1-4) Overview of Film - All evaluation questions considered and looked at

4) Other technologies we used throughout the portfolio - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

In order to create the whole project I needed a format where I could keep everything up to date, structure my research and planning and a central point which I could refer to for taking notes and showing the journey I have taken from start to finish. It was evident that Blogger was the most effective way forward as it is simple to use with a easy navigation bar that helps you get around the site, quickly and effectively. It was also advantageous to use Blogger as I had used it for my AS Foundation Portfolio so I was familiar with the site and I already knew how to make a detailed blog on it. Using it throughout the year I would say that it has developed my writing skills which is key in Media in order to be successful. I have also been able to add links, images and videos into my posts in order to make them more visually effective and fun to look through instead of too much text which can be very time consuming and dull to read.

Internet Explorer Logo

The Blogger Logo

Furthermore the Internet has been a vital tool throughout my Portfolio, without it I would not have been able to complete anything or upload pieces of work onto my blog. In order to complete my Blog, I have had to use a variety of different sites:

Google

On the search engine Google I have been able to search for images of film posters, magazine covers for inspiration on how to model my magazine review and to stick to the conventions of what my ancillary tasks should follow on each of these. I have also been able to research studio ident's such as "twisted pictures" which often produce films from the horror and psychological thriller genre, which has inspired me to create my ident for my film which fits in with these genres. Furthermore I have been able to gather images from Google Maps to try and find specific locations for our film to take place as we needed a quiet area for the car scene, where Maps was particularly helpful in finding a road like this within the schools vicinity.

YouTube

I used YouTube to view trailers such as "The Dark Knight Rises" and short films such as the "Sandman" and "Dipper" to view what the typical conventions were, this gave me an insight of what I needed to do in order to make a successful short film and "The Dark Knight Rises" gave me particular inspiration as it is a thriller and is an effective way of advertising an upcoming blockbuster film. This helped me when I decided to advertise my short film through the use of a film poster as it had to be eye-catching and effective at advertising. Another use of YouTube that me and Stephen found was uploading our short film and our interview which talks about the short film onto the site, this was effective advertising as it got people to watch them and also generated discussion which gained feedback, which gave us another way of seeing how good our film was.

DaFont

DaFont was key for me in creating the text for the title on my poster, this was due to it being unique and eye-catching as I could not have created the same effect with the fonts on Microsoft Office, DaFont is good as it brought my poster to life with the effective text as it was capable of making it look creepy and mysterious at the same time, this was the look I wanted as it represented my film perfectly and it stuck to the conventions of a typical poster for a film.

DaFont logo

Effective text as it looks eerie and sets the tone that the film will follow.

Other Computer Programmes:


Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash helped us put together our studio ident and helped us to create a number of drafts (such as the one above) before finalising my piece that was used at the start and end of our short film, we used it as it was helpful at creating a variety of designs and easy to mess around with small things to make adjustments, and change colour schemes to come up with new and interesting designs that would represent our short film.

Adobe Flash logo

Final studio ident created with the help of Flash.

Microsoft Paint
Paint was key in editing most things when I needed to print screen and make screenshots out of my film to upload my progress onto the blog and was also key at cropping unwanted things off the print screen or making it look more professional, this came in handy when I had to make my poster and film review as I could crop out unwanted pieces and only use the good quality parts of the image if I wanted.

Edited in paint so it could be used as an image.

Sides of the screen have been edited out, gives an insight into the film but also Elements (editing package).

Microsoft Paint logo

Adobe Premier Elements
Elements was the editing package that we used which was based on the school computers and allowed us to merge all our shots together and putting in sound, text and edits when we pleased throughout our film, it was a professional programme which worked efficiently in terms of making it look like a short film, however, at times it was a little slow and would sometimes crash completely for a few minutes which would slow our work rate at times.

Adobe Premier Elements logo

Other media tools we used:
Video Recorders and Camera
We used a Nikon Coolpix camera to capture all our images that we wanted such as for our ancillary products, it was a highly professional camera which never blurred and had flash auto, which meant that when a photo was taken, the camera itself would decide whether or not the flash needed to be used. It had optical zoom and an 8 mega pixel lens which allowed clarity across our pictures.

This is the camera we used

These were practice shots I used before taking ancillary photos in order to check whether the quality was of a standard that would be found on a film poster

Posing was necessary as I needed to see what it would be like in that kind of scenario, I decided that the cameras quality was of a high standard and was perfect for my film poster.

The video recorder we used for the filming process of our short film was the JVC Everio which was an excellent camera as it was really clear and the sound quality was pretty good with it too, one criticism of it would be that the battery life was quite short and this was problematic as if we were filming away from school we would sometimes have to rush and whilst rushing as we did not have a charger, we may have not done some scenes up to the best standard. However, it is not noticeable whilst watching the film that any shots were rushed and our film still looks a high standard.

This was the tripod that attached to the video recorder

For one scene where the battery died on the camera we decided to use my iPhone 4S camera as it was High Definition quality with an 8 mega pixel camera lens, this was effective as it was not noticeable we had changes camera and the sound quality was still the same, and it was equally as easy to upload to Elements from iPhone as it was from the JVC to elements, through using USB leads.

Other Media Technologies Used:
Kingston Memory stick
The memory stick I used was effective and it functioned fast, it was 1GB but was enough memory for me to store all my A2 Media on and my other subjects.

A print screen of the opening of my memory stick

A print screen of inside the folder "Film".

The memory stick I used.

Finally I used Microsoft Office programmes: Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher which allowed me to edit images and screenshots, so I could produce effective ancillary's that complimented my film and also a strong evaluation of my portfolio as I could collect stills from the film and planning of ancillary's and then discuss them in detail.

Microsoft Publisher logo

Microsoft Word logo

4) Sound: Music clips - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOob3ga5EIk
This is the sound we used for the car accident, we had to edit the sound as there is a hint that it hits another car at the end of the clip, so we made the noise more subtle to sound like it had hit a person instead, so in place of a crash it was more subtle with a thumping sound. I feel this was more effective as it sounds very realistic when the screen blacks out and it is suggested that Stephen is hit with some force by the speeding car, in order to have the best quality possible we decided to cut the end off the sound clip as the car sounds like it gets damaged which would not happen so dramatically when hitting a human, also the start of the audio clip was cut as it was prolonged and we needed the clip to be fast, with a sense of a speedy impact. Audiences would not question the noise and whether it was authentic or not as it could not have been made any more realistic than it was, due to us having no budget or the time it would have taken to make it look like Stephen had been hit. Furthermore if the sound and death was more realistic this would have taken our attention away from the rest of the film, so it would not be as up to a high standard in comparison to the car scene.

I also had sound layered into the opening scene and the car scene with the same music throughout without having to change it at any point once we had found the music file that we wanted. However it did take a long time to find the right piece of music and by the time we found our ideal piece it had nearly taken us three hours of continuous searching across two computers, listening to a variety of different sounds across numerous websites which had royalty free sound clips on with a huge amount of variety to pick from. We also encountered problems whilst trying to find the correct music for the credits, as we needed music that was mysterious and solemn. We did find the perfect piece and put it in throughout the credits, however at the end of the credits there was a problem as when the credits ended the music ended abruptly whilst in mid flow, therefore instead of changing the music which we thought was too important to lose, we made the duration of the credits last longer by slowing down the pace at which the credits rolled. This allowed us to end the music at just the right time for maximum effect on the audience without making it look like we blatantly dragged out the credits.

Here are some of the websites we looked at:
http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pir/free_music_loops.shtml
However I felt that this site was the the best as the standard of music was better:
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/
Here are some sound clips we considered:
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?keywords=final+count
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?keywords=exciting+trailer
This is the sound file we used for the opening scenes of our final film:
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?keywords=spider+eyes

4) Filming Process and Recap - Evaluation - How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluationstages?

The programme we used to make our film was Adobe Elements, this was an editing package that allowed us to merge all the different video clips together, with options of layering texts and transitional effects over the top of our film which can be seen throughout. We found this important as it really allowed us the freedom to do what we wanted without worrying about mistakes we had made as they could be easily erased. There was also an option of speeding up the footage which came in handy at certain points also such as the car scene. A vital aspect of the Elements package was that sound could be layered over or in the background of a scene which was necessary in parts as there was dull sounds that could not add suspense and tension on their own. For this post I thought it would be beneficial to show the editing package in the majority of screen shots just to give an idea of the journey we have taken and to show the edits along the majority of shots in the film.

For the final version film our opening scene of just the road that set the scene with cars driving up and down whilst our production studio flashed up "M&M Studios". The setting of the road and cars driving suggests that the film will centre around this point or that the significant and memorable moment will involve a car.

The opening scene was shot on a main road, so that lots of cars could be filmed at one time. We decided on filming on a main road as it stuck with the theme of cars throughout and gave the audience an idea of what was to follow.

M&M Studios then appears in the bottom left corner which was our studio ident, we had it appear like this so that the audience can see it but they are still focusing on the introduction scene.

The same again with Presents however this time in the bottom right corner, it was put in the bottom right for a change up and is also discreet so that the main attention is still on the scene as a whole.

The second scene for the film is where the narrative begins and we are introduced to one of our main characters in the opening shot (Stephen Maguire). The back of him shows no facial expression so the audience are unclear of his state of mind at this point.

Still in the same shot we have the title "The Following" appear next to Stephen and we made it appear as he walked past that point to make it look like the text was following him, so we would stick to that specific trait in the film.

The second shot of the opening scene continues where Stephen is walking alongside the school building, this is the first time the audience see Stephen's face and notice that he is not focused on his surroundings as he is looking down at the floor and is listening to music which means that his attention will not fully be on what is happening around him.

The first shot of the car was along the school drive, we had to get up as much speed as possible to make it look like the car was speeding and also giving it a dangerous and menacing look. 

This is the next camera angle that was used, it was intended to be  from Stephen's perspective just before impact and was also speed up in the editing package so that the audience would get the idea that on the point of impact there would be no chance of survival for Stephen. We felt it important to have a shot of Stephen's perspective before death as the audience would be able to grasp what it would be like in a moment like that.

The next shot is from the drivers perspective (Jack McGrath),  and his view of the event, the way that the victim came out of no where in his eyes, and he could not have done anything to prevent it, we sped this up also to look like the driver was still travelling at speed. 

This reaction shot was of Stephen the split second before his death, this was important as it reflects his last seconds and the audience can really see what he is thinking with the shocked expression over his face.

The blacked out screen after the death shows the drama and devastation that has fallen over these two characters, and also gives the audience a moment to reflect over this.

This shot shows the aftermath of the accident and also confirms the death of Stephen with a focus on his crumpled body.

In this shot Jacks reaction is one of clear shock and devastation, and he does not know what to do as being a driver this is one of the worst situations you can be in. We decided to do a side angle as you can see my facial expressions, but also my body language which is important as it is one of panic. 

The shot following my reaction is where I panic and drive away due to fear and not knowing what will happen to me for hitting him. This was done from a perspective just over where Stephen's body was lying so its still showing the car from above his perspective.

The second scene is still in the aftermath of the death, a couple of days later where the school are still in shock and are grieving Stephen's death. Here are two pupils discussing the death and reminiscing over Stephen.

Guilt stricken and still not coping properly, Jack enter the scene and is tired of everyone going on about Stephen's death but he still debates on whether to come forward and confess or not.

Jack overhears the girls conversation talking about Stephen which puts him in even more of a depressed state of mind.

Jack gets stopped in the corridor and is asked by fellow sixth formers whether he knows anything about Stephen's death and whether he is alright. He quickly avoids these questions and makes up an excuse to get away from the whole situation.

It is clear that the "two weeks later" is an indicator that time is passing and is an attempt at advancing the plot. At this point as directors we could go two ways about this, we could either have made Jacks state of mind take a turn for the worst and him spiral out of control due to the death, or we could have shown him dealing with it, recovering from it and trying to move on with his life. We chose the second option.

In this scene Jack is playing on his games console, trying to put his mind at ease and move on in life from the trauma of Stephen's death. Two weeks on from the event and he appears to be getting over it and is beginning to lead a normal life again. The edits used here are effective in implying that time is passing by as Jack is playing the computer game, we used blur effects and zooms to suggest a passing amount if time to imply a great deal of time passing and we were able to smooth out transitions through the effects, it also gave the effect of a montage which we thought the audience would enjoy.

Jack celebrates scoring a goal by jumping in the air for joy, this implies that the smallest, most trivial thing will please him after what he has been through. It appears that this is the most happiness he has experienced in a long time. 

At this moment in the plot Jack hears a noise out in the hallway, whilst he does not know what the noise was he feels obliged to investigate. To make the noise of the crashing in the hall while Stephen was filming me he slammed the door behind him.

In this shot Jack is leaving the room he was in and is going into the hallway to see what the noise was.

Unable to located the source of the noise in the hallway he ventures upstairs to try and seek where the noise has come from. Throughout these scenes we wanted to build up the tension so it is dead silent and we, throughout these few shots wanted to make it look like Jack was being watched therefore the camera angles are quiet obscurely placed to have the effect that somebody could be based in the house watching him. The "Paranormal Activity" franchise inspired us with the stairs scene as it had similar camera angles on the stairs in the second film and the camera angles worked effectively throughout. Another reason "Paranormal Activity" was an inspiration is that it is a supernatural horror film which has close links with the psychological film genre.

In this shot we have jack walking up the stairs, and we have the camera following him to give the impression he is being followed and that his is not alone in the house.

When he reaches the top of the stairs he thinks that it is the tumble dryer making the noise so he switches it off and carries on to get ready for bed.

Here is a screenshot from "Paranormal Activity 2" which inspired our stair scene with the quirky camera angles.

Whilst he washes it becomes clear that he is being watched in the bathroom behind him. The camera angle insinuates this as it moves along the room, suggesting whoever is watching him is moving along the room, Jack is oblivious to this at this point as he is focused on the wash.

At this point the person who has being watching him is revealed to be Stephen who has come back from the dead to haunt and stalk Jack, trying to give him a guilty conscience for what he has done and make him suffer with it. With this specific camera shot, we had to position the camera over my shoulder but far away enough so that it would not get caught in the line of the mirror, therefore we had to put both camera and tripod in the bath and had to wedge the tripod in so it would not fall over.

"1 Month Later..." was put into the film to suggest how time was passing, still showing jacks journey through dealing with the killing of one of his fellow pupils. It was to give over a message that over the course of the film it would show Jack either being able to handle killing somebody or, on the other hand, his mental state deteriorating and falling into a cycle of depression, when directing and writing the scenes for the film we decided to be realistic and think what would happen if this situation occurred in real life and we felt that the majority of peoples mental states would seriously decline if a traumatic even like this happened.

I decided to not include a screenshot of the last scene as it is an ambiguous scene and is up to the viewers to determine what they think of the ending, what has happened and what the message is, the aim of this film was to get people to think about it afterwards and raise important questions to one another about the elements of the plot and the characters within it.

In the credits we went for a simplistic style of text that credited all the people involved in the film, it had mysterious music in the background to fit in with the film itself.

This was the final studio ident, the one that features in our first scene and at the end of our credits, it is simple but also eye-catching and unique.