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

In our preliminary task, the aim was to create a sequence which involved a 'match on action shot’, 'shot reverse shot' and also to make sure that we stuck to the 180 degree rule. We decided to create a fight sequence in which we used all of the shots correctly. We had a rough idea of what we wanted to film but didn’t know exactly what shots we wanted which led to us shooting things as they came to us but also shooting the scenes more than three times which proved to be very time consuming. From this I would say that I learnt how important planning and storyboarding is therefore when planning the title sequence our storyboards proved to be very crucial because although we didn't follow them entirely without a rough guide to follow our sequence would not have been as well developed and thought out as it is. We also made sure that we made timed schedules so that each group member new the days which we was going to be filming which proved successful as we was always organised.

The shots that we was asked to incorporate in this task proved to be very helpful as they not only helped us understand what they meant for example a high angle shot to show the weakness of a certain character but also helped when we was filming for the title sequence because we now knew what shots to include in certain places to make them as effective as possible. In the preliminary task we tried to make sure that all of the shots used gave out the correct messages to the audience however they may not have been 100% accurate due to the lack of experience which we had had as it was very early in the year. However as we now had a wider range of knowledge and experience we made sure that our title sequence was to include as many significant camera angles as possible and made sure that the messages that they expressed were as clear as possible.


In another task which we participated in we had a lesson on Foley sound to widen our knowledge on what to include in different sequences. We produced different sounds out of raw meat and vegetables which would sound like a slap/punch and the vegetables would act as leg or arm being snapped. When it came to using these sounds in our title sequence as a group we decided that it wasn’t necessary as their wasn’t a certain part in our sequence where they would be relevant nevertheless it was important that we learned about these sounds because if we was to use them in our title sequence it would have proved to be very important that we knew how to use the correctly.


When editing this small task it was hard for us all to get a chance to edit because again we was inexperienced and it was mainly trial and error when attempting different things. As a group one person did the editing and we all contributed ideas to which we felt would make the piece better. When editing for our title sequence the preliminary task came in very convenient because we used what we had already learnt and showed this when editing the title sequence. The editing was delegated between our group pretty well as we all made sure that we had all done some sort of editing. Some of my group members were better at certain parts of editing whereas another member would be better at something else this showed that we all worked together as a team to teach another member of the group something that they didn’t know which shows that we could all work together cleverly. In the end we all managed to learn how to edit using final cut to a very capable standard.


Overall the preliminary exercise proved to be a great start off point to then show how we could improve the mistakes that we had made to ensure that when included in our title sequence they will be to a near professional standard. This task also shows how important planning is and that if you don’t have a clear narrative idea of what to do it could prove to be a downfall of your title sequence. Making sure that all group members are involved and contributing was also very key to us producing a good quality title sequence.

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

Whilst creating this project I have learnt a lot about different technologies which have benefitted me for the better. When creating the playing cards which we made using Photoshop on the apple mac computers we found this quite challenging as we had to make sure that all of the measurements were perfect and matched a real sized playing card. We also had to make sure that all of the color alterations were perfect otherwise the cards would not look the same and would not give the right effect which we want. It was difficult because when making the cards as a group we made some mistakes which proved to be time consuming for example we printed onto the wrong paper therefore we had to then make sure that the correct photo paper was placed into the printer so that the cards looked as realistic as possible. The task was challenging because no group member new exactly how to alter anything on Photoshop therefore we was all trying to change certain things which proved to be wrong, we eventually managed to make the cards to a very realistic and professional standard in the end, however we wouldn't of learnt how to do it if the mistakes hadn't taken place.

 When filming we used a flip camcorder which we then attached to a tri-pod to give better stability. Whilst filming certain scenes these flip cameras proved to be unreliable as they switched off many times whilst filming which prevented us from catching the shots that we wanted which was frustrating. This proved to be time consuming as we now had to either change the batteries or switch the camera on and off again to see if it was still able to work. When filming a scene at Harrys house the camera unexpectedly switched off and left us in an awkward situation as we now had to think of an alternate so that the filming session didn’t go to waste therefore we used Harrys digital camera which proved to give off a better quality than the flip camera, from that day we always used the digital camera as it was more reliable and produced better quality video. Even though the flip camera wasn’t as good as the digital camera it proved to give us a better quality of picture than we had expected.


When editing the videos which we had shot to turn into our main title sequence we again used the apple macs and used a program called ‘final cut pro’. The group had a rough idea of how to use the program due to the preliminary task however it was all pretty new to us and we had to try many new things which led to mistakes before having an overall good standard edited piece. This program allowed us to cut certain clips to make them shorter and then apply transitions so that the clips flowed nicely one after another. Problems that we faced was that some clips which we entered into final cut had not been rendered which therefore was time consuming as we needed to do it before we could edit them individually into the piece. Through us trying new things it benefitted us and made our sequence look better for example we learnt how to alter the color and brightness of certain shots using color corrector which created the right mood and atmosphere for certain shots. Final cut pro allowed us to easily edit pieces of music which we had downloaded from ‘www.audionetwork.com’ into our sequence which we could then collaborate with our clips to create a very tense and suspenseful sequence. We used ‘www.dafont.com’ to download a font to then add into our title sequence which will be used at the end to let everyone know the name of the title sequence.

5.How did you attract/address your audience?

We addressed our audience by firstly making sure that the genre strictly follows the codes and conventions of a gangster/crime thriller which is something that the audience will want so that they can understand and interpret the genre clearly throughout. We included lots of recognisable props such as card games which represent gambling and also large amounts of money which represents corruption which again is a convention for the gangster/crime thriller genre.

 
By us using the correct actors again is how we addressed the audience because it was very important that we get the right actors to play the role and portray it correctly because if we had picked the wrong actors to portray a role which they are not familiar with it would not give it the right effect which we wanted. The actors in our movie are all rather big stars and have starred in popular crime movies/tv series such as Tom hardy in 'The Take' a successful tv series and also Ray Winstone in 'The Departed' therefore they could be seen as the main selling point for the movie.

 

As a group we decided to get the audience involved by carrying out small research tasks. We took two separate shots of a certain scene in our sequence and then asked the audience to pick their favourite scene which they would prefer to see in our movie, this proved to be successful so we then created small graphs plotting our results and took the audiences advice and decided to pick their decision to go in our sequence. This was how we addressed our audience because it shows that we was very interested in seeing what they felt was best and what they would prefer to see. This way the audience were engaged with our sequence and giving their advice on what they felt would be most successful.


The title sequence itself is hopefully enough to attract the audience as we have used a very interesting soundtrack which fits perfectly with the great use of shots included and also the transitions that go with them. The titles used hopefully have a positive influence on the title sequence and also represent the genre very well as they are very simplebut effective as the colours used ‘black and white’ stand out very loud and clear to the audience. By us using all of this an enigma is created because throughout the title sequence they will hopefully get more gripped to the title sequence and will certainly be curious to what is going to happen next.

4.Who would be the audience for your product?

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

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

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge formsand conventions of real media products?

The title sequence that we produced we tried to follow as many typical codes and conventionsof a title sequence as possible, however it also challenged some conventionswhich I will explain throughout.
Our title sequence aimed to indicate the genre clearly throughout by including typical props and characters in which you would see in a Crime thriller movie. By us including actors who would star in these genres of movie such as Ray Winstone again shows that we have followed the conventions of atitle sequence.


In our title sequence we included a mix of conceptual and narrative scenes, which shows how we have challenged the typical codes and conventions of a title sequence however they can be seen as a positive as it is constantly changing the atmosphere and scene for the audience which then enables the audience to get a better understanding of what type of men these characters are and also how they go about life. Each of the shots help with this as they tell a story , each shot represents a location of each character and how they are always on the move when living a life like this. The locations are also important because it sets the scene for the audience and shows that the movie will take a place in London. We decided to use significant props such as stacks of money which represents that the men are living a life of corruption and avery fraudulent lifestyle. Significant scenes involving props such as theburning money create an enigma for the audience as they will want to know why all of this money is getting burned and wasted.  However by using the mixof conceptual and narrative scenes could be seen as a negative as it is too confusing as it may not allow the audience to concentrate on the rest of the title sequence as they are too busy trying to work out what is going on. We hoped that by doing this the audience wouldn’t experience this problem and that they could easily work out what the title sequence is about, but from watching the clip repeatedly it is understandable that our clip could come across as confusing because the hospital scene proved to baffle people. The change from London scenes and then to a burning briefcase and then to a hospital can be confusing this would be our only main problem with the title sequence. Nevertheless as a group we felt that by using both conceptual and narrative elements did work and had a positive effect throughout. When we receive final feedback we will then evaluate whether we should rearrange the scenes so thatit comes across more clearer to the audience.

 We also hoped that the lack of dialogue could be made up by the soundtrack which fits perfectly with the style and also the pace of the title sequence. The soundtrack definitely proved to be one of the most successful parts of the title sequence if not the most successful because it links everything together and gives it a beneficial flow. Each tick of the clock on the soundtrack fits very cleverly and has a very distinguishable effect. The soundtrack also creates such suspense during the title sequence and also tension as the tick acts as timer for Anton in which he doesn’t have a lot of time to sort out the problems before they come on top of him. We still followed typical codes and conventions of a title sequence by including a narrative scene at the end in the form of a flashback conversation involving Anton and Luther. The conversation was the last conversation before Luther’s death.


 We also researched into typography as we wanted our titles to fit the genre perfectly we found out that most gangster/crime thriller movies had block capitals for their titles therefore it made sense for us to follow and use a similar font. We wanted our titles to be bold and made sure that they were simple but effective to the audience. Overall The main intentions of our title sequence was to keep the audience engrossed and focused throughout by including affective shots and also by creating enigma's for the audience which will get them thinking about the title sequence throughout.