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

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1) Typography

I chose a  basic text font from finalcut and I used that to create the titles for my opening sequence. It is white text on a black background. It is simple, but effective. It also builds up some dramatic tension. I got the inspiration for this from the Hitman film, which was made in 2007. 

2) Transitions

I used fade in shots of the gun when the assassin is threatening the main character to create the intensity that the assassin is not messing around, and he won't hesitate when it comes to killing him. I took the inspiration of the fade in shot from Eden Lake, where fade-in shots are used frequently throughout the film. 

3) Narrative

Obviously, there is a lot of the story that is going to be told during the whole film, but the bit of narrative that propels the story forward in my opening sequence is when the main character tells the audience what's going on through narration. During the course of the film, there will be more narration. There aren't many action films that have narration, so I took my inspiration from Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, which has frequent narration during the course of the film.

4) Costumes/ Props - There aren't many costumes or props during my opening sequence, so i  chose the costume that my main character is wearing as he walks down the corridor at school. It is meant to be his school uniform, but unbeknown to him, it is actually a non-school uniform day. I took the idea of his school uniform from the film Son of Rambow, where the school uniform also involves shirts and ties.

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5) Visual effects

There weren't many visual effects in my opening sequence, so I chose the way it cuts between the titles, and the main character walking down the corridor. I like the effect, and I think it makes the feel of the film seem more fast paced, which i was hoping for it to do. A film that I took this from is A Room For Romeo Brass which uses the same effect

6) Camera Movement 

My most memorable shot of camera movement in my opening sequence is the tracking shot around the main character as he is walking down the corridor. It works well with my sequence. I took inspiration for this from Casino Royale, which uses a lot of similar style shots. 

7) Lighting

The only lighting that was used in my opening sequence is the light in the corridor. Because the exposure was too bright, so i had to make the sequence black and white. But it works well. A film that is also made in black and white is Somers Town by Shane Meadows

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8) Settings

I chose an exterior shot as I thought it would seem more realistic for the agent to speak to the main character's best friend. I took inspiration from the new James Bond film "Quantum of Solace" where James meets Felix at a bar. 

9) Framing

This is my favorite shot out of the whole of my opening sequence. It is filled perfectly and it has a good background effect in it as well. The Dark Knight also has frames that are perfectly filled, and here is one of them. 

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

1) The main character vs Alex Rider (Alex Pettyfer)

The main character would be compared to as Alex Rider from Stormbreaker, as he is reluctantly recruited into the British Secret Service. He is a reluctant hero

2) The best friend vs Lee Carter (Will Poulter)

The best friend is more like Lee from Son of Rambow, as he is a troublemaker who doesn't mean any harm. He has also suffered from a bad past. The only difference is that the best friend is a junior spy.

3) The assassin vs Richard (Paddy McGuinnes)

The assassin is menacing and is not to get on the wrong side of. He doesn't mess any time with threatening the main character and pulling a gun on him. This is like Richard from Dead Man's Shoes, which is directed by Shane Meadows

4) The agent vs Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland)

The agent watches over the best friend while he is working undercover at the school. His mind is always focused in getting the job done, no matter what the costs. This is also like Jack Bauer from the 24 series.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media project and why? How did you attract / address your audience?

This is my opening sequence with my director's commentary. I hope you like it. 

Who would be the audience for your media project?

After watching my opening sequence, here is the feedback that I got from Jake and Jim.

They said that because of my main titles being in black and white, they thought that maybe the rest of the sequence could maybe be in black and white

They also said that I didn't need the conversation at the end as it starting the story, and isn't really relevant to the opening sequence.

I have taken this feedback into consideration

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1) What kind of "genre" do you think this film belongs to? Why?

- A youth drama because it is a dramatic story about youth

- Possibly action because of the violence at the start

2) Who do you think the "target audience" of this film would be? Why?

-People who are in school/college because there is a shot of a school student talking to the viewer and says "I used to be just like you"

- Men

3) What is your favorite image from this film? Why?

-The black and white shots of the student walking down the corridor. They look professional and add effect

- The bit with the gun

4) If you were to borrow one idea from this film for your own film-making project, what would it be & why?

- The way that the titles come up in between the clips with the music playing over the top

- The voice over

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

All of the equipment I used on my film opening project

A screengrab of my final version

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Even more of the technologies that i used in the making of my opening sequence

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This is some more of the different technologies that i used with the making of my opening sequence.

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

When it came to editing the continuity task and my film opening, the continuity task was much easier, as it was filmed in order, and there was only two minutes of footage that I needed to sort through. With my opening sequence, i had a lot more footage and I spent a lot more time editing it all.  Also, in the continuity task, we had shot reverse shots, and a shot of Sam coming through the door. I used a few shot reverse shots in my opening sequence, but there weren't any door opening shots, so i never got the chance to try them out.

Invoice Audit

Three improvements that could be made for the next project are:

- Making that sure that I have all the props/costumes ready for filming in advance instead of leaving it to the last minute
- Using a minimal cast, so if one person doesn't turn up for filming, it won't be so bad
- Maybe use a different variety of shots, such as long distance shots, instead of using so many close-ups

Three people that I did not work with at all on the project are James, Philippa and Joe. With the next project, I could get them to help with the camerawork instead of using the people that I always work with

Invoices

Screengrabs

On this picture, there is a screen grab of finalcut. I used that to edit my opening sequence into the correct runtime. I also added the soundtrack onto that and made the finished product.

I also used garageband to create the soundtrack to my opening sequence. I then exported it into iTunes and added the soundtrack onto FinalCut

Evaluation Questions/ Answers

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

I have stuck to most forms of conventions for my opening sequence. I have introduced a few of the key characters and have not given away too many plot details that would ruin the rest of the film. Also, my opening sequence has stuck to the way that most action films open, and that is by starting with action before getting into the story. The titles may seem bland, and the name of the film isn't written in a way that most titles are written.

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My sequence doesn't really represent a social group. The characters in it don't really come from different social backgrounds or groups. It is mainly their views and opinions that are different, like a story of good vs evil.

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

The main distributor for my film would have to be one of the major companies as the film would be big-budgeted and a small studio wouldn't be able to afford the budget.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

I would say that the main target audience would be teenagers from 13 years old to about 25 years old. If i was making the whole film, I would include more things that would attract more of a different audience, like attracting girls to see the film instead of just guys.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

With my opening sequence, I tried to start it with an intense scene, the interrogation of the main character, which involved a gun being pulled on him. I also worked on a soundtrack that made the scene more effective. I also wanted there to be a sense of mystery where people are questioning what's going on. Obviously, the questions would be answered during the course of the film.

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

I'm not sure what the question means.

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

I feel that I have learnt a lot during the making of this. I have grown more confident editing on finalcut. I also got a chance to try out with some of the camerawork, and tracking shots, so i feel that i have learnt a lot from the technical point of view. I have also learnt how to manage working with a cast and doing other things while I am waiting for my cast to become free.