First Lesson
In todays lesson we were assigned the task of planning to film the opening of Juno (1 minute and 5 seconds). We decided as a group to arrange how we would shoot Juno by creating a storyboard which you can see below:

Scene one

Scene one we see Juno from a mid-shot as she walks past a houses entrance whilst being passed by a group of runners (foreground 6-8 seconds). She is being filmed with a tracking shot until the scene is ended and transitioned into the next one (wipe) as she walks past a tree (10 seconds).

Scene two

Scene two we see Juno carry on walking down a street whilst being filmed at a level angle with a steadicam. The scene ends at 14 seconds with wipe transition going from top right to bottom left.

Scene three

Scene three the camera is zoomed out as you see Juno standing in a street with her milk carton with a long shot and steadicam. Juno picks up the milk carton at 15 seconds, followed by her drinking it at 16 seconds. The scene ends at 17 seconds as it makes a wipe transition from left to right. We then see a close up shot of two peoples shoes, one in the back (Juno's) which is walking at one at the front still. The scene ends at 20 seconds with a smooth zoom transition of Junos feet walking in the background.

Scene four

Scene four is a close up, level angle of Junos feet walking in the foreground. In the background at 21 seconds you see a white van drive through the whole location. This shot is a tracking shot with it then transitioning into the next scene by tilting the camera down after 24 seconds.

Scene five

Scene five starts of with a worms eye view of a extreme long shot of a street Juno is walking along. In the background we still see Junos feet from the last scene walking across the Juno from scene five. The scene is filmed by tracking backwards whilst Juno walks towards the camera. The scene then ends at 23 seconds as it wipes bottom left to top right.

Scene six

Scene six is a worms eye view of a lamp post which is zoomed into at the beginning. It is filmed with a steadicam to show birds in the background flying about. The scene then ends at 33 seconds with a straight cut into scene seven.

Scene seven

Scene seven is a level angle/chest height view of Juno walking towards the camera creating a tracking shot. The scene then ends at 38 seconds with a wipe from left to right.

Scene eight

Scene eight is Juno walking along the street past a chair, guitar, box and television with a tracking shot. The shot is filmed with a level angle on Junos feet. This then transitions when the camera tilts up onto the top half of Juno still walking along the street with a slow tracking shot. Throughout this scene Juno is still carrying a milk carton. The scene then ends at 48 seconds by the camera zooming past Junos face to Junos front view of the street with a medium long shot. 

Scene nine

Scene nine we see Juno from behind walking down the street with a steadicam and medium long shot. Juno then drinks from her milk carton at 51 seconds. The scene transitions into scene nine when it wipes from left to right at 55 seconds. 

Scene ten

Scene ten we see a side view of the shop 'Wizard Nails' as Juno walks along the street beside it. The camera shot is taken at mid-shot from a high angle with a steadicam. The scene transitions into the next one with a straight cut at 60 seconds.

Scene eleven

Scene eleven we see Juno walk in front of guitar shop and barbers. The camera is a level angle and mid-shot whilst having a steadicam.

Brief film treatment

Idea:

The genre we was given was action so we knew we wanted to create a tense and explosive prelim, so the idea we came up with was to do a running scene. We then as a group needed to decide the best place to film the prelim and we came up with the idea of doing it at Galleywood common. It has the exact surroundings that we wanted and had the correct space to complete our task. Also as a group we wanted to do something that we knew we could complete and wasn't to complex. So we decided that the best way to make a tense and action packed prelim was to have some sort or running scene.

Title:

The title we ended up with was 'Run' we thought that it summed up the opening scene well and was a catchy title. Its not to complex or complicated and is easy to remember. It also gives the audience an idea of what they will see but doesn't completely give it away.

Script:

You will see from our prelim that we didn't have much of a verbal script, it was mainly for direction and what we were doing. We tried to keep the dialogue down to make our scene look better and more professional, as we are not actors we felt as a group the less dialogue we put into the prelim the better it would turn out to be.

Music:

We knew what kind of music we wanted from the beginning, we wanted something intense and action filled. The music we have in the prelim is non copyright, so it is something different and wont get taken down from YouTube.

Texture analysis

Boyz in the hood:

Camera:
The camera in the first six minutes of the film is very regular, it stays the same for most of the six minutes, other than at the very beginning of the film the camera zooms into the stop sign. It then stays with the children, doing a tracking shot while they have there conversation on the way to school. Through out the rest of the intro it stays pretty regular, but as the two boys have there heated exchange in the class room and then square up to each other it separately zooms into both of their faces. I think this is to create more of a direct message, so you are focused completely on what that character is saying.
Sound:
At the beginning of the six minutes you can hear a gun shot, followed by screaming and police sirens. I think this is done to set the scene for the audience, it shows that its a very dangerous and intimidating environment. You can then hear what sound like a young child saying that it is there brother which has been shot, this could be trying to tell us that no matter what the family is like, due to the environment they are vulnerable to violence and danger. By having a small innocent child having a close connection it seems with the victim it shows us that at this time in America and in these surrounding any family is in danger. After the incident, you then have the children's dialogue and in this they briefly talk about the shooting from the night before. The way they talk about is as if they are used to this kind of incident happening and its no shock to them, one of the children then goes on to talk about how his brother has been shot before. This shows us how tough and deadly their environment is. Once they get into the class and the two children have there argument, you can hear the way they talk to each other and the foul language they use for such young children. Again this shows the environment and surroundings they have been brought up in and how they have reacted to this and feel as though they have to talk to each other like this.
Editing:
The editing of the film is very contrasted, the way in which at the very beginning of the film is dark and loud. You cant see what is happening but due to the sound and what is written in front of you, you know exactly what is happening. Its very violent and dark, but it then changes to a more calm and different setting as it tracks the children's conversation. Towards the end of the six minutes however it then goes back to the violence setting, where the two children end up having a fight in the class room and when one of the children is walking home he walks past the men beating up the one individual. The pace in which they do this is quite quick, they have two violent scenes in six minutes.
Mise en Scene:
The clothes of the children at the beginning is rather normal, there all wearing trainers and regular clothing, one of the children is wearing a jumper and smart trousers, this could suggest he is more intelligent. As it progresses to the end of the intro of the film you see one of the mothers of the children, she is dressed very well, this could suggest to us that she has a better living than a lot of the people in the area or again is more intelligent. The lighting starts very dark during the very beginning as they play the gun fire and screaming, but once it gets to the children's discussion the lighting is back to normal day time and is quite bright. It stays like this throughout the rest of the 6 minutes even while they are in the class room it stays bright. The setting of the whole opening six minutes is very dull and rundown. There is bin bags left out everywhere and all the windows are open in the background, this shows how the area is dirty and perhaps this is the reason the windows are all open. As the six minutes progresses they then get to a crime scene, this shows the setting to be very dangerous and deadly. There are also gun shots in the walls and the surroundings in this particular part are smashed up and broken. Once you get to the class room the camera shows a wall where the young children have made drawings. The drawings which they have drawn are all of gun shootings and other violent events, this again shows how they have been brought up and what they are used to.

Film Language techniques

Cape fear:

Cady's release:

 

Todays lesson was about recognising the key Film Language techniques; Camera, Editing, Sound and Mise en Scene in film opening clips and Cady's release is a great example of how they are used in every single media text. 

Firstly the props used in the opening scene are pictures of powerful leaders and a symbol of religion is shown which is a paradox because they are both in contrast with each other. Cady's tattoos also display contrast by the use of weighing scales that show Justice and Truth. 

The setting of the clip is clearly a prison and is stereotypical because the cell shown is tight and everything looks very cramped in, this is done by the use of the camera tracking backwards. Clouds and Thunder rumbles over the prison when Cady leaves showing the dark and gloomy setting.  

The other prisoners are completely silent and stare at Cady when he's leaving which signifies he was a big figure in the prison and also shows he is centre of attention and main character instantly from the very first scene. When the security guard speaks it is one of the very few diegetic speaking moments, and from this we can take away ideas of why this is. "Its the moment you've been waiting for" the security guard says which suggest Cady has been there a long time, following this when he is asked by another security guard if he would like to take his books he replies with a no. From this as an audience we can suggest that in the prison only the security guard speak which shows the clear authority they have. Furthermore when he decides that he is not going to take his books with him, it is like he's leaving his past behind him and wants to move positively into the future which is a paradox again because his facial expressions and body language do not connote this. 

Audience

What do the following words mean:

Film?

A story or event captured by a camera

Movie?

A story or event captured by a camera and shown to others, usually produced by a motion picture.

Cinema?

A place for people to go and watch new films.

Industry?

The technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking. These include teams for production, screenwriting, etc.

My Top Ten Films:

1. Shawshank Redemption

2. Superbad

3. Warrior

4. American Pie

5. The Hurricane

6. Wolf of wall street

7. Star Wars 3, Revenge of the sith

8. This is the end

9. Horrible bosses

10. Green street hooligans

What do they have in common?

With the films I have chosen there isn't actually that much in common overall. There is a mixture of dramas, comedies and true stories. One similarity between the comedies is that they are all the same stupid, relaxing comedy that you don't always need to be completely focused on while watching it. This is why I enjoy them so much I can put them on in the background and you can still enjoy the film and not get confused or lost in the story line.

How do you find out about a film?

I usually find out about a film through my friends or family, or if its a large mainstream film I will usually find out about it through TV adverts or the adverts before I watch a film at the cinema.

What makes you want to see a film?

The actors play a large part in whether I want to see the film, for example if a film has Jonah Hill or Tom Hardy in it I would usually like to watch it as I have enjoyed the other films I have seen them in. Another reason that makes me want to watch a film due to the kind of film it is or if the trailer makes it seem appealing.

How do you know what to expect from a film?

The trailer gives an idea of what to expect from the film I am going to watch, another thing that gives me an idea is if people I know go to watch it. I am usually curious about how the film is and that is how I get an idea of what to expect from the film.

What are you paying for when you buy a cinema ticket/rent a DVD?

I am expecting to get my moneys worth and have an enjoyable experience watching the film,

Where do you watch films?

I usually watch films in my room on Netflix or somewhere else on the internet, usually putlocker.

Are there some films you have to see at the cinema?

Not particularly I usually just wait for them to come out on DVD or on the internet, but for some films such as the new star wars I will have to watch in the cinema.  

How many industries can you name?

Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Paramount, Disney, Lionsgate and MGM.

Feedback for film idea

Positive Feedback People said they liked our logo for "TMTM" and that it suited our movie industry theme. "TMTM"'s them is Mystery/Horror. Our logo represents this perfectly because you have the gloomy grey background which looks like its out of a horror film and a dark hooded figure in the middle of the picture with his back turned. This also shows mystery because you start asking questions to yourself like........ Why is he standing in the middle of no where?.......... Why is he hooded? Is he trying to hide his identity?..............Why has he got his back turned? People also liked that we based the characters around the same age of the target audience. This can help the audience relate with the characters. Our title may not be original, but our storyline defiantly is. No other movie has had a house randomly teleport to out of space. This is also a way of showing that the characters are imprisoned within the house. People think San Francisco was the perfecting setting for the house because it is a family friendly area and the perfect place to bring up a child. They think that the setting is realistic.


Negative Feedback
Some people said that we needed to change the title because it was generic and not original. We decided to keep the title though because as a group we liked our title and we thought it suited the film. Some people found our budget unrealistic, which is fair enough because it was a little. But our movie is meant to be a top budget blockbuster. This means our budget can be unrealistic. Also people think we would never get all the actors and actresses into the film because they would all want to play main parts and in our movie there is only two main parts. People think there would be friction between the actors and actresses. People thought that the films message isn't original and that it will be like every other film. This means that this film may not stand out from other films, but we needed it to because it is a big budget blockbuster and we need to make as much money back as possible.

Film creation