Wednesday, 10 December 2014

Preliminary Sequence Evaluation

For the Preliminary Sequence me and my group filmed and edited called "Feed the Fish", we had to film different shots from a wide range of angles testing our skills of continuous editing while provoking the audience to ask questions and it having enigma when it ends, so the audience is in suspense of what will happen next. We used a variety of shots and angles and filmed every shot from at least 3 different angles so we have a range to choose from when we edit it and so it looks as professional as possible and the style of editing would be elegant. We didn't want the clip to have the "Dad with a camcorder" effect, so we used the tripod for some of the shots and didn't only use mid shot. For the first shot we put the camera on the floor. From that shot you could see the girl walking towards it in low angle showing the entire setting behind her such as the rain(weather) and the buildings. There were several shots of her going inside the building using different cuts, so it happens smoothly and continuously. The shots after which were of her going up the stairs showing only her feet which was suspenseful as the audience wouldn't know where she is going, as there is not yet any dialogue. The moment she walks into the door a person leaned against a wall is waiting for her inside and says "Did you feed the fish?" At that point we included a flashback of the moment she "feeds the fish" in black and white to make it look like it happened in the past like a real flashback the character is having. The girl is then pushed on the floor by the person with authority and curls into a ball on the floor indicating that she is physically weaker than the other character. We filmed this at a high angle which emphasises her weakness and the lack of power and authority she has over the other character.


We decided to add some sinister music in the background to make it look ironic and humorous, as in the flashback there was a cardboard fish which was kept inside a box and fed by the main character. The character showed their fear towards the fish by feeding it as quickly as possible after they opened the box, the fish is kept in.
Overall I think that our short film was good, for the time that we had to make it considering we lost our footage and had to reshoot it all in a lesson's time. Some of the cuts weren't as smooth as others but if we had to make it again I would know how to improve it as I received feedback from my teacher and other members of my class.

Friday, 24 October 2014

Film Production, Distribution and Exhibition

Production 
Film Production is when a film or video is shot. The person mainly responsible for production of the film is called a Producer. The producer is not the only one who works on the film's production. Common staff are
photographer, script supervisor, picture editor, sound editor, assistant director etc. Each scene that people take every day is taken while another scene is being prepared, so the production part of film-making is quite wild and busy. The assistant director informs everyone that a take is going to be recorded. A camera operator is the one that shoots the scenes while listening to the director's orders. There is quite a lot of teamwork in production and in film-making in general.

Distribution
Distribution is the final stage of film-making. It is when the film is released in cinemas or directly to DVDs, Blu-rays etc or direct download from a provider. Posters and advertisements are being posted at that stage to promote the coming out of the film. In major films the people who made the film or starred in it are asked to participate in promotional tours and interviews to get a wider range of audience and awareness that the movie is officially out. The largest productions may require more than one promotional tour, in order to gather audiences from different countries or cities. Here is an example of the Hunger Games Premiere which is a part of distribution of the film.


Exhibition 
The exhibition of the film is slightly different to Production or Distribution. It is when the film industry gathers an audience to show the film to and provides it for free mainly for research purposes and also provides popcorn and drinks for them. The film industry would give the audience a survey in the end of the film to give their critical analysis of the film and their likes and dislikes and what could be improved. It is for the purpose of knowing what the target audience actually wants to see on the big screen and which ones would even like to see it again and buy it.