Final Opening Scene

GAME ON:

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16MUj5NL7NU

Overall: Difficulties encountered when editing

• A problem we faced when editing was when did our jump cut from the protagonist's house to the next location (Tunbridge Wells). Our aim was to make it look like she ran a long way but due to camera movements we couldn't get the should we wanted. So we re-filmed of her running and in the end we had roughly 0.8 seconds of her running then cut out 6 seconds in between the next running scene to look realistic. 

• When we chose our background music we realised that the beat didn't drop where we intended which is when the jump cut happens from the house to Tunbridge Wells. Even if we had moved it further to where we wanted, the beginning of the scene would not have music which doesn't work well. To fix this we managed to have a few seconds of silence in the beginning which led to the beat drop when our protagonist got out of her chair which looked good. 

• Another problem we faced was when the other characters spoke on the last scene. There was background noise which meant that it was not clear when the characters spoke. To fix this, we had to mute that video and record a separate voice over on top. After numerous attempts, we managed to match the audio and video making the quality of our opening scene more professional. We raised the volume of the characters voice over to make it clear and faded the music in and out whenever they spoke. 

Sound

Sound plays a major part of any film production, and so we hope to in cooperate the following sounds in our opening scene.

Background Music (non-diegetic sound):

Research into the action genre shows that high paced upbeat music is key, and so we hope to find something similar to this by looking for copyright free music on YouTube and perhaps look into buying a certain piece of websites similar to audio jungle. 

We hope to use music with various beat drops so that we can edit our jump cuts accordingly to convey a sense of motion and mystery. As the background music will be the most prominent piece of sound, we will use few diegetic sounds over the top so that everything flows together nicely without something looking out of place.

Water Splash (diegetic sound):

When an actor has been bumped into, the water falls from her cup and onto the ground, revealing Joe Lee, adding a sound effect of the water splashing will help reinforce this moment of chaos and draw the audiences attention to the credit. 

We will plan and use the sound from the splash it self rather than using post production sound effects as it will be easier to pair the sound with the action instead of trying to match them up in post.

Phone Ping (diegetic sound):

Near the start, we plan for it to be quiet whilst the camera moves around the table, and so when the phone pings this will start the action and get things moving. 

When this happens it draws attention to the phone as the camera switches angles so that the audience cant see what's on the phone creating suspense as they wonder why the character is rushing to leave the house. We will use a sound effect from the iMovie library or download one off YouTube.

Further Research

In this presentation, I have included all of my recent developed research to help get a better understanding when creating our opening scene. 

Font (Our Title)

As we have chosen a specific theme within the action genre, being comedy/gamer/sci-fi, we will also need a specific font to accommodate this. iMovie's default fonts are not suitable for our film as they appear too basic and boring, meaning we had to look elsewhere for our desired look.
A website called 'dafont' has a vast array of different types of lettering, and so below is a collage of possible iconography examples associated with our genre.

We choose the style called 'gameplay' and so downloaded it to the computer, from here we had to google how to 'add a font to macs' and so followed the steps to completion. 
Now we were able to use a specific font within iMovie, we could then change the colour. 
We choose a dark greenish colour to represent a hacker type feel which matches the mise en scene throughout our opening.

Action/ Comedy Conventions & Iconography

Conventions:
There are some major icons in action/comedy movies, particularly movies which are gadget based, including things like phones, laptops, hard drives, gadgets and other pieces of technology. 
Also there are often many cars in action and there are usually guns, and other weapons. Below is a mind map of the main conventions used in these sorts of movies.

The main protagonist/s are usually male and are a police officer, spy or something similar to that, also the side kick is usually quite innocent and weak which adds the comedic aspect to the film. This is scene in movies like Hot Fuzz. 

Iconography:

An action/ comedy can consist of:

• Two main characters as 'partners in crime' (one clever the other dumb).
• Bright lighting/ warm colours.
• Slow motion for epic moments.
• Props such as weapons (guns), drugs and silly props like water guns to make fun of something serious. 
• Chase scenes.
• Chaos such as smashing through windows.

BBFC Rating

Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child. To help them decide, we recommend that they check the BBFCinsight for that film in advance. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a 12 rated video work.

DISCRIMINATION
Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

DRUGS
Misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.

IMITABLE BEHAVIOUR
No promotion of potentially dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives. No endorsement of anti-social behaviour.

LANGUAGE
There may be moderate language. Strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

NUDITY
There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it must be brief and discreet.

SEX
Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

THREAT
There may be moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences. Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be. Horror sequences should not be frequent or sustained.

VIOLENCE
There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and its depiction must be justified by context

(Source: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/12a-and-12)

Our film would be classed as a 12 because:

• There is moderate language and occasionally there may be strong language used for comedy purposes.
• There's no emphasis on injuries or blood.
• There may be moderate violence but only for comedic purposes. 
• There are no graphical images or frequent crude content on sex.

When asked about what age rating our film would be the majority of people said 12/12A, and one being PG. This shows that just from our opening scene people are able to get a feel for what the rest of the film will be like and whether it will be suitable to watch or not.

Legal Concerns

Parent Consent for Actors

Before filming we made sure to call all the actresses parents and confirmed with them that their child would be allowed to feature in our Opening Scene.
We had to do this for all the actors as all were under the age of 18 and so all needed parental consent.

Permission to use Locations

We got permission to use the house from the homeowners and we made sure to let the homeowners know exactly when we were to film, what we were doing and made sure that they knew everything so that on the day there was nothing unexpected.

We also looked into whether we were allowed to film in the car park and in the Tunbridge Wells area and online there was no mention of it not being allowed, to make sure we were safe we also tried to make sure that there were no background characters if we didn't have their permission to film them, or if they were in the background, that their faces were unrecognisable. 

Final 9 Frames

Chosen Frames

Description of each frame

(pause for each frame to read description)

EVALUATION Q7

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

EVALUATION Q6

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

What I have learnt: 


During our process of creating our opening scene, I have learnt how to get the light bokeh shot by using the zoom lens and a cardboard stencil. It was difficult to film as it required 2 people where 1 zooms out while the other person removes the stencil and changes the focus, however after several attempts, the outcome was great. 

I also learnt basic editing skills on iMovie such as placing a video on top of a video or using voice overs. 
Even though our film was a low budget film, our integrated credits were the main focus such as the 'JOE LEE' credit where the letters appeared after the splash of water or the the number plate as it looked realistic due to the laminate. 

As a group we learnt that using a tripod is crucial so that our video is balanced (checking the spirit levels) and runs smoothly. However using a hand held camera can be useful for our purpose as it can accompany our action genre. 

Emma Greenhalf:

From using the equipment I have learnt that getting the tripod to the correct level with it being level is particularly hard especially when you plan on moving it for example when we moved the camera swiftly for the match on action. 
I also learnt that the focusing of the camera is difficult as it will focus on particularly sections and then not focus on other parts for example the first scene where you would be able to focus on the milk but then not the letters and if it the camera would not focus on the rest of the table, to conquer this problem we used a range of methods using auto focus and manual focus, whilst also trying a range of cameras. 

Using iMovie was interesting as I learnt the new ways of using it, for example I learnt how to add videos on top of other videos and the different ways you can add post production edits onto what we have filmed.
I also learnt a lot about different types of ways that we could create integrated credits from doing DIY to doing a light Bokeh Shot. We had to test a large range of how we would do many of the credits and the best methods for them and so we could have the best quality and professionalism to our Opening Scene.  


Sarah-Jane Brown:

I have learnt that for certain shots manual focus is better than autofocus, for example when filming the running shots because of the amount of movement it was easier to set the focus on the subject before moving and so when I was on the skateboard all I had to do was keep the same distance away from the subject in order to keep her in focus whilst running. 

To get the light bokeh shot it helped with having 2 people, as 1 could zoom out and adjust the tripod head while the other drops the stencil and changes the focus. This in turn creates 1 swift movement which smoothly transitions from one shot to another with no cuts.
I have also learnt how to overlap 1 video on top of another which helped greatly when answering our evaluation questions to a high standard.


Even though I have learnt new things about technologies, I have also found out that some equipment hinders our creativity as when filming the beginning overhead shot, after numerous attempts using the dslr we found using my small pocket camera was a lot easier because of its portability and autofocus was far better. In addition to this because of our low budget we used our innovative in some areas, as for most of the running shots I was on a skateboard which worked well to get a steady shot, whereas in a real film a 3 axis gimbal or steadicam would be used. This gave authenticity to our opening scene.

Isobel Ellis:

During the filming of our opening scene I learnt that different lenses and cameras have different focusing speeds, such as our dslr camera took a long time to focus compared to our smaller hand held one. 
Another thing I learnt is the importance of a tripod as no matter how hard you try there will always be shake from hand held filming. 

While editing our film I learnt the different controls on iMacs as well as how to use iMovie such as putting in voice overs and other clips on top of our video. 

As a group we also discovered new techniques of filming such as bokeh. Due to our film being low budget we found interesting ways to create our credits without using expensive editing and filming equipment. For example the Scotch Guard and number plate credit. Finally I learnt how to use Blogger effectively and other animation tools such as Powtoons and Prezi. One thing I discovered especially on blogger was how to embed code and how to make labels at the top of my blog.

EVALUATION Q5

How did you attract/ address your audience?

• We created a voiceover for our opening scene talking about some of the links to movies already made and other points of interest that we had filmed.

• We talked about specific points of interest in our opening scene and some of the reasoning's we had behind them.

• What mainly attracted our audience was the fact the the characters in the film would be the same age as our target audience (teenagers). Also, our use of integrated credits is our main focus and that is what also grabs the audience's attention as each credit is unique for its own purpose. 

EVALUATION Q4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

EVALUATION Q3

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

Above we decided to have a discussion about the different reasons why and how our product may be distributed, we talked about the credits and went further into detail about the Opening Scene.

Many of the reasons that we had for our Opening Scene to be distributed by certain institutions and ways was because our media product would be on a small budget and so the amount of money being able to be spent on things such as marketing would be less.

EVALUATION Q2

How does your media product present particular social groups?

EVALUATION Q1

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

Shooting Day 4: Server Room (Adaptation)

We filmed the extra scene that was going to be added on at the end of our opening. We filmed in a server room at school which we scouted a week early and had to get permission to use. 
To this on the existing footage we went back to Tunbridge wells to film the character coming out the the lift and then graphic matched it to her entering the server room. 

We also wanted this shot to be continuous meaning that when we filmed it, everything had to be timed perfectly so we had people behind the camera instructing exactly when the actresses needed to move. We also filmed it so that the actress held the camera steady but had someone holding it so that when she moved out of shot there was someone holding the camera still so that the transition was smooth.

We used empty food packets and cans to look as though they usually hang out here and also placed many gaming and computer equipment around the room. We had a small area and to make it appear bigger we tried to make it look like there was more beyond. We did this by getting an actress to walk past the screen into the wall to make it seem like there was more ahead of where she was going.

When it came to editing we were unable to hear the characters speak, therefore we had to mute that video and place a voice over on top to match the scene. It was difficult as you had to record the voice at the same speed. However in the end we managed to record the voice over and it fits perfectly. 

Shooting Day 3- Tunbridge Wells (Re- shooting)

We realised that in order for our opening scene to look as good as possible we needed to reshoot some scenes. The scenes we decided to refilm were all in Tunbridge Wells, we wanted to re-film the match on action shot, the spilling of the drink, the traffic light (bokeh) scene, more shots whilst our actress runs down the car park, the level 1 credit because of glare and the final ending as our actress enters the lift.

On day 3 we made sure that when we were filming we thought about continuity with what we had already filmed. We managed to film all the pieces that we needed in order to complete our opening scene. This time we did not come across any problems as we already experienced filming in that location before and so the filming went smoothly and easily.
We noticed when doing the light bokeh shot before it was easier to use the phones flashlight however on the day we managed to get the lighting correct on the traffic light so we did that instead and was a better choice as it was an integrate credit. 

Behind the Scenes

Shooting Day 2- Tunbridge Wells

Problems Occurred: 

When we were filming we came across some problems, we realised that using the traffic light for our light effect wouldn't work, and so we decided to test the different ways we could do it. We looked at using the headlights of a car however the best method was to use the flashlight from the phone as it gave the best effect of name.
Also the Joe Lee on the floor didn't dry quickly so didn't have the same effect of appearing as we wanted. 

After watching clips:

After watching the clips back we realised a couple of problems, there was a large glare in the level one sign, we didn't have enough shots of our character running down the at park, we also realised that the match on action wasn't correct as the camera moves in the wrong direction.

Behind the Scenes:

Shooting Day 1- House

Problems Occurred:

When filming, our main problem was the focus on the camera. Because we moved from one point to another, the camera went out of focus. To solve this problem we used a Sarah Jane's secondary camera (Canon s120) which had a better autofocus and improve the quality of our first scene. 

Also the lighting was too saturated and so we switched off the yellow light and changed the ISO.

We made sure the mise-en-scene of the bedroom was not childish by removing the posters and changing the cover of the duvet do a gender neutral colour. 

After watching clips: 

After rewatching the clips we realised that our actress looked too feminine, the only way we could prevent this was to get her to wear larger clothes however after some testing we realised that the problem was unpreventable. Therefore, we decided to change the ending, we decided that instead to reveal that the character was female we wouldn't reveal the character at all, we would pan the camera upwards and just before the face was revealed the lift doors would close.

Behind the Scenes:

Final integrated credits in opening scene

Game On- Draft 1

YouTube - Draft 1

This is our first draft for our opening scene. 

Testing Integrated Credits

NEW IDEA FOR ENDING

Originally for our new idea, we thought we could use an old lady to interrupt Alex's epic moment of revealing her identity to the audience. But unfortunately we were unable to find an old lady. 

Therefore we decided that we won't reveal Alex's identity at all in the opening scene to keep the audience questioning on what is happening. 

After the lift door closes followed by the film title, 'GAME ON', we will then get a point of view shot (POV) of Alex inside the lift looking around her. We will make sure that the audience knows that they are in a POV shot as we will get Alex to get her phone out to check the time. Then she will run out the lift and we will do a match on action of her feet running on different floors. This will show that she has been running past a few places and has then arrived at her destination which is the server room in our school building. 

The sever room will act as some sort of secret base where there a teenagers who are gamers/ hackers/ computer genius etc. One of the 'gamers' will greet Alex (who's still in POV shot) and Alex will wave back (this will still show the audience that shes in POV. When Alex sits down and gets her laptop out to start doing her thing she will come out of POV shot and then we will slowly zoom out of her still not revealing her identity but showing the audience the surroundings/ mise-en-scene the teenagers are in.  

Filming Techniques Ideas

Steadi-cam following shots
Instead of always using a tripod, taking a shot whilst holding the camera can improve the scene as it will look realistic and can be effective due to the shaky movement. However we must be careful that the video will not be too shaky as it will look unprofessional to watch on the big screen. 


Mixing different angles of the same move together 
If a certain move has been filmed in multiple positions or angles it is important to edit it smoothly so the previous clip flows with the following clip. This can be done by making sure the actual action that is performed is either filmed by multiple cameras once or done exactly the same multiple times by one camera. So that when the clip cuts to the next, the action can be matched perfectly to the next clips action.

GoPro
GoPros are often used in adventurous activities to capture a point of view shot in a very wide angle, GoPros have a distinguishable look because of this wide angle. It makes the background a little distorted and almost fish bowl like. However this image looks very good in certain videos, like parkour action scenes as it shows the move from a first person perspective to differentiate it from a still shot. Various accessories can be used such as a chest, head, or mouth mount to get specific shots.

Smooth Pans 

A pan can be done using a tripod so that the camera is level all the time and we do not need to worry about it being shaky if we use a fluid video head. Which will enable us to use the handle very slowly to produce a smooth panoramic. This can be used when the two brothers are running along a straight street, and instead of them simply run past parallel to the camera. We can position the camera so it starts of slightly away from the centre and then move it around when they run past so the whole clip is one swift motion of the brothers running.

Slow motion

when something like a flip is being performed it already looks impressive, adding slow motion to this creates wonder and awe in the audiences minds on how that is possible. This can be done by either using a slow motion setting on the camera whist shooting, which a high frame rate is needed for this. Or in editing, changing the speed of the clip which can blur the image. Both of these ways need a lot of light when filming or it will result in a very dark, grainy and noisy image. Other things to take into consideration is that the file size of a raw slow motion clip is very large and takes up space. As well as that, when you alter the speed of a clip, the sound of this clip changes to.

Title Ideas

We then decided to look at the highlighted ideas and choose our favourite. 

Codename - This name is good because it has connotations with coding and hacking which is the sort of style we are going for.

Case 101 - This name is catchy as it can relation to mystery or investigations which can related to an action film.

The Unknown - This name is interesting as it can add suspense to the film, however it does sound like the movie would be more of a horror than an action comedy.

Level Up - This name was very interesting as it has connotations with video games which "Level Up" and so could be quite effective for us to use.

Multiplayer - This name also has connotations with gaming and could be interesting to use as it is unique and could add suspense as the audience may want to know why the title is multiplayer and what the film is about. 

Fast Lane - This name would be good however the connotations also relate to racing cars and the opening scene has none of  those connotations. 

Game On - This name is good as it is related with gaming and allows the audience to question what the game might be leading to. 

Game's End - This name has connotations with gaming which is good however the End might make the film seem to serious. 

We decided that the best name to use is 'Game On' as it is the best suited to our opening scene and it incorporates both the action side and the reality side of the opening scene. 

Location Recce- Inside the house

This is our first location to film the first part of our opening scene. We decided that this bedroom is best suited for our opening scene as we wanted a gender neutral bedroom so that audience won't be able to guess if Alex is a male or female. 

We will create the mise-en-scene for the bedroom by adding props such as: cheese puffs, red bull cans, calculator, laptop, coding textbook etc. This will give the idea that the main character is a teenager (messy room) and that she is a computer genius/ hacker (coding text book, calculator, laptop etc).

Props, Makeup & Costume

Props:

Makeup:

We decided that the main character (Alex) will have a basic/natural makeup. This will include:
- Foundation
- Concealer
- Mascara (small amount)

It may not matter how much makeup we put on Alex as we are still deciding if we should reveal the character in the end. But just in case we will put a bit.  















Costume:

Using the Bitmoji app we created an avatar on how our main character would look like and she would wear. 

Casting

Actresses

• Maddie Smith
• Céline Cresswell
• Sarah Jane Brown 
• Emma Greenhalf

To Do

• 30 second clip of the actress standing (fact file)
• Interview (questions)
• Act out the final scene (lift scene)

Questions

• What experience do you have in acting?
• Describe yourself in three words?
• What do you think makes you stand out from the other applicants?
• Are you comfortable with being on film?
• Do you have any other loyalties that would prohibit you from focusing on our film?
• Would you be comfortable following our instructions and directions?

In the end we chose Maddie Smith as she had the characteristics we were looking for as our main protagonist. 

Risk Assessment

Risk	Impact	Reducing the risk	Back-Up
Slipping due to rain and/or getting wet from the rain	High Impact - Injuries could occur on the actors and they could also get cold which would not be good	Make sure footwear is appropriate with a suitable sole. Also, try to   film on a day when it is not predicted to rain.	Have warm clothing off set and try to change the date of filming if the weather conditions are not suitable.
Allergies to make-up and clothing	Low Impact - It is easy to avoid any serious risks	Before filming ask the actors whether they are allergic and do small tests on the actor’s arms.	Use different make-up and clothing. If there is a problem, then contact parents and if serious contact first aiders.
Camera and/or equipment breaks	High Impact - If broken, a new camera will need to be bought. Low Impact - The camera battery may run out.	Handle all equipment with care and make sure batteries are fully charged.	Bring a spare camera with just in case and/or an extra battery.
Tripping	High Impact - Injury could occur to the actors.	Make sure the actors footwear is suitable and when running make sure to be sensible.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.
Cars	High Impact - When on roads and crossing them actors and cameraman could get hit by a car. Also, when sliding over car injury could occur.	Make sure to be sensible and when on roads make sure more than one person is there for extra eyes.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.
Cameraman stepped on when filming	Low Impact - Easy to avoid	Make sure cameraman is not in the way and actors know where to run	If an injury occurs, contact parents and/or a first aider.
Walking Public	Medium Impact - The public may be in the way when shooting and an actor may accidently run into a person from the public.	Try to film on a day when it is less busy and try to use spaces which are clear.	If a certain scene cannot be filmed at that point film something else and come back.
Cameraman could fall off skateboard	Low Impact - The cameraman could fall off the skateboard when filming and could get an injury.	Be mindful and aware of what the cameraman must do and when filming make sure people are nearby to help.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.
Lift might close on actress	Low Impact – Unlikely to happen and the doors are automated to open if something is in the way.	Make sure to be careful and sensible.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.
Lift might break	Low Impact – The likelihood of it happening is not likely.	Make sure to check the lift is safe before using and make sure to be safe with people nearby.	Call for help if needed and if an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.
Cameraman may trip over props in room	High Impact – Injury could occur to the cameraman and the equipment.	Make sure to be careful and safe and to have people near the cameraman in case of injury.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider. And if equipment is damaged buy new equipment.
Small Space in bedroom	Low Impact – Unlikely for anything bad to happen but people inside could become claustrophobic and panic	Make sure to have a clear exit route of the room.	Leave the room if any panic occurs and contact parents.
Spill Milk	Medium Impact – Could stain table and break computer.	Make sure to be careful when filming nearby and don’t use too quick motions.	Clean up immediately.
Could break props	Low Impact – Some of the props used could be broken when being stepped on.	Be careful where you stand and do not run around.	Buy new props if needed.
Cameraman could fall off the stepladder	High Impact – Cameraman could injure themselves, and equipment could be broken.	Be careful and sensible.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider. And if equipment breaks buy new equipment.
Actor slip in water	Medium Impact – When the water is spilled over near the actor they could fall over,	Be careful and sensible and make sure to be careful when running.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.
Cars	Low Impact – The cars in the car park and in the road, may hit someone.	Make sure to look when crossing a road and being careful where we are filming.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.
Actor could trip over laces	High Impact – Easy to occur and injury will occur to the actor.	Be careful and make sure laces are tied well before running.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.
Stairs	High Impact – The cameramen and actor could fall down the stairs, and injure themselves.	Be careful when filming and running down stairs.	If an injury occurs, contact parents and a first aider.