My Preliminary Task.

Whilst editing our preliminary task we had lots of errors and slight problems when we were recording it. You can see these errors when watching our preliminary task, which we hadn’t noticed until we had watched and edited the scenes we were going to use within our preliminary task.

As we filmed outside the most irritating problem we had was there was a lawn mower in the background which distorted our speaking so in some scenes you can barely hear what we are saying then in another it is very clear. When we were cutting the film together, the lawn mower was moving around and we had to record the scenes more than once to make sure we had more than enough footage to use. Due to this in some scenes it sounds like the lawn mower has disappeared and reappears again in the space of a couple of minutes.

Our second problem that we came across was you could see the camera persons reflection in the window next to the door whilst we were trying to do the match on action.


If we would do this task again then we would either film it inside so that there is no outside sound to interrupt our filming. Failing this, if we were to film outside again, then we would wait until the lawn mower had finished the work or film in a different place so that you can’t hear the lawn mower that much or at all. We would also make sure that the positioning of the people working on the camera’s cannot see themselves within the scene which would eliminate the problem of being able to see the reflections.



Before filming we had to make sure we followed three rules:
1- The 180 degree rule
            Meaning that we had to decide on an imaginary line that neither the camera people or the actors could cross and it wouldn’t be consistent with the match on action.
2- Shot reverse shot
           This was when the actors were talking and the camera had to keep changing between person and person. We had to do this so that the audience would know who was speaking and what they were saying.
3- Match on action
         This is the same as continuity and within the preliminary task this is when the door is being opened. We had to make sure that the door wouldn’t jump from one place to another whilst in the middle of a scene.


The 180 degree rule in our preliminary task worked well whilst the actors are talking to each other because the camera people were still because they were only filming the actors who were also sat still. However there was a different 180 degree rule whilst we were working on the match on action because if it were the same 180 degree rule then it would have been harder to film either the door or the conversation.

The shot reverse shot worked very well because as we were talking and cutting the scene together, we were able to make sure that the correct person was talking whilst they were on the screen and it changed every time the other actor spoke.

The match on action worked brilliantly as we were able to get the door in the same place on both sides so it didn't jump from one place to another and mess up the continuity.

My Film Idea.

Working with: Megan, Chantelle and Kimberley.


At the start of our film project there are 4 girls who are getting ready for a party who we are going to play ourselves. Megan will be playing a girl named Scarlet, Kimberley is called Cassie, Chantelle is Eva and I will playing a girl named Riley.
The opening credits of the stars names and who they are going to play over the screens of each girl that is getting ready, for example 'Chantelle Roberts as Eva’ will be on the screen when Chantelle is getting ready for the party.

We decided that we would change our names as not many films use the names of the actors/actresses unless it is a biography or a true life story. Our film is not true to life for anyone that we know so we  have followed the tradition and made up the characters that are in the film.


Megan’s Shot- Megan is putting on her make-up and is oblivious to the shadow of the man who is standing in the doorway, and when she turns to put on the radio it wipes across and turns into Kimberley who is also turning on the radio. After this Kimberley starts to put on her make-up and after a while it will wipe to Abigail (me) who is doing the finishing touches to her make-up. Abigail then zips up her dress and again wipes to a different person (Chantelle) and she zips up her dress.

We chose a wipe because all the scenes link into each other by the actions of how the girls are getting ready. Instead of a cut we are using a wipe so that the opening flows together better than it would if we were going to use cuts.


Whilst still on Chantelle’s screen she looks over at the time and realizes it is 10:00 and we are late for the party so calls up to see if we are ready to go.

We debated on whether or not to have the time of the party set at 9:00 or 10:00 but agreed on 10:00. We thought to use the time of 10:00 because most teenagers/young adults who host parties where there will be alcohol involved start quite late.


The phone calls will have the screen splitting every time a new person is added to the conversation. We do not know of any horror/thriller films that use this technique but we thought it would a challenge to set up that we could use in film considering that the idea is simplistic.

My example of a 3/4 way call screen split is from the film Mean Girls.

The screen is focused on Chantelle who then calls Kimberley and Abigail who exchange small talk for a little while but then someone remembers that Megan is also going to the party but is not currently in the conversation. When Abigail tries to call Megan they cannot reach her, which is when the screen splits into 4. We see Megan's screen which is just her phone ringing and no answer, which is when someone else asks why we cannot reach her.

Megan's screen enlarges on the phone that is still ringing and pans across to see that the reason Megan isn't answering because she is laying on the bed dead. The camera continues to pan to the dress she was going to put on for the party hanging up and the back of the killer who is walking out of the room with a bloody knife in his hand. (Throughout this entire scene the phone is still ringing).

We thought that having the phone still ringing in the background would be a good effect to have because when you ring someone who doesn't pick up, you don't put the phone down on them straight away. Another feature we thought would work well was only seeing the back of the killer which adds to the mystery of the film because you don't know what is going to happen in the rest of the film and people would want to carry on watching the film as they wish to figure out who the killer is at the end of the film.


Nearing the end of the two minutes of the start of the film it cuts to a black grainy screen and blood red writing 'Who's Next?' appears.

We have chosen to use a black grainy screen for the background because although the start isn't scary the rest of the film is a horror/thriller and the conventions of these are dark colours. The screen is grainy because the tittle is full of mystery and you are unsure of what happens next. The title of the film appears in blood red writing because there is a murder within the first two minutes of the film and the title is 'Who's Next?' which shows that there will be at least one more death within the film. As a group we have considered two different ideas of how the title should appear onto the screen. We could either have the title appear with a fade in or it jumping out of the screen of which we are going to try both and see which one works better.


After the title comes up there are quick and hasty cuts to individual pictures of the three girls.

We thought of this idea to remind the people who was in the opening getting ready and so that they know it would be one of those three girls and to watch out for anything that could foreshadow one of their deaths.

Film Review: Juno.

Juno Film Review.

Main Cast:

Juno McGuff – Ellen Page
Leah – Olivia Thirlby
Paulie Bleeker – Micheal Cera
Mac McGuff – J.K Simmons
Bren McGuff – Allison Janney
Mark Loring – Jason Bateman
Vanessa Loring – Jennifer Garner

Genre:

Juno is classified as a Rom-Com and Comedy-Drama and also a Domestic Comedy. This film is aimed at other Teen’s and deals with the complications of Coming of age whilst still being its own Indie film that addresses the issues of a teenager in its own way. The film is also an Ensemble film meaning that the whole cast are well known actors who have starred in many films.

Movie Information:

A teenage girl is up against an unexpected pregnancy and confides in her best friend to help find a suitable home for the unborn child. Juno is very wise however after sleeping with her classmate Bleeker, she quickly realizes how little she actually knows about life. Luckily Juno was blessed with parents that trust Juno’s judgement and best friend Leah is always willing to help her out. Juno and Leah contact Mark and Vanessa who are unable to conceive a child of their own who are eager to adopt Juno’s unborn child. Unfortunately Juno is now faced with a series of adult decisions discovering that just one bad mistake could affect her entire life.

What parents need to know?

Violence- There is a little bit of verbal violence but nothing else and it is only for a few seconds in a couple of scenes.
Sex- Obviously there is a lot of talk about sex because this is a film about teenage pregnancy but there is little nudity shown throughout the film. There are indications that the two teenagers are about to have sex as you she Juno’s bare legs as her underwear drops to the floor. You can also see that Bleeker has his shirt off indicating that he has already undressed.
Language- The language is what you would expect of a teenager in modern day however it is used frequently and there is one shot of Juno who flashes her finger at a friend.
Drinking/Smoking/Drugs- There is only a discussion of them but all the times I have watched this film, it hasn't registered.

Why did I enjoy this film?

This film is cast with teenagers for teenagers and that is why this film has appealed to me in many ways. Juno uses sarcasm to deal with her ‘condition’ as a joke saying that she is “the cautionary whale.” The first time that I saw Juno the whole way through I was tearing up at the end when Juno and Bleeker are laying in the bed together not wanting to see the life they created due to the fact he didn't belong to them. Every since Juno found Vanessa, the little baby boy had been hers. Juno is not the person to think about the consequences before she performs the actions just like any teenage girl would. However when Juno finds out that she is pregnant she is forced to change the way she acts.

Why should you watch Juno?

We are rarely treated to a film that that is engaging and irresistible and Juno is one of them released 6 years ago in 2007. Juno is the sort of film that you just want to run from the cinema at the end and tell anyone and everyone to watch it. Juno is the film that is worthwhile seeing in the cinema despite all the people that have to talk and check text messages throughout.

The actors although young (for the most part) are amazingly brilliant. You can really believe that this has happened to someone and they made the right choices in their life. Ellen Page is the success of the film; it really would not be the same without her in it. Her sense of sarcasm and how realistic she is about her pregnancy suits her and makes her a character to easily relate to when you are a young teenager in a sexual relationship. Micheal Cera is the boyfriend who supports Juno’s decisions and accepts that he cannot change her mind not that he would want to. This is only one side to the story when two teenagers have the issue of pregnancy to handle. Not all males would stick around like Bleeker which may come as a surprise to young girls after watching this if and when they find themselves in this position. Micheal Cera plays this role perfectly, he plays a young male that is not very popular and is on the track team but he copes well with role as Bleeker in this film.

Juno is a definite MUST SEE film and it really is amazing how everyone fits in and how the movie was made and overcame the difficult issue of handling teenage pregnancy. The director Jason Reitman really thought about everyone when creating this film. The whole credit is down to him as he was the one single handed person that got the cast members spot on! I couldn't imagine anyone else playing these parts.

I officially stamp this film with a rating of 10/10. Well done to everyone involved, you made the best film ever in my eyes! Hopefully my review has made you go and watch the film and agree with me!

Institutions.

Institutions.

Everything that we do is controlled by an institution of some sort, you cannot escape it, and we follow the rules with questioning it. School and home are institutions which contain rules and regulations that we just follow them without releasing that they are constricting and controlling our lives.

To understand the concept of an institution is knowing 3 important keys terms which are listed below:

1. Who produces the media texts.
2. Their set of values and codes.
3. And the relationship between them and us as individuals

The press and TV give us a general awareness of values on the basics of what it is producing and the producers. For example if a journalists were to post something in a newspaper 'The Sun' we automatically think that they share the same values of that newspaper. However 'The Sun' and 'Daily Mail' are both owned by the same company but have different values and tell different stories.

A key word within institutions is conglomerate this means a company owns and produces different types of the media, but we don't associate them with it.

The 'Big 5' are the worlds five biggest media corporations, one person may just think that they deal with only one type of media because that is what they are taught to believe. Just think that they own so much more and this is where their income builds up, an example of what they own is the film companies.

• Walt Disney > Walt Disney Pictures
  
• Sony > Columbia
  
• Time Warner > Warner Bros
  
• News Corporation > 20th Century Fox
  
• Viacom > Paramount Pictures
  

Due to this, it is virtually impossible to escape these 5 companies. For example, I had never before heard of Viacom but I am always watching Paramount Pictures films and that is because Viacom don't want to tarnish their image by producing children's film so they created or bought shares in Paramount Pictures to gain more money.


Walt Disney

Touchstone Pictures - The walt Disney company is known for their pretty in pink princesses but wanted to produce films with many different variety’s to gain a wider audience and make more money from then. They produced over 200 films through Touchstone Pictures, including Good Morning Vietnam, Sister Act, Pretty Woman and Armageddon.

Marvel Comics - In 2009 Disney wanted to become the biggest media institution so they bought shares in Marvel who were independent until then. This deal was expected to strengthen Disney's position as the leading global provider of high-quality branded entertainment and build long-term shareholder value.

Camera Angles and Shots.

Camera Angles and Shots.

For our first A-Level Media class we looked at how the positioning of camera angles creates and changes the meaning of scene withing in film. To do this we watched an extract of 'Good Will Hunting' and 'A Knights Tales' and then recalled what we had noticed and the differences between the two.
'Good Will Hunting' started with an establishing shot then long camera shots as the two people in the scene were having a conversation. Although the extract had started with an establishing shot showing the background and scenery the rest of the shots were close-ups to emphasis how serious the conversation actually is and you get emotional because you feel like you are the person the man is talking to. Another thing that emphasis's the emotion is that there are no reaction shots from the other character until the end of the conversation which is really unusual for a film or any piece of Media.
'A Knights Tale' had quicker camera shots which turned slower due to the fact that at the start there is more happening in the start and to get the full effect and all the reactions of different people. The camera shots slowed down because there wasn't as much going on but the other people were reacting and the director or editor thought it was important to keep.

Different types of Shots!

• Extreme Long Shot: An establishing shot, this is used to determine the place of which the film or scene is set. They are usually identified by landmarks for example the Hollywood sign or Big Ben.
  
• Long Shot: Where the person or object is shown in small which could mean that the person is walking down the street because this type of shot provides for movement.
  
• Medium Long Shot: Usually a shot of a persons head and torso used when two or more people are having a conversation because you are able to position them with in the smaller shot.
  
• Medium Close-ups: The medium close-up shows both facial expressions and body language. A medium close-up is normally used when filming a conversation between two people.
  
• Close-ups: The scale is usually quite large and this is to show the facial expression of a person in a conventional way however it could include anything (e.g. a hand or an object).
  
• Extreme Close-ups: Focused on one feature, normally a feature to do with a person. In 'Of Mice and Men' there is an extreme close-up of a hand and in 'Inception' the extreme close-up is of an object.
  
• Crane Shot: This is shot from above and different viewpoint as many films are usually shot from ground level, and this can also be moved round and zoomed because the person is on a crane or something similar.
• Pan: A pan is when the camera is stationary but moves from one direction to the other to follow what is happening.
• Tracking: The camera is following the action on a horizontal line going from one direction to the other.

Why Media Studies?

Why did I chose Media Studies A-Level?

I chose Media Studies because I had done it for my GCSE and found that it was really interesting!

I found that the work last year was rather laid back and easier to get my head round and after doing the homework for Law, Psychology and Sociology that I would need it. Last year I left most things to the last minute and needed to redo some of the work to get a higher grade but after freaking out, and actually sitting down to do it all - I got a B.

I thought that it would be a nice contrast to my academic subjects and that I would excel. It will be a challenge to do some of the work and figuring out how the I-Mac’s work. Currently I have only used them twice in the entire 5 years at Rainham School for Girls and they still confuse me. I hope to work them out before doing too much so that I don’t fall behind due to the lack of handling them.

I have a creative side to my knowledge and I love to watch films. Whilst at GCSE level we had to annotate the covers and review extracts of the film. Paying close attention to the films has shown me how they all work and when I got home, I had a try for myself. It will be great for me to do this as my mind is rather creative but I can’t draw to save my life!

I have thought about the range of knowledge that I would gain from this A-Level and a career in this department would be like living a dream! I can’t imagine anything else than a job within the Media and this A-Level will help me gain the background I will need to get into any job.