Title Sequence (the Game) Evaluation

Audience Survey

Please watch our media product below, and then fill in our survey or leave a comment about what you thought of it.

Survey click HERE Or Leave a comment about what you thought below.

The Game - Final Cut

Here is the finish and final, improved vision of my groups title sequence - The Game. I am very pleased with this finish outcome as it has develop into a dramatic, engaging and exciting opening from our original idea.

Final Cut Draft 2 - Teachers Feedback and Comments

Today we have shown Mr Michie our improved version of our opening for there feedback and comments on how to improve it.

Below is our improved version: 

Improvement and Teachers Comments:

Flows a lot better.

An extremely pleased with it overall

Lengthen the title' The Game' for another second - So that it can be read.

Lengthen alarm - So this it start before the actors start to run on to the screen as the running start a little to quick.

These are the final improvements to be made to the opening before the deadline of the 30th and now this will hopefully give us the best chance of getting a high grade as now it is of the best quality we can do.

Final Cut Draft 1 - Teachers Feedback and Comments

Today we have shown our improved rough cut to your teachers for there feedback and comments on how to improve it before the deadline.

Below is our improved rough cut: 

Improvement and Teachers Comments:

Take out the photos at the beginning - After changing it all around the photos don't work any more, they do not fit in with the sequence. 

Add in more footage of the MI5 scene - As the photos are being remove there needs to be more of the MI5 scene to keep it at 2 minutes.

Change order of credits - The order of the credits need to be change it to fits with a traditional order for a title sequence. The new order shown be:

- Canterbury Productions Presents

- An AJA Production

- The Game

- Actors Names

- Crews Names and Titles (finishing with director) 

Music transition is to slow - At the moment the transition leaves the audience think that there will be more to come, a faster transition will stop this feel. 

From the beginning after the photos to the title sequence it flows well.

The alarm audio level decreases as the character is running away -  This is good as it add perspective and identifies to the audiences that the male lead is running away.

Adjust the voice level in the MI5 scene - At the moment it is fluctuates and makes it obvious that they are different moments in time.    

The varied shots within the MI5 scene is good.

The feedback has helped us identify new areas to work on and improve for the final deadline. Now we need to improve the title sequence to achieve the highest level of quality giving us the best chance to get a high grade. We need to make this amendments before the March 30th as that is our final deadline.

Re-shoot - Thursday 22nd March

Yesterday we have plan to re-shoot some close up of the MI5 scene. This was preferable than re-shooting the Cafe Rouge scene as we have reorder the sequence to the ending is now at the beginning and the beginning is at the end. This creates a better dramatic feel to the sequence and entices the audience quicker than before. As a result of this the Cafe Rouge dialogue has been cut out. This left us with an opportunity to re-shoot something else that need attention. This was the close ups for the MI5 scene. However the room we used last time for the MI5 scene was being used so we had to use a different room, However this was okay as we where doing close up a did not need to see the room and as every room as a white board we could use any where. The room we chose to use however had a different light condition to the last room we used. So even with all the blinds closed there was still to much light comeing through. We still shoot what we need to shoot and decided to level the "Brightness and Contract" of the footage to match the other footage in the edit using Premiere Pro.

Over all yesterday was a good days filming as we completed all that we need to and now are a step close to completing our title sequence. Now we need to lower the brightness and contract of that footage and complete the other improvements.

Rough Cut - Teachers Feedback and Comments

Today we have shown our rough cut to Mr Michie and Mr Ford for there feedback and comments on how to improve it.

Below is our rough cut: 

Improvement and Teachers Comments:

Re-shoot Cafe Rouge scene -  There is background noise of cars driving past and wind, this is not acceptable as it does not fit in with the continuity of the weather but also it is extremely of putting from the title sequence.  

Sound for title sequence - We did not find any music that we thought would be apropet for our title sequence before the deadline for the rough cut. We though it would be better not put music in there we where not happy with. So we need to find music that is appropriate for our genre.  

Change the order of the title sequence -  The teacher thought that the ending sense (5 year earlier) was stronger than our beginning scene (MI5) so we extend to change a new sequence where the ending it at the being and the begin is at the end, however, the London landmark with stay in the same place. We them will compare with one we prefer.  

Re-shoot the exchanging of briefcase - There is comic facia expression on our male lead that does not fit will our genre and therefore may need to be re-shot. 

"AJA Productions" needs to be slowed down - The magnifying glass scroll across the screen to fast and may make it hard for the audience to read in the time available.    

Blue print title sequence needs to be slowed down -  The lines and names more in and out to fast for the audience to read. Each name need to be on the screen for 3 to 4 seconds.

Cross dissolve from photos to MI5 scenes need to be lengthen - The cross dissolve is to fast and and is unnoticeable and therefor a connection is not made by the audience.

Our teachers feedback, has brought to our attention the errors that are in our title sequence and that we have made. Also how we can improve our opening before the final deadline to achieve the highest standard and grades. The errors that have been pointed out to us are small issues however effect the whole opening. There is little time to complete the improvements before our final deadline, but I think with a little commitment and tweaking we can achieve it.  

Filming - Saturday 25th February

Yesterday, our group needed to film a sequence of shots that where set in an external location, this been Hughenden Manor. As a group we where towing and throwing with ideas of where to set this shoot, I said that we should use Windsor Castle as it is a possible location for someone to steal something from. However Amy then said that she thought it would be better to use Hughenden Manor as it would be less bizzy and easy to film as there was more locations. Amy was correct Hughenden was a better location to film as we where able to get all the shots we needed.

We planned to use our main male actor Daniel Pirie and one other person, However all the people we ask could not make the date we ask them to do. So we had no other choice but, to use myself as the other character. This work out well as I knew what we need to do, so there was not confusion with where as need. We planned for our two actor to run through an archway, which we found and filmed however, behind us was a Manor and we all agreed that it would look better if we have the Manor in the background to set the scene and tone for the sequence. However there was not an archway so we changed it to be, the two actor running out from behind a tree, that look like we where running out from the backdoor of the Manor.

What was great about Hughenden was the choice of different areas that we could film in, as it goes for being and Manor to a wood. This gave us the ability to create distance with in our sequence as our main character runs from the Manor to the wood which creates the feeling that he has run a long distance. The day was very sunny which meant that our continuity would be good but also that it would brake the stereotype of a criminal. This is something that we wanted to do.

I feel that this shoot was very good, as we achieve all that we needed to in good time and all the footage looks great. Also this shoot was great because there was no major problems with the location as we where just allow to film where we needed to. This shoot feels be better that our MI5 scene as it is more dramatic and grabs the audience attention. I feel that this scene will edit together really well.

Filming - Thursday 23rd February

In our lesson on Thursday we had planned to film tracking shots around and towards Chelsea in our MI5 scene. Unfortunately due to events out of our control we had to move room as other students where having a lesson in the room we used before. Also our main female lead had had a hair cut and therefore we should not use the footage from our previous shoot as it would not be consistent and would have broken our continuity. So as well as having to shoot the tracking shots, we also had to re-shoot all of the scene. However this prove to be a benefit as all of our footage was continuous and therefor improved our continuity. We also gathered people together to sit in front of Chelsea so when we did the tracking shot it would look like she was talking to people in the room and briefing them. This is the effect the we desired at the beginning of the production. This filming schedule was very tight and we where very close to not getting it finished. We only had 50 minutes to complete the set up, filming and restoring the room to its previous layout. However we did complete it but it was close to not being finished. 

On reflection I can say that our second shoot was better and improved on our first shoot as we knew what we want to achieved and also we all ready had practice from our previous shoot. Overall I feel that this shoot was successful in completing what was needed to do and the footage for the shoot also looks great, just what we want to achieve.

Filming - Thursday 16th February

Today me and Amy went to London to take the finial photos of the London landmark with a SLR camera. We chose to re-shot these scenes as the quality of the late shot was not good enough. This was vital as to give a professional feel to our opening we needed the best quality of photos. This time going was quicker and easier to get around as we had all ready been and know where to go and what we need to shoot. (We knew that we need to re-shoot Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Buckingham Palace and The Tower of London.) These images will been used at the begin of our opening and will given the impression to the audience that some one is taking the photo. This has supported of production and post-production as this was a large part of the opening and how we have the photos we can start editing it down and also continue filming the rest of the footage we need.

I feel this shoot went well aas we got all the photo we need and also completed it in a quicker time. This has also help us to complete the rest of our opening as we now have more footage to edit with and can start the finial shoot, knowing what there is another sequence less to shoot. As well as this the footage that we have I feel is the best quality we could have got and all the shots are frame in the correct way form the feeling and tone that we are trying to create with our title sequence.

Deadlines and Planning

We have been reminded of our deadline and we need to plan our filming and editing accordingly. HEre is our deadlines:

February 29th: Filming to be completed: Ensure you have plenty of footage. Post-production should have started.

March 16th: Rough Cut in Full to be presented to FRD-Media 1 Lunchtime.

March 30th: Projects to be completed: Final Cuts This is the lastday before Easter holidays

April 16th: Blog completed with finished Evaluation ( ppt with visual aids) This is after Easter

Today me and Amy planned when we will be filming next and want we will be filming, as alice was editing the footage from last week shoot. We have three more shoot to do and also need to consider if we need to go and re-shoot again thing. So we have plan where we are next filming. Here is for set data:

February 16th: London Shoot (Landmarks photos)

February 23th: MI5 Tracking shot and any re-shot that need to be done.

February 26th: 5 year ago until the end shot. 

February 27th, 28th and 29th Re-shot days. 

We feel that we have consider every thing that we need to and now we need to make sure that our actors are ready and we have the equipment and we are ready for the next weeks shoots.

Ownership,expansion and new media technologies

This is my presentation on NME's ownership, expansion and new media technologies

Filming - Thursday 2nd February

Here is my comment of the filming shoot in the 2nd February:

Animatic

Here is our animatic.

Unfortunately we missed the deadline for the animatic to be completed. This was due to the fact that when  we where putting together the animatic, we found that we where short by 30 second and had to think up a new end to the sequence. This is want we have been doing for the last week. 

We have many idea some where to add extra shots to the being and others where to follow from where left it. However the trouble by doing this was that, we would had destroyed the being at the good at it was. The other thing was that we did not know where to going the the ending at it was, as he has all ready say where he is going to do. The only option that we saw we could do was to go back in time to before this hold sequence took place, so that is was we did. We went back 5 years ago and start building the story from there. 

This problem could have been solved sooner if we truly considered the timing of each shot. We considered each shot however not in enough detail. We could have create a test for the camera shutter to understand to long we need to have to get a cross the location and point we where trying to make. I think we where being a little bit to optimistic in the length and time of our time sequence. Now we need to continue filming and start to create and edit the title sequence.

Filming - Saturdays 21st January

Here is my comment of the filming shoot in the 21st January:

Shooting Schedule

Soundtrack

When we had our next lesson as a group, I brought up the concern I had will the music and the group agreed the the "Mission Imposible" music was not right for the genre of film that we where making. However they also did not feel the song "Sinnerman" was right either for our genre. So the next step is to find some other type of music that we all feel fits into the genre of crime film that we are making. We all consider songs that we feel where good, however we could not agree on a song. Until I want on to Garageband on the mac, a music/podcast creating software that has free copyright music on it and found the song "Collins Avenue". This had a blues, jazz feel about it very cool and relaxed however with a sense of something building up. This is what we want from the soundtrack.



Now we have our music what is next is to add it to the Animatic and start creating the animation for the title sequence, this is where the music will be played.

Other Location Ideas

We need to find a location to film our main male character in. Amy said that she now a place that might be appropriate, she then went of and took these picture. 

We then had a discussion about the location. I feel and amy agrees that, as it is a alley way it may be a bit stereotypical for a crime to be walking down. However we look this idea of having a brick all in the background some we are now considering other location that we could use.

Our decision about the location not being right as it is a alley way is influenced by our decision to stay away for stereotypical location, which has been influenced by other crime genre opening that set the crime in a dark alley way.

Blue-Print Scene Inspiration

We know that we want a sense without title before our title sequence as that is what we have found other crime titles do. However we want the title sequence of be base around the theme for a blue print, which we have to be animation. The problem we face, however, is that we don't know what it should look like. We undertook in doing some research into other animation title sequence and if they are any thing this what we want to create. The title sequence for the film "Catch Me If You Can" is one of these title sequence.

We like the simplicity of the opening, which the text extending to the top and bottom of the screen. We think that this we be a good idea as then the line for the text could make us the lines on a black print. This idea we think we are doing to uses in our own sequence. This has been help and supported by our research into other types of title sequence that we have done.

Pigeon: Impossible

We have been struggling to visualised who the camera taking photo of London landmark zoom would look and sound like. We also had the idea of putting type e.g. the location and time of the last image, but did not know what the sound would be. However we know that it would be like a typewrite sound. So on my voyages around YouTube I can across this which I later show to the group.   

Pigeon: Impossible is an animation that is loosely based on Mission Impossible. However at 0:11 second and again at 0:15 the sound of a electric typewriter can be heard. This is the sound that we want to use in our own title sequence, to play with the title that will be superimposed on the images of London landmarks. Also at 0:31 there is a photo camera sense where the camera takes photo of people with the shutter sound and the camera vue find superimposed onto the images. This is also something that we want  to do with out title sequence.

The shot film has help us to visualised all the begin elements of our title sequence for the way it will be edited to the sound that we will now uses (electric typewriter and shutter) and help us understand the pace that our title sequence will have to be. This is all down to research that we have do, as we all now what we want to create but this has helped us to understand what our finial sequence may feel and look like.  

Music Ideas

We have been thing about what music we would like to have in our title sequence. We know that it will be a Crime opening, that involves MI5 and a person stealing the crown jewels. So considered songs from other films that we know where to do with Crime and the first piece of music we thought of was the James Bond theme music:

However after listening to it we did not feel that it was suitable for our genre as it was to spy and adventure and tension for what we where looking for, as this piece of music will be play with own blue print titles. After that we considered Jame Bond, we moved on to other ideas. The next song we thought of was the Mission Impossible theme song:

We like it better that the Jame Bond Theme song but would start it at 0:03. The group feel that this was the correct piece of music to use at the time. However I think that we might need to reconsider this at now looking back on it I feel that this more like an action, spy, heist piece that a crime, stylised, satire piece of music that I think we are look for. I remember watch "Thomas Crown Affair" and a trailer for the BBC "Sherlock" that both used a piece of music called "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone which I believe this more the genre of music that we need for our opening.

What I need to do now is to bring up my concerns with the group and propose that we re-think our chosen music to something that fits our type of genre better. This has been influenced by watching other types of openings of film that are similar to where we are trying to create.   

Lighting

As I feel that one of the key area that we did not do that well on with out continuity task was the light, and that we are might uses a single light source for our scene in MI5 when our main female antagonist. We thought it would be appropriate to experiment with high and low key lighting and the effect of this.

High Key Lighting: Makes the scene feel happy and of a light mood as the audience can see everything that is in the shot. High key has more white and less shadow than low key. Also high key is normally used to show that it is day. High key connotes the protagonist character traditionally.

Low Key Lighting: Makes the scene feel tense, dark and moody as the audience can not see everything that is in the shot. This is because it is a primary instinct to be scared of the dark as you don't know what is there and fear the worst. Unlike high key lighting there are more shadows and there is more black with in the shot. Also it has become synonymous with the night. Low key connotes the antagonist character traditionally.

So for our MI5 scene I think that we should use low key light but only have the area around our antagonist in shadow as we need to see her face but what there to be tension and suspense. Whereas I think that our male protagonist should be shot in high key as this will be a juxtaposition to the female as make the audience link the male protagonist as being good as he is in a higher light and the female antagonist as bad as she is in a low light. With will help when we come to film our two scenes, but also in the edit as we have considered what this will mean and look like as a finish out put.

Media Ownership: Convergence and Expansion

Key Words: 

Digital Technology: Media being reduce to binary code consisting of zeros and ones.
Media Convergence: Different media institutions or sectors that are merged together.
Technology Convergence: Devices bringing media content together.
Multimedia: More than one media.

Convergent: The merger of two or more media.

Common Digital Storage (CDS): Smartphones, Flash Drive (USB), Hard Drive. ECT

Pluralism: The coexisting of different or the same media.

Globalisation: Develop International Influence

Dissemination: The spreading of information and/or media products

RSS Feed (Really Simple Syndication): Is the automatic updated news (or similar) feed. The effect of this is the movement away from searching.

Web 1.0: is the simple search and receive (Google)

Web 2.0: is the user generated content (YouTube)

Web 3.0: is content run on Apps (Google Doc)

Digitisation: conversion of analog information into digital information.

Internet: is the connection of computers or servers to each other. 

WWW. (World Wide Web): the way a website is displayed (HTML or Flash)

Cloud Computing: is programes or storage that is accessed for the internet (Gmail or Drop Box)

Media Convergence

Media Convergence are weakening the market boundaries that separate different media products from one another, due to media organisations repackaging and disseminating them in alternative formats. E.g.  image and text for a printed book and can be digitised into a Ebook. Convergence is also drawing together the broadcasting, computing and IT sectors. The globalisation of different sectors e.g. broadcasting and distributing have began to blur the market boundaries and barriers, have increased the competition amongst the number of perceived distributing outlets or ‘windows’ that are available.

Globalisation and convergence have created additional possibilities and incentives to re-package or to ‘repurpose’ media content into as many different formats as is technically and commercially feasible and to sell that product through as many distribution channels in as many geographic markets, to as many paying consumers as possible. Media takeovers, mergers and other strategic deals and alliances have increase at a fast rate of the last fur year the before.

The three types of expansion

Horizontal

This is the expansion of media sectors with in the same area long the supply chain to another media sector that produces the same product. This is used to bring expertise from other institutions or to cut out competition.

Vertical

This expansion is one media institutions expanding into different media sectors of the supply chain e.g. a Media production company will buyout and marketing company so that it is cheaper and/or so that they have more control over the final out put.

Diagonal or ‘Lateral’

This is expansion, of when media corporations diversify into new business areas. This helps to spread risk for a media corporation as if one media sector is hit with damaging movements the other are safe and the corporations is still viable.

How to use Premiere Pro?

On the 10th January I presented to the class "How to use Premiere Pro?" This is important as it will be the software that we will be using to edit of title sequence and create our animatic. I want thought thew seven key area of  Premiere Pro to give the student a good understanding of the software. 

These seven ares are:

- Format

- Layout

- Import

- Timeline and Edit

- Transitions

- Text

- Effects

Below you can see my presentation to the class: