Evaluation: Technology

 

How we used technology in the making of our film?

To begin with, during our reaserch and planning, we used various internet websites and youtube to be able to correctly judge what we needed to do to create a realistic film opening two minutes, in addition to this, we watched other schools opening clips to see what they did well and how it could been improved, youtube allowed us to do this without any problem. We also used various social networking web sites such as twitter, facebook and tumblr to ask our peers what they would expect to see from particular generes.

 

During the making of the film:

 The Camera we used was a JVC Everio Hd1080p Camcorder. We found this camera worked great with what we were trying to do without comprimising the video too much. However, it didn't really create cinema ready shots. 

Adobe premier pro

 

 

 

 

With Adobe Preimer Pro the functionality it provided for me is by far uncomparable to Imovie. These functions include:

-Uninterrupted playback whilst editing (Allows me to not have to wait for the programmer to render the video. Which in turn means the time of editing is reduced significantly)

-Unlimited Multicam tracks (being able to see all the different angled shots that i had taken play simultaneously all of them on my screen. This made the decision to put which shot in very quick and easy to choose the one i wanted.)

-Warp Stabilizer effect (The stabiliser available in most video editing packages is very limited only allowing you to stabilise it by the computers standards. being able to select frames that are un-stabalised)

-16-channel audio export

-Closed captioning playout to firewire and third-party hardware

(perfect for syncing the image up onto my tv to allow me a separate playback monitor and audio to go through a set of phoic studio speakers resulting in a fully functional video editing suite)

-Final Cut Pro XML export

(The ability to produce high definition video footage is irrelevant if you cannot export it at this high quality.)

As for the usability of the programme i found that with more use of the programme the quicker i became at doing selected things within the programme. This included editing the lengths of the clips. The main reason being shortcuts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Audience Feedback

What was your initial reaction to the openinig of Twelve?

"The use of the camerawork really made the piece flow and made it easy to watch"- Kim John

"I was intrigued and wanted to see the character to be developed, it was like they're waiting for the exact right movement to reveal the truth" - Nick Ashurst

Did you feel it met the expectations in relation to a block buster film?

"It exceeded my initial expectations through the quality the quality of the image could be improved i guess" - Philip smith
"Over all it was very well done however, i fell the costumes weren't as expected from thriller" - Damian Marley

 Did the soundtrack fit in to the clip?

"It flowed well with the chase scene but i feel like there should have been some sort of  music at the beginning" - Jordan King
"It was what i would have expected from a thriller genre" - Logan Micheles

Did the way the characters were dressed suggest anything about the characters personality?

"I couldn't really distinguish between the antagonist and protagonist, However, i did think the darker clothes helped to create a more mysterious and darker character" - Kim John

"The casual costume of the protagonist portrayed a more unprofessional and inexperienced character" - Damien Marley

Did it meet the expectations of a thriller genre?

"It was what i was expecting to watch, the high level of action and fast paced editing which created tension is exactly what i got from the clip"  - Jayceon west 

How could it have been improved?

"I think it could have been made better if it had a more action packed fight scene" - Samantha Jennings

Sceen shots

Finale

evaluation: sound

SOUND

The suspense and thrill of a film opening relies upon not only the visual aspect of the film but also the use of sound. This does not mean that sound always must be present as the absence of sound can create a tense atmosphere that the director would of been looking for.

One aspect of this is ambient sound. the background noises that create a sub-conscious emotional attachment to the viewer. this is not a strong attachment but if there was no ambient sound the viewer will immediately realise and become uncomfortable and tense. This is a good technique to create suspense and is most often used in a horror film but does appear in thrillers and action movies as well.

Soundtracks better known as music fill the spaces of the ambient sound to create emotions that portray the way the characters on screen feel. You would not expect a dance song such as a waltz in a gun fight scene. Except in certain films such that the song creates a juxtaposition of what is on the screen. If this was to happen then the other sounds would be removed and a slow motion filter would of been applied. A main character or a close attachment to one of the main characters would also be injured or killed.

Our Sound

In our opening we begin the film with only the noise of X walking. when X is in the tunnel the sound reverberates representing the idea of he is alone. The choice to not have any soundtrack coming in until X leaves the station was to create an enigma. The lack of emotion in the face of X whilst simultaneously the lack of substituent

sound (only the footsteps and rustling of X's clothes) represent the loneliness and lack of emotion within his heart/soul/life.

You will notice throughout our opening that there is no trains or noises of a train. This was deliberate as because we were shooting alot of different shots we would not have the time to try and sync the trains and vehicles passing (More information about that on my Day of Shooting post).

The soundtrack comes into action at 14 seconds. The soundtrack consists of a selection of string instruments, brass instruments and percussion instruments. The main phrase of the Track is an ostinato (is repeated throughout) whilst increasing in volume (crescendo).

To stop any unnatural feeling of the audience the ambient sound has been put at a level where you can just hear it above the soundtrack. That allows the footsteps to be heard. as well as the dialogue.

Dialogue was a tricky part to get right. We need the speech to be clear and crisp but also be realistic as if it was said in an open environment To enhance the audio we used a technique called A.D.R (additional dialogue replacement). we used a microphone to record outside very clear audio on location meaning that all the ambient sound is still there but the voices are clear and easy to hear.

Evaluation Targets

A good start to your evaluation, but there is a lot more to do in order for you to be achieving a high band three or even a band four. Include some feedback from your target audience - use a questionairre asking your audience about your use of sound, mise en scene and the story - how have you adhered to conventions of the genre. You need to include a directors' commentary and detailed analysis to accompany screen grabs - how did you achieve the effects you have achieved? Explain the technical process and what you actually did in the editing suite using specialist terminology.