Evaluation Question 7:

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression of it to the full product?

Looking back on the process to the final product that we have created. I feel as though I have learned a lot of technical skills but also I have gained new attributes. My role within the group was Mise-en-scene. Therefore, I had to organize the shoots beforehand in terms of props, costume, location and lighting. It was difficult to find a location in close range that everyone had access to, that also suited the genre and storyline that we were trying to get across. This resulted in certain scenes within the title sequence having to be re- shot multiple times in order to be successful with the location. Since I was in charge of Mise-en-Scene it was really important to me that the location that we used reflected the narrative of the film and was successful in creating the impression on the audience that we had desired. This is where I learned the importance of critical feedback because other people could provide a different perspective to view the sequence. Therefore, this was a good way to show whether or not they understood the Title sequence and the genre.

The costume and make up was well considered when making the sequence. Initially we had discussed having the main protagonist wear a dark purple dress because purple was a colour that we wanted to associate with her. However, I thought purple wouldn’t showcase the sophistication that we wanted the character to have. Therefore, we opted to have the character wearing a black dress instead. At this point we hadn’t decided on cast. However, we all knew that we wanted the character to have loose curls and wear dark red lipstick because the loose curls indicate that she takes care in her appearance, since curling hair is quite time consuming, and the red lipstick will connote her promiscuity and danger. The costume was regarded a lot more in our Title sequence then it was in the continuity sequence.  I hadn’t even considered how the characters should be dressed in the first sequence we shot. Therefore, I learned to be more conscientious with all the aspects of Mise-en-Scene. I realized how vital costume was a part of this and how costume can affect how an audience perceives a character.

In the continuity sequence, we didn’t have access to studio equipment such as lighting. Therefore, we used the torches on our phones to light the dark room, that we were filming in. This proved extremely un-successful because the shots came out very grainy and visually unpleasing. However, I learned from this and in all the shoots where artificial lighting was needed, the two light boxes were used either side of the camera to create even lighting. The first shoot that we did was using the white screen, we had light boxes along with a tri-pod and a steady cam. It was hard to manoeuvre the light box’s in the position that we needed. However, in the footage that we captured from that shot, the light was really flattering and highlighted the white background. This contrasted well against the black dress and black fishnets. The lighting. However, was difficult to control in settings where we couldn’t use the light box’s. This proved difficult to the point that we changed the location of one of the scenes three times to make sure that the lighting was perfected. This emphasises how much we had adapted since the Continuity sequence because we were all willing to be flexible with our ideas in order to improve the lighting within a shot.

Even though I had the role of Mise-en-Scene. During three of the shoots, the cinematographer within our group was un-able to be present. Therefore, I was tasked with working with the DSLR’s and modifying the exposure and lighting settings in order to provide a clean, crisp shot. The focus of the camera was an issue because it wouldn’t focus if it was too close to an object. Therefore, for certain shots where we had planned to do extreme close ups, we had to settle for medium shots. This was frustrating at points because it interfered with the way we wanted the title sequence structured. For example, we had desired an extreme close up on the scene where the drink is spiked. Despite this, we learned to adapt the shots in order to exclude the close ups. It did however mean that the positioning of the characters and the props became more significant to direct the audience gaze to the most significant section in the frame. Although, throughout our shoots positioning was something that was considerably successful. We were all aware that Typography would need to be edited in certain shots. Therefore, I made sure that when shooting that the positioning of items or myself (when I was playing the protagonist) would work alongside the text that would later be included.

To conclude throughout this task, I feel I have learned to become more efficient with my time and more flexible to come up with creative solutions of how solve an issue within production. The problems that we faced within the continuity sequence were easily learned from and resolved. The different elements of the Mise-en-scene were consistently considered when planning or completing a shoot, to the point that it became second nature. As well as this, I became more confident when using new equipment and taught myself how to adjust the 

settings on a DSLR.

Evaluation Question 6:

The SoundCloud recordings were recorded as a group. We all contributed to what we should talk about but we mainly focussed on writing a segment for ourselves that we would speak. However, making sure that it would make sense amongst what was being said by the other members of the group.

Evaluation Question 4:

The SoundCloud recordings were recorded as a group. We all contributed to what we should talk about but we mainly focussed on writing a segment for ourselves that we would speak. However, making sure that it would make sense amongst what was being said by the other members of the group.

Evaluation Question 3:

What kind of media institutuion might distribute your media product and why? 

Women's Bane Distribution PowerPoint from Madison Brownlow

For the power point questions we worked as a group, we all contributed our ideas and thoughts. However, only me and Maddie B typed. This way we could put all our focus onto this one question which helped us to work at a faster pace.

Evaluation Question 2:

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

How does your media product represent particular social from Niamh Mchugh

For the power point questions we worked as a group, we all contributed our ideas and thoughts. However, only me and Maddie B typed. This way we could put all our focus onto this one question which helped us to work at a faster pace.

Evaluation Question 1 & 5:

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

How did you attract/address your audience?

 

For the green screen questions we worked on writing our own sections to read out. We tried to maintain eye contact with the camera so that we didn't lose focus and we all read out our parts relatively seamlessly with only slight stutters.

Completed Title Sequence:

Pro's and Cons of Working in a group :

Working within a group:

Initially I thought working within a group might have a lot of difficulties especially in the planning stage because I thought that we'd all have varied opinions and that it would be hard to make decisions. However, I was completely wrong, Working within a group actually sped up this process because we combined our ideas and discussed our thoughts until we came to something we all agreed on. As well as this, we were able to share out the work and rely on each other to get things done. This was particularly successful in the research stage because we could all look into different films and feed our ideas and findings back to one another.

I think the main issue that we faced whilst working in a group was trying to fit in shoots around our schedules so that we could all be present, The only solution that we created for this, was that we all came to an agreement that at times we'd have to shoot in pairs, which provided us with more time that we could shoot in. We also faced issues when it came to making cuts and removing certain shots because the group would be divided at times in terms of our opinions. However, This was resolved by there being two people present at all times when the sequence was being edited. This prevented one person from being in control of the editing and helped to create more ideas of how it could be edited.

Overall, I think working in a group was successful, any disagreements were always resolved and we were all flexible to create new ideas and change aspects that didn't work.

Edited Soundtrack:

Shooting #4:

This was our final shoot, in which we completed all of the  changes within the title sequence that we felt was necessary. We took into consideration all of the feedback that we received and we changed aspects of it for that reason. However, we kept certain parts of the Mise-en-scene the same. For example, the plug socket is still in the frame. This is because the frame became too over-crowded if we were to cover it with anything. The glasses were changed, so that we were using matching glasses but the drink poured was still the same as in the previous shots.

As well as this on the day of filming George was wearing a different suit. Therefore, the corridor scene and the shots leading up to the bedroom also had to be re-done. Despite, it not being too noticeable it was still something we felt we should do in order for the sequence to make sense.

Production Log:

Location: Maddie H's house
Who: Maddie H, Niamh and George
Equipment: DSLR and Tri-Pod
Costume & Make-up: Black Dress with lace straps, Black dress with cut out dress, fishnets, Black heels, Red lipstick.
Navy blue  suit, white shirt, black tie, black work shoes.
Props: Two wine glasses, A pipit, Blackcurrant juice, A wine bottle, A beverage, A synthetic flower and red lipstick.
Purpose: Re-shoot.
Duration: 2 hours.

Within this shoot we aimed to make improvements upon the feedback that we received as this was the last chance we had to film. The main focus was to re-film the corridor scene and the shots where they shared drinks. However, the amount of shots we had to re-shoot increased because George was wearing a different suit on the day and we didn't want the colour of his suit to vary throughout the sequence.

Since Maddie B and Kelly couldn't film due to their different schedules. Myself and Maddie H shared the role of cinematography in this particular shoot depending on which one of us was needed in the frame. In addition to this I set up all the equipment and adjusted the exposure levels on the camera so that it was well suited to the high-key lighting.

Feedback:

From the class screening on the most recent Edit of our Title Sequence we received feedback of changes that could be made to improve it.

One of the first things that was mentioned was the length of the sequence since it is almost three minutes long and instead should only be roughly two minutes. This means that a lot of shots will need to be cut out of the sequence.

Originally we intended to have interactive typography. However, this proved to be a lot more difficult then it seemed. Since there were only two shots in the film that included interactive text, it didn't have the effect on the audience that we had hoped and it wasn't very prominent within the scene. Therefore, to keep the typography consistent, we are going to remove these shots.

The amount of shots that involved me pulling George around by his tie was picked up upon, Moreover, it will need to be reduced to create a more realistic performance.

The scenes involving the drinks being poured need to be re-filmed so that the performance is more sexual. Therefore, the drink will be poured using only one hand. As well as this, the glasses need to be changed so that two of the same glasses are used. This is to create balance within the frame. It was suggested to use red wine. However, this would make the spiking of the drink less prominent so as a group we have decided against doing this.

My opinions:

My personal opinion on the product so far:

I think since the location change has improved the title sequence a lot. The shots of the white screen contrast really nicely against the colours in the house and this helps to separate the two different locations to make it clear that it is cutting to and from her getting ready and then to her actually seducing this man.

There are scenes that I am not content with such as the mid shot of the lipstick being tapped and chosen . This is because it appears too slow and uninteresting and it doesn't really have relevance within the title sequence since we were in able to isolate the colours in the black and white shots. Therefore, the colour of lipstick that she chooses isn't visible. As well as this, the lipsticks don't fill the frame, so I think for this shot to have worked there would have needed to be more then 5 lipsticks. However, I think the topography was incorporated excellently in this shot.

I also think the blood dripping shot shouldn't be included since that was the very first time we shot and the lighting was uneven. Moreover, it doesn't demonstrate our abilities since it hasn't been perfected and re-shot like the majority of the other scenes. However, it is still a group effort. Therefore, as a group we need to decide whether or not these shots should be included in the final piece.

Second Viewing:

Since the last showing our Title Sequence it has improved a lot. We have much more footage which completes the narrative. we have improved upon some of the original footage by re-shooting and we have experimented with multiple different locations in order to find one that is well suited to the genre and narrative. The sequence flows well alongside the soundtrack and provides a good insight into the film. Despite this, there are still improvements that we can make.

Shooting #3:

The change of location and narrative was really successful when shooting the ending scene for the third time. We used the space well to explore the story more and to show the control of the protagonist while also connoting more promiscuity. It consisted mainly of mid shots because the camera wouldn't focus if it was too close to an item. This was frustrating because we had planned to have an extreme close up while the drink was being spiked because it would've been quite visually pleasing to see the pattern that was created. However, we had to settle for a mid shot instead.

As well as changing the narrative, we also changed who played the male victim. We had still planned to use Kaan Gunduz. However, on the day we had planned to film he was unavailable. Therefore, we had to adjust quickly and George Loizou agreed to step in. He fit the character description just as well as Kaan did and he was relatively easy to direct and work with.

Production Log:

Location: Maddie H's house
Who: Maddie H, Niamh and George
Equipment: DSLR and Tri-Pod
Costume & Make-up: Black Dress with lace straps, Black dress with cut out dress, fishnets, Black heels, Red lipstick.
black suit, white shirt, black tie, black work shoes.
Props: Wine glass, whiskey glass, A pipit, Blackcurrant juice, A wine bottle, A beverage, A synthetic flower and red lipstick.
Purpose: Shoot Victims death scene
Duration: 2 hours.

The past two times we filmed we had used  Kaan as our male victim. However, since he was unavailable at the time we had planned to film we had to quickly alternate and we chose to use George. Although, this meant that any of the previous shots we had, we were no longer able to use. It was the only possible solution we had at the time otherwise we would've had to reschedule shooting which would've restricted the amount of time we had to correct any errors.

We re-shot everything according to or new plan. However myself and Maddie were tasked with the role of cinematography in this shoot because Maddie B and Kelly's school schedule restricted them from filming with us at this time.

Typography Chosen:

The typography that we have decided to include are:

The opening credits/cast member names:

  The company name:

The film title: 

                     

The sound chosen:

The soundtrack we have decided to use is Quirquincho. It is quite simplistic. However, it has a dark undertone which helps to signify the thriller genre. we will have to adapt the soundtrack in  terms of the speed in order for it to sync in with the visuals. We feel this is the better option over Gordo Jose, which we were considering, because the sound of the drums are a lot less prominent.

Sound Poll:

The Sound Poll:

The poll concluded that the soundtrack we should use is Quirquincho because this was the most popular out of he sample of people that we asked. 

Sound:

We found an artist that has copyright free songs. We decided on four songs of the songs by that artist that we think fit the genre of the title sequence well.

These are:

-Gordo Jose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6covvxo10A&index=8&list=PL-oITwdM22LeocIESJsGk4nv9hPLj4LCU

-Quirquincho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHkkDsrWnF8&list=PL-oITwdM22LeocIESJsGk4nv9hPLj4LCU&index=3

-Poldorohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQNfVgHc1_M&index=6&list=PL-oITwdM22LeocIESJsGk4nv9hPLj4LCU

-Gracias

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LRJpmWqBl8&list=PL-oITwdM22LeocIESJsGk4nv9hPLj4LCU

As a way to decide between these four songs and which one should be the soundtrack, we're going to conduct a poll in which people can choose the song that they feel is the most suited for the title sequence.

Sound Brainstorm:

Overall, we concluded that we wanted the sound to be of the Jazz genre because that will allow it to be quite seductive and classy. However, we want to find a soundtrack that can create suspense and can be suggestive of the dark attributes that the protagonist has. We need to be careful in picking our soundtrack to be certain that it is copyright free.

Changes made to the narrative:

Changes made to narrative:

After discussing as a group about the difficulty we have had shooting the ending scenes. We have decided to change the narrative of the title sequence and the location. We had previously wanted the title sequence to show the lead female and the male victim going to a bar where they will share drinks and she will spike his. We had tried to set up two locations as a bar, due to us being under age and unable to film in an actual bar. However, both times were unsuccessful for numerous reasons whether it being the ability of the camera, the lighting or the Mise-en Scene. Therefore we have opted to change the narrative.

We will once again be using Maddie Hodge's house to film in. However, this time it wont be set up as a bar, it will be used as the protagonist's home. She will initially take him into the kitchen where she will pour and spike his drink, then he will be lured upstairs where he become disorientated and die. The location is quite colourful but it is still sophisticated and the sizes of the rooms will be good to work with. As well as this, the house is quite open and the kitchen has window panels in the ceiling. Therefore, we will be able to shoot using high- key naturalistic lighting.

Death Scene shoot 2

The Props we used:

We re-shot using the Drama Room in the Art Department. It was quite a low lit room with black walls. We set up a table against the wall and covered it with a red table cloth because it is a suggestive colour. it was originally creased so we had to iron it. Although, this didn't get rid of all of the creases it was still an improvement.

                                                                                    

The Mise-En-Scene was more conventional of the genre. It resembled a bar type setting. Although, the lighting was difficult to work with since it  appeared uneven despite us using two light box's on either side of the camera. In addition to this, the light would reflect off the black wall, which created nice shadows. However, it was disturbing and became the main focus in the shot. There were still problems with the Mise-En-Scene because there were white specks on the wall, which were quite distracting. As well as this, the props were not as realistic as they could be. To specify the drink in the glasses was water. Where as, it should be a drink that represents something an adult would drink in a bar, such as wine or whiskey.                                                        

Production Log:

Location: Drama room:
Who: Maddie H, Niamh, Maddie B, Kelly and Kaan
Equipment: DSLR and Tri-Pod, Two light box's
Costume & Make-up: Black Dress with lace straps, Black dress with cut out dress, fishnets, Black heels, Red lipstick.
Navy blue  suit, checked shirt, navy blue tie, black work shoes.
Props: A wine glass, Whiskey glass, A pipit, Blackcurrant juice, A synthetic flower, Wallet and business card, red table cloth, a table.
Purpose: shoots victims death scene
Duration: 2 hours.

This shoot was the hardest so far. It took a long time to set up and although we tried to make-do with the equipment that we had and make the most of the time we had to shoot in this location. It just wasn't successful and it became really hard to frame the shots so that the identity's were concealed.

Death Scene shoot 1:

Our first attempt at shooting the death scene was shot at Maddie Hodges house. We had set it up to be some kind of Restaurant/Bar. We had flowery stools and the table had a flower design on them. This was to indicate the theme of the Wolf's bane. However, it didn't come across this way. It was still successful in some ways, such as the camera angles, the lighting and positioning. The high-key lighting helped to make everything look quite slick and the costumes were contrasted nicely against the white walls and flooring.

However, the Mise-en-Scene didn't work, as it wasn't suggestive of the genre since it resembled two people going to the café during the day, instead of two adults meeting for drinks of an evening. Overall, this resulted in it lacking tension and narrative enigma. We used Kaan Gunduz as the Male Victim as he fit the character description well and his performance was successful within the shots. However, everything will need be re-shot once we decide on a different location that will create a more sophisticated setting.

Test footage: