Print Brief Research

Research

1) Key conventions. Look over the magazine cover key conventions notes sheet and ensure you can confidently identify the key aspects that are found on a magazine cover.

Key conventions of a magazine cover:

-Title of publication

-Slogan

-Central image

-'Flash'/Cover Line/Sell Line

-Free offer

-Colour scheme

-Name Checks

-Language

-Competitions

-Direct Address & Asking Questions

-Bar code, Date and Price

-The 'Real' Target Audience

2) Write an analysis of this BFI Film Festival programme front cover. How many of the 12 key conventions of magazine covers can you see? In what way does this print product differ from a traditional magazine cover? How have the designers made this programme visually interesting?

It's clear from looking at this programme cover that not all 12 key conventions of a magazine cover feature on it but the ones I can see are: Title of publication, central image, colour scheme, name checks, concise language and its date of issue. I think this cover differs from a traditional magazine cover in that there's not much information as to its contents like a traditional magazine e.g. 'Empire' would. I think the intentions behind this were to draw the buyer's attention to one thing only - in this case the vibrant title/central image on a black background. To make this visually interesting, the designers have merged the title and the central image together to make one image instead of having them separately and I think it's this that makes it stand out against other magazine covers and intrigue consumers. In terms of the colour scheme, the most prominent colours (apart from black) are red and purple which are both - especially red - quite eye-catching colours and the fact that they appear on the cover in quite a random, abstract way makes it all the more fascinating because most magazines have relatively well structured covers so once this (apparently) disorganised distribution of colour has got the consumer interested they are likely to study it more, only to discover that the colours aren't just randomly distributed; they in fact make up a person's face - the cover's central image. Then, after becoming interested by the cover, they'll undoubtedly notice the lack of information about the magazine's content which will force them to open it and read what's inside.

3) Find at least 5 arts centre or cinema programmes/brochures aimed at a similar target audience to your project (arthouse cinema). For each one, pick out one design idea that you could use in your own print work.

One design element of this brochure that I could incorporate in my own work is having one photo from my photoshoot as the background so the audience get an idea of the genre and possibly the narrative of the film before seeing it.

One design idea of this programme I could use is the brightly coloured text on top of a dark background to draw the audience's attention to it. 

From this brochure, I could use shapes as text boxes, particularly shapes with sharp edges or corners to make the brochure appear more attractive and unique.











One of the design features I most like on this programme is the use of vertical text. I also like the fact that it has quite an understated colour scheme and that most of the colour comes from the photos.  I think this essentially makes reading/understanding the programme easier for the audience. 







The design feature I like most on this brochure and that I could use in my own work is the overlapping images. They are also relatively low in opacity and I think using this combination  in my own work would allow the audience to be given a lot of information about the film without being overwhelmed by content.


Planning and sketching

1) Create a spider diagram or bullet point list of all the things your target audience might be interested in. How can you use this information to create a main feature about your film that will appeal to your target audience?

2) Produce an A5 sketch of your front cover including the key conventions and design tricks you have studied in existing programmes and then planned in planning task 1 above.

3) Produce an A4 sketch of your double-page spread contents page. In terms of the text for your contents page, you will need to find out the names of the films of other groups in your class. The other films in the class will make up the rest of your contents page.

4) Create a spider diagram or bullet point list of ideas for your double-page spread feature. Write a list of potential headlines and sub-headings for the article you choose to go with.

5) Produce an A4 landscape sketch of your double page spread design now you have chosen the subject matter.

Photoshoot

1) Which of your main characters will appear on the front cover of your programme?
Just the protagonist, Natalie.

2) What image or images do you need for the contents page?
A larger image from my film of the two main characters (Natalie and Moses) and possibly smaller images from the other productions.

3) What image or images will you use for the double-page spread?
Several images from my production's photoshoot - one of all four characters, one of the two main characters and two of the protagonist on her own.

4) Write a shot list for the photoshoot. Make sure you plan a variety of camera shots you will look to capture - medium shots, close-ups etc.
-Medium shot - Sophie and Daniel with backs to each other
-Medium long shot - all four main characters standing next to each other.
-Medium-close up shots - Sophie's face + various facial expressions.
-Medium-close ups - remaining three actors with eyes open/shut.

5) What costume, props or make-up will you require for the photoshoot?
No props are needed but the costume will need to be quite casual clothing accompanied by very subtle makeup, given that the the protagonist starts the film coming out of a modern-day hospital after enduring a traffic accident and multiple days in a coma.

Script Tutorial

-Brilliant concept - really intriguing and an excellent idea for a 30-minute arthouse film. Also looks very achievable and I'm confident the audience will quickly get the narrative.

-The only location that might be tricky is the hospital (although Daniel may come in here!) But if you can film in an actual hospital it will add greatly to the overall effect.

-The only scene I don't quite get is the McDonald's bit - what does it add to the narrative or tell the audience? Will you have music over any of these scenes?

-Another couple of comments: the script looks a little short for three minutes? Generally the Hollywood rule is one page a minute so in that sense you’re absolutely fine but each scene seems pretty short… it’s not a major concern as it can be a few seconds under no problem (2min 45secs is fine).

-Finally, the final conversation feels very important but is currently set outside (park) – how will you make sure the audio is good enough here? Also, is it worth adding a couple of lines to this last conversation to hint further at where the film may be going?

Next Steps

1 - Altering the script to make it more relevant e.g. cutting the McDonald's scene.

2 - Finalising filming dates and having back-up plans should we encounter unavoidable problems that might hinder our progress.

3 - Filming first scenes on Sat 21st.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

For this preliminary exercise, I worked with Rayelle and Daniel to tell the story of a kidnapping. Our planning process was somewhat confused as we had got the wrong impression that the video was meant to be three minutes long rather than thirty seconds so we had planned a three minute video which we then had to cut down, but that wasn't too difficult. We split the planning tasks between the three of us and this was an effective way of getting the planning done efficiently so we were ready to film with a clear plan and no confusion on Friday. This made the filming process a lot easier and even gave us some time to start editing it. In terms of the actual video there were elements to it that were good and elements that could have been better. One of the good things about it I think was the camerawork, specifically the handheld shot at 0:35 and the slow movement of the camera from the shot at 0:50 to 0:58. I think these two moments in the video add to the realism and tension and as a result the audience become more immersed in the action happening on screen. Another good element to this video I think were the match on action shots we used because these made the video 'flow' better and made it look a lot neater. However, there were things that we could have done better. For example although we followed the 180 degrees rule, our over the shoulder shots could have been made to look more realistic so one way we could do this in the future is by having the two actors sit closer together - this way it would increase the realism of the idea that a conversation is being held. Something else to help with this would be to position the camera much closer to the shoulder/neck of the person in front of it to decrease the amount of empty space in the shot to ensure the audience's attention is solely on the characters and their interaction with each other. One of the biggest issues we had during filming was that we found it hard to focus on the important objects, particularly smaller ones like the purse so the focus ended up on things like the radiator. I think the reason behind this was that we didn't get to grips with the lens we were using and I think we possibly used the less useful one of the two we could have chosen from in terms of filming close up shots. If we were to do this again I think we would need to spend more time getting the accuracy of our shots right rather than dedicating most of our time to the content.

Boyz n The Hood review

Boyz n The Hood is a coming of age crime drama that focuses on the teenage lives of Tre and his friends Doughboy, Ricky and Chris in the early 1990s.
Having been involved in fighting at school, Tre's mum takes him to live with his dad in a South Los Angeles neighbourhood where he is reunited with his friends. We first get an idea of what this place is like when Tre's dad is involved in a shooting on his first night there; the next day Chris shows the rest of them a dead body to which they react remarkably calmly, as if seeing a dead body is the most normal thing. This immediately tells us that crime is obviously a common issue in this particular area/time period and could be foreshadowing future events.
As the boys become teenagers, they are confronted with many difficulties faced by countless teenagers and they all develop their own personalities and aspirations. 
Tre finds himself in a relationship with Brandi who he has had strong feelings for since they first met and she makes him a lot more open minded about having sex, explaining her preference to wait, which he accepts. 
Ricky, having come from a single parent family and becoming a young father himself, decides that he wants an education at university to become a professional American Football player so he and Tre sit their SAT exams in the hope that they will be able to go together. 
Doughboy appears to have taken a different outlook on life and leads himself down the path of drugs, alcohol and crime, much to the disappointment of Ricky and Tre.
In a neighbourhood with crime around every corner, the boys are presented with new challenges throughout the film, testing their anger, desire and self-restraint to the limit.

Film Language Test: Learner Response

33 = B

WWW: A really strong response throughout with excellent insight and reference to the clip. The challenge now is to move from solid level 3 to level 4.

EBI: You need to bring in some media theory and possibly more on genre too. This is a key aspect for top level answers (narrative theory would work well for this exam)
-Some paragraphs need a little more depth... for example, you could say a lot more about Keaton's expression when he sees the killer.
-For sound, you missed SFX and for editing, eye-line matches. Areas to revise for next time!

LR:

How is editing used to create drama and tension in the opening scene?
The editing of this scene is very successful at creating drama and tension. For example, the pace of the editing is very slow and this type of editing is generally associated with the build up of tension - in this case the audience is left anticipating what is going to happen between the two characters. The shots of the killer standing on the boat and walking down the steps are particularly slow paced which shows that the majority of the tension is coming from this character and his actions which makes the audience aware that he is someone to be feared and we assume that he and Keaton are about to encounter one another, and the fact that Keaton is already injured and his identity is exposed to the audience which is quite the opposite of the killer (who we already know is up to no good), we could also assume that their confrontation probably isn't going to end well for Keaton.

As the killer approaches Keaton, Keaton looks up at him and usually, we would expect (as the audience) to see an eyeline match from Keaton to the killer but in order to create tension, the director appears to have made a conscious decision to hide the killer's identity from us which then leaves us wondering who the killer is throughout the rest of the clip. The camera continues to cut to other shots during the scene, but there is never an eyeline match from Keaton to his killer's face. This could be an example of an enigma code created by Barthes which intentionally withholds information from the audience, information that could be crucial to the narrative and its ending (that information in this scene is the killer's identity) This is a very successful way to build tension and retain the audience's attention.

Finally, towards the end of the scene, the killer drops his lit cigarette onto the spilt fuel on the floor, just as Keaton had done with his matches. However, as he drops it, slow motion is used which lengthens the build up to the final explosion for which slow motion is also used. This could add to the strong emotional impact felt by the audience about Keaton's death and also adds to the dramatic atmosphere. In terms of other aspects of film language, the emotion of the scene is heightened by the crescendo in the music which happens at the same time as the explosion and this enables the audience to feel resentment towards Keaton's killer which makes us all the more desperate to discover who he is.

Preliminary Task - Shot List

Shot:

1) Medium long shot from behind Subs as she's walking home.
2) close up shot of side of Subs' head showing she's listening to music.
3) Over the shoulder shot as she approaches the boys.
4) close up shot of wallet falling to the floor.
5) Eyeline match from Subs to the wallet.
6) Long shot of Subs picking the wallet up and asking the boys if it's theirs.
7) Medium long shot in front of Subs moving back as Subs opens the wallet whilst walking towards the camera.
8) Close up shot of money in the wallet
9) Close up shot of Subs' facial expression.
10) Medium long shot of Subs looking around and putting the wallet in her pocket.
11) Handheld medium shot from behind walking towards Subs - in same shot Maurice puts bag over Subs' head.
12) Fade/cut to black.
13) Medium shot of kidnapper leading Subs to door.
14) Close up match on action shot of kidnapper opening door.
15) Long shot of whole room as kidnapper sits Subs in chair and exits.
16) Medium shot of Subs' face as Carys removes bag. Subs panics.
17) Medium shot of Carys sitting down and calming her down.
18 - 31) Alternating over the shoulder shots between Subs and Carys during their conversation.
32) Medium long shot of the door as the knock is heard.
33) Close up shot of Subs' face with "who's that?"
34) Long shot of room showing Subs and Carys, Maurice walks past camera but only his torso is visible (hiding his identity)
35) Medium long shot from behind Maurice's head as he takes off his hood and delivers his line.
36) Close up shot of Maurice's mouth as he finishes saying his line.

Editing

This is the scene of the song El Tango de Roxanne from the 2001 musical Moulin Rouge. In this scene, we see three scenarios that are happening at the same time as each other and are in some way connected with each other.

The transitions of this scene are all straight cuts which could symbolise the intensity and severity of the relationship between Satine and the Duke. It also makes the scene more engaging for the audience because the cuts are so sudden, especially when the pace quickens so more is happening for the audience to pay attention to. Furthermore, because these cuts are so frequent, the audience hardly notices them so the chronology of each scenario in the song becomes easier to follow because we understand that they are happening simultaneously.

It could be argued that this scene has used continuity editing even though the transitions go from one scenario to another but when it goes back to the scene it started off with, it follows on from the first bit we saw - for example, the three scenarios in the scene are Satine and the Duke's night together in the Duke's mansion, the narcoleptic Argentinian singing and teaching the Tango de Roxanne to the Moulin Rouge dancers, and Christian singing/thinking about how the Duke is going to mistreat Satine. 

The first scene shows Christian starting to walk through the Moulin Rouge; the dance then begins and we see Satine and the Duke in his mansion. We then cut back to the dance which has continued from where we last saw it and we then see Christian continue to walk through the club and from then on we continue to see the chronological events of each scenario before eventually Christian has walked out of the Moulin Rouge and ends up underneath the Duke's balcony where the Duke and Satine are now standing together. We then stop seeing the dance for a while, and then it returns when the Duke becomes aggressive with Satine and the sequence of the scenarios continues until the very end of the song.

In terms of other aspects of media language, the sound of the dancers' bodies moving e.g. their feet hitting the floor really emphasises the cuts between the scenes which helps maintain the audience's attention. Also, most of the cuts happen in time with the music which also gives the whole scene more fluidity.

The pace of this clip changes throughout depending on how the narrative progresses. At the beginning of the scene the pace is relatively quick during the tango scenes but slows down slightly each time we return to the Duke and Satine and I think the intention behind this was to build up excitement and intensity during the tango scenes and then to build up tension during the slower paced scenes involving Satine and the Duke, preparing the audience for the climatic events towards the end which a slow paced sequence could foreshadow. The pace then continues to quicken when Christian starts singing and it cuts very quickly through each scenario which could signify his feelings of panic and despair that Satine is supposed to be sleeping with the Duke tonight.

At 2:23 we return to Satine and the Duke and the pace slows down as the Duke begins talking and this change of pace sustains the tension built up between them both and makes the audience wonder what's going to happen as the scene develops. The pace remains slow until 3:07 when the singing resumes which quickens the pace again.

Then, when Christian reaches the Duke's balcony, the pace slows right down again which could highlight the hopelessness Christian and Satine feel that they can't be with each other tonight and that Satine has to spend the night with the Duke. Then, as the Duke's anger grows, we notice the pace begin to quicken again and we know that we are reaching the climax of the scene which leaves the audience fixated, eager to see the result of his rage. As the singing and dancing resumes, with as much ferocity as it left off with, the pace increases to the fastest it has been throughout the whole scene and this reflects how the intensity of each scenario has peaked e.g. the Duke is attempting to rape Satine, Christian is beside himself with despair and the tango has escalated and become much more sensual and dramatic.

There are many moments of juxtaposition in this scene. I think the most noticeable one is probably when Christian is under the balcony and there are numerous eyeline matches between him and Satine, reiterating their love for each other. Furthermore, a lot of the dancing in the tango is naturally very sensual, and these scenes are often followed by Satine and the Duke and the intention behind this could have been to signify that the relationship between Satine and the Duke is purely sexual and the intensity of some of the dancing could be a way of foreshadowing the aggression the Duke takes out on Satine.