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

Our production predominately uses and develops conventions of real cinema in order to aid its authenticity. However, it was essential our film had some unique selling points so we decided to challenge a number of typical conventions and make our product more individual and interesting for the audience.

We have researched in depth professional examples as inspiration and as a guideline in order to produce the best piece of work we could. In the Prezi below I have analysed the form, genre, narrative structure and style conventions of film openings in relation to our media product.

[Please make the Prezi full screen in order to view it properly]



The Titles
Inspirations:

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' was one of the main references for our titles. I specifically liked the simple stylings and monochrome colorings of the typography. Also, the typeface was simplistic yet still interesting and clear. Despite this, the titles were only accompanied by background video, something that we felt wasn't challenging enough.

The best part of the 'Juno' sequence is the way the titles interact with the visuals. They appear in places that compliment the visual and they draw the audiences eye toward the action without interfering with it. This was something we were keen to reproduce, as the credits we saw that drew our attention away from the main visuals, immediately appeared unprofessional and ineffective. On the other hand, I thought the coloring and size of the typeface was a bit too intrusive and we preferred to take a more subtle approach.

We decided to use the simplistic white styling from 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' and combine that with the placement of the credits from 'Juno' to develop our own unique titles. We also followed the order of credits used in 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' to make our sequence look as authentic as possible.

Here is the final typeface that we chose:

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

Our film opening represents common british sixth-form social groups in a very stereotypical manor.
We represented 6 different social groups in our opening sequence:

• The Chavs
• The Outsiders
• The Goths
• The Hipsters
• The Athletes
• The Geeks

All the actors were dressed specifically in order to connote their designated cliques and our main tool for doing so was tailoring their costumes and props, to clearly define the groups. We used this method, because accents and scripts were not able to establish a clear difference between them, this was due to the lack of clear dialogue, with the exception of the chavs. 

Therefore, it was essential that we understood and connoted the different representations effectively.

We began by, making a character board (for each role) listing, what they were going to wear, why they were going to wear it and the references we found to support our ideas. 

Here is a selection of the boards we made:
[please click images below to enlarge]

Character board for the male geek (in relation to costume). 

Character board for the male goth (in relation to costume). 

In addition, we also styled their actions and mannerisms to enhance the recognizability of the different social cliques. Here is the chavs behavior board:
[please click images below to enlarge]

Character board for the male goth (in relation to accents and manerisms). 

The video below shows social cliques that we represented in the final cut of our opening sequence.

Overall, we represented a large range of social groups and Arthur doesn't fit in to any of them, further emphasizing his feelings of loneliness and isolation. This means yet another group is created and with the seven different groups we are able to represent and relate to a large cross-section of British youths.

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

After a lot of research into different production companies, distributors and the types of films they buy the rights to, we concluded that E.G.A productions and Universal Pictures UK were the right choices for us.

In this Prezi I explain a little bit about E.G.A productions and why they would produce our film:
[Please enlarge to read properly]


I have also created a screen recording of how Universal Pictures UK describe themselves of there website.
[Please read what i have highlighted with the mouse]

Our decision as to why they might distribute it was predominately based on how they described themselves (in the video above) and what films they have released (the list below).

Reasons from the website:

• They said that Universal Pictures Uk "creates and distributes theatrical and non-theatrical filmed entertainment" which means that even though our film is small and independent they will still distribute it, as a theatrical release (in cinemas) is not necessary.
• The website also stated that "Universal's theatrical slate includes films developed internally, along with co-productions, acquisitions and films developed by outside partners and distributed by the studio". This means that they would still be willing to buy the rights to distribute our film despite it being an E.G.A production.
• Finally, the website stated that "for almost a century, Universal has been known for its diverse slate of films". This anchors that they distribute both high-concept large blockbusters and small independent films.

Reasons from the films they usually distribute:

• Universal Pictures is a huge institution that distributes a large range of genres and styles of films, all with very different budgets (as can be seen from the list above). We like this as it gives us security that they will be able to distribute our film on the small scale that we want, but also, due to the fact that the company is vertically integrated, there is also the possibility of something larger.
• Secondly, other UK independent comedies have been distributed by them. Simon Pegg's 'The World's End' is just one example of this. Their whole budget was only $20,000,000 and it had huge success, grossing $13,354,358 in the UK alone. Another example is "Bridget Jones' Diary" which grossed $60,296,418 in the UK despite the $26,000,000 budget.
• Thirdly, due to Universal Pictures being an established household name, we thought that it would help make the film more accessible to young people (those who aren't very interested in independent cinema).

With all this in mind i think Universal would be well within their capabilities to market and distribute our film. Like "The World's End" i think that they would start by distributing our film in festivals and advertising on social networking sites. This is in order to create as much free interest and awareness as possible, so to prevent a loss of money. Following on from this, it would be likely they would exhibit it on online platforms, such as VOD (as they are doing with The Knife That Killed Me). However if the film had potential to do well in the box office, like "Bridget Jones' Diary" there is the potential to release it theatrically due to the companies vertical integration.

In conclusion, I think that Universal Pictures UK was a realistic and suitable choice for our film distributor and the partnership would work very effectively.  

Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

When creating our project we thought a lot about the representations and connotations we wanted to include in order to specifically interest our primary target audience. We also tried to make our production as relatable and recognizable as possible so that our audience would be widened further. For the same intended effect, we avoided a gender skew and tried to keep the opening sequence as neutral as possible. Overall, our film does have quite a wide appeal due its familiar themes, characters and settings.

In the Prezi below I analyze our TA and that of similar films we used as references.

[Please make the Prezi full screen for better viewing]

Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

Whilst making this film, our primary objective was to effectively attract our target audience. The methods by which we achieved this relied heavily on a theory developed by Blumler and Katz. Developed in 1974, the Uses and Gratifications theory draws upon four key motives. We implemented the theory and integrated its objectives with our own production.

Below is a diagram briefly outlining the theory.

How we used the uses and gratifications theory to attract our target audience:

As the film is a comedy and portrays a teenage boy attempting to form relationships in a social environment, it draws directly upon Diversion and Personal Relationships gratifications.

Diversion:

• Although our film operates within a setting that resembles everyday life, it is a light-hearted, comic take, perfect for providing an escape and diverting the viewer's attention.
• Our genre of film (Teen Comedy) relies heavily on the Diversion theory. If a film of this genre is unable to provide diversion, it would fail to attract and satisfy its audience. For this reason, it was of the upmost important for us to ensure our production was of high comedic value.
• In the opening, the portrayal of cliques, such as the geeks, is accentuated to an almost hysterical level, which acts as light relief, creating a more dynamic and entertaining sequence.

Personal Relationships:

• Due to our films relatable nature we are able to gratify the personal relationship needs of the TA. Our target age range (15-24 year olds) draws upon viewers who would have experienced similar scenarios in situations that are relatable and recognizable. 
• Therefore, this makes it easier for them to substitute their personal relationship needs for those provided in the film.

Despite it being less closely connected, our opening and film plot can also be used for Personal Identity and Surveillance gratifications.

Personal Identity: 

• In order for our production to satisfy Personal Identity gratifications it had to be relatable. Using stereotypical characterizations, we were able to ensure different roles and cliques would be both recognizable and able to provoke empathy. Through this, the viewer is able to understand and associate with the individual character, meaning reflection and learning can take place.

Surveillance:

• Overall, the film aims to inform people of the emotional roller coaster of school. It illustrates a particular situation which is directly relatable to a large cross-section of society.
• Specifically, in our opening sequence, where the character is confronted with, and taken aback by, the reality of social stigmas that can surround a school environment

Other ways we tried to attract our target audience:

• We made sure that we cast a range of ethnicities and people of different backgrounds. This is because, we wanted to create a multicultural society that accurately reflect the modern day UK public, more specifically of urban Britain.
• When editing we tried to use continuity editing as well. This was to enable the audience to be comfortably emerged in the story whilst ensuring that it is plausible.
• In addition, we made sure the ages of our actors were around 17 years old. The main reason for this was so that the younger side of our TA (15 and 16) would look up to these characters and look forward to what is to come. On the other side, they (18+) would be looking back in nostalgia on their younger years and would enjoy reminiscing.
• Finally, we made sure there was no gender skew to our opening. This was to kept our audience as large as possible.

The audience feedback and how we collected it:

We collected feedback in two ways; firstly through an interview process (one time about our production process, and then once about our final outcome) and then through an online survey.

Here is a video of the actors commenting on our production process:

Here is a video of the responses to our final opening that we obtained in the interviews. I have shortened it down and edited it together, making it quick and easy to watch.

Here is the feedback from the online survey:

-Despite trying to avoid a gender skew, the responses to our survey were predominantly from women. [As can be seen in the pie chart on the right]

The data above proves that we did manage to attract our primary target audience effectively. It also highlights that older audiences (tertiary audiences) are still interest in our production.

Following on from this we asked if people could identify the genre and storyline of our film, just based on the opening sequence. 

[Below is a small selection of answers]

The large majority of answers were exactly correct and I'm very pleased that our two minute opening was able to denote the storyline so clearly. In addition, when people identified the genre 42% said "teen comedy" and 58% said "teen drama". This information proves that the representations, settings and themes were typical of a teen movie and that the comedy was still connoted despite the more challenging and more "dramatic" themes.

Overall, i was very happy with the feedback we received. This is because 95% said they would continue watching the film after this opening; this was our main objective.

These were they ways in which we attracted and addressed our audience and as the data illustrates, it worked well.

Question 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout this project I have learnt a lot about both software and hardware technologies. I have expanded my skills and techniques when using it, but also, i have learnt which pieces of technology are more effective and useful.
In the 2 Prezis below I have analysed the technologies we used, listing pros and cons for each, and then I have come to a conclusion on whether or not I would use it again.

[Please press full screen to view it properly]


What I have learnt from each technology:

     Canon Legria HFG30:
I have leant how to film rushes professionally on a digital camera, using tools such as a tripod,
a clapperboard, a dolly and a microphone. I have understood that this style of camera is becoming very popular among amateur filmmakers due its affordability and is meaning the film industry is becoming much more accessible for the wider public.

     GoPro:
Due to the style and nature of this camera i learnt a lot about new technologies and how they are widening the scope of creative possibilities in the film industry.

     Adobe Premiere Pro
Through using this program i learnt how to cut together a film sequence. I also learnt a large range of smaller skills. I am now able to; create a split screen using key frames, use exponential sound fades and rises, create lighting fades, use transitions and grade footage.

     Livetype
I have learnt how to create titles and animate them and then export them to another program (Adobe Premiere Pro).

Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

As can be seen from the contrast between the briefs below, the final task was much more developed and advanced than the preliminary, which highlights the progression and learning that took place. The  initial task provided us with invaluable training, meaning we were well prepared to execute our production to an enhanced ability.

Here is the outcome of our preliminary task:

Despite there being several problems and improvements I could have made, the sequence does flow and I did satisfy the needs of the brief. I included a conversation using shot-reverse shots and I edited together several match-on actions in post-production. For this reason, I think that my preliminary task was executed well and was a success.








Here was our final film opening:

Overall, I am very pleased with how our opening sequence turned out. We obeyed the 180 degree rule and also used more advanced technical skills, such as tracking shots and split screens. Also, I think that we dealt with the challenge of a multifaceted brief very well, as we made sure we covered all the different areas fully.









Here are the things we did and learnt during the first task and how we used the knowledge we gained for our final project.

Pre-production:

• When planning the shots for our preliminary task, we created a timeline and storyboard, both on A4 pieces of paper. 

• This was very useful as it helped us visualize our sequence and therefore spot any problems with continuity, flow or rule breaks. 
• We learnt that it would of been better to storyboard using a large A2 piece of paper and post-it notes as this would of enabled us to move the shots around easily, giving us more freedom. We also realized that we should of created a "moving storyboard"; an animatic, to help us envisage our sequence better.
• Using this information for our final task, we storyboarded in this improved manor and the created an animatic using the post-it notes. 
• Here is our animatic:

• When deciding upon the representations and stylings of the two characters, we thought a lot about costume and props.

• Even though they were wearing the same t-shirt, there was a great juxtaposition between the characters and their connotations as can be seen from the diagram below.
• We decided to develop this effective representation difference in our own opening and   also used costumes and props to differentiate the social groups.

Production:

• When filming our first task we didn't comply to typical methods, in that we didn't use a clapperboard or organize a shoot board listing timing on how long to spend filming each shot.
• This posed problems because not only was it hard to identify the shots in post-production, but also meant some shots were more rushed than others.
• As a result of this, we learnt that these processes are essential to using our time efficiently and so, when filming our main project we stuck religiously to these guidelines.
• In order to do this we scheduled a few rehearsal sessions so that when on the main shoot we could run to time.
• Here is a clip from one of those sessions:

• Whilst reflecting on our preliminary task, we realized the number of lighting issues there were; some of the shots were so badly lit that you couldn't see the subjects facial expressions clearly.
• The main problem with this is that the representations we were trying to connote were wrongly translated and produced uncertain implications.
• Therefore, we learnt to put the lighting and misc-en-scene at high priority to ensure a fluid and credible sequence. Before filming a take we checked the lighting and sound to make sure everything was as it should be.

Post-production: 

• I learnt a lot when editing my prelim and was able to enhance my basic knowledge on Adobe Premiere Pro and progress in my technical ability.
• When cutting together the sequence i realized there were gaps in my understanding and through the practice that this task gave me, i was able to rectify this.
• As a result of this progression i was able to explore more advanced techniques, such as using keyframes, split screens and audio transitions. This meant that my end product was of a much higher caliber than what i was previously capable of.

In conclusion, i think that if it wasn't for the preliminary task, my project wouldn't have been as successful therefore, it was an invaluable lesson that shaped my filming learning curve.

Construction Post 10: Looking Back/ Reflections on our Final Outcome

Looking back at our project I am quite content with our final outcome and think it is a good representation of our skills.

At the beginning of the production of our opening we decided upon 3 targets would try to meet through the rest of the project. These were:

• The audience should be able to relate to the character and the situation he is in; it is the first day at sixth-form (most people, in the UK, go to school and understand the feeling of being new somewhere).
• The audience must understand the scenario and the storyline of the opening sequence.
• We must set up enigmas and create interest towards the characters so that people want to carry on watching (beyond the opening).

The project was both enjoyable and a great learning experience and there were a lot of great moments. The best of which were:

A picture with our actors after the final shoot

• When we filmed the final version of the one shot. The reason for this is because it had taken along time to plan and execute and once we had obtained the final cut we felt that all the hard work had payed off.
• When we were creating the storyboard for our project as we could start to see our ideas coming together and forming the beginnings of the project.
• Working on the cut and creating the split screen.

Despite all the great moments there were challenges and problems that we had to overcome. The worst were:

• Finding a title for the film. This was because we either disagreed and had different opinions on the name or it was the name of another previous. However, we came up with 'New Guy' (which we all liked) so the outcome was still positive.
• Choosing the music for the project. The main problem was that most royalty-free music is either extremely fast pace or slow, so finding the 2 songs that we ended up using took up a lot of our time

Looking back on our project there are things that I would do differently and things that would of made the project easier.

• When planning the project I think that we should have thought more about the practicality issues of using a school corridor. This is because the restrictions and regulation that the school put in place for out shoot lead to further complications with the quality of our footage. 
• The first rule was that we could only film after school finished (4pm). This meant that the lighting was a bit too dark to connote the correct time of day (the morning).
• Secondly, we had to keep the noise to minimum meaning we couldn't create the school ambiance and soundscape as effectively as we wanted.
• I would have also added more school characters in the background in order to highlight the overwhelming nature of the school
• I would have experimented more with the camera angles and framing to create a more interesting and unique project

Final Outcome:

Construction 9: My Technical Learning Curve (Production and Post-production)

What I learnt:

      Production:
       -How to use a dolly when filming the track shot.
       -How to set up professional lighting kits (and the safety precautions that must be taken).
       -How to prevent sound and lighting issues.
       -How to contra zoom (one of the ideas we had).

      Post-production:
       -How to create a split screen and how to add effects to them using keyframes.
       -How to grade shots.
       -How to use LiveType to construct titles.
       -How to record and edit a voiceover.
       -How to use sound and video fades and transition effects.

My Strengths:
-Cutting a sequence together.
-Filming shots (framing and movement)
-Setting up and testing the cameras, sound and lighting
-Adding key frames and visual effects to shots
-Controlling the actors

My Weaknesses:
-Staying organized and sticking to the shooting times
-Grading our shots
-Creating titles on LiveType(I didn't have enough practice)
-Script writing

Construction Post 8: My personal contribution to the Edit Sessions

Unlike the shooting sessions, we took a much stricter and more structured approach to the editing sessions. This was primarily due to huge time pressure and our group ambition to make the project look as good as we could with the shots that we had.

Me and Gift grading

When cutting together our sequence we all worked alongside each other to ensure that we were all satisfied with the sequence and that we tried all the different options that we came up with. In the second week however, this changed. We collectively decided that I would be in charge of making sure that the grade was finished, Ela would be in charge of the titles, and Gift was in charge of the voiceover and soundscaping (but we still worked on the different sections).

Working on the voiceover with Ela

Cutting the sequence together

Working on the split screen

Reflections
Overall, I really enjoyed the editing of our project and felt that I was able to expand my knowledge and skills on Premiere Pro. Despite this, I did find certain area very challenging, specifically the grading on the different shots. This was primarily due to my lack of experience with it (sometimes I made the brightness too low and the contrast too high), but also due to the lack of color in some of the shots, especially those in the school corridor. Although there were some hurdles I found hard to overcome, now looking back I think the editing of this project was very useful and enjoyable, especially working with the other two (very capable) students.

Construction Post 7: My Personal Contributions to the Shoot Sessions

My individual responsibilities:

Ela and I setting up the camera

- I was in charge of filming the scenes at school; primarily the track one-shot down the corridor (both Ela and Gift were acting).
- I did a lot of sound testing with the dolly, trying to minimize the noise it produced by creating various different covers for the wheels.
-I helped organize production meeting and working schedules for them
-I also took the continuity pictures of our actors to ensure consistency
-I managed the shoot board on the house shoot
-I did several tests on the fridge shots in order to have the right prop arrangement

Gift and I testing the GoPro and Canon cameras

Part of the long shot that I filmed

Some of the continuity shots that I took of our characters

One of the ideas I created with help of a teacher to
deal with the sound problems of the dolly

Reflections:
Overall, I think that I  learnt a lot from the shoot sessions, both conceptually, practically and also in terms of technology. I enjoyed the challenge of filming the long one shot down the corridor and also the task of solving the noise problems with the dolly. I also found the help of the other group members invaluable and I know that the standard of our project would not have been achieved without them. This was primarily due to the effective and efficient yet still experimental approach that we all took to filming the project, which enabled further creativity without compromising the quality of our shots. Furthermore,  I believe that our project was more professional than previous projects and allowed me to expand my knowledge of filming and the practice of it, whilst still challenging me.

Construction Post 6: Reflections on Edit Week 2

At the beginning of edit week 2 we created another schedule. This was because we felt it worked very effectively in week 1 and the same level of organization and commitment was needed again.

We managed to have the cut finalized by the end of edit week 1, which meant that there were only 3 tasks left to complete in the second week. These were: 1)Grading  2)Soundscaping  3)Titles.  So, we decided to have one of us in charge of each section. I was in charge of grading,  Gift was responsible for the soundscape and Ela managed the titles. Whilst we all could still work on all the different sections, this prevented us from neglecting (and then rushing) any one of the sections.

Grading:

The interface of the "Three Way Colour Corrector"

In order to grade the different shots we use 2 main effect tools; "ProcAmp" and the "Three Way Colour Corrector". ;ProcAmp' enabled us to change the brightness, contrast and saturation of the shot, whilst the "Three Way Colour Corrector" could introduce or hide certain shades and color balances using 3 different color wheels.

A photo of Gift and I working on the grading

Looking back, i think that the grading was the hardest part of these 3 steps. This was because each shot has to be edited individually and uniquely modified, yet they must all end up looking the same tone. In addition finding the initial toning that we wanted was also quite difficult, because it the saturation is too high everything has an unrealistic yellow glow that looks very fake, however the saturation and contrast is decreased the shot will lose all colour and could potential become surrealistic (not the right look for a teenage comedy). Furthermore i think that we should have spent more time on the grade in order to have a more professional and refined look to our opening.

Soundscaping:

In this week our main focus in the sound scape was the voiceover that is used when the mother is shouting for Arthur (the main character) to wake up. In order to make it sound realistic we had to make our voice actor stand far away and at an angle to the microphone. This is because if she spoke into the mic normally, when played alongside the footage, it would have sounded as though she was in the room and not next door.

Creating the titles:

Our chosen font

The "Juno" font

Our chosen font is called Brain Flower and we discovered it on a software called "LiveType". The reason for our choice was because we liked its joyful, young and informal nature (without it being too comical and distasteful). We also thought that it highlighted connotations of the teen comedy genre; because of the similar typefaces used in other films from the same genre, for example in 'Juno'.

Conclusion:
Overall, i think that we worked very well as a group this week and we all made a lot of effort to find time out of the school hours to do extra work on the project (working before and after school).
The only thing we could have done to improve was to have finished our voice over before this week to allow us more time on the harder processes; grading.

Construction Post 5: The Back-Up Shoot

As mentioned in an earlier post we have decided that a back-up shoot will be needed for the morning routine sequence; at Ela's house. This was primarily due to dark lighting in a few of the shots (that could not be fixed by grading) and the overly tight framing of the shots for the split screen. We also decided that we will film a new shot where Michael is cleaning his face with a flannel.
Despite only having minor mistakes, we feel that it is crucially to have a back-up shoot. This is to ensure that we had enough footage that is of a high standard.

On the other  hand, for the second school section we decided that we had produced a large enough range and variety of shots and they were all of a reasonably high standard, considering the environment we had to work with. Therefore, for all of these reasons we have decided that we will not have a reshoot of the school scenes.

Here are some examples of the shot changes that were made:
1)

Before

After

We changed the shot on the left from him putting his jacket on to him brushing his teeth as we felt it would aid the narrative flow better




2)

Before

After

We also changed his acting in the opening shot to make his head come out from under the covers in order to better connote his tiredness.




Reflections on the back-up shoot:
I am much happier with the footage that we have produced the second time round. The light is much brighter and better represents morning, the split screen shots now fit in the frame comfortably, he newly added flannel shot further emphasis the tiredness of our main character and his attempt to wake up. Now that these changes have been made, our sequence looks more professional and enticing for the viewer and definitely flows much more seamlessly.

Construction Post 4: Reflections on Edit Week 1

At the very beginning of Edit Week 1 we created an editing schedule. This is because we decided that was the best way to ensure that progress was made and the work load is shared equally. Onto this document we wrote down which free-periods, lunchtimes and after school slots we would use to work on the project. We also organized it so that all three of us met together everyday to make progress as a team and make sure that the big decisions were being made as a group.

We worked fast and effectively in order to highlight the problems and work out solutions early in the week to allow for organization and planning time. After we had put together the first cut, a lot of the issues became clear, especially with the framing and acting. But, because of good work ethic, we were able to adapt our shot sequence and still have plenty of time to plan a reshoot at Ela's house.

The "127 Hours" split screen that we used as a reference
point for ours.

We also began work on the 3 way split screen, using "how to" videos to help us (as seen below). The adjustments used were the crop (left/right) and position tools and by creating key frames we were able to reach the desired effect.





In addition to working on the cut, we began to develop the soundscape by recording diegetic school hallway sounds, looking up and researching other school soundtracks, whilst also coming to a final decision on the non-diegetic background music.

Conclusions: 
Overall, I think that edit week 1 went well and we have made changes and solutions to further improve our project. We also managed to stay on-time and on-task throughout the whole week.
Looking ahead we have decided that next week
(once the new footage has been put in), we will
concentrate on grading, the tittles and finalizing
the soundscape

Construction Post 3: Reflections on our Main Shoot Session

The main shoot was split over 2 different days due to the change in scenery. The first shoot was at Ela's house (in order to film the morning routine) and the second was in The Latymer School (in order to shoot the school corridor and classroom scenes.

Continuity shot of costume 1

Shoot 1: Ela's house

This shoot ran quite smoothly and efficiently and we we able to capture all our shots. We spent quite a lot of time in the bedroom trying to manipulate the misc-en-scene so that the shots portrayed the right connotations and representations, and in the end i think we managed to do a good job. Secondly, we were only using one actor, which meant there was no crowd organization and handling needed (unlike the corridor scene). This meant that we were able to direct our attention to Michael, his acting and the quality of the shots we were taking. In addition, through the use of costume photos and between shot checks, we tried to maintain close to perfect continuity of Michael's costume, hair and props.

Picture of Michael's hair and

costume 2 (for continuity 

comparison on the second 

shoot)

A more in detailed shot of the onesie
(for continuity comparison)

However, despite this initially positive work ethic, we became engrossed in the misc-en-scene and perfection of the set. This mean we ended up shooting the footage too late in the day; as the sun had started to dim. This hindered the quality of our shots and left a lot of room for improvement, therefore we will have a reshoot in this setting.

Shoot 2: The School

We encountered a lot more problems on this shoot and it required more organization and efficiency. This was primarily due to the much larger number of actors (15 actors). We had to calculate the different times people would be needed, make sure they were on time, make sure they knew what to do and also stay in control of the situation.  This proved to be harder than expected, due to added pressure of the working conditions that were set by the staff who were working in near by areas of the school. The conditions were that; when the camera wasn't rolling it was necessary that the noise was kept to a minimum and actors must not be misbehaving.

Another challenge was the 2 hour time limit for the shoot; because we had to finish shooting everything before the sun went down (at around 6pm) and also have everyone out of the building by 7pm (when the school closes).

Despite a few problematic aspects of the shoot, we managed to get 4 or 5 good takes of the corridor one-shot and filmed both the entry and exit sequences (all within the time). We also managed to keep the continuity of the costumes, props, hair and make-up of the characters (using pictures like those seen below). This meant the shoot went  very well in the end and therefore we think there will not be a need for a reshoot in this setting.

This is a selection of costume continuity shots for the different characters

This is a video compilation I created of the feedback that was given by our actors on our filming process on the main shoot

Construction Post 2: Our Post-Production Kit

A photo of our edit suite

When working in post-production we will use:

- Edit suite
- 'Adobe Premier' software (for the sequence).
- LiveType software (for the titles).
- Microphone (for the voice over).

The microphone used for the voiceover

A photo of the LiveType interface

An annotated screenshot of the 'Adobe Premier' interface

Construction Post 1: Our Production Kit

Here is the equipment that we will use when producing our footage:

-Canon Legria HRD30
 (with a microphone attached)
-Tripod
-Headphones
-Dolly
-Shoot board
-Clapper board