushed editing, all though the sounds on the audio were clear and in balance as far as volume is concerned with the music. This unfortunately brought the overall quality of the piece down, however is easily addressable, if I ever re-edit this piece. The transitions between the shots, mainly consisted of cross-fades, and occasionally 'fade to black', therefore making the video have a professional finish. The lengths of the shots vary during the montage to create a quick yet relaxed, and positive pace, which seems appropriate with the brief of showing the college in a positive light. The titles included a lot of information, however they could have been improved with the inclusion of contact details, as this is targeted at potential students. It could have also been improved by ensuring that the text was consistent with in the frame.

The video, successfully, communicates a positive atmosphere to the college through many different aspects. These vary from the bright lighting, which is often associated with happiness, and the quick pace during the laughing montage. The content is also appropriate as it communicates a lot of necessary information about the college, therefore creating a strong impact. The impact is also made through the expressions on the students faces during the final montage. However the video would be stronger, once again, with the inclusion of contact details.

Our group worked well together, and seemed to enjoy the recording process. Our only downfall was that we didn't plan very well, therefore we didn't get some shots that would have been useful, such as a decent shot, done on a dolly, of someone walking around the college.

In conclusion, the piece gives a strong, happy impact. However could be made stronger with alterations to the music as well as the inclusion of contact details.

Tattoo Vox pop (dean)

We were asked to go out and record people using hand held microphones, responding to a question of our choice. I asked whether people thought that tattoos and piercing should be more widely accepted in the work place. It was difficult at first to get people to stop and answer, but eventually I found ways to identify an audience that were actually intrigued by my question, by manipulating stereotypes of the way people dress. However I still kept a varied audience, in order to keep my data valid and a representation of the public, as a whole. A majority of the people we asked said that they felt as though tattoos should be accepted in working environments, which without background, makes my compilation seem biased. If I was to re-record the vox pops, I would gather more varied opinions, but I wouldn't change my technique on recording them. Other than one clip, when the wind becomes over-powering for a few seconds, the recordings were satisfactory.

Cue:
As you know/ for years, people with body modifications have been discriminated against/ not by everyone, but by the masses.// We went out to discover what YOU the public, felt about this, and whether it should be considered acceptable in modern working environments, to sport such a, growing popular style.

Back announcement:
From the sample we spoke to, a majority seem confused into why this is still an issue in such a modern age, so why dont you call in and tell us what you think... on / 0800/666/43/21/ that number again is 0800/666/43/21.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Lyn)

00:58- 02:26- film opening
01:22:37- 01:23:05- film ending

Theories:
The ending of this film is the final battle between the Lycans, Werewolves and Vampires. At around 01:12:00 Lucian, the hero of the film, is being tortured with silver arrows by the Vampires, and he calls the others. The concluding 10 minutes before the final scene, are mainly the final battle as the enslaved creatures create anarchy and rebellion against their un-dead oppressors. The main binary opposition (Claude Levi-Strauss) is clearly shown at 01:17:21- 01:17:31, displaying Victor as the Villain and Lucian as the Hero. However due to their being no physical indicators, such as the stereotypical 'the hero wears white' it is unclear without watching previous scenes into who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist. At 01:20:12- 01:20:38 it is implied that the Hero has killed Victor as he stands victorious over his people as they cheer his name. He responds by saying that 'This is only the beginning' as the shot pans up the castle walls and over to a ship, on which Victor is shown live and well, walking into a coffin to rest. This displays that the new state of equilibrium is that the Lycans now own the property that the Vampires once did, and have successfully battled for their freedom, however it also suggests that their will be a sequel, as Victor is shown to be embarking upon a new journey.
The final concluding scene begins in darkness at 01:22:32 as a voice over begins talking to someone about their 'dark father', thus implying that their is a succeeding film about the Vampires. There is then a quick shot of some birds flying away at 01:22:39, and as birds flying is often described as symbolism I connote that this means their will be another battle for freedom in the following film. The shot once again cross-fades to back and at 01:22:46 begins to zoom in on a female, dressed similarly to how the Vampires did throughout the film, however their is a clear time gap between the films which is shown through the style of clothing, sat on the edge of a balcony gazing down, in the rain. The voice over begins to use vocabulary such as 'You', thus implying that he is talking about the female shown. The shot then cuts to a side shot and then a close up, which suggests that this female will be either the heroine or 'princess' of the next movie, as it highlights her significance. As it shows a close up of her face the voice over changes to a female voice which says 'lies' and then the shot cuts to black once more and the credits begin. As this character is not included in the rest of the film, she symbolizes a new development in the plot, and implies that their will soon be a new disequilibrium. She is also an enigma (Barthes codes) as the dark lighting, and her positioning is intriguing. The delays the ending of the piece and is similar to the presentation of the beginning of the next film.

Editing terms glossary (Lyn)

editing terms

Editing
Final cut: the final version of a piece.
Editing: the art of combining clips to make a film.
Exporting: Transferring a file from where it was edited to a share able format.
Compression:making the file smaller.
Importing: bringing files into something.
Continuity: smooth flowing editing.
Verisimilitude: quality of realism.
Rough cut: Editors first attempt and piecing the film together.
Montage: a series of short shots, usually related, playing quickly one after the other, usually to music.

Hardware: 
Hardware:the equipment used when recording a film.
Dolly: Attaches to the bottom of a tripod and has wheels.
Tripod: gives stability to a camera.
Green screen: used to place characters in different settings without having to go on location.
Steadicam: Attaches onto the camera operator to create a steadier shot.

Camera
Shot/reverse shot: over the shoulder shots between two characters, usually with in a conversation.

Eye line match: matches the eye line of two or more characters.

180 degree rule: The camera can not cross over an imaginary line otherwise it takes away from the verisimilitude of a scene.
Extreme Long shot: mainly background is visible.
Medium long shot: shows the full persona and more of the setting than a long shot.
Long shot: shows the full person and part of their surroundings.
Medium shot: shows most of the person and some surroundings.
Close up: Used to show emotion.
Medium close up: head and shoulders are shown.
Extreme close up:usually used to show emotions such as fear by focusing on an eye.
High angle: taken from above to make the character seem less important.
Low angle: taken from below to make the character seem more important.
Ground level: only shows things from the floor (etc feet)
Waist level/child eye view: a subtle way to make the characters seem larger and therefore more powerful.
Dutch tilt: slightly tilted shot used to show distortion.
Neutral:eye view shot used to help the audience feel a part of the scene.
Two shot: two people are in the frame.
Noddy shot: usually refers to a shot of an interviewer reacting.
Point of view shot: Shot from the characters perspective.
Cut in: shows a part of the subject in more detail.
Cut away: a shot of something other than the subject.
Sequence shot: a long take that records the entire scene with no editing.
Ped up: Tracks upawards.
Pan: follows the character.
Tracking: follows the character.
Zoom: focuses in and enlarges part of an object, scene or character.

Transitions
Cut: clean change from clip to clip.
Cross-Fade: Slight overlap and smooth change between to clips.
Dissolve: gradual change between two scenes.
Jump cut: Misses out chunks of the film and ruins continuity.

Editing (Mike)

How to use Adobe premier CS5.5

1. Open up the software and choose an appropriate name for the video and place to save the file.
2. Choose a file type which matches the ones that have been previously recorded.
3. Import the files that you wish to include by pressing 'File' then 'Import'. They will then appear in a list to the left.

To put a clip on the timeline

1. Double click on the clip.
2. Watch the clip and choose where you want it to start and finish.
3. Whilst it is playing, press 'I' to set the start point and 'O' to set the end point.
4. Drag the clip onto the time line by dragging it from the middle of the screen shot then placing it in 'V1'. You can choose whether to take both the video and audio or one or the other by pressing the icons underneath the left preview window.

Adding titles

1. Press 'File' then 'New' then 'Titles'.
2. Choose the text icon and press on the screen. You can then add text and choose the font.
3. Choose the select icon and drag the text to the desired place in the shot.
4. Exit off the screen, and find the title in the clip list on the left. 
5. drag it onto thee timeline in the desired place in 'V2'.

Transitions

1. In the bottom left corner there is a box.
2. Press 'Effects' then 'Video transitions'. ('dissolve' leads to 'cross dissolve' which is the most professional looking one.
3. Drag it onto the timeline, in between the two clips that you want the transition to be between.

Sound in film (Lyn)

Glossary of terminology

Diegetic sound- sound that belongs to the scene or the source of the sound is clearly visible.
Non-diegetic sound- sound that is added during post production.
Ambient sounds- sounds such as wind or birds, that add to the atmosphere and verisimilitude of a scene.
SFX- sounds that are artificially added after recording, and are created.
Mood- sound that helps add atmosphere and sets the mood of a scene.
Tone- (Harsh or soft) an element of music that reflects emotion.
Genre- a category, such as horror, that divides up elements of the media into recognizable characteristics.
Theme music- a recognizable piece of music that is repeated during a series.
Voice over- a non-diegetic way of narration.
Musical score- played throughout a film and are used to create atmosphere.
Synchronous sound- When the sound matches an action of SFX.
Asynchronous sound- similar to non-diegetic, this is when a sound originates from the outside of the reality of a film.
Contrapuntal sound- sound or music that contrasts with the visual aspect of the film.
Silence- usually used to provoke a reaction from the audience.
Selective sound- used to emphasize key sounds and elements within a sequence.
Sound bridges- using sound to help make transitions more fluid.




There is a large combination of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in this clip. The soundtrack adds to the atmosphere, and is synchronous with the scene, as when the pace increases, so does the horse galloping. The sound of the horse galloping is diegetic, because even though it was probably added during post production, the source is clearly shown before the sound begins. It is part of the many ambient sounds included as a way to preserve the verisimilitude of the scene. These sounds include footsteps as the protagonist is running and the sound of the chain breaking on the door when Sherlock kicks it open. These would have been added after recording as selective sound, in order to enhance the actions, thus creating a dramatic atmosphere for the audience.


Homework clip

Mise-en-scene (lyn)

Mike lesson reviews

Television studio lesson

Today we created a news report, whilst experiencing different roles in production. In initial discussion, I took on the role of news editor. This meant I had to decide which stories were included and which order they were presented in. On the next step, we all took turns in which roles we played. I alternated between director and presenter. As director, I oversaw what everyone else was doing, and prompted them in ways to improve. I didn't enjoy the role of presenter, as my desired field is behind the camera.
The possible jobs to choose from were as follows:
vision mixer: In charge of camera cuts and tittles.
sound operator: in charge of the mics and audio balancing.
floor manager: relays messages from the vision and audio room to the camera operators and presenters.
camera operators: set up angles and shots for the cameras.
production assistant: assists the floor manager and director with relaying messages.

equipment used:
mics: the mics were portable and attached onto the presenters clothing. however the negative was that they were very sensitive to background noise.
playback: we watched back our recordings through the vision mixer being linked to the television.
tricaster: The tricaster equipment is simple to use and is for real time editing.
camera: The cameras were cinematography standard.
audio mixer: This involved altering a few dials to create a balance between the two presenters voices.

process:
Firstly we did initial research, gathering stories to involve in our production, ranging from crime to gadget stories. Then we discussed which stories to include, when the editor (myself) made the final decision and created the order, the selected stories were researched and reworded in more depth, as well as related images being downloaded.
After this we began recording. The initial sound-checks were made and the countdown from 30 was done by the floor manager. We all alternated roles, to gain experience in all aspects of the studio. We re-recorded 4 times (including a test).

possible changes:
We could have added background videos instead of still images.
We could have also created more detailed opening and closing credits.



Review of the lesson (07.10.14) 

College promotional work.

During this lesson we learnt about treatments. These are forms that are created between project task managers and the customer, in order to establish what the final product will entail. We also recorded a majority of the shots that we wish to include in our versions of the college promo. The most difficult thing was doing the vox pops, as immaturity set in and we didn't take it seriously at first, however we did eventually get it recorded.

Basic shooting guide (mike)

https://southandcitycollege-my.sharepoint.com/personal/s45302724_sccb_ac_uk/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc={4CBCDDA8-A003-4279-8FE0-3C0CD848C1D9}&file=Presentation1.pptx&action=default

Radio presentation (Dean)

Demographic work (Melissa)

Dracula (1992) Mise en scene (Lyn)

The setting for this scene is in a mausoleum, which is a stereotypical setting for horror films, especially vampire films. The setting contains a coffin and several candles, which are all conventions of horror films, and do not challenge the norm. They set the mood and help to alter the lighting. The glare from the candles, simultaneously with the suggestion of moonlight, creates a gloomy atmosphere, and connotes an almost demonic situation.The dark lighting inside creates a lot of shadow and an almost 'film noir' effect. The lighting is representative of the dark plot, and horrific nature of the scene. Dark lighting teamed with dark colours is typical of horror films, especially those related to the living dead, be it zombies or vampires.The clothing of the vampire being white, and the priest being dark, creates a contrast and suggests several things. Firstly it could represent that the female was innocent  before her transformation, or that she is vulnerable to something that has taken over her. Secondly it could connote irony, or just conflict with and already preconceived presumption that white represents purity and dark clothing represents evil characters.

The makeup on the female is dark smokey eyes, with blood dripping from her lips. The dark eyes imply that she is dead and is a stereotype associated with vampires. As well as them also implying that the character is quite seductive, which is also implied previously in the film by her being dressed fully in red.

The camera shots and angles change from a low angle when Lucy walks down the steps with the child, which suggests that she is thew most powerful in this situation, to a high angle over her when religion is brought into the scene, thus implying that she has become vulnerable. Her vulnerability is also displayed through her body language and facial expressions. Lucys' facial expression alternates between in control and almost seductive to petrified for her life. This changes based around which characters she is conversing with thus reflecting the power that she has over the characters that she had previous relations with when she was alive. Her body language also alternates between being tall and powerful, to curled up and small. This is reflective of her emotions.

Examples of Mise-En-Scene:

questionnaire homework (Melissa)

Television questionnaire

?Are you male or female

male           female

?what is your age

13-15       16-25              26-35           36+

?how many hours of television do you watch a week

0-5           6-9         10+

?why do you watch television

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

?what is your favourite type of programme

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

?what specifically is your favourite programme

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

?do you think that modern day society is controlled by and obsessed with the media

yes             no

?why

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

?would you rather watch a movie or television

movie         television

?which genre of television do you believe 'dominates' television

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Scottish referendum (Lyn)

Tomorrow Scottish voter will make their final decision into whether to stay a part of the United Kingdom or regain their long awaited independence. Currently the poles are neck and neck but will they decided to keep as strong? Or will they leave us divided? Only September the 18th will reveal.

www.yesscotland.net/
The yes campaign has a very high budget website, which has impressed many and gained them a lot of support. It is simple to navigate around with several pictures leading to reasons (both fact and opinion) why the people of Scotland should choose independence on the 18th of September. The categories appeal to all ranges, varying from economy and Europe to Uni fees and slander against the 'vote no' campaign.  There is a lot of detailed information included which has many strong imperatives such as 'we must' as well as it addressing the public in a second person manner, therefore helping them to feel a part of the vote. Additionally, the clothing aspect of the website would gain the yes campaign more funding, there gaining them more support, through the extra propaganda they could afford.

The video included on the website contains high angles over the child, when the voice over is describing a bleak future, should Scottish independence be denied, which implies that the Scottish children will be vulnerable under a British government. The colours and music combination of pastel and positive when the voice over is describing Scotland creates a more positive image, in contrast to the black and white imagery of the future in Britain, which implies misery.  

www.bettertogether.net

The 'Vote No' campaign appears to be receiving less support as its website is less interactive and was clearly developed on a lower budget. The facts are clearly stated but are in less detail than on the 'Vote Yes' website. As the vote has been opened up to anyone aged 16 and over, this website seems to appeal more to a younger audience, as they are considered impressionable by celebrity culture, and this website does contain the opinions of many public figures, such as David Beckham.


Personally I am indifferent to whether or not Scotland become independent. The feud between Scotland and England over their independence began in 1296 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_Scottish_Independence) and has spiraled out of control ever since, so surely the possibility of peace should be welcomed? I can see the argument from both sides. England, of course, want to keep the United Kingdom together, to keep their own personal economy stable, and to appear more powerful than they actually are. However I can also understand that the Scottish desire their freedom, as it can be argued that they feel manipulated by the British government.