Final opening sequence

My role within the group

I played chandler which meant I didn't use the camera and film as much as I would like too however I did do various other things such as writing the script helping camilla with the song. Editing, costume and re- editing. We all took different job roles within the group but had input on everything to make sure we were all happy with what everyone was doing in the group. Jess did the camera work and most of the editing while Yaz directed the film on where she wanted everyone to stand and act. Camilla edited the film, setting and  we both worked on the music, as well as working on the music I sorted out the costume. Me and Camilla re-filmed the "bike scene" as both Yasmin and Jessica couldn't make it while Camilla filmed I acted, we both had input on what shots we were going to use and how we were going to pick up the pace. After filming this we put it on the Mac and Jess edited using the  premiere software. We then all watched the latest cut to see where we wanted our credits to appear, we couldn't decide on what we liked best so we had all turns. Jess did pink titles which flashed on the screen one after another, me, Camilla  and Yasmin took these credits and changed the colours for each role and actor so the audience would be able to see what parts were joint together, we then decided it would be better if the job role and name appeared together and was in a simple text and easy to read. After we had done this we decided if we should have the main title at the start or end we decided to have it at the end so it would act as a closing scene.

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 7: Looking back at my perliminary task what do I feel I have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

We had to look at our continuity very closely as we cut to different shots one after another for example when I came out of the house got on my bike and drove away. We found we had to film it several times each time making sure it flowed perfectly. We also had to make sure when we were editing that we didn't make it look disjointed.

For example below are some images of us having to make sure that the fall looked the same on both shots and that I wasn't further up the steps or too far down.

Above you can see we have used the same shots when opening and closing the door.

Overall we didn't have to use many aspects of our perliminary task yet as we haven't needed to uses shot reverse shots. We have had to look at our continuity on some things such as me falling down the stairs. Although we haven't used shot reverse shots or match action shots if we did continue on with our film I feel we would use a lot more  shot reverse shots as there would be alot of dialogue between the different girls.

 

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 6: What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

 Before filming the opening sequence I had never used the professional cameras or tripods but were easy to learn how to use and after I learnt had no problems with using.

All of the editing was done on the Apple Macs using Adobe Premiere. Again I had never used this programme before, but was essential in completing our project, Jess who had used the programme before showed me how to use so i could contribute to the editing. After being shown how to use it I found it a lot easier and was able to contribute to the group. I learnt how to import videos and music, how to cut and merge videos, how to add in titles and transitions and how to lower sounds and louden sounds in different parts.  Below is a picture of the software being used.

Below is a list of software used throughout the project.

Itunes- Itunes was used to import our soundtrack so we could then put it onto premiere, we also     got our car locking sound from here.

Blogger- Blogger has been used throughout the project to record our progress.

Garage Band- Garage Band was used to create our soundtrack. Garage band allows you to use the built in microphone to record your voice, you are also able to record instruments or use their instrument beats. Once you have decided what beat and instruments you want you can record your voice while the music is playing so your in time. If you want to record yourself singing but don't have the best singing voice you can also alter your voice to make it sound better of have a special effect.

Youtube- We have used youtube to get our media into the public and receive feedback. Once we had a rough cut we were able to simply upload it onto youtube by using one of our groups youtube accounts. Once it was uploaded we were able to add annotations, descriptions and a title. Once it was online anyone could see it this allowed a wider audience so we could receive more feedback,

Google- We were able to research everything using google

Facebook- we used facebook to communicate to each other and arrange filming dates. We used Facebook chat, mail and wall to wall to communicate throughout the project. We found this the easiest way to get in touch as all of us used Facebook regularly.  By using Facebook mail we could all be in the same email and discuss matters as a group. We could also attach files if we wanted to share something. Facebook chat allowed us to talk to each other in "real time" as to be online you have to signed in so I knew i would get a reply straight away. Wall to Wall allowed us again to talk to each other however this was the only one that wasn't private so everyone could see what we were writing. As we mostly wanted to talk as a group we mainly used Facebook Mail.

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 5: How did I attract/ address my audience?

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 4: Who would be the audience for my media product?

  This is Alex cooper she is 15 years old and lives in Deal Kent. Alex enjoys getting ready in the morning and talking to her friends about the latest trends but isn't obsessed or vain. Her favourite shops are Topshop, River Island, H&M and Cult. She enjoys going to the cinema with her friends to watch films such as Water for Elephants, Something Borrowed, insidious, cedar rapids and the Social Network. She also likes to watch DVDS at home with her friends she mainly watches Mean girls, Aquamarine, Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging and house bunny. Alex also enjoys watching programmes such as 90210, Hollyoaks, Skins, The Only Way is Essex, Britains got talent, Jersey Shore and Modern Family. She mainly watches shows on channel4, itv2, E4, 4music, MTV and BBC Three. Alex likes to listen to a variety of different music and likes to listen to Radio1 and Radio1xtra. I think our film would appeal to Alex as she seems to be laidback and doesn't take things to seriously she also enjoys watching shows like Jersey Shore and TOWIE which are reality shows, based on that i think she would enjoy our film as she would be able to relate to it. 

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Pictured above is our Production Logo when deciding on the name of the production we wanted it to reflect on our selves and be a bit different from other production company names. We all came up with different ideas and designs and showed them to each other to see which we thought was best. In the end we decided on BJUICY productions as the "bjuicy" part incorporated all of our initials and felt quite individual. After we had decided on the name, Yasmin  created the logo on Adobe. She used flowers to make it more feminine and made the background black and font white so it would really stand out but stay professional looking. 

A production company is solely responsible for making the actual media being distributed. In doing so the production company will often fund the project so will have say on who directs and which actors are hired.  Many production companies will be owned by well known studios such as Disney, if this is the case the studio can choose the actors and directors and often certain actors, directors and photographers will have contracts with certain studios which means they are more likely to be involved with films made by the studios production company.

After looking at certain films and which companies produced them I thought which one would be best suited for our film. I thought that Disney would be a good choice as they are very successful, a well known established company in the industry and are the most recognisable media franchise . As well as the other factors Disney have produced such films as confessions of a teenage drama queen, Freaky Friday, Enchanted and ice princess they also have films contracted for 2013. Disney also distribute films too so would be great for our film. However i'm not sure whether Disney would be totally suitable for our film as many people that watch Disney are a lot younger than who we are aiming at. Another production company great for our film would be paramount pictures as they have produced such films as mean girls, napoleon dynamite, stardust and the heartbreak kid. Paramount pictures seem to have a better target audience and suit our film, paramount pictures are also very successful and have many films in the pipeline. Paramount also distribute and are very well known around the world for producing great films and have also been around longer. I decided to go with a mainstream producer rather than an indie company like Miramax  who manly produce independent or foreign films.

We decided to have the production logo appear first as many films do this to introduce the companies. We then decided to have the font the same throughout the opening to make it flow better and seem more professional. We decided for the job roles to appear first then the actors name to appear when their character is on screen I feel that this shows the audience who the character is so they know right at the beginning. 

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 2: How does my media product represent particular social groups?

How does our product represent particular social groups?

We found that most teenage chick flicks used very stereotypical characters, we decided to do the same and make the geek very stereotypical and the popular girls also stereotypical.

To do this we looked at how people see geeks and other stereotypes to see what we needed to do make sure we followed the same criteria. I would say that our character represent the characters as most people would expect.

We made chandler seem awkward and unaware of her social status.

Where we made bailey and brooke seem bitchy and two faced.

I've chosen to look at Chandler and how she's represented in more depth. Geeks are often portrayed in most films, programmes and even music videos which are aimed at teenagers. I took on the role in the film as they felt I would be better suited to it than the other girls as i'm more outgoing and comical, another factor that made me Chandler was that Yasmin and Camilla both look very similar they both have blonde hair are tall and slim which made them perfect to be best friends and popular.  Pictured above is me in the film and drew Barrymore in "never been kissed" as you can see from the picture there are some similarities for example both are wearing out of date unflattering clothes which make them look even more quirky, individual and uncool. Both also have messy and childish compared to other peoples hair. However although we took inspiration from other film we didn't want it to seem the same so i decided to make Chandler wear a "superdry" jacket which are popular and fashionable. To keep her still geeky i made sure the rest of the outfit was uncoordinated, clashed and looked like it was just shoved on without any thought. We found our inspiration from many different characters, i would say that i found most of the inspiration in Napoleon Dynamite as both Chandler and Napoleon seem outgoing and don't understand that they are in fact unpopular and geeks. 

For example in both films there are dance scenes which show the geeks being completely unaware of how bad they are. I found that in most films/ programmes involving geeks the geeks are usually unaware of them being unpopular and unstylish.

EVALUATION ACTIVITY 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The opening titles

Before starting our product we researched our genre and looked at different opening sequences and the titles. While researching we looked at what fonts and colours were typically used. So when it came to putting in the titles we knew what types of font would fit in with out category. We decided to use pinks and very feminine colours, for the title of the film we used a pink font which slowly graduated into blue. We wanted it to be fun, quirky and most of all girly, the title has a light up effect and i feel fits in with the genre. Titles like our own can be found in many chick flicks such as 13 going on 30, mean girls and confessions of a shopaholic.

Setting and Location

We wanted to start our story in a girls bedroom which was very girly so that the audience would be able to see what type of girl our main character, chandler, is before we get to know her character. In many chick flicks such as The Lizzy Mcguire Movie start in the bedroom where we usually see the girl/ character getting ready. We decided that we wanted the girl to be in a very pink room which looked like it was for a younger girl. We thought Camillas house would be perfect as it has country lanes which we could use for chandler riding to school.

Costumes and props

we wanted to make sure the audience could tell what character chandler is before she even spoke, I thought the best way to do this was with the use of props in the room and what she was wearing. I chose to be wearing matching long pj's and to have half my outfit on underneath to show the audience she likes things organised, I also wanted it to show she doesnt really care about her appearance as nobody would go to school in what they went to sleep in. We made sure the room only had childish things and I only had minimal make up which wasn't nice or done nicely using brushes. This type of thing can be seen in every single movie, many directors make sure the setting reflects on the character for example in confessions of a shopaholic she lives in new york which is the fashion capital of the world. We also see her appartment is full of clothes and pretty, fashionable things.

Editing and camera work

We deciding that in editing to make our opening flow better and look more professional to add in transitions such as the as the scene blacking out from one to another.

We could see that many films would do this if there were a drastic change in scenery or characters.

Fonts

When introducing the characters we wanted to use the same font but change the colour so that it was obvious that they were different jobs and different roles. We decided to use a simple font that was easy to read and colours which fitted in with the genre but was also easy for the audience to read.

How the opening suggests what genre we have chosen

We followed typical conventions of chick flicks to show what genre we had picked and to make it obvious to the audience. We decided that to do this we really had to make sure the audience could relate to the story and make it funny and enjoyable to watch. To make sure we hit topics that people expected to see I made a questionnaire and handed it out to ten females and males to see what story they would expect hear, what charcters there should be and what age group it should be aimed at this really helped us see what we needed to do to make the opening sequence more successful. The scenes in the room are very important as they show the audience what Chandler is like and what personality she has, as the audience we can see that she is girly and maybe a bit childish just by looking at her room as it is specifically tailored to her taste.

How are the characters introduced

We wanted the opening to reveal the three main characters and show the relationship between the three of them. We looked at everything they needed to know how they would be dressed. We also wanted there to be a very obvious contrast bewteen the two popular girls, bailey and brooke, and Chandler the loser. As chandler is the key character we wanted to introduce her first, we wanted her seem fun and bubbly and a geek who thinks shes cool. We did this by introducing her energetically for example the shot above shows her dancing around to a song and not taking getting ready seriously whereas as Brooke and Bailey would take hours getting ready doing their make up. Both bailey and brooke are introduced together locking a expensive car and walking/ strutting into school with chandler running up behind her.

Special effects

Our film didn't need to use special effects, we found that many chick flicks didn't use any special effects as the stories were usually close to real life and relatable whereas something like an action film uses lots of special effects as things happen in it that don't usually happen in real life.

Time line of our credits and shots used

Timeline of Credits


0.00-0.06 - Bjuicy productions presents
0.28-0.30-  Produced by Yasmin Stageman
0.35-0.38- Directed by Jessica Oxley
0.42-0.44- Camera and Editing by Jessica Oxley and Camilla Gill
0.52-0.54- Music by Camilla Gill and Rebecca Reynolds
1.06- 1.09- Costume by Rebecca Reynolds
1.48-1.50- Rebecca Reynolds as Chandler
1.50-1.52- Yasmin Stageman as Brooke and Camilla Gill as Bailey
2.03-2.07- Sex Drugs and Discoballs.


Shots used
 Chandler lying in bed - Medium shot is used
 Chandler falls out of bed, i'm  is on the floor- Long shot is used
 The camera tracks as Chandler gets up and walks over to the light switch- medium shot is used
Chandler walks over to Ipod docking station- medium shot
Chandler presses play on the ipod- close up
Chandler opens the curtains and picks up her clothes- tracking medium shot is used
Chandler hops across the screen while putting on her socks I do  this twice- medium shot is used both times
Chandler dances around the room and infront of the mirror -medium shot is used
Chandler runs out of the bedroom- medium shot is used
This cuts to me running and then skidding along the hallway- a medium long shot is used
Chandler runs down the stairs and falls- Long shot is used as i get further down the stairs it becomes a medium close up
Chandler grabs the cereal and runs out of the door- medium shot is used
This cuts to me running out the door with the camera on the other side- medium shot is used
 Chandler gets onto her bike- a medium close up is used
Chandler pours in the cereal into the bowl and places the box on a bench and waves goodbye- a medium shot is used
Chandler rides through a puddle- close up is used
Chandler rides the bike along the road- high angle shots and long shots are used, the camera also tracks me along the road
Chandler ride her bike further along- a medium long shot is used
Chandler attempts to blow up her tyres- medium shot is used while tracking me
Chandler wipes her forehead- medium close up is used
Fades into the school scene
Bailey and Brooke lock car and walk into school- medium shot is used while tracking them along
Chandler runs up behind them- long shot is used
Chandler flicks her hair and says hello to the girls- medium close up is used
Fades into the Title

Feedback

After finishing one of our later cuts I decided to show it to a few people so i could receive feedback and see what needed to be changed. I showed it to three different people and underneath are there comments:


Alice: " I thought it was funny and i really liked the Titles used, the story seems to be a bit confusing at the moment."


Amy: " I think some of the shots used are really great and it flows really well, I also like that you've made your own soundtrack which relates to the story."


Ben: " seems quite comical and light hearted, really like the story and the characters, really like the way the titles made it clear who was who."


From the feedback I received I could see what bits might need tweaking and what bits really worked. I mainly received good feedback and could see that the majority of people understood and would want to see this film. From the feedback it was obvious that everyone liked the characterisation we used and the soundtrack.