Evaluation | Next Years Targets

My group and I have enjoyed producing this opening scene as part of our course. If we could go back and do anything differently, it might be planning a little further ahead than we did to make sure we have good weather throughout filming and a bright location to film in. Lighting was probably our biggest problem as it did take away the realism from our scene as it was obvious that the 2 minutes of screen-time had actually been several hours in real-time. Our target for improving mise-en-scene is to correct this by choosing a better location to film in than a dense forest that blocks out most sunlight, although this change in location would have happened anyway as we would want to create a completely different film.

Focusing on camera composition, we think a realistic target for next year if we really want to up our game is to use a better camera to film our trailer. The cameras we used this year did the job but a lot of the ideas we had that involved switches in focus or changes in zoom had to be scrapped because the camera did not have the capability to do it. We want to film in a higher quality and be more free in what shots we want to achieve without having the limitation of what our camera can actually do. This would allow us to have those shots we planned to have where we can direct the audiences attention to different places in the shot by using focus. 

In terms of editing, I think we did quite well this year as we managed to get pretty much exactly what we wanted to get out of our shots using software we were inexperienced in. Creating and placing the opening credits was probably the hardest thing to do but we managed to get our heads round it eventually. Our target for next year would probably be to make our editing slightly different by experimenting with different cuts between shots. This should be especially important in making a trailer as there will no doubt be more locations we will be filming in so we will need a more obvious cut between shots to differentiate these parts of the film. 

Finally we need to improve sound. This was another tricky part of production as in some shots our actors were far away from the camera and yet we still needed to hear what they were saying. It was also tricky to balance the sound of the background music and the voices of our characters so neither overpowered the other. Our target for next year is to take advantage of post-production sound recording, to overdub the dialogue after we film it so that it sounds clear to the audience and better overall. If we can work on these 4 technical areas and achieve our targets, our trailer next year should be very good.

Evaluation | Technology

We used a few pieces of technology in the making of our film, the main ones being the camera, tripod and computer software used in editing our scene. The camera was a simple model, small and handheld but still maintaining a high quality. The camera helped me to learn more about positioning of the camera in relation to the shots you want to achieve. It is not just about pointing the camera in the right direction but also about balancing the shot so it was level. The fact we filmed our scene in a location with such uneven ground meant this was crucial to making the shots look good. The tripod was obviously also a big help in achieving this balance of shots.

The software we used in editing was Adobe Premier Elements 10. To start with the program was quite difficult to use but after a while using it it became easier to use and deal with problems that arose. It was maybe not the best possible editing software we could have used but it did the job we needed it to. I now feel much more knowledgeable and experienced in not only using this software but in editing a film in general. We also used other simple programs such as Microsoft Paint to create titles and production logos.

Evaluation | Preliminary Task Progression

I feel we have come a long way since our preliminary task, mainly in our ability to edit our shots together more smoothly and in our choice of camera angles. In our preliminary, match on action was a focus point especially when the character opens the door. Although this was roughly achieved, the way the shots were put together was not as smooth as we would have liked. During our production though and throughout our editing we had a little bit more experience so in our final edit of our opening scene character actions were bridged more smoothly from shot to shot.

The 180 degree rule was not kept to well in our preliminary task, with the camera jumping from one side of the character to the other side in subsequent shots. This makes it confusing for the audience. In our opening scene we made sure to keep to the rule and we think we kept to the rule in all situations, bar one where we were borderline over the imaginary line. This is the moment where we have the 2 shots of the train one after the other near the beginning of the scene. In other moments particularly when our characters speak to each other we kept to the rule. It was also in our dialogue between characters that we used shot/reverse shot to show our characters reactions to what the other was saying.

Evaluation | Annotated Opening

This is our opening scene with added notes and annotations to give the audience a more in-depth look at some of the creative decisions we made during production. We comment on music, genre conventions, similarities with other films and camera angles.

Evaluation | Directors Commentary

This is our directors commentary for our opening 2 minute scene. We answer many questions about the finance, production and distribution for films in the same genre as ours. This should give the audience an idea as to the thought we put into our film and what films we took inspiration from.

Evaluation | Target Audience

The target audience for action films such as ours would be mainly male and typically teenagers. They would want to watch our film because of the genre conventions of weapons and violence that feature right from the beginning that appeal to people like that as it is easy to watch and put yourself in the action. Our target audience would probably shop mainly online as they are young and use a lot of technology, which would be a good reason to choose to promote our film through social networking and viral marketing if it was a full film. They would be interested in the latest fashion trends and brands as they are interested in looking good, which is another reason this audience member enjoys action films as they can put themselves in the place of the hero and imagine themselves looking good and doing amazing stunts and things like that. Our typical target audience member would probably listen to more male genres of music such as rap and fast-paced genres such as drum and bass or electronic music, which fits in with the action genre as the action on-screen is typically fast-paced and energetic. This is a mood we have tried to recreate in our opening scene with the chase sequences and soundtrack. Audience members like these would also probably be interested in TV shows such as 24, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos for the dark humour and violence that feature in all 3 of these examples. This is another reason they would watch our film or a film in the same genre as it would have to feature violence as a convention of that genre.

Evaluation | Character Comparison

Vincent Vega is a character from the cult classic Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction. Vega is a hitman who works for a mobster, and he carries several similarities to our main character Agent Matthews. The most prominent similarity between the 2 characters would be their costumes. Vega is seen throughout Pulp Fiction wearing a black suit and tie, making his character seem sophisticated and professional which juxtaposes the idea of him killing for a living. This juxtaposition appeals to the action genres target audience as the concept of making murder seem so trivial is different and carries a bit of dark humour to it. This concept is reinforced by Vegas costume, as him looking so smart and professional makes it seem as if he sees killing people as just an everyday job rather than a crime. We used this as inspiration for Agent Matthews costume, as he is a spy who would also kill people for a living and we thought the suit would carry the same impression as Vegas gives off in Pulp Fiction. 

Another similarity would be the props the characters work with and their role in their films. In Pulp Fiction, Vega is tasked with recovering a briefcase that has an unknown desirable item inside, and he spends a large part of the film protecting this briefcase and carrying it around. In our opening scene, Agent Matthews also carries around a briefcase whose contents is unknown and must protect it. The briefcase as a prop goes well with the suit and tie costume as both characters could be mistaken for everyday businessmen yet have very serious demeanors and jobs.

However these characters are not similar in all their ways. Differences include how both characters intelligence is shown to the audience. Vega is shown to be quite dim, which is represented in the way he speaks, his random lines of conversations such as what French people call American food and his actions (such as accidentally shooting people in the face). Agent Matthews on the other hand is put across to the audience as a cold and intelligent man in the way he speaks using military phrases such as "ETA 10 minutes."