Dear Moderator,
My name is Alexa Rusakoff and this is my blog; it contains all of the work undertaken as part of the G321 AS Foundation Portfolio Unit within the OCR GCE course in Media Studies.
I chose to work independently using the genre of 'Pastiche' - which I adopted as a mixture of several genres, e.g. action, comedy, indie etc.
The project has lasted approximately 6 months, commencing in September 2013 and finishing in March/April 2014.
I hope you enjoy my work and find my film opening entertaining.
Please use the navigation bar on the left hand side of the page in order to access my work, as organised into the seven stages, Audience Research (including progression tasks), Planning, Camera Work, Sound, Titles Research, Editing and Evaluation. There is also a link to the St Mary's School Blog Hub.
Sunday, 6 April 2014
Friday, 4 April 2014
Evaluation Task 7
During the creation of my film opening, I referred to the skills I learnt during the filming of my preliminary task in September.
At the start of the course I was taught the basics of camera work, including the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot. When filming my 2 minute opening, I tried to remember to use what I had learnt, in addition to using panning, tracking, long shots and framing my shots.
When I started in September I had no knowledge of many of these techniques, but in the time between the two projects completion I taught my self many by reading camera and filming guides, and of course watching films.
When I came to filming my 2 minute opening, I thought about the 3 techniques from September. I decided to firmly stick to match on action throughout (apart from the shots in which the intention was to not know where things had come from), and to insert at least one moment of shot reverse shot. The 180 degree rule however, I was not so worried about. I was told that during a running sequence, it was not necessary to obey this rule, as the running could take the camera anywhere and to stick to it would constrict the angles and shots of the film.
I tried to not frame the shots with too much headroom, but I had also learnt from September that you don't want too little either, or you are at risk of cutting out the heads or faces of the actors as they move throughout the shot.
I tried to include a range of shots including close-ups, which I had never attempted before but I feel were successful.
When the time came to edit, I was told both times to make sure the way I edited added meaning and pace to the film, which I kept in mind as I did so.
In conclusion, I feel what I learnt during my preliminary task formed the stepping stones for me to develop new ideas and to discover new techniques from the basis of 'shot reverse shot', 'match on action', and the '180 degree rule'.
At the start of the course I was taught the basics of camera work, including the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot reverse shot. When filming my 2 minute opening, I tried to remember to use what I had learnt, in addition to using panning, tracking, long shots and framing my shots.
When I started in September I had no knowledge of many of these techniques, but in the time between the two projects completion I taught my self many by reading camera and filming guides, and of course watching films.
When I came to filming my 2 minute opening, I thought about the 3 techniques from September. I decided to firmly stick to match on action throughout (apart from the shots in which the intention was to not know where things had come from), and to insert at least one moment of shot reverse shot. The 180 degree rule however, I was not so worried about. I was told that during a running sequence, it was not necessary to obey this rule, as the running could take the camera anywhere and to stick to it would constrict the angles and shots of the film.
I tried to not frame the shots with too much headroom, but I had also learnt from September that you don't want too little either, or you are at risk of cutting out the heads or faces of the actors as they move throughout the shot.
I tried to include a range of shots including close-ups, which I had never attempted before but I feel were successful.
When the time came to edit, I was told both times to make sure the way I edited added meaning and pace to the film, which I kept in mind as I did so.
In conclusion, I feel what I learnt during my preliminary task formed the stepping stones for me to develop new ideas and to discover new techniques from the basis of 'shot reverse shot', 'match on action', and the '180 degree rule'.
Evaluation Task 6
Evaluation Task 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Evaluation Task 5
I've chosen to annotate this shot of my film opening as there are so many aspects that can be delved deeper into in relation to similar films of the genre:
1. The background for the shot is a forest setting, which traditionally adds a feel of magic to a film.
2. The actor on the left is dressed as a typical teenager, much in the same style of Scott Pilgrim and other lead teenage males of indie films.
3. The hierarchy of the shot is unusual as the focus and the power lies in the young girl in the centre. This arrangement is very similar to most posters and group shots in 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'.
4. The red book is the main 'eye-catching' object in the shot. Most of the important or dangerous objects in an indie or pastiche film are red, such as Scott's red electric guitar or the uniforms of the rival skate team in 'Whip It'.
5. The way the actors look into the camera breaks the 4th wall and gives the feel that there may be other dimensions, as there are in 'The World's End' and similar films.
6. There are no written words or signs of where they might be, giving the potential for them to be anywhere in the world. This opens them up to be in any country, or being able to move through places, as Ramona Flowers does in 'Scott Pilgrim'.
Evaluation Task 4
Here is my presentation on identifying my ideal audience member to watch my film opening...
Evaluation Task 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product?
While the film's production company is responsible for raising the neccessary fnds, it also has the task of finding a suitable media institution to get the product in theatres. My chosen genre being far from mainstream I feel would be more likely to attract smaller independent film companies to handle distribution, such as Miramax Films.
Miramax Films is an indepenedent film company known for distributing foreign and indie films both accross the USA and internationally. This film company has distributed films of a similar genre to mine such as 'Adventureland', from which I took much inspiration.
Although the genre is not as conventionally defined as 'comedy' or 'action', the audiece and fan base is incredibly large. This being the case, I would consider approaching Universal or Lionsgate; two larger film companies that helped make the indie hits 'Scott Pilgrim Vs the World' and 'Whip It' the successes they were.
The Film Distributor's Association has stated that the most frequent film goers happen to be teenagers and young adults due to their enthusiasm and high consumption of today's media. My film is aimed at an audience aged 16-25, so this statistic suits my chosen genre, and would help in the pursuit of a film company or distributor, such as Carzon which, as a distributor and cinema owner, automatically ensures that my film will get shown in theatres. Plus 'Carzon Home Cinema', which allows viewers to watch films online the same day they are out in the cinemas.
While the film's production company is responsible for raising the neccessary fnds, it also has the task of finding a suitable media institution to get the product in theatres. My chosen genre being far from mainstream I feel would be more likely to attract smaller independent film companies to handle distribution, such as Miramax Films.
Miramax Films is an indepenedent film company known for distributing foreign and indie films both accross the USA and internationally. This film company has distributed films of a similar genre to mine such as 'Adventureland', from which I took much inspiration.
Although the genre is not as conventionally defined as 'comedy' or 'action', the audiece and fan base is incredibly large. This being the case, I would consider approaching Universal or Lionsgate; two larger film companies that helped make the indie hits 'Scott Pilgrim Vs the World' and 'Whip It' the successes they were.
The Film Distributor's Association has stated that the most frequent film goers happen to be teenagers and young adults due to their enthusiasm and high consumption of today's media. My film is aimed at an audience aged 16-25, so this statistic suits my chosen genre, and would help in the pursuit of a film company or distributor, such as Carzon which, as a distributor and cinema owner, automatically ensures that my film will get shown in theatres. Plus 'Carzon Home Cinema', which allows viewers to watch films online the same day they are out in the cinemas.
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