“Sometimes, working within constraints produces the most interesting work” (Branston and Strafford)
How have you used real media conventions to produce interesting or effective coursework productions?
I believe the quote means that working against limitations forces you as the creator to challenge them, work against them or follow them to make your work more interesting for the audience. I agree with this statement, as I used the conventions as a set of rules to either follow, challenge or subvert.
In my thriller i found i followed conventions more than in my music video, as it was harder to go against the conventions of a thriller without creating something that wasn’t a thriller at all. Whereas, with my music video, the conventions were more like guidelines that allowed freedom to create something original yet still what the audience wanted. In my AS production of a thriller opening i followed conventions of a thriller to make the genre of the film more apparent for the audience, compare this to my A2 music video where i challenged the conventions of an “indie” genre to make my production more interesting and create more of a niche. For example, in my thriller i followed the convention of a dark, shadowy atmosphere mainly at the beginning of the film through colourisation to make the shots look darker and grainier. I did this to aid the tense atmosphere i was trying to create to make the opening more convincing as a real thriller film. I believe following this convention was effective as the end result was very eerie which met the convention of a dark shadowy atmosphere. In my music video, however, I challenged the conventions of the “indie” genre by mixing the typical conventions (performance shots) with a narrative “boy meets girl” concept. This made a new product for the audience as they followed the narrative of story of the protagonist trying to win over a girl with random cuts to performances by the artist to remind the audience of it’s indie genre. I believe this was successful as it made the music video more interesting and entertaining, and by using the constraints of conventions i was able to create something new and more appealing.
Although it was easier to go against the conventions of a music video than more a thriller, sometimes using the limitations of conventions worked just as well in creating a successful product. For example in my thriller I followed the convention of using realistic settings to make the danger my protagonist was under to seem more real. I did this my having the female protagonist stand on a pavement with the word “school” written on the road, shot as a high-angle shot. This created a sense of the “unusual” occurring within a normal, vulnerable setting. I did this to make the audience feel unease at how vulnerable and alone our protagonist was. Although we followed the conventions this was still successful as our audience did notice the location and commented on how it made them feel apprehensive about what was going to happen. In my music video i also followed conventions by using references to voyeurism. This was achieved by using a webcam as an integrated split screen effect, so the audience could see both characters in different locations at the same time. This created the notion of looking as the audience were looking at our characters who were also looking at each other. I believe the use of this convention was effective as it related to our target audience through the use of popular technologies however was also successful despite working within a constraint.
In conclusion, throughout my As and A2 productions I have demonstrated many ways in which working within constraints can produce the most interesting work, weather it’s by challenging, following or subverting the conventions they are there to aid the construction of the product to make it interesting for the audience.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Monday, 7 February 2011
Post Production
"The post-production process can be the most important part of the filming process"
- How important has the post-production stage been in your foundation and advanced portfolios and how have your skills developed over these two years?
In my thriller opening i used colourisation effects to reinforce the dark and sinister nature of the thriller film. It was through iMovie and the options made available that i was able to adjust the brightness, contrast and colouring of the shot to make it look darker and grainier. This editing effect was used as the protagonist looked intently at a wall covered in pictures and belongings of the girl he was stalking. I developed this particular part of post production into my A2 level production, where i utilised the effect of colourisation further. As I'd already used the colourisation tool on iMovie, i was very familiar with it and used it in my music video to emphasize one of our house colours - blue. We used colourisation in the scenes that took place during the chorus, where a clown holds up a poster with the lyrics of the chorus written on it. It was important to reinforce this colour to the audience as house colours were a vital part of establishing a brand identity for our artist.
In both my thriller opening and music video music was essential. For my thriller opening i had to edit the music in the post production stage for it to be original and also fit in with the tense atmosphere we wanted to create within the film. We chose the song "Lucky You" by Deftones and edited it using the music software audacity. Using this software we were able to slow or quicken the pace of the song to fit with the shots we had filmed previously. Editing the song was essential for creating tension and arousing suspicion from the audience, a typical convention of a thriller film opening. The song was used throughout the thriller opening but created the most apprehension when the protagonist was looking at a wall of pictures and belongings of the girl he was stalking, within which the music fitted perfectly with the movements on screen.
In both my thriller opening and music video music was essential. For my thriller opening i had to edit the music in the post production stage for it to be original and also fit in with the tense atmosphere we wanted to create within the film. We chose the song "Lucky You" by Deftones and edited it using the music software audacity. Using this software we were able to slow or quicken the pace of the song to fit with the shots we had filmed previously. Editing the song was essential for creating tension and arousing suspicion from the audience, a typical convention of a thriller film opening. The song was used throughout the thriller opening but created the most apprehension when the protagonist was looking at a wall of pictures and belongings of the girl he was stalking, within which the music fitted perfectly with the movements on screen.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Research and Planning
(A) Planning: The organisation of time and equipment
1. I organised my time in the foundation portfolio task by creating a shooting schedule and storyboards. The shooting schedule gave me specific structure in what i was doing and allowed me to be precise in the creation of my thriller film. The storyboards were efficient as a visual aid and helped me remember certain things i wanted doing e.g a specific shot or angle. I organised equipment by going through my storyboards and making a note of what equipment i would need in each shot for example a high angle shot would require a tri-pod.
2. This aspect of my planning was very effective as it allowed me to be precise and efficient. It also allowed me the freedom to make any changes i felt were necessary throughout the filming process.
3. I encountered problems with the lack of organisation for equipment that was faulty or didn't successfully meet the needs of a shot. For example the tri-pod was slightly faulty and it was difficult to use it to keep the camera still. This could've been improved if we'd tested the tri-pod before we used it to check it was suitable for filming or arranged alternative methods of keeping the camera still if this were to happen for example using flat surfaces of the correct height.
4. I organised my time in my advanced portfolio task by also using a shooting schedule and storyboards. The storyboards were particularly effective in the planning stages such as filming the convention of a fast cut montage effect where timing is key. The storyboards allowed me to be precise with the timing and figure out how many seconds each shot would have to be. To keep in time to the music
5.This shows progression as i used the storyboards more effectively for the task when filming my advanced portfolio compared to the foundation portfolio. Progression is also shown as we learnt from filming the thriller the problems we may encounter with the tri-pod and used that experience to help us when filming our music video.
1. I organised my time in the foundation portfolio task by creating a shooting schedule and storyboards. The shooting schedule gave me specific structure in what i was doing and allowed me to be precise in the creation of my thriller film. The storyboards were efficient as a visual aid and helped me remember certain things i wanted doing e.g a specific shot or angle. I organised equipment by going through my storyboards and making a note of what equipment i would need in each shot for example a high angle shot would require a tri-pod.
2. This aspect of my planning was very effective as it allowed me to be precise and efficient. It also allowed me the freedom to make any changes i felt were necessary throughout the filming process.
3. I encountered problems with the lack of organisation for equipment that was faulty or didn't successfully meet the needs of a shot. For example the tri-pod was slightly faulty and it was difficult to use it to keep the camera still. This could've been improved if we'd tested the tri-pod before we used it to check it was suitable for filming or arranged alternative methods of keeping the camera still if this were to happen for example using flat surfaces of the correct height.
4. I organised my time in my advanced portfolio task by also using a shooting schedule and storyboards. The storyboards were particularly effective in the planning stages such as filming the convention of a fast cut montage effect where timing is key. The storyboards allowed me to be precise with the timing and figure out how many seconds each shot would have to be. To keep in time to the music
5.This shows progression as i used the storyboards more effectively for the task when filming my advanced portfolio compared to the foundation portfolio. Progression is also shown as we learnt from filming the thriller the problems we may encounter with the tri-pod and used that experience to help us when filming our music video.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Creativity
How Can You Relate Media Theory to Your Question 1(a) Answer?
1)Theory: "Creativity is a process needed for problem solving.... not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people" (Jones, 1993)
Interpretation: Everyone is able to be creative when overcoming adversity
My production work: We enabled ourselves to be creative when we came across an issue with our website. The original template we'd planned to use as our background and therefore planned our website around was difficult to make live on the Internet as we used an unfamiliar website, "bandzoogle". This meant we had to start from scratch and create a new template to use as our background on a different program, SerifPagePlus 11. Here we were forced to be more creative as we constructed a new template that would work when made live on Serif. This new creativity is reflected in our digi-pack as you can see the similarities between the two, reinforcing the brand identity of our artist and therefore making it a more successful template.
We were also creative with our opening to a thriller film, when we had diegetic sounds playing in the background that we didn't want to feature in our film. We tried removing these sounds, but the silence made the film boring and monotonous. This allowed us to be creative as we overcame this difficulty and searched for alternatives. We analysed the diegetic sounds, hearing things such as crows squaking and footsteps, which we believed added to the tension, so we left these sounds within the film. We also found gaps in the film where we could use dramatic sound effects, such as screeching violins getting louder as the film progressed. This in turn built suspense in the video which is a typical convention of a thriller film.
2)Theory: "Creativity is novel associations which are useful" (Isaksen and Treffinger, 1993)
Interpretation: Thinking outside the box, being innovative dynamic and bold, in creating something useful for others.
My production work: We challenged the typical "boy meets girl" narrative, seen in films such as "Notting Hill" and TV series such as "Sex and the City", by incorporating innovative features and motifs such as the clown to depict the main characters' feelings. This was used as an innovative feature that related to the band's individual style and also to the character's within the music video.
3) Theory: "Creativity is the ability to bring something new into existence" (Anthony Storr)
Interpretation: Creating something original and modern.
My production work: We created something new and original through the use of change in tempo of the non-diegetic song played over our thriller opening. The change matched the action taking place on the screen, therefore creating a more thrilling/interesting film.
4) Theory: "The making of the new and rearranging of the old" (Bentley, 1997)
Interpretation: Taking something old and using it as inspiration for something new.
My production work: We took something old, for example the stereotypical "boy meets girl" narrative seen in our music video, and made it new by adding original and exciting obstacles for the boy to overcome before he gets the girl, such as her repeated rejection in various ways. These ways add humour and therefore reinvent the narrative to make it new.
1)Theory: "Creativity is a process needed for problem solving.... not a special gift enjoyed by a few but a common ability possessed by most people" (Jones, 1993)
Interpretation: Everyone is able to be creative when overcoming adversity
My production work: We enabled ourselves to be creative when we came across an issue with our website. The original template we'd planned to use as our background and therefore planned our website around was difficult to make live on the Internet as we used an unfamiliar website, "bandzoogle". This meant we had to start from scratch and create a new template to use as our background on a different program, SerifPagePlus 11. Here we were forced to be more creative as we constructed a new template that would work when made live on Serif. This new creativity is reflected in our digi-pack as you can see the similarities between the two, reinforcing the brand identity of our artist and therefore making it a more successful template.
We were also creative with our opening to a thriller film, when we had diegetic sounds playing in the background that we didn't want to feature in our film. We tried removing these sounds, but the silence made the film boring and monotonous. This allowed us to be creative as we overcame this difficulty and searched for alternatives. We analysed the diegetic sounds, hearing things such as crows squaking and footsteps, which we believed added to the tension, so we left these sounds within the film. We also found gaps in the film where we could use dramatic sound effects, such as screeching violins getting louder as the film progressed. This in turn built suspense in the video which is a typical convention of a thriller film.
2)Theory: "Creativity is novel associations which are useful" (Isaksen and Treffinger, 1993)
Interpretation: Thinking outside the box, being innovative dynamic and bold, in creating something useful for others.
My production work: We challenged the typical "boy meets girl" narrative, seen in films such as "Notting Hill" and TV series such as "Sex and the City", by incorporating innovative features and motifs such as the clown to depict the main characters' feelings. This was used as an innovative feature that related to the band's individual style and also to the character's within the music video.
3) Theory: "Creativity is the ability to bring something new into existence" (Anthony Storr)
Interpretation: Creating something original and modern.
My production work: We created something new and original through the use of change in tempo of the non-diegetic song played over our thriller opening. The change matched the action taking place on the screen, therefore creating a more thrilling/interesting film.
4) Theory: "The making of the new and rearranging of the old" (Bentley, 1997)
Interpretation: Taking something old and using it as inspiration for something new.
My production work: We took something old, for example the stereotypical "boy meets girl" narrative seen in our music video, and made it new by adding original and exciting obstacles for the boy to overcome before he gets the girl, such as her repeated rejection in various ways. These ways add humour and therefore reinvent the narrative to make it new.
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