Evaluation-Question 7

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

Preliminary Brief: Film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character. A couple of lines of dialogue must then exchange between characters & match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule should be demonstrated.

Main Task: The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes (all video and audio material must be original, produced by candidates, with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source)

Pre Production
After reading the brief I learnt that the storyboard, location recce and mood boards were important so that I will know what to do and it will be easier. I didn’t find any problems while deciding on the prelim task mainly because it was easy and already given. When it came to the main task that’s when I started to find problems because our group didn’t exactly know what type of film to create while in our prelim task it was given to us and we had already planned our cast but had to change it because we had to pick cast from the other media class.

The key lessons I learnt was that the storyboard & location recce are really important because it gets you prepared for the shooting. From the preliminary task to the main task I have learnt the basics of what to do before filming which are planning the storyboard, location reece and mood boards.

Production
During our prelim task we decided to shoot in school because it was much easier. The prelim task took much quicker than the main task due to it was in school and the shooting was simple, whereas the main task was outside school and more of a serious task meaning high quality of shots and serious behaviour towards work. The biggest difference between the two tasks was that we didn’t face as much problems as we did in the main task. The only problem we faced was coming after school to finish it of which took our own time.

The key lesson I learnt was to be quicker as we took our time to do the filming which made us slower than the others and late to get home. We decided to shoot in Upney in our main task because we needed to use a rough area that was supposingly ghetto looking and our cast were chosen from the other media class. Problems that we faced were the variety of shots because we didn’t take much safety shots which effected our digitizing. Although we couldn’t chose the type of cast we wanted we had no problem with them because we trained them plus the weather was another problem that could of occurred but we came prepared and brought a large umbrella just in case it started to rain or snow.

From the preliminary task to the main task I have learnt that location is really important because it tells your story. In location I worked differently in my main task because there were much more things to do, due to the fact we was outside and more risks could occur like weather and safety, whereas in our prelim we was inside meaning safety was provided and weather couldn't affect us. Other things I've learnt are to always remind my group about safety shots and important equipments. I feel that I have progressed since the prelim because I knew what I was getting myself into and improved by working harder.

Post production & feedback
For are prelim task we acted & filmed a classroom scene. I don’t think anything could have been done differently due to it had to be done in school. While doing so we faced numerous problems like no free class rooms and students walking in and out meaning taking our own time after school. We also had an issue in which one of the actors couldn’t make it so one of the cameraperson had to act her role. Another thing in our prelim task was that we didn’t include theme music but dialogue. From all this I learnt what types of shots are best, due to the feedback from our teachers.

Our main task was producing an opening sequence of a independent film in which we had to chosoe the roles of the cameraperson, director and soundperson. My role was the soundperson and I found it very challenging because I had to choose the best soundtrack and fun because it was enjoyable while it lasts.

The things we could have done differently are taking more safety shots. This was because we sent our cast early instead of taking time to take plenty more types of shots. Another problem faced was time due to we had to meet up 6:30 in the morning and some cast members came late. The sound we used was a hip hop beat. From our main task I learnt that it’s best to be prepared and always listen to instructions made by teachers and also how to film a successful crime drama.

From the prelim to the full product I feel that I have learnt a lot more about films than I used to do and I can now easily tell what the genre of a film will be about by watching the opening sequence rather than before. The whole product has aswell got me focused on films now for example when I watched District 9 even though it's a blockbuster I was looking out for certain camera shots, movements and angles aswell as continuity. Getting feedback was also important because it let us know if our film looked our genre, if it would appeal to our target audience and imporving our project.

What I have progressed in from the prelim task is being able to set up the Cannon XH A1, Winshield System and using the Adobe premier correctly which has satisfied me as next time I wouldn't need any help.

Evaluation- Question 6

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

From our product I learnt quite a few things about media technologies which I didn't know during our preliminary task. For example I didn't know how to use the ‘Rycote Windshield System’ which I then used in the product including the editing software and camera.

My part in the product was sound in which I used numerous equipments which taught me all about it. We used the ‘Rycote Windshield System’ which helped me to pick up clear sound have clear sound. The best thing that I learnt about it was that I didn't need to put the battery inside and the hairy handy is only used while filming outside just in case it rains or snows.
Another piece of equipment that I used was the ‘Senncheiser K6 Headphone’ which was the good microphone because it picked every sound which was good so that the sound which wasn't needed was removed. The headphones that I used were called ‘Senncheiser HD 205’ which was used to pick sound and to make sure the sound levels were accurate. This was important to use while filming so I will hear unwanted sound and tell the cameraman to cut. 'XLR lead' was plugged in the camera in channel 1so that I could be able to hear.

Something changed while we did our product which was we didn't keep with the 'Digetic sound' of the vehicles and trains that went past but rather used a 'Non digetic sound' which was the soundtrack. From this I learnt that the sound you may not always turn out the way you want it and you can easily change your mind.

At first the whole sound equipment was difficult to operate until I kept on doing it then I found myself setting it up with ease. Other things I learnt was knowing how to handle and look after the equipment properly for example putting the lacy tape around the wires so that it doesn't get tangled up and putting the stick down on the floor rather than leaning it against the wall so that nobody will trip over it. I was also told not to leave it unattended so that it doesn't get stolen.

I also learnt a few things about the 'Cannon XH A1' for example how to take certain shots and angles in which I saw Astijus do who operated on the camera. This camera is really expensive and so before we did the task I thought what was the point in using it when there are so much cheaper cameras to use until we used it and then I knew that the Cannon XH A1 carries high definition meaning the best quality of images. When the camera was used it was placed on the tripod so that we could get still shots and so the camera wouldn't be moving around. The camera was also clipped on the tripod for safety reasons so that we don't trip over and break it and so we can put it in the correct height that we are.

'Adobe Premiere' was used to connect our film and edit it. On the premiere we were able to put our shots, sound and everything else that we recorded onto it and make some changes. To make all this happen a 'Lacie' was plugged into the hard drive and then the camera onto the hard drive. Using the Adobe premiere helped me a lot because before I wasn't good at using it but I watched Astijus and Dhara and so learned.

During our editing process certain things were used to make our film much better and interesting. One of these was the music used. The soundtrack used was at the perfect pace and rhythm and needed no editing. Title and credits was also edited which included the colour, fonts and style. We kept on changing these so that we will see which ones are best suited to our film and which ones stand out, as well as still, crawl & roll. The razor tool was used to cut out unnecessary things that were in our shots. The technology helped us achieve our effects due to there was so many types of effects to choose from and so we used multiple of choice to make it more attractive. Although the Abode premiere went well we did face some problems with the soundtrack as when we saved it and went of it wasn't there any more. But later we managed to save it automatically.

We had faced problems while on the Adobe Premiere many of which was digitizing. Digitizing is collecting all the shots from the camera and stored on the software. The problems we faced were that we didn't take enough safety shots when making are opening sequence and it became slower than we thought it would. However we learnt how to create credits making it faster by pulling the duration of the shots.

What I learnt from the technologies from the process is that they are all very important in order to make your opening sequence fantastic. You need the Windshield System for collecting good sound and witnessing bad ones, the Cannon XHA1 for collecting high quality images and the Adobe Premiere for editing cutting shots. The standout key for me is the editing part because I learnt more than I thought I would have learnt which was how to get & create the design, fonts & colour as well as making the duration of the shots longer. Skills I picked up were being able to use all the technologies correctly and putting them back the way they were.

Evaluation-Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

Our opening sequence begins with an establishing shot of Barking, London in a rough poor looking environment with members of a gang in different shots standing and taking part in gang looking activities. We chose to start our film this way so that our audience will know that the film is a crime drama and to get them familiar with the location and themes that will be involved. This will attract our audience because they will be excited to see what will happen in the location and who the gangsters are.

The type of camera shots, angles & movements that our group used addresses our audience and aims to keep them interested. We aimed to do this by using the correct types of shots to keep them existed and engaged. These were close ups, medium shots, long shots, low angle, etc. One example was we used a close up of a police line(DO NOT CROSS) which will address are audience because they will be expecting to see it due to it's a gangster movie and it will keep them interested because they will be expecting someone in the film to die later.

Another camera shot that we used was a pan of the establishing location which we showed the houses, alleyway & train. The pan will address our audience because they will know that it is the location the gangsters live and the film we be set there. This will keep them interested as they will know that the location has a bad effect, which is getting influenced in gang culture on the people living in that area notably the gangsters. They may also feel sympathy for the gangsters living in the location especially for Nicholas who was separated from his brother at a young age and moved to the location in the establishing shot. This information will be given to them as the film goes on.

The angle of one of our shots will also address and attract our audience. This is the low angle shot when two of the characters are dealing drugs and the other is looking around for so no one sees. We chosen to do the low angle as we believed it will show another side of the gangsters which is their power. Our audience will be interested by it as it represents them as powerful, strong and untouchable due to the fact that they had not been caught. It will also address our audience due to they may have seen a similar type of Worm's eye view (low angle) shot from the front cover of the controversial gangster Hip-Hop album 'straight outta Compton' from 'N.W.A'. We believed this was a good idea because the majority of our target audience would have seen the picture and listened to their music. Although it is not a film the music in that album will be perfect parallel sound due to the genre.



The front cover of 'Straight outta Compton' next to our low angle shot. You can see where we got the idea from.

The editing that was used in our opening sequence will address and attract our target because it was really effective. One was a shot faded on saying 'Based on a true story'. This will attract them because they will take the film serious. Another was the wipe in which we showed London gang related statistics with the types of crimes in white and the numbers in red font but in a bigger size and with a black background in which was shown one after the other by transition. This will attract them because it suggests these crimes are in the film and are happening regularly. The fact that the numbers of victims are in red and in big sizes suggests that many people are dieing and affected. This will then tell our audience that the film is about crime which is good because that was one of our targets.

Sound was used to attract and address our audience by our soundtrack and the non digetic gun shots sounds. The soundtrack addresses our audience because they would have expected to hear the type of music similar to other crime drama (gangster) movies they've watched and attracts them because it is most likely the music they listen to, so will also enjoy it. The soundtrack is also a parallel sound which will tell them everything about the opening. The sound effects used were gun shots and will attract our audience because they will be expecting to hear as well as see it in the film.

Mise en scene was also used to address our audience, like the shot that showed graffiti which represents gang culture. It will also tell the audience a lot about the type of location it is and what else may be around and may attract them because they see it a lot in their areas. Positioning our characters within the frame was important so that the audience will get the correct impression of the characters, which were positioned at different areas so the audience will be thinking what they should be. For example in the low angle shot they were positioned in the centre, which shows they are the main focus.

We chose to stick with conventions of crime drama especially gangster crime dramas so that our target audience will know and enjoy it. However we also challenged the conventions by changing some of the conventions.
We ended our film by the antagonist being told that he murdered the protagonist who is his brother, which would of been a shock for the audience and so they would have enjoyed it because it is different and a rare ending.

In the film industry plenty of films are related to murder such as 'Four Brothers'(2005) and 'The Godfather' (1960-1990) so we looked at a couple of them to see how to use it.

Part of our main storyline involves things that have been shown in news most of the time such as gang murder, so we thought it would relate to people who have experienced it or understands it so they will know that the upbringing in different areas can change a persons identity, because the two brothers were the same before separated at a young age to live in different places.

We also drew on what the audience knew which is dirty and messy streets and therefore made the setting of our opening sequence familiar and realistic.

Evaluation-Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Choosing an audience for your film is a really important part if you want your film to be a success. This is because choosing your audience will enable you to know when, where, why & how they will watch it, while if you haven't chosen an audience there may be a problem because you wouldn't have an idea of what to expect. My group thought hard to think what audience would love our film and why.

Our Primary target audience will be
Age - 15-25

Psychographic
Interests - basketball, football, Urban music, teenage movies, 'cool'-modern clothes.

Gender - Male and Female

Ethnicity - Any race. Normal individuals living or understanding the gangster lifestyle.

Demographic - Working class teenagers/young adults and young adults who have lived or understands the lifestyle.
This is a view of a section of our target audience.

We chose this target audience because we feel it will have the biggest impact on them than any other group we can think of. This is because they live in a society nowadays where crime is very active, the soundtrack in the film covers the themes and the characters range from teenagers - young adult which is our target audience itself.
The age group was chosen because it's the ages that are likely to understand and relate with the film due to the location they live in and things that the age group do. The interests were chosen because most people that I know that will watch a film like 'Granted' live the certain lifestyle the characters live in Granted, and also because some of it is present in the film itself.
Both gender were chosen because both we understand and may live or live around that lifestyle. Both will also be interested in it as much as each other. Males are our bigger target because it is stereotypically mostly males we hear crime or being associated with it. Also males who don't watch crime drama (gangster) films are likely to be more interested than a female who doesn't.

Ethnicity will be all races because anyone from any race can relate or enjoy the film.
Other reasons could be that the characters in our opening sequence are different races meaning our audience will engage with that & the location in which are film is set and shown in our opening sequence is a multicultural area meaning our target audience can be from any race because we wouldn't set our film in a area with high levels of a ethnic group like 'Brixton' or 'Southall'. However stereotypically black people will be most likely to watch it due to stereotypically most live in working class families and listen to Urban music which is a aspect we want in our primary audience.

Working class people were chosen because we feel they are the ones that will understand our film best because they are likely to live in societies like the one in our film. Plus are opening sequence was set in a working/lower class area and our main characters are from a working/lower class.

Our secondary target audience will be females aged from 26-30 because they may find the film interesting and some will be pulled along with their boyfriends/husbands. Older adults could also be secondary target audiences because they may find the genre interesting or may have studied about gangs or crime in London so may want to watch a film based on a true story to help them out.

Apart from 'Granted' our target audience will be interested in watching action, thriller, horror and drama films due to their interests. Our film involves some of the main things you will see in these films like death, blood & personal stories because of the narrative similarities, which are similar to my product because some of the genres are put together. For instance crime drama is two genres put together which is drama and crime. Films that our target audience may have seen recently are 'GI Joe' and 'Sorority Row' and 'Shank' is a possible film they may see in the future.

Evaluation-Question 3

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

To get our film distributed we will need to send the film to the studio after it has been purchased its rights and so the studio we make a licensing agreement with the company. If wanting it to get to the cinema the next stop will be that the film is sold to theatres. Certain cinemas chains that I feel may release our film are Showcase cinemas and Vue as they buy quality and different films in which 'Granted' is.

One particular film distribution that I feel may distribute our film is Revolver Entertainment.
The distribution is UK based and has distributed some crime drama films just like 'Kidulthood'(2006) and 'The Harder They Come'(1972). They are a multi award winning, marketing lead and work by producing some of the greatest Home Entertainment. They continue to build up the industry with a unique, innovative approach to managing releases by advertising their film on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook which will be great for advertising our film because we will also advertise it on social networking sites that attract millions. It was founded in 1997, and has operations in London and Los Angeles.

Another type of a film distribution that I feel may want to distribute our film is Verve Pictures which has distributed fellow British crime drama 'Bullet Boy'(2004).'They are an independent UK specialist film distributor, with particular emphasis on both British and independent films’. They may want to distribute our film because our film is unique in the way that it challenges our genre. I chose them because they have already got experience in distributing a crime drama film so doing ours wouldn't be a problem.

Away from film distributions that have distributed crime dramas, Dogwoof is probably the most likely one that may distribute our film. This is because they are best at producing Indie films and they believe that filmmakers need a better deal. They will also be suitable for our film because we want it to become a success in which I know Dogwoof is because they release their films nationwide, on over 80 cinemas, backing the release with major campaigns showing determination. They manage to share their releases by sites like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube which are very popular with our target audience.

If we wanted to advertise our film differently another method that could be used to advertise our film would be through the internet on social networking websites in particular Myspace which is the most popular networking site in the USA available in 15 languages and attracts more than 200 million visitors.
The reason I chose Myspace is because according to statistics they attract the most teenagers who have completed secondary school in which is my films target audience, so advertising it there will grab their attention.

If we wanted to distribute it Youtube will be best as it attracts millions of people and is the world’s most watched video website. This is a lot cheaper and can appeal to audience through the word of mouth which is good so that we will be attracting much more people than we expected. If we use the Youtube it will be more likely that people will be willing to watch it and cheap to publish. This will then raise the number of view and a national film distributor will see the views and know that the film is attracting many people.

Evaluation-Question 2

How does your opening sequence represent particular social groups?

Our opening sequence of 'Granted' focuses on certain social groups which are two different social groups. One are young thug looking teenagers living in an poor area in London and the other is a young and intelligent man. We chose to do it this way so that our film does not only focus on one narrative but two sides in one which will make it more enjoyable.

In our opening sequence the main characters are not present but the characters that are shown, are represented just like the area as dirty, poor & dangerous.The costumes that the characters were wearing were hooides and trainers suggesting that these people are teenagers who probably are poor and bad. These are stereotypical views on teenages living in London, representing them as deprived teenagers. Another way our opening sequence represents the social group is by body language and facial expressions. This is because they are shown standing restless and screwfacing. This shows that they are not happy people and something has gone wrong in their past because they will not be up in the morning doin nothing important, representing them as lazy and careless. The fact that the props of the characters in the opening sequence are alcohol bottles and cigarettes represent them as brave and careless teenagers because they don't care about thier health which should be good at their age and they should not be drinking nor smoking due to it's illegal at their age meaning they don't care what trouble they can face.

'Scarface' (1983) is an example of a crime drama film that doesn't show its characters which the audience don't expect.The three characters that are present in our opening sequence are all the same age and of different races which suggests that everyone living in that area are the same regardless of race and nationality. One crime drama film that uses a range of different people is 'Kidulthood'(2006)who uses different races for characters and both genders.

We used a low angle, close med shot of the teenage gang in our opening sequence pretending as if they well selling drugs which will show the audience the social group they represent which is lower class teenagers. We chosen to use those shots because the low angle will show their strenght and power while the close med shot will show their face to see their facial expression dealing drugs and costume to see what stereotypical class their in and if thier in gangs. The parallel sound used was a slow gangster beat which will tell the audience that they are gangsters and that they feel slow in a sad way just like the pace of the beat because of the environment that they are living in. This is very similar to 'Boys in the hood' apart from they use real songs. In the frame of the shots the props that one character is holding is a cigarette with a lighter & the other an alcohol bottle which both are stereotypical crime drama props. This will make the audience aware that their life is wasted at a young age and they possibly don't care.

Before our cast was chosen we wanted them to be all boys because it will suit with the convention, but later had to change it because there were not enough boys and had to use a girl. As much as we thought it would ruin our film putting a girl it didn't because changed her image and repesented her in a gangster form.
Me and my group directed our cast to stay true to their representation of our characters by the use of their body language and costume. This meant that they were to be standing like gangsters, moving around like gangsters, screwfacing and wearing hoodies.

As our main characters were not in our opening sequence, apart from the non digetic music it was down to the setting/location to represent our main characters. We located our film during a busy morning in a dirty alleyway near litter & graffiti. It's not very nice and is a convention of where you will expect to find gangsters hanging about.

The main characters in our film are:
Character 1
Name: Nicholas Smith
Nickname: Big Jon
Age: 22
Date of birth: 22.01.1987
Gender: Male
Current Address: 42 Boxley Street, West Silvertown, E15 4nf
1 younger brother
Health Status: Healthy
Lives With: Gang Members
Personality: Never gives up, Risk Taker
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Chinese Zodiac Sign: Rat
Ethnic Background: Black British
Single

Character 2
Name: Trey Smith
Nickname: Tee Dog
Age: 20
Date of birth: 10.08.1989
Place of birth: Barking Hospital, London
Gender: Male
Current Address: 1 Barge house road, North Woolwich E16 3nx
1 Older Brother
Health Status: Healthy
Personality: Tough
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Chinese Zodiac sign: Monkey
Lives on his own
Single
Ethnic Background: Black British

From these pictures you can see how they they are represented by their costume, props, colour design and body language. Nicholas is represented as a gangster due to he is wearing a hoodie and a bandana which represents gang culture as well as the gun. Trey is represented a average man due to his normal ocstume and his smile representsd him as a kind man.

We didn't show him in our opening sequence but if we did he would have been represented as a good young man, minding his business probably of to work with a smile on his face just like picture.

Overall I believe that the opening sequence of 'Granted' represents particular social groups effectively by the characters body language, costume, props and location and so appeals to our target audience.

Media Evaluation: Question 1

Q1
In what ways does your media product USE, DEVELOP or CHALLENGE forms and conventions of real media products?

Our film uses the conventions of crime dramas (gangster) films through our characters, narrative, sound, Mise en scene and opening sequence.

The opening sequence of ‘Granted’ follows the same form of most openings by
.Including title
.Including soundtrack
.Including characters
and showing themes

First of all in our opening sequence we used an establishing pan shot to show our location which follows the crime drama scene in which it isn’t nice but dirty and ghetto.


Another way in which we followed our conventions is that we showed medium shots of characters portrayed as gangsters in which crime dramas (gangster to be précised) use a lot, for example ‘Boyz ‘n’ da hood’ represent their characters looking like gangsters that they are.
Although our opening sequence follows the conventions of the forms of opening sequences, it has its own style. Throughout our opening sequence there are several hints as to the themes of our film which are similar to many themes of other crime drama films.
Some include:
Murder
Poverty
Drug dealing
Gang Culture
Surprises

The characters in the opening sequence of ‘Granted’ follow the codes & conventions in crime drama films because they are represented as gangsters committing crime living in inner city London. This is very familiar in crime dramas because gangsters are involved in crime which makes it realistic and inner city’s because they tend to have high levels of crime for example 'GoodFellas' uses gangsters involved in crime in inner city New York.

Our narrative as well follows forms and conventions of real media products. We followed the crime drama conventions in the way that crime takes part. This includes murder and drug dealing in which is involved in our narrative. One of our main characters gets shot by another main character which is seen as a convention for crime dramas especially if one is a protagonist and the others an antagonist like in Kidulthood when Sam kills Trevor. A different example of crime dramas (gangster) films that are similar to our narrative are GoodFellas in the way that the area you live and grow up in can change your lifestyle. This is because in our narrative, Nicholas who is one main character is separated from his brother at a young age, then moves to an area supposingly the establishing shot we used at the beginning and becomes influenced by it and later becomes a gangster, just like in GoodFellas Henry wants to be like the gangster and soon does because of the area that he lives and sees everyday.

In our film we used digetic sounds such as gunshots & a hip hop soundtrack(Parallel sound) beat and planned to use non digetic sounds such as cars and train noises going past, which follow the conventions of our genre because our genre uses these sounds to tell the story and brings the film to life. For example if I wasn’t opening my eyes but listening to the film I will be able to know what the genre of the film is about, because of gunshots and the fast aggressive hip hop soundtrack beat. The sound that we used also develop forms & conventions of our genre because after the soundtrack(non digetic) the next sound used is gun shots (countrab boundtal) which could suggest that the beat of the soundtrack is the action and after that is the gunshots meaning murder or someone gets shot.

When it comes to the Mise en scene my group used it to the extent that we followed the correct conventions of crime dramas. In our opening sequence for setting we showed the London underground, alleyways & council estates. We used them because they are all crime drama (gangster) conventions and they represent life in the ghetto. We used a pan shot of graffiti to represent the people living in the areas and the area itself which follows the conventions of gangster films because graffiti is stereotypically associated with gangs especially teenagers in which we use in the opening of the film. The costume the characters in our film dress in are track suits, hoodies & trainers excluding Trey who is the C.I.D and dresses casual (polo shirt, trousers & shoes) which follow crime drama conventions because the characters in crime dramas normally dress as stereotypical thug looking guys such as in ‘Boyz ‘n’ da hood’ & ‘Kidulthood’, in which the gangsters of our film do.

Props used in our film our guns, cigarettes, alcohol bottles & drugs. These props are common in almost every crime drama gangster films to show what the gangsters use in everyday life. We wanted to use it so that our film will look like our genre and so our target audience wouldn't feel disappointed. Another part we did in camera was the rule of third from low angle in which the three characters were standing from left, centre & right. This was to show how powerful the characters were & and how the area belongs to them, to which is a typical code and convention of gang crime films because the directors wants the audience to know exactly who these people are.

As well as using & following crime drama conventions we also challenged it. During the opening we had statistics & facts about London gang related crime which some crime dramas do not use and so challenged it so that our film could stand out from other crime drama films and so our target audience will realise that it is something they don't see often and therefore enjoy it. We also used a zoom in shot of a council estate which challenged the conventions of our genre because many of the crime drama films don’t show the homes but rather the location.

We also challenge the conventions of typical crime drama openings because we don’t include our main characters in which almost every crime drama (gangster) film does like 'Menace to society'. The audience will see the setting of the film and will get ready to know what characters to expect and picture them in their head. We also challenged conventions of typical crime drama (gangster) films in both our main characters and characters in the opening scene. They are not vicious grown men, of a certain ethnic group, like in 'Menace 2 Society' and 'Scarface'. In Granted the characters in the beginning are 3 young teenagers,1 black male, 1 white male & an Asian female, while are main characters are both grown men but only one is vicious while the other is a nice gentleman. We chosen to do it that way because we wanted our film to be different and have a unique selling point. We also thought it would be a good idea because the characters are from both genders and different races so would possibly attract all kinds of people because of the characters diverse.

Our film challenges the conventions of crime drama narrative with regards to characteristics. The main characters are 1 protagonist & 1 antagonist rather than a group of each. This challenges the conventions of a crime drama film because many crime drama films tend to use a gang, family/friends or police force as their main characters like in ‘Four Brothers’ while ours sticks with the two separate brothers’ lives.

We also challenged the conventions of gangster crime dramas especially in the opening scene because we didn’t include dialogue which was very challenging because it’s important for our audience to know what the genre will be about so they stay engaged. Another way in which we challenged our genre is by not including dialogue in our soundtrack. This was also very challenging because dialogue is mainly used so that the audience we listen to what it’s saying and relate it to the film. Especially in gangster crime dramas because when you hear the aggressive gangster rap you will know exactly who the characters will be like, where it will be located & what genre will be based on. British film 'Adulthood' is one film like this.

We also challenged our genre by race & gender. During the 70's and 80's particularly in USA most of the crime drama films used men from Italian/Latin ancestry like 'Scarface' and 'The Godfather'. In recent crime drama (gangster) films the gangsters are usually all male with African ancestry depending on the location such as British film ‘1 Day’ based in the deprived areas in Birmingham. (1 Day poster) (1 Day cast) .
Making our film different by the race and gender of the characters would attract more people because our secondary audience and others we believe that because someone in their race is a character the film will appeal to them. This in particular happened to me when I wanted to see the movie 'Hairspray'.

Fourth song-City breakz 1

The rhythm to this beat will suit our film really well because it's slow with a gangter beat which will suit the location we did & time in the foggy morning in the ghetto place. The song also feels like it's telling a story especially when we see it with the film itself.

Third song-Maybe

This beat features a big sound base like a drum and continues to a instument being played later. I chose this song because it matches the scene that the openng scene will be in.

second song-slow jams 2

This beat is a fast tempoed beat that features a couple of second pause. I chose this song because it represents the area and culture of the gangsters and the seconds pause could be used showing closeups of the gang meaning the audience will paude and think into their lifestyle.

First song-Do damn thing 2

This song has a fast hiphop gangster rhythm to it. I chose this song because it will suit the the opening of my film because it's based in a gangster enviroment.

Cast & Props List

Characters:

Iman Shafi
Edward Obeng
Matthew Parlett

Props:

Alcohol bottle
Packet of cigarettes
Hoodies
Lighter

Storyboard 3

This was our final storyboard that I and my group finished. It was the best and better detailed than our previous and includes everything seen in our opening sequence.

Character Profile 2

Name: Nicholas Smith

Nickname: Big Jon

Age: 22

Date of birth: 22.01.1987

Gender: Male

Current Adress: 42 Boxley Street, West Silvertown, E15 4nf

1 younger brother

Health Status: Healthy

Lives With: Gang Members

Personality: Never gives up, Risk Taker

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Chinese Zodiac Sign: Rat

Ethic Background: Black British

Single

Character Profile 1

Name: Trey Smith
Nickname: Tee Dog


Age: 20


Date of birth: 10.08.1989


Place of birth: Barking Hospital, London


Gender: Male


Current Adress: 1 Barge house road, North Woolwich E16 3nx


1 Older Brother


Health Status: Healthy


Personality: Tough


Zodiac Sign: Leo


Chinese Zodiac sign: Monkey


Lives on his own


Single


Ethic Background:Black British

Storyboard 2

This was our new ideas first storyboard. This features some of the cuts and shots you see in our opening sequence of 'Granted. However we changed it as the pictures were not good clear enough.

Storyboard 1

This was the first storyboard that we did. In included our first idea in in which we actually showed the characters, but then we changed our idea and so therfore changed our storyboard

Location Reece

Photostory Board

Location

How to set up a Cannon XHA1 and Windsheild System

Cannon XHA1

1. Put up the tripod, loose the screw at the bottom & middle and make it stand.
2. Put the camera on top of the tripod and click it together so it doesn't drop.
3. Put the battery inside then turn it to 'A'.
4. Insert the tape.
5. Take of camera lens and open view finder.
6. Then you press the record button by the side.

Windsheild System

1. Take the microphone and attach the both ends
2. Get the microphone holder and insert the microphone in the windshield and secure it.
3. Connect the microphone
4. Close the windshield
5. Connect the wire to the microphone
6. When done, get the Boom Stick and screw on you windshield with you microphone.
7. You then choose what level will suit you and set it up to that.
8. Connect the wire to the camera 'Channel 1' socket
10. Plug in the headphones and then listen.

Granted-Treatment

Granted

Genre: Crime drama


Tag line:
2 carry guns, 1 serves time.


Pitch:
Two brothers separated from young age end up living two different lives. Young CID agent Trey Smith sent on a mission to catch the most wanted gang around the U.K named “The D.R.D” (Dirt road diggers). The mission is achieved but lost in a brother hood.


Treatment:

Undercover C.I.D agent is on a mission. He pretends to be new to the country and rents out a room with gangsters. He gains their trust and assists the gang in crimes.

Suspicion starts to arise as “Tee Dog” (C.I.D agent) never lets any of the gang members into the room. Many incidents before Tee Dog take time to open the door. Big Jon (gang leader) starts being suspicious about “Tee Dog’s” behaviour and ends up following him one morning. He sees him meeting other agents and overhears them discussing the information. Big Jon is extremely furious.

Gang leader shoots the C.I.D agent in his sleep. Then the HQ tries to contact him but they cannot get through to him and sense something is wrong. The SWAT team raids the gangster’s apartment and they all get arrested. In court, the leader is found guilty of murder and committing various other crimes. But he also finds out that the agent he killed was his long lost brother as the Judge mentions it in his final statement.

Granted lyrics with annotations

Four Brothers- Film 3

The opening sequence establishes key generic codes & conventions because a small boy commits crime after stealing a sweet and gets caught by a elderly woman who tells the shopkeeper to pretend to call the police and then a gang of armed men enter robbing and shooting the elderly woman and the shopkeeper with the small boy leaving before the incident. These are key generic codes & conventions because mostly all crime dramas begin their films by telling a tragic story about an incident that reflects on one of the characters life. This would reflect on the small boys life due to he was taught not to steal then moments after armed robbers stole and killed from the shop.

The opening sequence of the film met my expectations of a typical crime drama film because it began with a past story. This story was the elderly woman teaching the young boy not to steal and then seconds later she was shot by robbers. These met my expectations due to crime dramas are about stories and the story which seemed to have ended good ended bad. It also met my expectations because I will expect someone to die while watching becauae cirme dramas do so.

The clue that is given about the narrative is the shooting and teaching to the young boy. The shooting is a clue because it shows that crime will have a part in the film and the teaching to the young boy is a clue because he would remember the woman teaching him not to steal, and then her being shot because of theifs which may mean he could feature in the film later on perhaps searching for the suspects.

The first characters we see in the film which are the young boy, elderly woman and the shopkeeper do not follow the typical characters of the genre because crime dramas don't usually talk about the life of a elderly woman neither show a young boy or a shopkeeper. This is because the target audience which are males aged between 15-50's wouldn't find these types of people interesting but the second charcters who are the armed robbers do follow the typical feature of crime dramas because crime dramas tend to use criminals as they appeal to the target audience and they are about crime so it's sensible to use characters like armed robbers.

The characters apart from the robbers who are represented as antaginist are represented in a good way during the sequence especially the woman who is a protaginast for teaching the young boy right from wrong because, if it wasn't for her the young boy could have continued and been like the armed robbers in the future. The setting is represented as dull and very dark. This could suggest that the people living in the area are bored/caged in a bad location and the location is dark in the sense that the people do not care about one another. The woman, boy and robbers follow the genre convention of how they are represented because most crime dramas have a character who is a protagonist and have died which is the woman, a character who has changed which is the boy and then the antaginists who are the armed robbers.

The soundtrack that is used in the opening is a song by Jefferson Airplane called 'Somebody to love'. The song reflects the genre because is says 'don't you want somebody to love' which could be a question to the criminals due to they are heartless for killing two innocent victims. However the Contrapuntal sound isn't a song that the audience will be expecting to hear in the film because it's a pop song. The audience would have expected an hiphop due to its characters or personal life story song due to the narrative.

I believe the title 'Four Brothers' is used as the woman who was killed has four sons and are probably going to go searching for the killers. I believe the title reflects the genre because crime dramas deal with life issues and the title four brothers could mean somehting relating to a family.

Boyz in the Hood- Film 2

The opening sequence establishes key generic codes & conventions with it's location. This is because the location is set in an inner city where it looks like poverty is present and crime is active. I know this because of how dirty the streets are and the police lines around. This means that the location is an important part of establishing key generic codes and conventions so that the audience keep watching because if a location that wasn't bad looking was chosen the whole narrative would look wrong and definatly not match the key codes and conventions.

The sequence meets my expectations of a typical crime drama film because it starts of with an OF SCREEN of a group of men arguing and one goes back to shoot a man to death with writing on the screen that assumes to be a fact. These men are represented as gangsters because of the way they are talking and because someone gets shot which meets my expectations because I expect these things to happen in a crime drama film especially due to the way the film started.

Throughout the opening sequence three clues are given about the narrative. The first one is the group of men arguing with someone getting shot to death. This gives a clue about the narrative because it's the first thing that happends which suggest the film will have something to do with crime in particular murder. The second is the piece of writing that says 'One in every twenty one black american males will die in their lifetime shot by another black man'. This is a clue about the narrative because the audience will know that crime will be involved in the film otherwise they would not of put it up and race will have a part otherwise they would have just put the murder part. It could also suggest that murder in ethnic communities will be involved because of the statistic of black on black violence as well as stereotypicall views. The third clue is the zoom of the stop sign on a red background in which a zoom is taken moving closer to the sign. This could suggest that the film is trying to get black males to stop the crime real soon due to it moves closer to the sign suggesting more and more will die unless they stop. The red background could suggest blood of the victims meaning death, anger and hatred

The characters at the beggining of the opening sequence do not follow the typical feature of charcters in crime dramas because they are young children and young children are not typical crime drama charcters. However many crime drama films tell a life story in which Boyz n the Hood does and starts of with small characters becoming adults as time goes on in the film. Also there is a non-digetic of a young boy saying 'They shot my brother' which will make the audience feel sympathy for him due to it's a young child and the victim is his brother. This is a typical feature in crime dramas because relatives are mostly involved.

The characters and location are represented as dangerous during the sequence. This is because it suggest that the people in that area will kill you for a useless reason due to the characters being shot. The dialogue used as well as their dialect also represents the characters as dangerous because of the bad words they say and their voice is in a angry tone showing a bad side to them. The area is represented as dangerous because people get murdered there regulary whixh is expected to make the location realistic. They follow crime drama convention because characters from crime dramas tend to be dangerous people from poor ghetto places.

The title 'Boyz n the Hood' reflects the genre because is means that the charcters are situated in a ghetto area. I know this as the word hood means a ghetto with a high black population in America. This will attract the target audience because they aim for teenagers-young adults who speak slang the most.

Task 2 GoodFellas Film 1

The opening sequence of Goodfellas establishes key generic of codes and conventions because it shows the gangsters, areas and music which are common codes and conventions. They show key codes & conventions because many crime dramas introduce their main characters during the opening and use soundtrack that was usually played during that particular time which is important as the audience will guess the correct year. The setting establishes key codes & conventions because many crime dramas are set in poor inner cities which will make the film realistic because they are using locations that their audience will expect to see in such a crime related film.

The sequence meets my expectations of a typical opening sequence of crime dramas because it uses the main character as the narrator and shows the location and year the film is based in. This meets my expectations of a typical crime drama because most crime dramas use their characters to narrate and so tell the audience about their life and how they got involved in crime. This will make the audience understand the character much better because he is the one narrating the story and so will listen to him very carefully. The year and location also is a typical use for a opening of a crime drama because the director wants the audience to know where the film is based so that it can look realistic especially if it's in a poor location and a year that had lots of povety so we can know what else was going on around that time and picture it along with the film.

During the opening sequence clues are given about the narrative, for example Henry meeting and starting to work with the gangsters is a clue as it can suggest that he may sooner join them and his voice over are clues that he later would of joined them because he started working with them and they even threathed the post man not to post letters to Henrys house, and during his voice over he mentions he has always wanted to be a gangster and he even misses school which shows that he is determined to be part of them. These clues make the audience want to watch on to see if they happen, and if not, what happens.

The charcters follow the typical features of crime dramas because of their costumes and props. Their costumes and props represent them as gangsters because they are wearing suits, shiny shoes and hats which crime drama gangsters tend to follow particually in those days to tell the audience who they are. This represents them as gangsters because in those days men who didn't have jobs but yet wear expenisve costumes were gangsters. The props they carry are cigars which could suggest that they don't care about their health and represents them as gangsters because gangsters tend to smoke with cigars especially during the year it was set. It could also represent thier wealth in which they get by doing criminal activities like drug dealing and theft.

The film opens with non- digetic(theme)'Rags to riches' a song which was famously played during the time of the film in 1955. The song reflects with the genre because it's called rags to riches which could suggest that the characters are poor and are going into a life of riches with all their money they are making through crime which many crime dramas do to show that the gangsters want to make money.

The title of the film used is to show that the gangsters are good guys, fellas a word used to describe men in slang. This reflects the genre because the men are seen as good to themselves aswell as Henry and may refer to themselves as fellas which could show they're street guys because they use slang.

Genre Research

1. The target audiences for crime drama films are teenagers and adults. This is because teenagers and adults will understand the genre much better than children and will enjoy it a lot better. People who are also interested in films with police and lifestories of criminals are also target audiecnes for crime dramas because many crime dramas deal and show these things happening. Males are the gender that they appeal to the most because it's mostly males that play the charcters.

2. The narrative of many crime dramas are where something bad happens in the beggining and the characters try to deal with it. These are mostly problems like drug dealing, robbery, murder, racism, poverty and conflict. Characters in crime dramas are always police, gangsters, judges, spys and detectives. The settings in crime drams are mostly in urban and big cities but poorer parts to show the effect on the gangsters. films like Goodfellas and Boyz in the hood are based in big cities. Opening sequences of most crime dramas start with the introduction of the gangsters or the people influenced by crime for example Goodfellas begins with telling the life of Henry with his voice over. The effect it has on the audience is that they are understanding the lifestyle of the charcters and knowing their everyday struggles. The cinematography of crime dramas mostly include close ups when someone is ready to do something bad so we can see their feeling and red lighting if someone is about to be killed.

3. The most famous director and actor associated with crime dramas are Martin Scorsese and actor Robert DeNiro. Both of them are probably the most known director and actor that are known for doing the genre. Others are Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando and Jodie Foster.

Treatment- Granted

Genre: Crime/Drama Equilibrium:

Undercover C.I.D agent is on a mission. He pretends to be new to the country and rents out a room with gangsters. He gains their trust.

Disruption: The leader of the gang finds out his real identity.

Resolution: Gang leader shoots the C.I.D agent in his sleep. Then the HQ tries to contact him but they cannot get through to him and sense something is wrong. The SWAT team raids the gangster’s apartment and they all get arrested. In court, the leader is found guilty of murder and committing various other crimes. But he also finds out that the agent he killed was his long lost brother as the Judge mentions it in his final statement.

Main character = CID agent = BABATUNDE -Trey Smith
Leader of gang = Big John – Nicholas Smith
Gangster 1 = Vic - Steven
Gangster 2 = Frankie - Liborio
Gangster 3 = Sonny Black - Al
Gangster 4 = Zeke - Antonio
Gangster 5 = Lilo - Louis

Chillin :
“Stack up your funds like a million bucksAcross the pond, they all know usInternational... Whoaaaa!Driving my car to a foreign place”

Paper Planes:
“Sticks and stones and weed and bongsRunning when we hit 'emLethal poison through their system!

Review of film Badlands

On Thursday 22nd of October our media class went to Leicester Square to watch the classic film Badlands. The film was about a man aged 25 named Kit who meets a girl aged 15 named Holly in Texas and they fall in love. He then plans to move away with her but does it first by killing her father, burning the house and then recoding a message of him saying he and Holly had commitied suicide and the kills other people later on in the film. The police are in search of the two and later capture them. He is then put to death by the electric chair and she is put in jail for life.

I believe that the film was good because of the storyline. I found the storyline interesting because it was different to other storylines and the ending was unexpected. However the ending of the film wasn't as much interesting because it didn't have a proper meaning which made it dull and some of the acting was bad which made me lose focus at times.

I would of prefered the film to end showing Hollys future and what happends next in her life in a way that will make the audience picture the story in our heads.

Mainstream and Independent Film Making

Kill Bill Vol 1-Action- Mainstream: Dir Quentin Tarantino

Bullet Boy- Crime Drama-Independent: Dir Saul Dibb

Similarities: .Both the films start with the casts names in the opening sequence.
.They both use a soundtrack that is parallel sound in the opening.

Differences: .Kill Bill is produced by a major film studio which is Miramax films while Bullet Boy is distributed by Verve Picture which is a independent studio.
.Kill Bill named every member of their production team while Bullet Boy does not.
.Kill Bill has much more effect.

The differences that I notice between an independent film opening and an mainstream film opening is that a mainstream opening always shows the film studio that produces it and an independent film doesn't always. This could be because the mainstream film wants its audience to know that the film they are watching is quality and from a well produced company which will keep the audience watching, while an independent film may not have been produced by a major studio and if it has, not by a popular or famous one.

Another difference that I realised is that a mainstream film names all the members from the production team while an independent film does not. This is could be because the mainstream film will have well known members of staff so the public would feel like they are going to watch a really good movie and the indie film may not so it wouldn't matter if they put it up because it would not make a difference.

Editing is a difference between the two because a mainstream film have fantastic effects and credits which makes the film attractive while indie films editing are simple which is because of the lack of money. Technology could also be a difference because mainstream films tend to use expensive and quality equipments. These are what make mainstream films look more exciting and interesting and one reason why they atrract larger audiences that indie films.

Analyse of films

7 pounds :Dir Gabriel Muccino

Camera: Romantic-Drama-Mainstream. I know the genre romantic drama because it deals with realistic character and emotional themes. It's mainsteam because distributed by Columbia Pictures. Close ups when he was frustrated and tracking when he is moving. The directors chose these so that the audience will know how he is feeling. This will make the target audience feel sorry for him because he doesn't look alright. They also use it to shows his mood and the audiecne know his is feeling down due to his facial expressions and body language seen in the close up shots

Sound: Dramatic music plays in the background which shows it's a sad drama. The narrator also speaks in the background(Non Digetic).

Mise-En-Scene: Will Smith(Tim Thomas) on the phone to police breathing heavily(On Screen). The next clip shows him swimming to land then shows him getting dressed. After he's sitting down looking depressed and reads a suspicious letter. All of these show something isn't right or something has gone wrong.

Memoirs of a Geshia: Rob Marshall
Camera: Drama-Mainstream. It's a drama because it deals with real life situation and it's mainsteam because it's distributed by Columbia pictures which is a big film industry. The director uses close up of when the girls are crying so that we will see their emotions and know they are upset. This will make the target audience feel really sorry for the girls and will want to know what's going to happend to them. Another type is the cuts of when the rider is looking down at the girls and the girls looking up at him. The directors used this so that it will give the audience a view of the type of character he and the girls are. This will will make the audience know that he is greater than them because they look up to him while they are under him crying. This is also low and high angle shots.

Sound:Sounds of heavy waves and storm,Conversation go on between two men,young girls screaming and crying(On Screen). Dramatic music background(Non Digetic) shows something sad is about to happen or is happening relating to the situation.

Mise-En-Scene:Set of the sea people working about. Next clip shows a panicing family and then two young girls being taken away. All of these show that something bad is going to happen to the girls.

Water: Deepa Mehta
Camera: Drama-Independent. It's independent because it wasn't produced gloabally and it didn't cost much to make. Medium close up shot of a script from the Hindu book. The effect this has is the target audience will believe that Hindu has a part in the film and the director chose it so the audience will guess what to expect. There is also a medium close up with cuts of when the girl is getting her hair cut completly. The effect this has on the audience is that we can see what she is going through and how it effects her. The director does this to build the mood up for the rest of the story and so the audience will have an idea of the rest of the film. A tracking shot also shows the family on a journey which maked the audience know that they are on a destination somewhere.

Sound: Indian music background (non digetic) which could suggest that the film is set or has something to do with India. This identifies the type of culture or society the audiecne are going to see. Man tells girl that she's a widow.

Mise-En-Scene:Opens with Script from a Hindu book, family on a journey, girl gets her hair fully cut. All of these show that religion has a part in

White Chicks:Keenen Wayans
Camera: Comedy-Mainstream. I know the genre is comedy because of it's opening scene and front cover and I know it's mainstream because it was released gloabally and distributied by Columbia Pictures. The director uses High angle shot of the city of Vancouver because he wants the target audience to know where the film is located and so the type of characters they are likely to expect. The effect it will have on the target audience is that they will know it's set in a city and will make them feel aware of the characters they are likely to see for example business people. A close up is used when the fake character is singing in a fake language. The director uses this so that the audience will find it funny as it is a comedy. This will make the audience know that he isn't serious because they can see his facial expressions and know that he is faking it.

Sound: Latin-rap music as background. This shows that it is set in a latin ghetto community as rap is stereotypically seen as ghetto. Contrapuntal sound used when fighting which shows the actions are not serious. Actors putting on accent which shows they are pretending and shows it's humerous side. Actors singing made up song funny which shows it's a comedy.

Mise-En-Scene: Skyscrapers of city, two undercover policemen dressed as other people fighting ice cream men. All of these show it's set in a big city and the film involves comedy fighting.

Pan's Labyrinth: Guillermo del Toro
Camera: Fantasy film-Mainsteam. I know it's a fantasy film because it deals with a made up fantasy story that isn't real. It's mainstream because fantasy films are always mainsteam also it's distributed by Warner Bros. Pan shot of boy lying on floor breathing heavily. The director uses this to show how the boy is feeling. The effect it has on the audience is that we want to know what has happend or happening to him and feel sorry for him. A pan shot is also used when showing the unusaul looking buildings right to left. The director uses this to show a certain setting. This tells the audience straight away about the genre and the kinds of events and situations to expect.

Sound: Boy breathing heavily (digetic). This can mean he's scarred, worried or tired. Narrator speaking in spanish.

Mise-En-Scene: Boy lying down looking hurt and scared, weird looking buildings, land with broken buildings, girl and woman in car. This could all mean that it's set in a mysterious world and things are going on around.