Welcome!

Dear Moderator,

Welcome to my AS Media Studies Blog. My blog follows my footsteps from research, planning, production and evaluation of my opening sequence 'When Two Became One'. I have regularly updated my blog from September through to May of the school year. My blog includes, PowerPoints, posts, pictures, links and more. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Here is my final title sequence for 'When Two Became One'.

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

For this question I created a slideshow with my preliminary video, opening sequence and directors commentary on.

If videos and voice memos do not work please download the presentation from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/138922457/Evaluation-Looking-back-at-your-preliminary-task-what-do-you-feel-you-have-learnt-in-the-progression-from-it-to-the-full-product

Evaluation- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from... by Ellie Bunce

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

For this answer I created a website using weebly, I originally tried to used wix.com, however, this has technical issues. To view my website please follow this link: http://elliebunceevaluation.weebly.com/. 

Evaluation: How did you attract/address your audience?

For this question of my evaluation I interviewed Eliza Cox after she had watched my opening sequence.  I think the ways in which we attracted our target audience were: having characters which are similar to the target audience and using reoccurring themes we saw in romantic comedies e.g. Christmas/New Years, which we tried to use in our opening. However, the filming outside (when it was sunny) and lack of Christmas props shown in shots didn't represent this. So I was glad Eliza pointed this out in our interview. 

Evaluation: Who would be the audience for your media product?

Evaluation-Who Would Be the Audience for Your Media by Ellie Bunce

Evaluation: What type of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

My media product would be released in smaller independent cinemas such as Phoenix Picture House based in Oxfordshire (also where our film is set). I think this will be suitable as Phoenix Picture House are good for independent and foreign upcoming films.

I believe it will be certified a twelve and be the best to distribute to our target audience (twelve plus, predominately females).

My media product will also feature and be advertised on television, especially on channel four and E4 as they many of their shows and films they play are romantic comedies so their audiences are similar to our movie’s and are people we need to reach out to.

E4 also have a ‘Slackers Club’ available to 16 and over students which I think would be great to release my film. Every month they show  E4 Slackers Club members free previews of films for free. For more information look at:  http://www.e4.com/slackers/about.html

Evaluation: How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups?

Please watch my interview on 'Marlborough News' for my answer to 'how does your media product represent particular social groups?', I discuss the ways in which my media product represents the youth in a positive light and shows two independent young adults both working for their living. I believe it refutes the stereotypes of young adults smoking, drinking, being lazy, causing chaos, and crimes, making it more appealing to a larger audience. 

Evaluation: In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Real Media Products?

Please watch my answer which I have posted on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjo8UymnAOs). In the clip I will be talking about:

Things we saw on romantic comedies which inspired us:

 - Light hearted music

- Voice over (‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’, ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ and ‘The Holiday’)

- Specific scenes: waking up and showing daily lifestyle

- ‘Christmas/ New Years themes (‘Four Christmases’, ‘The Holiday’, ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, ‘Love Actually’, ‘While You Were Sleeping’ etc)

And the way in which out opening challenges the conventions of real media products through the use of younger actors as our main characters to makes it more appealing to our target audience (12+). 

Background Music

Two aspiring musicians in our year, Jack Cowley and Ben Pilston from the band Monday Coma, played the acoustic guitar for the background music in our opening sequence. We recorded this using on an iphone and uploaded in onto the computer. To find out more about Monday Coma take a look at their twitter page: https://twitter.com/MondayComa 

Voice Over

Our Final Script for the Voice Over

Joe: What is Love? Does it really exist? Love is said to be an emotion of a strong affection and personal attachment. It’s said to be a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection—the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another. I believe everyone has a soul mate somewhere, but not everyone is destined to find theirs.

Lily: I definitely believe in love, it's so magical, something from a fantasy  Every girl wants to fall in love from the moment they watch their first Disney princess on TV  Everyone deserves true love. I once read a Greek myth: Once upon a time, when gods and people existed together, people had four arms and four legs. They had two heads and two faces. They existed happily as they were, and grew more powerful as time went on. The gods decided that the humans were getting too powerful and needed to be put back into place somehow, so they cut the humans in half. Each human now had only two arms, two legs, one head, and one face. They had to spend the rest of their lives searching for their other half to make themselves whole again. It became the point of life.

                         

The Voice Over To Our Opening Sequence

We had the idea to do a voice over for the opening sequence of Lily and Joe talking about love over an acoustic guitar.

 We found a Greek myth from Plato's Symposium which Lily will quote:

“Once upon a time, when gods and people existed together, people had four arms and four legs. They had two heads and two faces. They existed happily as they were, and grew more powerful as time went on. The gods decided that the humans were getting too powerful and needed to be put back into place somehow, so they cut the humans in half. Each human now had only two arms, two legs, one head, and one face. They had to spend the rest of their lives searching for their other half to make themselves whole again. It became the point of life."

  

And we got the definition of love from Wikipedia which Joe will quote then his view on love:

“Love is an emotion of a strong affection and personal attachment. Love is also said to be a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection—the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another".

'Dreamcatcher' Analysis

Watch opening sequence here: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/dreamcatcher/

The 2003 film adaptation of Stephen King's novel was directed by Lawrence Kasdam.

In the opening sequence there is a cold theme depicting that it is in a cold country. The title, DVD cover and woodlands in the title sequence suggest it's set in Northern American.

The opening has a blue colour masks on it giving it a sci-fi feel and connoting death. The shots merge together through close up shots, they almost look as if they are being looked at through a microscope creating the feel of them being analysed. In these shots we see bones, teeth, a dream catcher, icicles, feathers and more, some of which is unidentifiable.

In the last shot at 2.38, a play with light creates an UFO shape in the sky foreshadowing the alien invasion later on in the film. The fast bird's eye view shots at 2.31 panning through the Northern American also helps link in with the UFO, as it feels like a point of view shot from a UFO as we quickly flying over the forests.

The Editing Process

Filming Scene One - Day Two

Filming Scene One - Day One

Testing Split Screen

We decided to film two pots of coffee instead of walking because in scene one the split screen is of alarms not people. Although I used the same shot for this split screen we are using different shots in the opening sequence. The outcome wasn't exactly how we intended but we are still trying to work out how to edit them more effectively.

'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' Opening Analysis

Another favourite romantic comedy of mine is ‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’. The 2004 film, directed by Beeban Kidron was a sequel from the 2001 film ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (both based on Helen Fielding's novels).

The rom/com has both similarities and differences to ‘The Holiday’. ‘Bridget Jones’ also uses a voice over from the main character (Renée Zellweger’s Bridget) narrating her life, however, this is combined with both dialogue and background music.

I again thought the voice over was very effective, which urged me to tell my group to do one, although ours is of both characters.

Most the titles in the opening do not start till later, at 4.30, after a scene from Bridget’s mother’s Christmas party and her fantasy which leads to the explanation of her current situation. The titles in the opening are in handwriting like font, portraying her diary.

 

As they appear, we are introduced to Bridget working, parachuting out a plane. This shows her progression from the previous film ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ when, after her mother’s Christmas party, we saw her home alone, smoking and drinking, singing along to Celine Dionne’s All By Myself mirroring her single life.

The titles continue as she carries out her every day morning routine.

In the fantasy like scene, lots of cross fades are used to show the passing of time, which I also used when editing my opening sequence.

Another very effective opening, we get an insight into Bridget's life (work, family and love) and the setting she's regularly in.

Analysis of 'The Holiday' Opening Sequence

A film that inspired me would have to be 'The Holiday', the American film written and directed by Nancy Meyers, is an absolute classic and favourite romantic comedy of mine. To help the making of my opening sequence coursework I analysed ‘The Holiday’ opening.

The first thing that strikes me when watching is the simplicity of the titles, simple yet formal and effective. I chose to do this also in my opening, due to the similarity in the setting and storyline of both.

Throughout the opening we see the main characters (Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Eli Wallach, Jude Law and lastly Kate Winslet) in setting which reflect them and their daily life style (for example Jack Black at work writing music for a film and Kate Winslet working at her work Christmas party). This gives the audience an insight of each character and their personality and introduces them us.

The music fades in and out of the scenes with Kate Winslet voicing over her and Shakespeare’s views on love, what she says reflects each relationship foreshadowing their future (for example at 1.32 she says ‘love is blind’ at this point we see Jack Black with his current girlfriend, who we later find out cheats on him. And at 1.53 when we see Cameron Diaz and her current partner she says ‘love fades’, they later break up in the film). At the end of the introduction scenes of the characters and after Kate Winslet's (playing Iris) character insight the music slowly fades out as her voice over stops and dialogue beings.

The opening is effective, it shows the audience the genre through the couples and voice over about love (set up to make us question how they will end up) and introduces setting, characters and relationships.

The Set of Scene 1

Yesterday Bethany, Camille and I set up the two rooms for scene one. We used lots of props and setting to depict each character. (Pictures of rooms below).

Main props/set in Joe's room:

• Acoustic guitar
• Base guitar
• Beats headphones
• An ipod
• Levi jacket
• Various tops/clothing
• Speakers/stereo
• CDs
• PlayStation hand controls
• Aftershave
• Wallet

We thought these props portrayed Joe is musical, young, unorganised and messy.

Main props/set in Lily's room:

• Books/plays
• A canvas
• Paint
• Scrap book
• Flowers
• Makeup bag
• Floral Cath Kidston bags
• Christmas cards

These props were to show Lily is creative, arty and clever (enjoys reading).

Cast Changes

Unfortunately, due to an operation, Cameron Wishart - who was playing Joe, the main boy- is no longer able to act in our opening sequence.

After much thought and recasting, we decided Ashley Cunningham, a reliable friend of ours who also took GCSE drama with me and Cameron, would be best suited for the role of Joe. (See photo of Ashley to the right).

The Best and The Worst Comparison

In our lesson on Thursday 24th January, we compared two fight scenes. One of which was of very poor quality and the other very good, both clips are on Mr Buckmaster's blog (http://marlboroughmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/comparing-best-worst.html).

The first fight scene we watched, the considerably bad one, was from 'Star Trek'. In the scene we noted featured which made it look unrealistic and bad.

• Slow movement- made it look unrealistic and choreographed
• Music didn't build up, it stayed constant
• Camera quality made the blue sky look fake
• Sound effects were either not used or not effective. E.g the rocks hitting at 1.49
• Characters were unbelievable
• The story line was also not realistic (the man could of easily ran away).

We then watched a fight scene from 'The Book of Eli', this scene was miles better, it brought tension and drama and felt very realistic. This are some features that made the scene so effective:

• Realistic sound effects which helped portray things that we could not see. (E.g. the chainsaw, clanking of metal and swords, stabbing the man at the end and blood trickling) 
• Colour treatment- yellow sepia and silhouettes. The silhouettes made the sequence look almost like a dance, a situation Eli is often in and so rehearsed and comfortable in.
• Fast movements and continuity of shots
• Continuity and fast movement of and in shots 

BBFC- British Board of Film Classification

'The British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/ DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984.'

In class we watched a video on the BBFC (www.bbfc.co.uk) and learnt about the rating process of films and why.

Films are rated on:

• Violence and bad language 
• Sex and nudity
• Taste and decency 

Violence examples:

'Casino Royale' The James Bond film directed by Martin Campbell is rated at (much to my surprise) a 12A. However, this is because in the torture scene (which I analysed back in September http://elliebunce.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/casino-royale-camera-shot-analysis.html) we never see the actual whipping (we just see Le Chiffre swinging the rope and James Bond's reactions).

'Die Hard 4.0' The American action film directed by Len Wiseman is rated at a 15. This was because in scenes, such as the one where Bruce Willis is fighting the female, the sounds affects make it more violent and exaggerate the fight scene. 

'The Last King of Scotland' The British drama film based on Giles Foden's novel and directed by Kevin MacDonald is also rated at a 15. This is because the gruesome context of the film is very realistic to what actually happened e.g Dr Nicholas Garrigan (played by James McAvoy) being hung by his skin. Here we see the brutal pain he is under and the blood which make the scene naturalistic. 

Bad language examples:

'Four Weddings and a Funeral' The British romantic comedy directed by Mike Newell featured so much swearing it had to be made a 15.

Sex and nudity examples: 

'Titanic' is rated a 12A. The romantic tragedy directed by James Cameron only features one scene of nudity, this is when Kate Winslet (playing Rose DeWitt Bukater) asks Leonardo DiCaprio (playing Jack Dawson) to draw her. In this scene we only nudity we see is Kate Winslet's breasts as she lies down to be drawn.

'Team America' In the American action comedy film, directed by Trey Parker, there is a sex scene where both characters are unclothed, however, because they are puppets the film could only be rated a 15. 

Taste and decency examples:

'Borat' The 'mockumentary' comedy film directed by Larry Charles starring Sacha Baron Cohen was rated at a 18 in cinemas but 15 on DVD. This is because of the irony of the film and context which could be taken as racism but is so extreme to create comedy value. 

I watched the 'Wild Bill' trailer (click here to watch) and guessed it to be a 12 due to the swearing, drugs and some violence which make it unsuitable for a PG or U, however, I didn't think the violence and bad language was enough to push it to a 15. The trailer was actually a 12A and the film is a 15.

Production Meeting 4

Date: 10th January 2013
Present: Bethany Hutson, Katie Bannock, Camille Pierrart and Ellie Bunce (Me)
Focus: Plan (Create a scene breakdown, shot list and production schedule)

In our fourth production meeting we got started on planning filming our opening sequence, this included making a scene breakdown, shot list and production schedule. We assigned ourselves different roles, Bethany and Camille made the scene breakdowns using our storyboard we used in our production pitch (http://www.scribd.com/doc/118314176/BECK-Production-Pitch) and I created our shot list and a summary of each scene (the props, costumes, equipment etc used). We also tried to schedule a time to start filming when we were all free by creating a table of dates but ran out of time. Although we didn't finish our production schedule we each printed a blank schedule which we had to fill in before our next meeting.

Action Point: Fill in detail of scenes on production schedule.

Production Pitch Feedback

After Camille, Katie, Bethany and I had presented our production pitch to our class and teacher we were asked some questions about our idea.

These are some of them:

Question: What was your inspiration?

Answer: 'The Holiday' and 'Love Actually' were my two main inspirations for our opening sequence. The Christmas themed romantic comedies are two of my favourite films. Also doing a Christmas themed opening fits in the weather and the moment and is easy to portray.

Question: Who is your target audience?

Answer: Teenage/ young females. The film will be a feel good typical 'chick flick' probably rated at a 12 or 12A. 

'The Holiday' is a 12 and 'Love Actually' is a 15 (see photos below).