Age Rating

U rating: The u symbol stands for universal , U rated films are suitable for four years and over age range. It is quite a difficult rating as it can be difficult to predict what would upset a child. There could be kissing in u rated films , very mild fighting and very ,mild language such as : damn, hell. Our film in relation with the U rating : Our film is going to involve some scenes of strong violence and some bad language throughout , therefore it is definitely going to be above a U rating.

PG rating: PG stands for parental guidance this means it may unsettle children below the age of 8 but it is generally considered for general viewing. When parents are taking their children to a PG rated film they should consider if their child is sensitive and may be upset by the film. There may be mild bad language in a PG and mild violence. This will not be the rating of our film as our film will involve some strong language and violence throughout.

12A and 12 rating: 12A rated films are not generally suitable for children under the age of 12 , but they may be allowed to see the film if accompanied by an adult. The 12 rating is put in place for retailers because it is simpler that only people above the age of 12 can buy the film. Our film is not going to be this rating either as we are sure it is not going to be suitable for anyone below the age of 15 and we are aiming for the older audience.

15 rating: Films rated 15 are not suitable for children under the age of 15. The theme of the film is not limited , it can be any theme as long as it is suitable for a 15 year old . Some of the things you may see in a film rated 15 are :Strong violence , frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal sex references, nudity and drug taking. Our film is going to be rated at 15 as we are going to incorporate strong violence throughout and also frequent uses of language .

Our group: skills

Tom: I am mainly going to be in the film as one of the characters as that is my strength , I will help as much as I possibly can with the editing and give input where possible but it is not my main strength

Sam: Sam is probably the strongest member of our group as he is good behind the camera as well as in front of it. He is the technical person of our group and is very good at editing where at the same time he is also a good actor

Brantley: Brantley is going to be the filmer in our group as me and Sam will be the characters in the film. He may appear in some scenes for a small period of time but his main role will be operating the camera.

Lighting effects experimentation

 This shot creates quite a sinister effect as the subject is staring into the camera and the light is shining from the side onto the subjects face as half dark and half light.

 This is probably the most sinister looking shot we took whilst experimenting with lighting , in this particular shot we didn't actually use a large amount of light, but just enough to make the subjects face visible. This is what makes the picture scary because we can only see parts of the face which leaves a sense of mystery.

This gives the same effect but perhaps not quite as scary as we used a larger amount of light which makes the subject more visible making the viewer more comfortable.

 This was again the same shot but with an even smaller amount of light , I personally don't think this shot is very effective.

 This shot was slightly different as we used a natural light source to create the effect, Personally I think the blue tint to the natural light gives a sense of gloom and negativity.

This shot is similar to the shot of me earlier with the light below my face , in this shot Sam has the light above him with his head tilted forwards slightly to create a shadow on his face which again gives a sinister effect.

This lighting effect shows the whole subject and the shot being 90 degrees to the subject creates a sense that the subject is under pressure .

As Preliminary Evaluation

Here is my preliminary evaluation, please find the slideshare link below:
http://www.slideshare.net/tomgasgas125/as-preliminary-evaluation-41805377

Barthes Narrative Codes

Action Code

The first code is the Action code , this is used to indicate what is the next logical step. It gives an insight into what is going to happen next and implies some sort of action is about to happen, E.g the cocking of a gun indicates a gunfight. We did use the action code in our preliminary task right at the beginning of our clip. There was a character being chased through the woods and we saw a black figure run behind him , then the camera cut out . This implied the character was going to be killed. Although I do personally believe we could have used more action codes in our clip which followed through , as we didn't actually see what happened to the character. I do not think our clip would have been more effective if we used more action codes as it was supposed to suspend the audience and it was only an opening . If we had shown what happened to the character it would have ruined the suspense. Although it is not very obvious you can see the figure dressed in black in the background of our clip. This is what implies action as he is running towards the character.



Mystery code or Enigma code

This code is used to explain narrative by controlling what and how much information is given to the audience, It grabs the audiences interest and attention by setting up an enigma or problem that is resolved during the course of the narrative ,For example; someone's murderous hand in the opening sequence, who does it belong too? . We used the mystery code in our group as in the beginning the character is being chased through a wood by a figure dressed in black, the audience do not know why this is happening and they want to know. Therefore this gives a sense of mystery , I think we used it quite effectively as it entices the audience to keep watching.


The semic code

This code is all about signs and symbols in a text or clip that tell us about its narrative and characters. For example; in a horror film supernatural events would be signified by fear of light/ garlic to signify a vampire. We didn't include the semic code in our clip ,  Although I think it would have been an effective method to entice the audience .

The cultural code

This code is used in order for the narrative to make sense to a culturally and socially aware audience. It makes reference to elements of the real world that the audience recognises for example Aston Martins and Martinis in the James Bond films. Unfortunately we didn't include the cultural code in our preliminary task . I think we should have included it as it causes the audience if multicultural to relate to the film.

Code of oppositions

This code refers to narrative that relies on binary opposites for example ; black v white, hot v cold. We did use this code in our preliminary task as in the beginning of the clip it shows the character wearing quite bright clothing and the villain  who is completely dressed in black . This makes it obvious to the audience that he is the villain and he is going to hurt the character in some way.

 

Titling practice

My title practice ,using adobe after effects

Final piece

We have finished pur preliminary task ,although we missed a couple of shots off .We have redone theses shots and added them in so it is complete now ,after some little bits of last minute filming and editing

Progress

Our group is getting on well with editing our film ,we had to refilm a couple of clips due to shakiness but that is all done and dusted ,so it's all down to the editing now ,so fingers crossed we will meet the deadline

Storyboard

This is the completed story board for our preliminary task

I will be uploading a picture of my completed storyboard for our preliminary task during the next few days.

Utopia ; Post production

An article I have found which explains how utopia got its comic book look in the post-production stage was on wired.com. The article basically explains why the strange editing techniques are used such as the bold colours, Warm glow, all these are used to get the effect of a comic book but also give the effect of a vintage feel to the different clips.

What is post production?    
Post production is the very last stage in the long journey of making a film , it includes the overall editing of the clips and sound. It is also mainly used to fix the minor problems within the original footage. Although if the footage is extremely bad or doesn't include an adequate level of continuity it will be a severe problem and may have to be started again.

Preliminary Task

We have been set a preliminary task. The instructions we have been given say we have to create a small continuity piece themed as the opening to a horror film. We must include basics such as ; the character opening a door, walking across a room then finally sitting down opposite a different character and exchanging conversation. There are a few different camera shots I must incorporate into this task. These are ; match on action, the 180degree rule and a shot reverse shot. I will be creating this preliminary task with help from Joe Patton and Sam Bowden.

Practice Shots

 This is an establishing shot to show were the next scene is going to take place , and to give the viewer a clear perspective.

 This is one of the angles of a subject, it is used to show power or maybe make something seem sinister or big.

 This is the second angle

 This is the third angle to show a subjects surroundings or a size comparison

 Long shot using leading lines

 Same again

 Low angle shot to add drama or add emotion.

 Mid shot

 Long shot using rule of thirds

 Close up using rule of thirds. To clearly show expression or emotion on the subjects face.

 Extreme close up

 Close up using background to show depth of surroundings

 Long shot using backgrounds

Random close up

welcome to my blog , This is my first time studying media and I am enjoying it so far , I will upload a few practice shots soon