Art of Title (Keyframes) - 1

1. Costumes and Props - This clip shows the cop and one of the thugs. The cop (foreground) is hard as nails. So I gave him a leather jacket and a beanie hat to hide his face. The rest of his outfit is hidden from view in his shot. The other man (the thug) I put in a shirt and jeans. This gave him a 'bouncer' style look. Which I also gave to the other thug. He is holding a pistol finishing off the thug/aggressive look.

2. Visual Effects - This shot is when my main cop shoots his pistol. I used detonation films to get a gun shot muzzle flash and used AfterEffects to make it look like it was coming out of the gun barrel. A couple of seconds later the bullet fired from the gun flies into the screen. Again, I used AfterEffects to create this effect.

3. Typography - This image is taken from the credits at the very start of the sequence. I added some animation to it. In this the 'Xander Matthews'' moves left and the 'Film' moves right. I used AfterEffects to make all of the titles for my film.

4. Transitions - This is a shot that continues throughout the film. It separates the other shots that are fast and loud. It has an eery silence about it which gives the other shots much more impact. I decided to class it as a transition because I use it as a bridge between the other shots.

5. Lighting - This was the shot where the camera is looking down on the cop badge. It was actually surprisingly hard to get the shot right, as the lighting was often wrong and it took us a few shots to get the writing on the badge in focus. But adjusting the position of the badge and using a coat to create a bit of a shadow, we were able to make the shot work. The rest of the film was shot entirely using natural light.

6. Setting - This shot represents the setting of our piece nicely as is shows the type of location we were filming in. It was a grotty, half run-down car park that looked on it's last legs. I chose the shot because of the dirty steps, and cracked walls that gives the audience the feeling of this depressed, broken atmosphere.

7. Framing - I like the framing of this shot. It took me a while to set it up to get both sides of the wall. I first filmed it with only one side of the wall in view of the camera. However I decided that this shot didn't really represent the urgency of the character as: A. The audience didn't see him running for long enough and B. The fact you couldn't exactly see where he was running to didn't give the audience a big enough sense of urgency. In this shot you can see both sides of the wall to give the impression of it being just another alley-way. It makes them think that there is no escape as they can see the character just continuing to run down the same road/pathway.

8. Camera Movement - This was a very hard tracking shot to film. It involved a lot of tracking fast camera movement. We eventually decided that we would just run with the camera. We had to film it several times to get it right and it didn't turn out perfectly but it definitely wasn't bad. Also, the shakiness of the camera added to the urgency and desperation I was trying to portray, so it turned out rather well.

9. Narration - In the film there was no narration read. However, this clip describes some of the story-line. A lone cop on a bench minding his own business but being confronted by two thugs. Even though there is no actual sound of talking in the film, this is the shot (along with the ones straight after it) that best represents what the people are feeling.

Similar Characters - 2

These are similar characters that I have tried to make my main cop like. They are all Ethically driven hard cop type people who strive to make things right. The image of Clive Owen (bottom) sitting on the bench is slightly similar to my main character. 

Opening Sequence with commentary... - 3

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

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Feedback from Jake and Jim - 4

Today Jake and Jim (who have successfully directed and written several television adverts and music videos) came into our class and watched our projects. After watching them they gave us some feedback. They said the following about my video:


They thought that my video shouldn't have mixed credit styles. For example, my video has animated credits and static credits, live action and against-black-background credits. Their thoughts were that I should pick one type/style and use that. They liked the credits I put on the wall. So in future I might use those kind of credits (integrated onto objects from the live footage style).

They liked the cuts from the diagetic sound to silence, along with the credits. This is also my favourite bit of the sequence (between 0:40 and 1:35). The sounds of the feet running, and then the silence goes nicely to make the sequence.

Technology I used... - 6

Note: Click on the images to read the text!

What I learnt from the continuity task - 7

Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Finished Film Project:

to...

Finished Continuity Task:

to...
You can see by the images above that there are similarities between them. When making the continuity project I learnt how to keep time when switching shots. This was practiced in Final Cut Express. The cutting of the footage so that it interlinked well with the next section. In the continuity task there was a scene where James is trying to close the door (which is a medium shot of him and shows his whole body) and a shot of Matt H staring on in disbelief and depression at how 'nerdy' he is (which is a close up shot of his face).

This is similar to the shot that I had in my finished Film Opening Project. When the thug stops to intimidate the cop. There is a similar sequence of shots. I used the knowledge that I gained on the continuity task to keep the time and make the sequence look better. 

Invoice Information Clouds

The characters

Character 1:


Main - Sebastian Fox. An undercover cop for several years, hardened by all the things he is seen. He is very good at what he does and keeps himself to himself. Is very quiet, but unusually clever. Is good with words and has a way of working himself out of situations. At the beginning of the film is in a relationship with a woman whome he cares about very much and would die to protect. He doesn't tollerate anyone who throws their weight around, uses weapons to intimmidate or is impolite. He has a strct moral code which he finds he may have to break in the course of the film. Is working undercover for a terrorist organization run by Max Scarr, the most notorious criminal/terrorist in the city.



Character 2:


Bad Thug - Kirk Smithson (Viewer never finds out name.) A man who is everything Fox isn't, and all he hates. Enjoys intimmidating people and loves to execute people who show fear towards him. Is a hired grunt and is easily distracted. Hired by Max Scarr to assasinate Eli Matterson. Unknown to Fox about the connection, Smithson is killed at the beginning of the film by Fox. This sets off the course of events which leads to Fox being discovered.




Character 3:

Good character - Eli Matterson. A buisnessman who has been handed with a brefcase containing a deadly toxin. He is asked to take the breifcase to a specified location with a aid of a convoy. The two thugs hit the convoy and kill everyone escorting him. This gives him time to make a breif getaway but is followed closely behind by the two thugs. This is when the film starts. He becomes friends with Fox and is seen a bit in the film helping him to bring down Scarr. Below is the only photograph taken of him. It was taken by a terrorist agent trying to discover his identity. He snapped the photograph and tried to run. He was killed but not before he wired the photograph into Scarr's possesion. With this photo he tracked down Matterson, and sent two ment to kill him. (The thugs)

Character 4:

Bad/Good Thug - John Hughes. Quite a tall person. Hughes starts off the film as a hired thug working with Smithson to kill Matterson. He is shot by Fox, but Fox spares him. After the event he is re-hired by Scarr and told to kill Fox. When the opportunity presents itself he shows more compassion than him profile suggests and pays Fox the same respect he showed him by saving his life. He continues to work with Fox to bring down Scarr, is killed near the end of the film by one of Scarr's men.

Evaluation

Some of the shots I included in this film were inspired by; 28 Weeks Later (The short tracking shots), Shoot 'Em Up (The slow zoom of man sitting down) The Usual Suspects (The side track of the feet), James Bond films (The style of music. Guitar heavy and powerful riffs) and some shots that I can't remember where I got them from, but I know some of which were inspired by a program/film that I have seen. (Such as the bullet flying into the screen and the zoom in on the police badge).

I have clear social groups in the film. The first being the man in a suit. He is represented as a buisness man because of his dress, and the breifcase he is carrying confirms this whilst also creating intruigue for the audience by the fact he is holding it in a protective stance. (Arms wrapped around it).

The second social group being the thugs chasing him. I have given them a bouncer type look by placing them in casual trousers, but putting shirts on their top-half therefore giving them that casual/smart look. The actors for those parts were chosen as they are the fastest sprinters. This makes the scene where you see the man in the suit and the thugs chasing him all in one shot have more tension.

The final social group is the cop. He is off duty and looks run-down and scruffy. His leather jacket represents him as being quite tough and the hat he wears so he can hide himself, and give him more of an 'undercover' look. His braveness in the face of danger is represented when one of the thugs comes up to him and cocks his gun. He reveals no trace of fear and stares him in the eyes with a dead pan face.

My target audience for the film are all males. Between the ages of 15 and 50. The film was designed to take the mickey of its own genre. A hard-nut cop who has to make the hardest decision of his life whilst getting involved in a copious number of gunfights along the way. It if a film made just for fun, and for people to enjoy and laugh at, whilst bringing some emotion into the madness. The film industry I would imagion to distribute would be one that focuses just such a genre.

My audience is attracted primerily by the fact that a gun is fired and someone is killed within the first three minutes of the film. Also by the form of editing style making the fast cuts from loud noise to silence and then back to loud noise exciting for those watching. It makes the audience see that something is about to happen and that their thirst for action will be satified soon.

I have very much improved my skills with Final Cut Express and After Effects in the making of the film. I was helped by some and worked some things out for myself in the editing process. When working things out for myself I found I gained a much better insight into how to do it, however from lack of time, sometimes I had to ask someone who knew how to help me.

From the continuity task I learnt a lot. I realised that in the footage on it's own there were some bits that didn't work with the flow of the sequence and I cut out. Such as I found I had a bit of footage which showed the thugs running from right to left rather than vice versa. I got rid of this footage as it completely destroyed the continuity of the sequence.

Finished Project

Full Story Line

Sebastian Fox is an undercover cop. One of the toughest nuts in the box. He is working to unhinge a crime organization led by Max Scarr. All seems to be going well, when he is discovered and his life as he knows it goes down the drain. His strong sense for fighting for good conflicts horribly with his concience and self preservation when Scarr forces him to chose between the fate of the city, and the woman he loves.

What would you chose?

My rough cut version of my introduction sequence...

This is the rough cut of my film. I need to add some sound (and get rid of some sound in other parts). I also want to adjust the effects and possibly reorder/change the credits (for example, I want to change the name of the film). So far I have used almost all of my footage. I think it turned out rather well, other than some of the footage being a bit jolty.

The silence is nice in some points too, and I think the simple sound of the feet improves the overall feel. I want to add music/sound to the first fourty seconds or so of the video, and also at the end. I'm also looking to add some more to the very end of the video, to give an outro, to the intro so to speak.

I need to fix the alignment of the credits with the video as well. (For example, on the scene with the stairs, the credits come in a fraction of a second before the black background comes in.

Three tips for future filming.

1. Never trust your friends' availability schedule. Some people will always let you down.

2. Feel free to have the ability to deviate from the story-board a bit more. It's only a guideline.

3. Keep a level of realism when planning your shots. However, don't be too restrictive/restraining of your own abilities.

My 'picture'.

Everything was picture perfect at the point where I was at my filming location, I had all of my actors and crew in position, and had just hit record. I was sitting on a skateboard, being gently rolled forwards. I had the camera in my hand which was looking at Max (my main character). The rolling motion creating a slow zoom, rather than just using the cameras digital zoom.

It was cold and the weather was perfect for what I wanted to achieve. The location gave the grotty feel I was looking for. The camera worked perfectly and afterwards the results were brilliant.

Credits I'm going to use

The following are the credits (hopefully in order) that I'm going to use for my introduction sequence.

David Cage (Actor)
Birth of Ending (Name of film)
Pippa Heath (Actor)
Donnie Kruger (Actor)
Oliver Waston (Actor)
Blinky Jones (Actor)
Casting by Max Phillips C.S.A. (Casting)
Music by Leon Light-Lopez (Music)
Costume Designer Matthew McAndrews (Costume)
Production Designer Josh Hamilton (Production Design)
Edited by Alexander Matthews.(Editing - Note, says 'Edited', not 'Editor')
Director of Photography Christopher Lite (Photography Director)
Executive Producer Tom Piper (Production)
Dean Walker Co-producer (Production - Note, name and job swap sides)
Produced by Andrew Reefe (Production)
Directed by Xander Whitcombe (Director)

Animatic

This is the animatic I made out of the storyboard I drew. Due to a lack of time (in which I lost the first version of my animatic) I didn't have time to put sound or credits on it. I planned it to start with my Long Road logo and my production company logo. I was then going to place credits on the screen representing how they would appear in the actual sequence. I plan to still do this at some point in the coming weeks.

Mood Board

This is the mood board I created for my film opening sequence.

Gun Prop and Street samples

Below are two pictures I just took of one of the pistols I will be using in the sequence. *Note: It's not real.*

There are some street samples that I want. The top one is just the sort of thing I was looking for. Now I just need to find a street like that with a bench...

Props...

I am looking for a dark figure for my main character. Ideal for this would be a leather jacket/Matrix style trench coat. Dark jeans (possibly black) and black shoes. I will also need a battered wallet, and something that represents a police badge.

For the injured buisness man, I will be needing a suit. I also need to be able to tear up that suit. He may also have a breifcase (to add more mystery to it). As the camera will be slightly far away I won't be putting any blood on him, but just in case I change my mind, the mixture would be: Golden syrup, red food colouring and water.

For the two 'chasers' they should be dressed dark, but fassionably. They should also have a hint of smartness about them, such as a shirt on.

For three of the characters I will also be needing guns. I have two already, and possibly a third, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Issues with filming my sequence:

Nuisances:

- Getting ill would cause me to miss more time from the project.
- Keeping my crew/actors happy and motivated while filming.
- Organising groups of people is suprisingly hard. This may mean that when I come to shoot, I encounter problems.

Minor Concerns:

- How well the people in my crew can act will significantly affect the outcome and overall look of my film.
- The lack of cameras may result in not being able to film as much, or for as long as I would like.
- Weather conditions (such as recent snow) may cause college to be shut for further periods of time, causing us to fall behind.
- When I film, weather conditions on the day/night might change how the film looks when filmed.