Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task 

This is our preliminary task, the reason why we have made this is for us to experience what it is like to make a short video and to learn about different techniques that we like and prefer so we can include them in our final opening sequence and from making this I have learnt about a lot of things that I had not previously known about.

 Firstly, something that I have learnt in this process of making a video is how time consuming it is. Therefore, when it comes to our own opening sequence I need to keep this in mind to ensure that I leave myself enough time for me and my group for editing and sound because it is a long process.

Furthermore, we also had a lot of problems with putting the clips together and editing. We used premier pro but this software did not seem to working for us and we kept having to force quit the window. Therefore, we edited this film on imovie, this is the reason why we can hear the director's ques  and sounds that we did not want to be on there for example, you can hear the turning from the tripod.

However, I think that this is a good thing because it has made us aware that we need to be organised and film early in case this happens again so we will have plenty of time to edited even if we have to use a different software.

Sion Roe lesson

Sion Roe Lesson

In this lesson an ex student of the king's school came into my lesson to show us how to compose titles on our videos. 

I am very grateful that we had the chance to learn from somebody who was in our position at the same school, taking the same course and now he has succeeded in this line of work and it was very inspirational to see this. 

After this lesson I feel more comfortable using premiere pro (cs4) because I feel like I have developed my editing skills and that I am now use to the programme more. Even though I am doing sound I can still apply what Sion has taught us and keep the editing in mind because of the important relationship between the sound and editing for example using a J- cut, this is when the sound and editing works together to create a smooth flow between the transactions of different shots.

Editing Techniques

Preliminary task

Preliminary Task Preparation

We have chosen our groups that we'll be working with and have conversed different ideas and scenarios for our task. Our final idea is going to be of a couple who have conflict and one of the people is intoxicated which does not help the conflict. We also thought by including this aspect it might enhance the dramatic effect because people being drunk can sometimes be associated with danger.  

Equipment 

The equipment that we need for this task are as follows:

- A go pro camera and strap 

- A camera

- Tripod

- mic

The props that we are going to need for this task are as follows:

- A glass beer bottle (for the sidewalk shot) 

- Another beer can which the male gets from the fridge.

- A plate of food that the woman is eating from. 

The usual suspects opening scene

The Usual Suspects

Camera movements
They used a mid shot for the first character. This was enough to show the audience the face of the character and the action he was doing which was lighting a cigarette. 

After the climax of the gunshot they then used establishing shots after this could have been to show the audience that they were in a secluded place therefore, it justifies why nobody else might not have heard the shot. 

Mise En Scene
Initially, the first thing that the audience might notice is the darkness of this scene. Because of this and the unusual location this could immediately imply that something bad is going to happen and the fire in the background helps to emphasise this point because fire signifies danger.

When the second man allegedly shot the first man he held his gun sideways which could show that he is not professional since that pose is normally associated with street gangs. 

Sound 
The music is introduced when the second man is which could imply that the second character that appears is more significant. 

The sound of his heavy footsteps are also empathised which gives off an intimidating impression. 

When there is an explosion of the fire the music is amplified which makes it more dramatic and draws the audience's attention to the fire. 

Blade opening scene

Camera Movements
Hand- held shot- emphasises the speed they were travelling at because it seemed more chaotic and has the connotations of danger due to the fast movement of the vehicle. 

Tracking shot- showed the audience the fast pace which the characters were travelling at. 

Low angle shot of women walking through crowd showed her significance.

Tilt shot of the man portrayed him as powerful and significant.

Editing 
Writing is red/ pink which is prominent compared to monochrome colours of the club and linked to the vampire figures at end of clip.

Sound 
Sound effects of machinery at the butcher like place.
Dietetic sound was played at the club scene. 

Mise en-scene
Walking through butchers- dead animals- death might be a recurring aspect in film. The animals could represent the humans because in fiction they are slaughtered by vampire like the pigs are slaughtered by humans.

Enigma- no establishing shot so location was unknown.

Man figure at the end wearing a heavily armored black outfit. The colour makes him seem bold and powerful and the high quality outfit made him seem wealthy.  

Overall AS Course

AS Practical Assessment
Our practical coursework or 'Foundation Project' and blog makes up at total of 50% of my AS Media Studies grade. The task is to film an opening sequence to a genre of film of our choice. This is happening through the duration of September to Easter. 

Written examinations 
The other 50% of my AS grade comes from the written examinations. One of these exams will be a textual analysis of an unseen TV drama. Whereas, the other exam will be a case study on star wars focusing on audiences and institutions.