Evaluation Question 7

Looking back at your pre-lim task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

As I state in the above biteable presentation I believe that this is a far greater attempt at filming compared to the prelim task that I did. One of the reason I believe that this film went much better than the prelim was that we had less group members to argue with. What I mean by this is that when we first filmed our prelim two members of our group weren't focused when filming which lead to the entire group losing focus which could be seen as we our prelim was much shorter compared to other groups prelim as we had to re film most shots at the last minute. Because of this when the two members of our group left me and Callum focus much more on making the film which lead to a far better film being produced.

Prelim

Final film

Furthermore, one of the most notable things about my new film is the improved quality of the acting and the music in the background. Firstly, the acting has improved greatly since the prelim this can mainly be seen through the callum. In the prelim picture Callum's walking looks unnatural as if his arms are fixated to sides because they barely move when he walks making his movement            look lifeless and robotic. Now looking at Callum in the picture from the final film he looks his movement looks a lot more natural compared to the prelim his arms move more fluently when he walks making him look more realistic. Furthermore, Callum in the final film is playing a much more serious role (spy) than in the prelim film (college student) which can be seen in the way that he acts because he moves slower keeping his head down trying to look smaller so he would be harder to see.

In addition, I also mention in the biteable presentation that the video quality has improved and what I mean by this is that I spent far more time editing to make the quality of the film better by adding more smooth transitions between each shot (cross dissolves, fade in/out). Another thing that I also did was use colour correction to make the scenes brighter/darker to make the location seem more sinister and The Infiltrator isolated as if the darkness around him is getting closer and closer.

Evaluation Question 6

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

When I started creating my film opening I had very little knowledge using editing software like  IMovie and Final Cut Pro as they were very complex compared to the software I'd used in the past. However overtime I learnt different techniques when using them for example in Final Cut Pro I learnt how to separate parts of the audio to balance the audio better which was one of the targets when I made my Prelim task.

Colour correction tool

Also, one of the most important techniques I learnt was when I was using audacity were I found out how to give voices a static effect making them sound like they were talking over a radio. This allowed me to make the voice of The Observer sound more professional as he never appears in the film but is always talking to The Infiltrator through an earpiece. Also, another important editing technique that I used was the colour correction tool as it allowed me to make scenes darker, brighter and add colour filters to make scenes more effective. This can be seen throughout the film I have made the shots darker and added a blue filter to make the main character look more isolated from everyone else. This was done to reflect his situation as he a hostile location where he will have no backup.

When we were filming the type of camera that we used was a HXR-NX5R which is similar to cameras that are used by large film studios when filming. Whats good about using this camera is that it has a built in microphone so that it can clearly pick up any voices and background noises so that they sound very clear. However this does also mean that almost any background sounds will be picked up and some of them may not be wanted. Another benefit about using the camera is that it has a built in touch screen to navigate around the camera so that we could quickly and efficiently view the shots that we had just taking and easily delete them if we had to re shoot

The camera also allowed filming to be done in HD quality meaning the footage looked clear even when filming from afar this was good as it meant even the smallest of details in each shot looked as detailed as if they being zoomed in on. And speaking of zoom the camera had a zoom function that could be toggled to make the zoom faster and slower this was useful when we were filming as I could track callum from a distance by zooming on him instead of getting up to follow him which may of made the footage look shaky.

When me and Callum were in the same shot together we used a tripod to place the camera on so that we could set up the recording in advance and film with both of us in the scene at the same time. What was also good about the tripod was that it allowed us to pan the camera to so that it could follow the characters when they were going around a corridor or walking around a room without moving the camera with our hand which could also cause shaky footage. Also, the legs on the tripod could have their heights adjusted which was useful when filming so that the camera would be on equal level to the characters in the shot.

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Click link if prezi doesn't play: https://prezi.com/jjut3erlhqyj/present/?auth_key=kjzoivs&follow=jmb5p2welh4x&kw=present-jjut3erlhqyj&rc=ref-251646385

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Link to prezi if it doesn't appear: https://prezi.com/suv_qoqcitzc/present/?auth_key=vcr66eu&follow=jmb5p2welh4x&kw=present-suv_qoqcitzc&rc=ref-251646385

Evaluation Question 3

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

As you can see in the above biteable video the two institutions that we choose to distribute our film are both located in America however this however you may notice that our film is produced in Britain which can be seen as all the actors in the film our british. Because of this our is a British and American co production (a conglomerate) the benefits of this would be that our film would get distributed globally faster than if we were on our own.  Also, other co produced films between America and England have also been very successful an example of this would be Skyfall (2012) which made $1.109 billion  and the Harry Potter film franchise which has made $8,533,417,386 altogether. This tells me that my film has potential of being a worldwide blockbuster.

The two institutions that I have chosen (Sony pictures and Lions Gate) have both made very successful films. Firstly Sony pictures has made The Amazing Spider man 1 & 2 which made $464,884,596 world wide and Lions gate has made the Hunger games series which has made $1,451,538,526 worldwide. This tells me that Lions Gate has made far more money with their film franchise compared to Sony pictures, because of this I believe that my film may be more successful if I chose to have Lions Gate distribute my film. My film would be released in IMAX but no 3D this is because IMAX will make my film look much higher quality which will make it more enjoyable for my audience. On the other hand the reason that i'm not using 3D is because aside from the P.O.V shots in my film their isn't any clips that would make my film look much better in 3D.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups


When viewing my groups film opening you may notice that the characters within the film either conform or subvert with stereotypes that the characters are based on. One of the issues when filming was that as half of our group left we were the only ones left to film, edit and act because of this we feared that their would be a lack of diverse characters (ethnicity, gender, etc) in our film and we tried to work around this by adding characters who are never seen (The Observer) which I then edited their voices to make them sound more different compared to other characters.

One of the theories that I used was Levi Strauss's Binary opposite theory. This was because I wanted the audience to identify the hero and the villain of the film easily which is why I tried to make The Hunter the exact opposite of The Infiltrator. This can be seen as The Hunter shown to be mysterious and sinister as his face is hidden and can appear to be anywhere he wants to be making him seem to be very powerful. On the other hand we see The Infiltrator the silent spy who wears dark coloured clothes allowing him to sneak around without being noticed this suggests he's a professional at what he does. He also, at the end of the film charges at The Hunter showing us that he doesn't fear getting killed making him look brave and fearless which shows the audience that he is the hero.

Firstly the Callum's role as The Infiltrator takes inspiration from the hero role which means he is shown as being strong, brave and fearless another popular spy genre character who fits this role is James Bond from the James Bond films. This can be scene throughout the opening he shows that he can overcome the obstacles in his way such as hiding from The Hunter when he is tricked into activating the alarm showing that he never panics even when the odds are against him. However I didn't want him to be an exact copy of the hero stereotype which would show him as being far more powerful than all the other characters making the villains not seem lie a threat to him.

One of the ways that I made him subvert from this was adding scenes to make him seem weaker and more like a real person. These were when he questions if The Hunter is someone he knows only to be informed that that person died long ago where he sadly replies making us sympathize with him. The other scene were I made him look weaker is the ending when he is shot by The Hunter and his fate is left unknown this was done to show the audience that The Infiltrator is still human and not some unstoppable force which was also to make him look weaker and more realistic as getting shot would stop most people in their tracks.

The Observer who was voiced by Luke shows traits of the helper role as throughout the opening however one of the main things about him is that we know nothing about him it except his gender this was done to make him have a more mysterious vibe coming from him as he is aware of what is going on around him directing The Infiltrator to the USB sticks location but is still confused by the alarm catching him off guard.

In contrast, the character played by Luke The Hunter definitely conforms with the role of stereotypical villain. This is because he wears a hoodie hiding his face making him seem more mysterious as his identity is unknown. He also when he first appears catches The Infiltrator off guard showing him as more stronger than the hero of the film.

When creating the characters I took inspiration from other spy films such as Skyfall (2011) and Casino Royale (2006) as they were two very successful action/stealth films so I took inspiration from some of the camera angles from the films opening to make my film look more dramatic. One of the biggest inspirations from my film was the Metal Gear Solid video game series mainly the characters interactions with each other as I based The Infiltrator and The Observer on the characters Solid Snake and Otacon  who helps guide snake throughout facility when they meet each other. The Hunter also shares takes some inspiration from the villains seen in the Metal Gear Solid games as they are usually spies, mercenaries who have special abilities which can be seen through The Hunter as he can seemingly appear out of nowhere which is an ability the character Psycho Mantis does in the games.

Evaluation Question 1

In what way does your media products use, develop or challenge forms & conventions of real media products

Comparing my film to other professionally made spy films I believe that my film conforms with many of their conventions. Firstly, the story in many spy films usually start with the agent already on a mission which we find out about as the opening progresses. This can be seen in my film as well as The Infiltrator has already started his mission when the films starts however my film explains his mission all in one go, this is seen in my film when The Observer first talks to The Infiltrator, unlike other spy films were we find out what the protagonists task is while they are doing it. For example, if an agents task is to retrieve information we the audience would find this out when the agent actually collects the information.

However one thing that I did to challenge the conventions of real spy films was that I have the protagonist of the film presumably killed by the antagonist this makes the audience wonder what is going to happen next as they believe that the films hero is dead making them wonder if this is the films ending being shown to use and the film is going to explain how we got here or if that character really wasn't the films protagonist and that it's going to be someone who wishes to avenge him. This is not seen in many spy films with an being the opening of Skyfall (2011) as James Bond is shot by a sniper on a train and the opening credits show him falling into the river below.

The Hunter

Also, some of the characters in the film opening conform with character roles created by Propp's. This can be seen with the character The Observer who conforms with the character archetype  of the dispatcher and the helper. This is because throughout the film he helps the hero by telling him the location of the intel and how he should get to it. This conforms to the archetype as the helper./dispatcher is always their to assist the hero no matter what situation they are in.
Another character that fits one of the character archetypes is The Hunter who conforms with the villain role. This is because he is mysterious, powerful and has a hatred towards the hero. He is also one of the few who matches the hero in power showing that they are equals

On the technical side of creating the film I took a lot of inspiration from many other spy film. This is because I wanted to see how they filmed to make certain shots effective. For example a low angle shot is commonly used to make characters look stronger however in the spy genre it can also be used to simulate someone looking up. While I didn't use a low angle shot I used a high angle shot when The Infiltrator is going up the stairs so that it looks like someone is looking down on him as he slowly starts climbing the stairs until he walks right pass the camera. Furthermore, I also used close up shots on when The Infiltrator is looking at things to emphasize the item making them look detailed. This can be seen when I use an over the shoulder shot of The Infiltrator holding the USB stick, while this isn't technically a close-up shot the shot is done to emphasize the USB stick so the audience realises that something's not right.

Over the shoulder shot

The music that we used is also conventional of the Spy genre. This can be seen as the first piece of music that we used is quiet but eerie creating suspense this was done to connote with the character he is sneaking around a building and if he is caught the results could be catastrophic (gets killed) so the music represents this feeling the next piece of music is used when The Infiltrator is cornered by The Hunter and just barely escapes with the music kicking in immediately. This was done to show that The Infiltrator is no longer safe he is being hunted down by a mysterious killer who could appear from anywhere and the music shows this by being loud and intense creating tension as it makes the audience wonder what is going to happen next.

One of the more noticeable things in my film is that in-between the two music tracks there is an ambient silence as The Infiltrator slowly looks up seeing a mysterious hooded man standing there and then an ominous sound plays as his face is revealed. This was done to make his first appearance more sinister as when the music cuts out the audience wonders what is going to happen next only for them to realise what is going on when they see the man standing there.

Film location storyboard

Film Storyboard

By using the website storyboardthat.com I created a storyboard for my film. However, when using storyboardthat.com I realised that I could only use the images already on the website which limited what I could do so some shots will look very different when we film the final piece.

Preproduction 3 Shot test

Shot Test

Long shot: This shot is used to show the characters entire body it can be used to show a characters entire costume and part of the scene. In the action genre it may be used to show a character who is far away which can be used to convey the theme of fear as they are so far away we don't know if they are good or bad.

Mid shot: Is used to show a characters upper body it may be used during conversations if the character is using their hands will talking such as trying to describe something. However it can be used to show of a characters costume as well. In the action genre this type of may be used to reveal a character for the first time as we get a close look on the detail of their costume.

Close-up: This type of shot is used to show the characters face, usually, the facial expressions of the character. It's used to show show how the character is feeling throughout the film such as conversations. This is used in action films to show increase the tension in the scene which corresponds with the character emotions (if the character shows signs of fear it will make the audience worry)

Extreme Close-up: This type of shot is used to show a very close-up shot of a characters face usually only a specific part of it like the eyes. In an action film it can be used to show the characters eye dilating because of the character gets an adrenaline rush or is scared by something.

Over the shoulder: This type of shot is used to show us what the character can see from over their shoulder. This is normally seen during conversations so that it looks like we are right next to them talking. This is also what an over the shoulder shot is used for in an action film to show facial expressions of characters in a conversation scenes.

P.O.V: This type of shot is also called a Point Of View shot and just like its name it involves the camera showing us what the character is seeing at that time putting us in their shoes. This type of shot is used in action films to create suspense as we are seeing what the character is seeing. so if the character is hiding from someone it will create tension as we wonder if he will get caught

Low angle: This type of shot is used to make characters have a higher level of power compared to other characters in the scene by having the camera film them from a lower angle than normal. This is used a lot in the action genre as it can be used to make the protagonist and antagonist look more powerful than the other characters in the scene.

High angle:This shot is the opposite to the low angle shot as it is used to make characters look weaker by having the camera look down on the characters. This is seen in action films when the hero meets the villain as a high angle shot will be used on the hero to make them look intimidated.

Mid long shot: This type of shot is in between a long shot and a mid shot and like those shots it's normally used to reveal a character for the first time. Because they are similar to mid and long shots they are also seen in the action genre