Final Product

Enjoy !

Audience Feedback

Evaluation Q7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Evaluation Q6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? on Prezi

Evaluation Q5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

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Evaluation Q4 - Who would be the perfect audience for your media product?

Who would be the audience for your media product? on Prezi

Evaluation Q3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation Q2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Evaluation Q1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1

· Title – The title of the film is shown in the centre screen shot above. We kept all our titles within the mise-en-scene rather than text on top of footage. We chose to put our title on the mirror which is what a lot of the action in the first sequence of the film centres around while Maya our main character is getting ready for school in the morning. We wanted to create the effect of lipstick on the mirror firstly because it is red and this is typically a colour which many associate with romantic comedies (we found this from our audience research) and secondly because as the main character falls for the boy she starts to try and turn herself into something that she is not – by putting on lipstick, for example, which is something that she wouldn’t usually do- this shows a link to later on in the film. We also animated this title in stop-motion and once it was complete subtly intensified the saturation causing it to seem a much brighter red and helping to emphasize this title in particular as our main title.

· Setting – We set the film in a bedroom which resembled how we imagined the teenage character’s room would look with hints on her hobbies and personality, for example, the room had artwork, books and photos around it and carried quite a quirky feel in itself. However we also had to consider lighting in the room and selected a room which had large windows allowing a good amount of daylight in. At the end of this two minute clip the setting changes as the title sequence has come to an end. You see the girl leaving her house down a garden path. This setting was selected out of convenience and a limited choice.

· Costume – The costume used hints at the genre High School RomCom as the girl gets dressed in her school uniform. However it is not a particularly smart uniform as we did not believe that the character would go to a particularly smart school. We also used this costume to demonstrate the girl’s clumsy behaviour as she is seen walking away with her skirt partly tucked into her tights as you can see in the bottom right shot.

· Camera Work and Editing – We did the majority of our camera work hand held as we wanted to pan and track around the room in a way that shows close ups of the different titles allowing us to have control over what the audience focuses on.

· Font and Style – The fonts used throughout the title sequence vary in order to fit in around the bedroom. If you look at the bottom left screen shot for example, the text is stitched into her sock label and this was used to display the title ‘costume by’ as we tried to create a link between the title and where it appears. Other examples are when the title  ‘Music by’ appears on her iTunes and when cast names appear on the photos.

· Story and Narrative – Throughout the title sequence there are some links to incidents that occur later in the plot of our film. For example, the artwork links to the parallel subplot of the girls entry into an art competition. The title ‘Roses Are Red’ links to the theme of flowers as the girl’s best friend (which is to later develop into more) works in a flower shop and the big give away that the boy is a cheat is because he buys two bunches of flowers rather than one on valentine’s day. 

· Genre – We tried to make the genre evident through the use of colour. In the main title, for example, we use the colour red which we found through our audience research was typically what they would expect in a romantic comedy. We tried to keep our film quite stereotypical of Romantic Comedies as the focus of the opening sequence is on the main character of the film giving us an insight into her room and life. We have also begun to use a voice-over which we found was also typical for romantic comedies.

· Characters – You are able to see our main character in the shot of her in the mirror. You get to know a bit about the character in the title sequence through what can be seen in her room: quite creative and arty; doesn’t spend too much time on hair and make-up but tries a bit (this morning routine would significantly change and be done with much more effort when she later gets a boyfriend and therefore tries much harder but to be someone that she is not); can be silly and playful which can be seen in the photos around her mirror. We want the audience to warm to this character and I believe this would mainly be through her clumsy nature and as you can see in the bottom right screen shot she leaves the house with her skirt tucked into her tights which creates the line-up for a funny ‘meet cute’ when this character bumps into the boy she likes with her skirt like this.

· Special FX – We have used stop-motion in two cases firstly in the shot which shows the Rubia Productions title which we made to look like it was being drawn. We then used a layering and blending technique to make this title appear on the sketchbook. The second stop-motion was to make the main title appear on the mirror as can be seen in the middle shot.

Rough Edit

Here is our first draft. There are still a few things that we need to add and edit such as the start of the voice over at the end of the clip and a close up of her clicking on 'Music By Highway Five' on Itunes to replace the one that we have currently because you cannot see the text clearly.

Casting Change

Due to some very busy schedules and clashes we have had to change the character Maya to be played by Yaroslava Migur. She plays the part well showing someone who does not like getting up in the mornings at all as well as a playful friendly attitude with her best friend in the photo shots.

Change of Shot Plan

We did a film shoot attempting the idea of having one long shot this took a lot of time as we had to choreograph the movement of both the actress, camera person and directors around the room so that we were able to manipulate props without being caught on camera which was especially tricky as there were mirrors in the room we also had to make sure that the actress was not in the shot when she was not supposed to and how to move the camera to get the shots we want without getting a reflection in the mirror. We then spent a lot of time trying to get a decent shot however when we looked back at them to edit we found that there weere so many unwanted shadows and we found that alot of the time even, with out best efforts to be steady, the camera movements and zooms were still quite jerky.

Because of this outcome we scheduled in another film shoot and made the decision to move away from the idea of one long shot -which had been inspired by 'Delicatessen' which used  a lot of CGI to create that effect- and so we planned to cut it into different shots instead but trying to still keep the feel of exploring closely Maya's bedroom.

Moving Photos

An idea that we had was to have photos stuck around the mirror of Maya and her bestfriend to introduce the relationship which is vital to the plot in the opening sequence while the main characters names come up as titles.

I was inspired by Cher Lloyd's music video to have these photo's moving.

To do this we filmed the characters posing for photos which we could then select sections of to insert into the photo space. We wanted to show their playful attitude with one another aswel as how comfortable they are in eachother's company.

When filming in the bedroom we used cut out green squares where these clips of them posing could be inserted which act effectively as a green screen.

However we were not positive whether we were going to be able to edit these videos in in the time space that we have been given to complete this video therefore we also did a back-up using real photos. But I feel these photos still convey the playful relationship and closeness of the two characters.

Location Shots

We found that Corinna's room was perfect because it was already decorated with photos and artwork and these are thing which we believe would be found in the character Maya's room.

No. 24 - Location

The location that we plan to film the majority of our opening sequence in is a bedroom. This room preferably needs to be light ( with fairly big windows); have a bed and a dressing table with room to put a mirror on top.
For this I have asked a my House Captain, Corinna, if we could use her room and she said that it was fine. I will add photos to this post when we film.

The second location we need is a garden path with a gate at the end.

No. 26 - Casting shots

We have cast Sasha as the main character Maya

No. 27 - Props and Costumes

Props

Posters

Duvet + pillow

Sketchbook  + Artwork

Make-up – eye shadow, mascara, compact mirror, eyeliner and lipstick

Photos round mirror

Perfume + bottle etc.  - for around mirror

Newspaper – make our own

Mug – paint on title

Magazines print of page with titles

Socks + label – sew label

Door sign – make in art with titles on

School Bag

Costumes

Pyjamas

Plain white blouse

Black Skirt

Dolly Shoes

No. 25 - Risk Assessment

	Who might be harmed?	How severe could the harm be?    A	What controls are in place?      B	How likely is an accident?	Risk Rating AxB	What extra controls are needed?
Slips/trips/falls Noise Electricity Stress Dust/fumes Weather	Students  (actors)	More than  2 days off	Training Safe system Housekeeping Information	Unlikely	1-2 Ok	It is nothing we can do to stop the weather

What is a Risk Assessment?

A Risk Assessment is a systematic method of looking at work activities, considering what could go wrong, and deciding on suitable control measures to prevent loss, damage or injury in the workplace. The Assessment should include the controls required to eliminate, reduce or minimise the risks.

No. 23 - Shot list

Shot List

Shot 1

·         Shot of Poster above bed – Fox Searchlight Logo, amplified alarm clock sound then music starts

·         As we first see Maya stretching into the shot the camera tilts down to a high angle shot of her in bed

·         High angle tracking shot down the bed to a birds eye viewof her feet and the artwork on the floor at the foot of the bed

·         Camera zooms in on art work – title Rubia Productions

·         Camera then swivels round and up to show first title in makeup on the top of the dressing table

·         Camera tracks along to show second title in make up on the same dressing table surface

·         Camera continues tracking again to show last of the titles made from makeup – this one is reflected in compact mirror

·         Camera then pans up and round the frame of the mirror showing close-ups of the photos which are stuck to the frame

·         Zoom out to show full mirror with Maya now dressed in her uniform looking in mirror – Main Title is what looks like lipstick on the mirror

·         Pan down and zoom in to close up of mug of coffee with titles on the side of mug –Maya grabs mug and spills some coffee

·         Camera zooms in on where coffee was spilt on newspaper and there are titles in the text by the spilt coffee

·         Camera  then pans down and zooms in on the floor where there is a collection girls magazines lying – title are in magazine text

·         Mayas feet step down into this shot on top of the magazines camera tilts up following Maya pull up one of her socks

·         Camera rotates to show title on label of sock

·         Camera then rotates back the right way up and then and pans round to track her feet walking towards the door

·         As door shuts behind her camera tracks up the door to showsign with last set of titles – music comes to an end

Shot 2

·         Long shot of Maya walking down her garden path away from camera with skirt tucked into pants – voiceover begins

No. 21 - Sound Planning

No. 20 - Storyboard

No. 19 - Narative Theories

narrative on Prezi

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Inspiration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtbTe52lmlc

Although it is of a very different genre to our film we have been very inspired by the opening credits of 'Delicatessen'. Mainly due to the way that it uses objects within the shot to show the titles. The music really creates an atmosphere which is something which we need to get right too. I also like how it is one shot gliding from one title to the next showing that they are all objects collected in the same space which would be perfect to introduce our audience to our main characters room as what you find in her room would reveal a lot about her as a person. Ideas for different possible ways of presenting the titles that we have come up with so far are:

• What appears to be lipstick on her mirror - preferably as she is looking in the mirror
• Writing and doodles on a photograph - like in my mood board
• Text in a girl's magazine which is lying open in her room
• Writing appearing in her artwork which will be scattered showing her slightly messy but creative nature
• Text on posters around the walls - reveals what she is interested in
• Something written upside down and reflected in a compact mirror to make it the right way up -inspired by Delicatessen
• Label on socks as she pulls them on
• Written in her make-up or jewellery

No. 18 - Story Arc

Story Arc

·         The film opens with our protagonist – Maya- getting ready for her day at school in her room. Over this sequence her clumsiness is revealed and we learn a bit about ‘the life of Maya’ through her voiceover and are introduced to other characters in the play through photos that are stuck up around her room.

·         Maya leaves the house and walks to school meeting Harold (the boy she fancies from another school) on her travels but in her fluster she embarrasses herself in front of him however he overlooks this and surprises her by taking an interest and they exchange numbers.

·         This sets Maya on a high for her day at school where we learn about an art competition which she is entering

·         Maya then spends her afternoon after school sitting in the flowershop where her best friend, Paul, works and she tells him about Harold.

·         We then see a development of the relationship which grows between Maya and Harold which runs parallel to the build up to the art competition as Maya develops her entry – happy and inspired by her new relationship but neglecting to spend very much time with Paul. But we also get the feeling and hear rumours that Harold is seeing someone else in his school.

·         As Valentine’s Day approaches Harold goes to the florist (where Paul works) and orders two bunches of flowers with notes for two different girls in each, all the while oblivious to the fact that Paul is friends with Maya. Paul realizes what Harold is doing and phones Maya to warn her that he is not trustworthy but, of course, Maya doesn’t believe it and it causes an argument with Paul.

·         However what he had said played on her mind and she decided to surprise Harold meeting him at his school. This is when she sees him openly kissing another girl.

·         Maya takes out her upset on her artwork and ends up ruining it completely when she is so close to the competition date.

·         She then goes to Paul to apologise and after a slight hesitation from Paul rather than starting another argument saying that she should have listened which is expected from the build-up in the pause he suddenly leans in and kisses her. And she doesn’t pull away. He then reveals an idea for her art competition entry that he had been working on that she would be able to do and submit. Resulting in a Happy Ending

No.12 - Second Mood Board

Mood Board Explanations

I added this photo because the girl in it is almost how I imagined our main character and she is fixing her hair which is a habit I believe our character would have to show a bit of a lack of confidence.

I thought this photo was suitable because it shows a girl getting ready in her room which is what we plan to have as the basis of our opening sequence

I thought the make-up was relevant as the characters would be at the age when they will probably be wearing and experimenting with quite a bit of make-up and I imagined there would be products like this lying out in the characters room.

This is relevant as when the two characters meet they exchange numbers

I imagined this would be something that the main character would have done expressing how happy she is with this guy

I used this as it shows a look of shock representing when the cheating is seen. The lipstick and nail varnish also show how the main character changed herself and dressed up to look good for this boy.

I used this because it shows the lack of self-esteem that the main character would have after finding out that her boyfriend is going with someone else as well. I also believe that this character would have had much self-confidence to begin  with but this was lifted by the attention she received from this guy.

I added a photo of Taylor Swift because I could imagine her playing the other girl who the boyfriend was cheating with.

No. 17 - Checklist for Opening

What is expected of a Romantic Comedy Opening Sequence

• Genre to be shown through reference to love or romance aswell as a funny incident
• Character to be introduced
• Scene to be set
• Voice-over - familiar trait in Rom Coms
• Catchy Background Music
• Warm Colours
• Introduce audience to the tone and theme of the film 

No. 16 - Institution Research

No. 15 - Audience Category Research

Opening Sequence of TV Program Community

I like how this opening sequence uses the object within the shot  to display the titles rather than adding text on over the image. This is something that we would aspire to do in our opening sequence however I would like to use a variety of different ways of showing the titles using things which would be found in the main characters room as she gets ready for school with a non-diegetic monologue from this character over the top. But I think perhaps using writing in a school book to display one of the titles would be a good idea to hint that the film will be set in the time which she goes to high school just like how these 'Community' opening titles set the scene.

No. 14 - Definition Of Our Perfect Audience Member

The website www.uktribes.com identified our audience member as "Rahs".

Rahs are a tribe which "unites everyone from P Diddy to the young royals.

 Jack Wills, Ugg, Timberland, Ralph Lauren and Abercrombie & Fitch are brands Rahs usually wear. Big hair is important for boys and girls. In summer they wear big sunglasses mostly from RayBan, Guess or Dior. (sample quote from social media: ”They think they’ll find Rahnia at the back of the Jack Wills changing rooms")

 Rahs eat only sometimes fast food but very often healthier food. 

 Rahs like media like Facebook, Youtube, cinema and radio. And they prefer magazines than newspaper.

 Our audience member listens to music like The Kooks, Coldplay and other chart hits.

 They like playing tennis, rugby or polo. They also enjoy sailing.

 We want our audience member not to be the richest and best but just a Rah. Their parents have a bit more than average income so they can buy all these clothes and stuff. Our audience member is very happy with the life she has. 

I believe our film would also appeal mainly to girls who can relate to having guy problems and are possibly a bit clumsy or quirky.

No. 13 - Audience Research - Results

Audience Research Survey Results on Prezi

No. 13 - Audience Research - Survey

I emailed a selection of people the following link and asked them to please complete the survey, it was mainly people who fitted in the category of our ideal audience that I asked..

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22EBA5DUA2S

No. 13 - Audience Research - Polls

What attracts you to a film?

• A Good Cast
• Your Favorite Genre
• Good Music Used
• Dramatic & Eye-catching Trailer
• Good Reviews
• The Photo On The Poster

Acepolls

More polls: Hotel polls Hotel San Diego Snygga skor

What Would Make You Want To Watch A RomCom?

• A Happy Ending
• The Breaking of a Stereotype
• A Comic Character
• An Attractive Cast
• A Circumstance Which You Can Relate To

Acepolls

More polls: punk dating site Hotel Atlanta over 60 dating

No. 12 - Mood Board

No. 11 - Key Screen Shots From Film Opening

The Holiday Key Shots
• Key Shot 1
   The first shot is of a couple coming together and passionately kissing and this is at the very start portraying the theme of love and happiness.
 • Key Shot 2
   This is soon after the first key shot as it had zoomed out showing that what we had previously seen was not from the plot of this film and is perhaps suggesting that The Holiday is going to be different and that happiness will not come as easy.
 • Key Shot 3
   This is important as it is the Title of the film and it fades in the shot transition sweeps a black screen in from the right in the direction that the car then follows in which Amanda (Cameron Diaz) is sitting.
 • Key Shot 4
   This is an important shot in the opening as it I introducing one of the main characters and how her relationship with her partner is going downhill. A close-up is used to allow us to become familiar with and feel sympathetic for this character.
 • Key Shot 5
   This is the first long distance establishing shot showing that the characters in the car are set in America. This is important to know as the film is set in two places America and Britain and the English accent of the voice over by Iris (Kate Winslet) had already established the English setting.
 • Key Shot 6
   This is a key close up which introduces a cheeky character which the audience grow to love, Graham (Jude Law) as he establishes a relationship with Amanda. He is in a bar in this shot making eye contact with a girl who he had noticed – this is part of a shot/reverse shot.
 • Key Shot 7
   This is the first time we see the character, Iris, who is doing the voice over and it sums her up by having her facing away from the camera and being surrounded by her work.
 • Key Shot 8
   This is a close up of Iris which matches with the voice-over as if it is what is being said in her mind at this very moment. It shows her being made to be miserable at the sight of the person she loves because she knows that she is not loved back and this is key to the plot. Her emotion is shown in her eyes and her hand gesture and we have established that this love interest is from her work as she is in her work environment when she sees him.
 • Key Shot 9
   This is the moment when the voice-over finishes and the dialogue begins.

No. 10 - Full Textual Analysis of Film Opening Sequence

Love Actually – Opening Sequence Analysis

The title sequence for love actually starts conventionally with the distributor’s logos and the production company logo. As the third logo fully appears the background music begins and instantly creates a calming and caring atmosphere as it is slow and orchestrated, this soundtrack sets the tone of the film as it is very evocative of love and romance. This last logo fades to black and then fades up on the first shot which tracks a woman with a backpack mid-shot as she walks amongst a crowd into the embrace and a welcoming kiss of her partner who was awaiting her. Their actions are very natural and in the foreground of this shot the heads of other people standing or moving about can be seen slightly out of focus but oblivious to the couple re-uniting. This, as well as the fact that the camera is at eye-level, makes it seem as if these shots are of one person’s observations and is emphasizing the fact that this loving and touching scene is easily missed by many as it happens amongst the bustle of everyday life. The high key lighting hitting the faces of the couple makes them stand out from others in the shot but this lighting is still accepted as naturalistic for in an airport and therefore backs up the idea that this is fly-on-the-wall footage of real relationships and emotions. 


The music continues throughout the sequence and white titles dissolve in and out over the image at the bottom of the frame both these aspects seem quite simple and lightly done I believe this could possibly be to connote the simplicity of finding love in the world if you stop and look around you. An idea solidified by the voice-over: ‘It seems to me that love is everywhere’. 


We continue to see a montage of tracking mid-shots of happy people greeting each-other with a modest but touching display of loving emotion: mother and daughters; two elderly ladies; parent lifting up their young girl; young adult girl running to meet an older lady; older couple hugging; a father playfully swinging his son up in the air. Different styles of everyday clothing are seen emphasizing the variety of different people with the common thread of the emotion of love in varying degrees. Slow motion is used on some shots to emphasize actions which show this love – the playful ruffling of the child’s hair, an embrace, a kiss – and the use of close-ups allows the viewer to acknowledge the emotion felt in these re-unions. But as a viewer we understand that these shots are introducing a theme and not characters as the repetition of camerawork puts them all on equal ground and they are not expected to appear in the plot. 


 However, one of the main characters is introduced to us in this opening sequence but through the use of voice over. David, played by Hugh Grant who has a distinctly recognisable voice and is a well-known actor in the Romantic Comedy genre, begins his monologue on the fourth shot of this montage. There is no establishing shot to set the scene in the airport, instead this is done in the first sentence of the monologue, ‘Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport.’ Hugh Grant’s well-spoken English accent is also a clue as to where the film is set. He also lists different forms of love which echoes the montage and hints that the film is going to explore how the emotion of love is evident in different situations as it follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England. 


 I believe this opening setting in an airport is very cleverly chosen as Christmas is a time when many people travel to be with loved ones over the festive period. The real-life footage is something that as an audience we can relate to as we have seen such circumstances ourselves but is also made different in order to catch our attention by using no diegetic sound what-so-ever and there for changing what would usually be quite a loud hectic scene into a peaceful and moving one. It also ties in with David’s referral to the Twin Towers. 

He then uses the words of the title in a sentence and the statement ‘love actually is all around’ appears on the bottom of the screen word by word as he says it. He puts emphasis on the word is to show that he is contradicting other’s opinions and this is shown by using red as opposed to white on the word ‘is’. The words ‘all around’ are shown in the literal sense of the words as the shot of a father lovingly swinging a young boy around in the air appears as the words are said. After this the words ‘is all around’ fade out fairly quickly from right to left and the red transfers to the word ‘love’ and ‘love actually’ then grows slightly on the screen and the gap closes between the words creating the main title as the footage in the background fades to black. Then the word ‘actually fades out slightly before ‘love’ and therefore leaving the main theme of the film to linger on the audiences minds. 

The opening sequence of Love Actually successfully tells us who produced and distributed the film and also introduces the genre, themes and setting of the film and one of the main characters has been made familiar to us.