MAIN Post 12.7: Question 7

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

Overall, I felt that as a group we managed to look back on our preliminary task and take note of our errors and then when it came to filming and editing our main task we were able to improve on them and develop them a lot better than previous. Also, when editing we were a lot more comfortable with the process and that meant that we were able to get it done quicker, efficiently and to a better standard than previous. Our main task ‘Contamination’ was improved dramatically compared to the preliminary task as in our preliminary task we lost some of our footage and had to re-film. Therefore this caused us some problems which could of been avoided if we took more care. Although we took a few days to film our main task, the shots were a lot better than previously as we were organised and took more effort to perfect them. Overall, our main task flowed a lot better and the shots went well together and with careful editing we allowed this to look the best that we could.

MAIN Post 12.6: Question 6

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

MAIN Post 12.5: Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?
We decided as a group we needed to attract our audience to our film in more than one way. Together we decided that we needed to use different techniques in order to do so. We wanted to have our audience guessing and on their toes throughout wondering what may happen next. Using these techniques I think that we managed to keep our audience engrossed throughout and then allowed them to constantly wonder what might happen next and to carry on watching.

MAIN Post 12.4: Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?


Our target audience is 12A, which means anyone over the age of 12 and below if their parents approve. We decided on this age because of the research that we had done into the genre of action adventure films in our pre-production. We found that most action adventure films were either 12 or 12A so then we decided that this would also be the right audience to target our film towards.



From our pre-production we conducted a survey in order to come to a decision of what genre film to produce. We gave this survey to a number of students aged 16-18 and they placed action adventure as their second best genre type of film. This gave as an idea that perhaps action adventure would be best to go with as it is favourable in different audience ages.



We used a young male actor as the main character to make it more appealing to a teenage/younger audience which would arguably be the audience who would more than likely watch the film, this is because our research has gave us this impression.



Therefore, our target audience is spread across a number of ages from teen to young adult this allows us to have a varied audience and not excluded any age groups. This would allow us to, if this film was produced entirely, to gain as much profit as possible via the different types of audience that we could attract.

 

MAIN Post 12.3: Question 3

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


I did some research into what film production companies would be best to distribute our film. Firstly I looked at one of the Big Six studios, Warner Brothers, however then I decided to look at a British company, Vertigo Films. I also researched how an independent production company like this would fund their films.

MAIN Post 12.2: Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

MAIN Post 12.1: Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Main Post 12a: Evaluation - Audience Feedback

Here is a rough cut of our opening sequence for 'Contamination.'

We produced a rough cut of our opening sequence and then went out to our target audience and asked them to watch it and give us feedback and their opinions of the footage we had. We filmed this and watched it back which help as it gave us an idea if our opening sequence was going to be appealing to our target audience so their opinions mattered in helping us to develop our film opening sequence.

Here is the first feedback that we got for our rough cut.




Fiona asked 3 students, who would be our target audience, a few questions regarding our opening sequence.  They included

• What were your initial thoughts after watching?
• What do you think was the best part?
• Do you suggest any improvements?
• Would you've done any thing different?

As a group we watched the feedback of the rough cut and found it a great help as we were then able to see faults in our film that we didn't entirely notice before. We therefore took note of their feedback as they're our main target audience and the film needed to appeal to them.

Moreover, we managed to adjust our opening sequence effectively by switching around different shorts to allow our sequence to flow better. We also added a range of different typography to make it look a lot more professional. Also we found a copyright soundtrack that we thought suited the footage. All these changes allowed us to improve our opening sequence effectively.

Here is the final cut of our opening sequence for 'Contamination'



Once we had finished our final cut for 'Contamination' we then went and got feedback from more of our target audience. We wanted to know their negative and positive opinions to know weather or not we had appealed to, who we had hoped, our target audience of 12 and above. Fiona then asked a range of different questions to two groups of students and also an older audience to allow us to know if our opening sequence filled its purpose of targeting all above 12. The questions that she asked were:

• What were your initial thoughts after watching?
• Where do you think the film would go from this/
• Would you do anything different?
• If so, what?
• Overall do you think our film would be good?

Here is some of our feedback from our final cut of 'Contamination'

Overall we received some positive feedback and constructive criticism which we have taken on board and allowed us to see the good and the bad in our opening sequence. This has also gave us an idea of, if we could film it again, how we could improve it to be better.

MAIN Post 11: Final Opening Sequence

Here is the final cut of our opening sequence for 'Contamination'

MAIN Post 10: Post-production

During our editing we had to capture our footage that we wanted to use and then cut and edit the footage into the correct place. We took some screen shoots to show our progress of this process. 

here is a screen grab of our screen once we'd captured all of our footage and was putting the footage into the correct order whilst looking at our storyboard and shot list for help.

here is when we placed in the 'two days earlier' shot at the end of the opening sequence in order to create some suspense for the audience and to keep them guessing what they would want next.

we then added in the typography to the opening sequence to show who had done what. This took a lot of time as we needed to place them in a place where they wouldn't overtake on the action in the footage and also because we had to fade the writing in and out to make it look a lot smoother.

this screenshot is of, once we'd finished editing, add in a music soundtrack over the whole piece. Once we had done that we watched it over a few times checking for mistakes or if there was any room to improve the sequence.



However, once we were edititng we realised that we didn't include enough close ups of our main character Jacob. These are important to include as they introduce the character to the audience and they also give the audience a sense of his feelings and facial expressions during the film.

MAIN Post 9: Production

As a group we decided that the best form of lighting that we could use would be natural light and in order for us to use this we had to film during the day. This also helped us to make the film feel realistic as the location looked very real and effective on camera. Our filming, once we'd filmed again after previous mistakes such as not following the shot list which made us get confused about what exactly to film, ended up working out well as we were then able to go back to school and watch our footage to work out what was wrong with the previous footage and then we could go back and film the exact right bits a lot more efficiently than previous. This allowed us to create an opening sequence to the best that we could.

Here is Mollie and I filming and recording the sound of a shot on location

We took it in turns to use the filming equipment as Fiona is showing here using the camera to take a close up of Jovells feet as he walks. 

Together we helped to set up the filming equipment so that we wouldn't waste time waiting for one person to put it all together allowing us to focus more on the filming aspect. Shown above and below of Mollie, Jovell and I setting up the sound to the camera.

below is an action shot of Fiona setting up the camera to make sure that it was in the correct position and not to make our shoots look uneven or not the right shot size.

MAIN Post 8: Pre-production documentation

Full Synopsis of Film:

An outburst of disease, suddenly strikes the United Kingdom. Jacob thinks he is the only survivor however he does not realize that he is not alone as a shadow appears frequently in the distance. Although, Jacob can sense that someone’s following him but doesn't know if its safe to make contact so keeps his distance while he is on his travels to find safety. Jacob finally meets the shadow character and the audience finds out and realizes that they have been working together all along but they just didn't know it.

After meeting each other, Jacob and Catlin (the shadow) Figure out if there able to trust each other and become companions, we then follow there adventurous journey of which they encounter wild animals which have been exposed to the life threatening disease. Of which they fight for survival. Then on their travels they find others that have not caught the disease also finding out that they have paid to keep safe from catching the contagious disease and are introduced to the inconsiderate characters of which don’t care about anyone else and created the outburst.

The audience then find out at the same time as the characters, Jacob and Catlin, that the government were the reason behind it all to get money to help the economy but all when wrong and the disease they created out broke, harming and disfiguring harmless, innocent people. The film then moves on as we come across other survivors of which was not part of the conspiracy to do with the government, the survivors all come together and we witness an action packed scene where the survivors fight against the government for what’s right and make them survive the consequences of their experiment.

The film then comes to a resolved ending and the survivors work together to make a safe haven of which they go off a recruit and help find other survivors of the contagious disease, creating a new civilization.

Synopsis of Opening Sequence:

In the opening sequence for our film Contamination, It starts in future events showing the main character Jacob lost in the woods searching for other survivors after the disease outbreak. It shows him struggling and running around through woods and fields, unsure if anyone else is out there. Its going to be fast pased, with a lot of quick cuts, showing that Jacob is vulnerable and lost. Its going to start with an establishing shot of the location and then finishes with " 2 days earlier " on a black screen, emphasing that the film is going to go back in time.

Our opening sequence is going to include close up shots of feet running and jumping to create and show a sense of action. It going to have Point of view shots to create his perspective and show the audience that his scared and out of breath. Sound is a key aspect in our opening sequence as the snapping of sticks and crunching of leafs creates a dramatic effect and adds tension, also hearing heavy breathing makes the audience aware of what he is experiencing making it more realistic.

The opening sequence ends with dialogue from Jacob "Is there anybody out there?" then the camera slowly backwards tracks away from Jacob who is sitting on a broken tree log which enhances his loneliness.

Location Recce:

Shot List

Story Board:

Risk Assessment:

Crew List:

Rosie Christopher : Sound Operator, Editor

Mollie Bugg: Camera Operator, Director, Editor

Fiona Aldwin : Camera Operator , Director, Editor.

Jovell Williams : Actor, Editor.

Mise-en- scene:

Set Design/Location
Woods – natural setting, move rubbish and unwanted trash so location is as rural and realistic for our opening sequence as possible. Will work with location and if needed will move branches and trees.

Props
No props used other than natural resources such as tree branches.

Lighting
As in a wood will have to work with natural lighting that shines through the trees, so for our location it will be quite low key lighting, which we will be able to adjust by using a reflector to create more light in specific areas where needed and to add emphasis

Character Movement

There is a lot of character movement from the start of the opening sequence. As it is an action adventure film it is going to be quite fast pased which means that there is going to be constant character movement. In our film we have character movement such as; running through the woods; jumping over broken trees; walking through the woods; siting on a broken tree trunk; Stepping on branches and leaves.

Costume

The main character Jacob is wearing:

Blue chinos

Green Hoody - hood up

Navy body warmer - hood up

Black trainers

Hair / Make-up

Actor - Natural hair, make up: Powder to prevent shininess when on camera .

Shooting Schedule:

Script

We completed this post as a group.

Main Post 7: Focus Group

as a group we decided it would be best to have a focus group in which to 3 other students we asked them what they would expect to see in a action adventure film. This gave us an idea of what to include in ours which would be fast paced action. Secondly we told them our logline for the film and to see how they would react to it which would be important because they're our target audience. Their reaction was positive as they thought it sounded interesting and already draws them into see the film. Thirdly we asked the group what they would expect to see in an opening sequence which gave us some ideas such as an introduction to the location and a brief introduction to characters as they thought it would draw the audience in more if it was quite eye catching for the audience keeping them drawn into the film instead of bored.

MAIN Post 6: History of your chosen genre

MAIN Post 5 - Title Timeline

This is a timeline for the James Bond film 'Quantum of Solace.' I found that the sequence included arguably all of the names and roles that are involved in the production of the film. The sequence was spread out along 3 minutes which allowed a reasonable gap in between each name which didn't cause the screen to appear too busy with too many names coming up at once. Also the most important names and roles such as who wrote the film had their own time with no other names involved. This has had an impact on the way we are to produce our opening title sequence as it shown what names and their roles which we need to include. Also the importance in which we need to catergorise the names and roles involved in our film. 

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/quantum-of-solace/

MAIN Post 4b - Narrative / Character Research

Contamination : Jacob Character Research

Background:

Jacob is an average everyday person who used to work as a HGV driver but does extreme sports as a hobby. His father was a retired solider who fought on the front lines for Britain after being badly injured and being sent home. Jacob was left to look after and to care for his father whom of which taught him everything he knows, of which helps him to survive when everything goes wrong. In the film Jacob loses everything and everyone he ever loved, having nothing to fight for, which is why when he finds out the truth about the disease and that the government where behind it, his anger kicks in as they are to blame for all of his miss fortune.

From researching other action adventure films this is a stereotype of what would actually happen if you were in a situation like that, as your feelings and emotions would get caught up in your actions. Also by having a family relative of which he learnt all of his survival techniques from it helps the audience to understand how someone so average was able to survive in such a situation. Having the extreme sports as a hobby in his past suggests that his a fit, energetic, healthy young man, ready to face whatever is thrown at him, creating the perfect action character, who will complete all sorts of extravagant stunts on his travels to help make the adventure come to life.


We completed this post as a group.

MAIN Post 4a - Plot Development



Title:

Contamination

Genre:
Action/Adventure

Target Audience:
12A

Log Line:
Is anyone else out there?

Synopsis:

An outburst of disease, suddenly strikes the United Kingdom. Jacob thinks he is the only survivor and that he and the shadow that’s following him in the background are the only two left, which they know of. Jacob can sense that someone’s following him but doesn't know if it’s safe to make contact so keeps his distance, while on his travels to find safety. Jacob finally meets the shadow character and the audience finds out and realizes that they have been working together all along but they just didn't know it.

After meeting each other, Jacob and Catlin (the shadow) figure out and learn to trust each other and become companions, we then follow their adventurous journey of which they encounter wild animals which have been exposed to the life threatening disease. Of which the characters fight for survival against. Then on their travels they find others that have not caught the disease, also finding out that well off wealthy people have paid to keep themselves safe from catching the contagious disease and are introduced as inconsiderate characters of which don’t care about anyone else and created the outburst.

We then find out at the same time as the characters Jacob and Catlin that the government were the reason behind it all to get money to help the economy but all went wrong and the disease they created out broke, harming and disfiguring harmless, innocent people. The film then moves on as we come across other survivors of which were not part of the conspiracy to do with the government, the survivors all come together and we witness an action packed scene where the survivors fight against the government for what’s right and make them face the consequences of their experiment.

The film then comes to a resolved ending and the survivors work together to make a safe haven of which they go off to recruit and help find other survivors of the contagious disease, creating a new civilization.

Opening Sequence Outline:

In the opening sequence for our film Contamination, It starts in future events showing the main character Jacob lost in the woods searching for other survivors after the disease outbreak. It shows him struggling and running around through woods and fields, unsure if anyone else is out there. It’s going to be fast passed, with a lot of quick cuts, showing that Jacob is vulnerable and lost. It’s going to start with an establishing shot of the location and then finishes with "2 days earlier" on a black screen, emphasizing that the film is going to go back in time.

Our opening sequence is going to include close up shots of feet running and jumping to create and show a sense of action. It is going to have Point of view shots to create his perspective and show the audience that the character is scared and out of breath. Sound is a key aspect in our opening sequence as the snapping of sticks and crunching of leafs creates a dramatic effect and adds tension, also hearing heavy breathing makes the audience aware of what he is experiencing making it more realistic.

We completed this post as a group.