Finishing Planning

We finished the animatic storyboard for our opening sequence uploaded it to youtube and it is shown below in all it glory;
It took us quite a while to do but it was good practise for us all using final cut and honing our skills on the editing packages – livetype, final cut and flashworks. To start with we went to the set (the refectory), and walked through the basic shots we would need to portray our story, here we realised the importance of continuity editing and the necessity to include a variety of shots and use match on actions etc. We then began to upload these shots, which showed us the quantity of shots we were going to need. After ordering these we began to add text on top to show our dialogue and directions and underneath we added the music we are going to use. Both Ani and Harry had friends in bands who provided songs and we chose to use Harry’s friends as it was more upbeat, which matches the tempo of our opening. For the final thing we will edit it to fit but for this we have included the whole track just to provide an idea.
We realised we didn't have enough shots for our montage because everyone was in lessons when we went to take them so we had to draw some, we used the iPhoto program to upload them to the computer. We used livetype to add the 'credits' over the top, we chose a pink colour because stereotypically the audience of this genre of film is predominantly female and pink is a colour that appeals to them, we used a handwritten 'swirly' text as this to had connotations of feminity/girlishness.
This excercise also caused us to rethink our roles within the group as Nicole and Ani are both becoming more confident outside there chosen jobs, Nicole is far more able to verbalise her ideas and Ani is more comfortable with editing within final cut so they are now working jointly, and the group is working toghether more effectivly.

Opening to 'She's the Man'

I created a storyboard of the first ten shots of the film She's the Man; as i found it related to the opening of our film that we are creating, as it associated with school/ college life and the falling in love over two people. In my storyboard I drew the close ups, long shots and mid shots which occur in the opening of 'She's the Man'.

Opening of Mean Girls

My story board is based on the first 1 minute 26 of the film 'Mean girls'. I choose to story board Mean girls as in my opinion, i think it relates most to the film we are currently creating and has the same target audience as what we are trying to achieve. In the first scene i drew an image of both the parents which are talking to the young girl using a medium close up and then in the next two scenes a close up is used to show the happiness in the families faces. The following images that i drew on the story board included close ups, medium long shots and wide shots. 

Opening Of Legally Blonde

I chose to look at the opening of the film 'Legally Blonde' as i felt it has the same sort of target audience as the film we are planning, also because i new that the opening involves the university sorority, which is a somewhat similar education style setting.
I noticed that, similar to when we looked at the opening of mean girls, there are several wider shots to show the surroundings. However, in this instance they are interspersed with extreme-close ups of the lead character, but not showing her fully, which builds suspense and generates interest.

Opening of Mean Girls

My storyboard shows the opening scene of 'Mean girls'. I choose to story board Mean girls because i found that it relates to the film that we are currently producing. The first shot shows a medium close up of both the parents, this symbolizes a typical family surrounding. The next shot is a close up of the mum, the close up of this character suggests power of the family. The following shots contain the whole family using medium close ups, long shots and close ups. By doing this a loving atmosphere is portrayed. 

Today we discussed the elements that contribute towards a film sequence;
Camerawork
Sound
Mise en Scene
Editing
and Representation.

We then watched the opening sequence of the film 'Clerks' and thought about how each of these elements effect the film.
Camerawork
Which types of shot where predominate?
Are close-ups used on actors or surroundings?
Sound
Diagetic or non-diagetic?
What does the soundtrack add to the film?
Mise en Scene
Locale, Props, Era, Costume, Lighting, Acting.
Editing
Continuity; match on action used?
Montage
Representation
Social Groups, Class, Education

Video Clip

We analyzed the above clip from the film Mean Girls.

The film opens with a two shot of the parents, which establishes a relationship between them. Its an eyeline shot, designed to look as though a child is looking up at their parents. The camera then moves to an over the shoulder shot and we learn that in fact the 'child' they are talking to is 16 years old. Opening with a joke sets the tone for the movie. As she walks to college the backing track starts, non-diagetic music and diagetic chatter. The music is to set pace, establishing the hustle and bustle of college life.

Then there’s a sort a mix of point of view shots and mid shots of the lead character. This is used to establish the setting and the point of view shots suggest how the character feels about her new surroundings.

Throughout the introduction there is a narrative, voiced by the main character which accompanies the shots and helps to move the story quickly forward; it also means that you are given the characters background information immediately, so that the rest of the film is dedicated entirely to telling a new story.

There are no instances of close ups used in the introduction which means you can always see some of the backdrop of the scene. In an opening this is useful as it allows the audience to properly ascertain the films surroundings.

The Beginning

We watched on E-Stream: A program on Film Production.
We then formed a production company called: Break Productions. Then we decided on our roles within this company.

Director - Harry Doyle
Producer - Anastasia Yates
Editor - Nicole Scarborough
Cameraman - Stacie Brown

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Set in a college the film will involve a classic 'boy meets girl' scenario, with problems keeping the couple apart, often presenting themselves in comedic ways.

After discussing the outline, characters and overall concept we story-boarded the first section of our sequence using final cut express.