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Megan WyrillYear 1 – Film and Television

Unit 8 – Extended ProjectAcademic Year 2017-2018

Figure 1 - Megan Wyrill, Film and TV, Unit 8

Figure 2 - Low Light Figure 3 - Megan Wyrill, Film and TV, Unit 8

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Canterbury College

Figure 1 - Megan Wyrill, Film and TV, Unit 8.........................................................................................1Figure 2 - Low Light Figure 3 - Megan Wyrill, Film and TV, Unit 8.........................................................1Figure 4 - Who Am I? Page..................................................................................................................16Figure 5 - Skills Timeline......................................................................................................................17Figure 6 - Low Light..............................................................................................................................20Figure 7 - Close Ups.............................................................................................................................20Figure 8 - Year 1903.............................................................................................................................21Figure 9 - Olympic Games 1912...........................................................................................................22Figure 10 - Green Screening................................................................................................................22Figure 11 - The Matrix 1999.................................................................................................................23Figure 12 - Woman in Black, 2012.......................................................................................................23Figure 13 - WiB suspense.....................................................................................................................24Figure 14 - WiB Mise en Scene............................................................................................................24Figure 15 - WiB Shot Types..................................................................................................................24Figure 16 - Baby Yaga by Aeron Alfrey.................................................................................................25Figure 17 - Another piece by Alfrey.....................................................................................................25Figure 18 - Beginning scene of Veronica..............................................................................................26Figure 19 - Veronica colourings...........................................................................................................26Figure 20 - Media Ind. Structure..........................................................................................................28Figure 21 - Stages of production..........................................................................................................29Figure 22 - Camera..............................................................................................................................31Figure 23 - Boom Mic...........................................................................................................................31Figure 24 - Clack Board........................................................................................................................31Figure 25 - Stabiliser vest.....................................................................................................................31Figure 27 - Sixth Sense.........................................................................................................................31Figure 26 - The Village.........................................................................................................................31Figure 28- What is Research................................................................................................................36Figure 29- How to ask good questions.................................................................................................36

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS.........................................................................................................................................3

LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................................5

LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................................5

DEFINITION OF TERMS...................................................................................................................5

Unit 8 - Project Proposal.......................................................................................................................7

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Project Action Plan and Timetable.....................................................................................................10

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CHAPTER 1...........................................................................................................................................12

Introduction........................................................................................................................................12

..............................................................................................12

The Background of my Project........................................................................................................12

Who am I?...................................................................................................................................14

What did I learn on my course?..................................................................................................15

What is my project about?.............................................................................................................16

Why my project is important?.........................................................................................................16

CHAPTER 2...........................................................................................................................................17

Literature/Resources Review.............................................................................................................17

.......................................................................................17

Introduction....................................................................................................................................17

Literature Review............................................................................................................................17

Media Product Review....................................................................................................................19

Requirements for my Creative Media Production Project.............................................................19

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................20

CHAPTER 3...........................................................................................................................................21

Research Design Strategies and Experimentation.............................................................................21

Introduction....................................................................................................................................21

Research Questions........................................................................................................................21

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Research Design..............................................................................................................................22

Target Audience Research..............................................................................................................22

Skills and Techniques Research......................................................................................................22

Production Research.......................................................................................................................23

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................23

CHAPTER 4...........................................................................................................................................25

Writing and presenting my research findings....................................................................................25

..................................................................................................25

Introduction....................................................................................................................................25

Findings/Data analysis....................................................................................................................25

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................26

CHAPTER 5...........................................................................................................................................27

My Project...........................................................................................................................................27

................................................................................27

Introduction....................................................................................................................................27

Pre-Production................................................................................................................................27

Production.......................................................................................................................................27

Post-production..............................................................................................................................28

CHAPTER 6...........................................................................................................................................29

MY EXTENDED PROJECT - FINAL PRODUCT........................................................................................29

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CHAPTER 7...........................................................................................................................................30

Project Evaluation...............................................................................................................................30

.................................................................................................30

APPENDICES........................................................................................................................................32

Extended project in creative media production Learning Outcomes and Assessment.................32

1. Understand the requirements of a creative media production project...................................32

2. Be able to use research methods to inform ideas for creative media production...................32

3. Be able to use skills, knowledge and understanding in the completion of a creative media project.........................................................................................................................................32

4. Be able to evaluate a creative media project...........................................................................32

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BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................................33

Bibliography.........................................................................................................................................33

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 - Megan Wyrill, Film and TV, Unit 8.........................................................................................1Figure 2 - Low Light Figure 3 - Megan Wyrill, Film and TV, Unit 8.........................................................1Figure 4 - Who Am I? Page..................................................................................................................16Figure 5 - Skills Timeline......................................................................................................................17Figure 6 - Low Light..............................................................................................................................20Figure 7 - Close Ups.............................................................................................................................20Figure 8 - Year 1903.............................................................................................................................21Figure 9 - Olympic Games 1912...........................................................................................................22Figure 10 - Green Screening................................................................................................................22Figure 11 - The Matrix 1999.................................................................................................................23Figure 12 - Woman in Black, 2012.......................................................................................................23Figure 13 - WiB suspense.....................................................................................................................24Figure 14 - WiB Mise en Scene............................................................................................................24Figure 15 - WiB Shot Types..................................................................................................................24Figure 16 - Baby Yaga by Aeron Alfrey.................................................................................................25Figure 17 - Another piece by Alfrey.....................................................................................................25Figure 18 - Beginning scene of Veronica..............................................................................................26Figure 19 - Veronica colourings...........................................................................................................26Figure 20 - Media Ind. Structure..........................................................................................................28Figure 21 - Stages of production..........................................................................................................29Figure 22 - Camera..............................................................................................................................31Figure 23 - Boom Mic...........................................................................................................................31Figure 24 - Clack Board........................................................................................................................31Figure 25 - Stabiliser vest.....................................................................................................................31Figure 27 - Sixth Sense.........................................................................................................................31Figure 26 - The Village.........................................................................................................................31Figure 28- What is Research................................................................................................................36Figure 29- How to ask good questions.................................................................................................36

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 - Project Proposal......................................................................................................................7Table 2 - Project Action Plan and Timetable..........................................................................................8

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CONTENTS

DEFINITION OF TERMS

EP – Extended ProjectUAL – University of the Arts London

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Unit 8 - Project Proposal

Candidate Name

Megan Sidney Wyrill

Candidate Number

130256

Pathway Film and Television

Project Title BetwixtSection 1: Rationale (approx. 100 words) MINIMUM 90 MAXIMUM 110My project is a short thriller film about 2 young teen boys who venture into an abandoned house. However, they soon come to realise that the building is very much occupied, and they’re certainly not welcome there.

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My main area of concern is creating a strong atmosphere for the audience and to constantly have them on the edge of their seat throughout through both narrative and editing.I have learnt about shot types and composition which I would like to bring forward into this project in order to capture the audience’s attention. I would also use my editing knowledge from the course to use green screening and edit the film.Section 2: Project Concept (approx. 200 words) MINIMUM 180 MAXIMUM 220This project is being created in the form of a short film. My main aim is to bring the audience into the film and create an atmosphere that reminds them of how terrifying the unknown can be. I also want the storyline to surprise them and be something that they wouldn’t expect. I’ve been influenced by classic thriller films like Sixth Sense – a film that will forever been known for its incredible plot twist and the uneasy yet hooking atmosphere it creates. Films such as ‘The Goonies’ and ‘Stand by Me’ also resonate with me whilst developing this idea, due to their adventurous teen characters. I will need to research into the lifestyle of people in the early 1900’s to accurately present the little girl as someone who doesn’t live in the modern day. I also want to research into the thriller genre and what features make thriller films so captivating. My main target audience is thriller fans who may also be able to relate to the teen characters. My role in the project is to write, direct, and produce the film but my main focus is the editing.The technical requirements for this project are a DSLR camera, Shot Gun mic and boom pole, Tripod, Camera Glider and Green screen. I will be using Avid to edit the film.Section 3: Evaluation (approx. 50 words) MINIMUM 45 MAXIMUM 55I will make sure to keep an in-depth production diary with photos of the production to document how smoothly the process went as well as progress tracker. In post-production, I will get as many opinions as possible from my lecturers and peers as to whether my aims of creating a strong atmosphere have been achieved.Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format)

To research into the filmmaking process itself :

Thurlow, M. a. C., 2013. In Tune With Spencer Cobrin. In: Making Short Films. London: s.n., p. 479.

Thurlow, M. a. C., 2013. Interview With An Editor. In: Making Short Films. London: s.n., p. 479.

YouTube.comThis section provides an opportunity to record the initial research sources, that you intend to use.

Your sources of research should be as wide as possible and could include libraries, galleries, books, theatre, cinema visits, films, videos, magazines, films, TV and Radio programmes, computer games, websites, blogs, social media, radio programmes, archive material, and other media and multi-media sources etc. Make sure you use Harvard referencing.

The bibliography should be continuously updated as the project progresses. When your project is completed, ensure that your Bibliography in your Appendices is the same as the bibliography here.

Bibliographyaejmc. (2018). aejmc. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.aejmc100.org/trivia/

Alfrey, A. (n.d.). Baby Yaga.

BBC. (2014, January 20). BBC Schools. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25268181

BBC News. (2017, March 21.03.17). Retrieved from BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/

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'EHow'. (2012, 10 1). YouTube.com. Retrieved 03 09, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA8qCfTyXUE

Evans, M. (Director). (2013). The Smiling Man [Motion Picture].

Fan, F. (2012, April 13). YouTube. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://youtu.be/1VAT1oIk93g

Fusco, J. (2016). The Psychology of Color in Film. No Film School.

Hess, J. P. (2013). The Psychology of Scary Movies. Retrieved 03 14, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcAfzK4YPSI

Hess, J. P. (2013, July 16). YouTube. Retrieved March 16, 2018, from https://youtu.be/wIXWnTyY__U

Hess, J. P. (2013, September 4). Youtube.com/Filmmaker IQ. Retrieved March 16, 2018, from https://youtu.be/v7MdPJqEOU4

Lethbridge, L. (2014, April 25). Financial Times. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.ft.com/content/8f240d68-ca09-11e3-ac05-00144feabdc0

modley, a. (2017). fun with face (5 ed.). canter: zoran .

Olypmic Commitee. (2018). Olympic.org. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.olympic.org/stockholm-1912

Plaza, P. (Director). (2017). Veronica [Motion Picture]. Spain.

Reichhardt, T. (2012). Berry's Leap. Air and Space.

Scoma, J. (2015, June 10). YouTube. Retrieved March 16, 2018, from https://youtu.be/ziZrLeXw6vw

Sears, M. (Director). (2014). I Heard It Too [Motion Picture].

Shyamalan, M. N. (Director). (1999). The Sixth Sense [Motion Picture]. United States.

Shyamalan, M. N. (Director). (2004). The Village [Motion Picture]. United States.

Smith, c. (2017). Fun with Flags (5 ed.). canterbury: media.

Thurlow, M. a. (2013). In Tune With Spencer Cobrin. In Making Short Films (p. 479). London.

Thurlow, M. a. (2013). Interview With An Editor. In Making Short Films (p. 479). London.

Wachowski, L., & Wachowski, L. (Directors). (1999). The Matrix [Motion Picture]. USA, AUS.

Watkins, J. (Director). (2012). Woman In Black [Motion Picture]. UK / USA.

Wikipedia. (2018). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic

Table 1 - Project Proposal

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Project Action Plan and Timetable

Project Action Plan and Timetable

Week Date WeekBeginning

Activity / What you are intending to do - including independent study

Resources / What you will need to do it - including access to workshops

35/03/2018

Media and Literature review

Researching into my project theme using existing media project.

Existing media products.

The college Learning Resource Centre / Library.

412/03/2018

Experimentation and practice for the final project.

Green screen equipment.Camera equipment.Access to AVID.

5 19/03/2018 Pre-Production.Chapter 5 completed.

2-9/04/2018 Easter Holiday – Check chap. 1-56 16/04/2018 Pre-production work ready for

Production board.Chapter 1-5 completed

7 23/04/2018 Get ready for filming Filming at French house at weekend

Camera / filming equipment.Storyboards / Necessary pre-production work.

8 30/04/2018 Edit together base of film.Film green screen footage at weekend.

Access to Avid.Green Screen equipment.Camera / filming equipment.

9 7/05/2018 Edit green screen footage in and finalise project.

Access to Avid.

10 14/05/2018 Finish project.Chapter 6 completed.

11 21/05/2018 Chapter 7 completed.Deadline for unit 8.

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Table 2 - Project Action Plan and Timetable

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CHAPTER 1

Introduction

This is my extended project portfolio for year one of my UAL Diploma course in creative media and more specifically Film and Television. The project I am completing is a short film about to young

teenage boys who venture into an ‘abandoned’ out house, only to find it is somewhat not as empty as they believed. It is a thriller short inspired by a run-down house my Aunty and Uncle bought in

France roughly a year ago.

The first chapter of this portfolio shows the work I have done to come up with my project idea and the background behind it. I developed the Who Am I project that we have been working on

throughout the year by creating another mind map which helped me to bring together all the things I am interested in and what may inspire some project ideas. I also created an infographic piece of work on what I have learnt throughout the course so far and what my skills focus will be for the

project. These pieces of work then led me present my original ideas, the background behind them and why this project is important.

The Background of my Project

The main reason I went down the thriller route with this project is because of how much I enjoyed making my hello project – another thriller short. I think I was quite successful in creating an atmosphere due to the feedback I have received from my audience since producing the film. I also enjoyed filming and editing this film as well as the preproduction and storyboarding that went into making sure the shots used would be intense. I also have a real appreciation and love for thriller films and whilst I am not a big a fan of horror, I love the effect thriller films have on the audience and how they captivate those watching.

The basic premise of the thriller short, with a mysterious and slightly Sci-Fi twist, is about 2 teen boys who venture into an ‘abandoned’ house and come to find the house isn’t as empty as they thought. They are violently greeted by a little girl who is very unhappy about the boys being in ‘her play room’ and watch as she gets progressively angrier and more upset by their presence. She goes to throw something at the boys as the screen goes black. The sound of what seems to be a parent calling the young girl in for dinner and the building door creaking open. The next shot shoes the outside of the building, but now the house looks more in use and the video quality suggests that of a much earlier time, the boys can be seen through the door in the background but now they look like the ghosts. This is supposed to suggest that the house is stuck between 2 time periods – the girl seeing the boys from the future and the boys seeing the girl from the past.

This idea was inspired by the run-down house my Aunty and Uncle bought in France as a renovation project, as it is both a very charismatic and unique filming location. My role in the project is to write, direct, edit and produce the film as I have 3 actors who will create in characters for the film. I think the editing in a thriller film is especially important as things like timings of certain shots and sound / music used are important in having an effect. This relates strongly to the fact I would like to work in editing in the future.

I want to bring the audience into each scene and make every shot as captivating as the next. My main aim is for the film to not let anyone look away and to leave the audience still thinking about the

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story even after the film has finished. I want to be able to entertain as broad an audience as possible but am focussing mainly on people between 14-17 years old and, for obvious reasons, fans of the thriller genre.

The main characters being around the ages of 14/15 makes the film more relatable to my target audience. In will always be researching into key features of the thriller genre and how I can make my film appeal to thriller fans.

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Who am I? For this task we had to create a mind map style piece of work that showed who we were and what

made us unique, we had to express our interests, inspirations, background and experiences.

Figure 4 - Who Am I? Page

This task helped me to see what my main areas of interest were and the kind of work that I would both enjoy making and be proud of in the end. Thinking about who inspires me and the things that

motivate creatively has helped me in think about where to start with my project ideas. Similarly, thinking about all the things I like / am interested in has helped me locate areas that I would enjoy

working in and themes that I’d find enjoyable to focus on.

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What did I learn on my course?

Figure 5 - Skills Timeline

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My Skills Focus for this project;

Skills I’d like to focus on, for this project, are camera movement and using moving shots to make the cinematography of my film more interesting and using colour in unique way to make the overall cinematography stand out. Experimenting with colour is something that interests me as I think it can make a film more unique and recognisable when but also has a lot of thought put into it in terms of semiology. Camera movement is also a skill I have attained since starting the course which I think will make my film a lot more professional and interesting as moving shots can often attract / keep the audience’s attention more than constantly using static shots.

What is my project about?My film is about 2 teen boys who venture into an ‘abandoned’ house and come to find the house isn’t as empty as they thought. They are violently greeted by a little girl who is very unhappy about the boys being in ‘her play room’ and watch as she gets progressively angrier and more upset by their presence.

With the rise of feminism in the past few years, the space for a strong female character has opened and gives media creator’s room to push this image of girl power. With the strong, young female character who plays a huge part in making this film atmospheric and captivating I hope this aspect of today’s society will be heavily referenced as it has inspired the power behind this character. I also think the characterisation of the adventurous young boys is one that will captivate the audience and I want them to be characters that people of all ages love and for the teen audience to live through.

My role in the project is the write, direct, edit and produce the film as I have 3 actors who will create the characters in the film. I think the editing in a thriller film is especially important as things like timings of certain shots and sound / music used are important in having an effect. This relates strongly to the fact I would like to work in editing in the future.

Why my project is important? I decided I wanted to focus on the thriller genre as I work well with this style of film making and enjoy using different shot types to create tension and get a strong reaction from the audience.

I think the twist in the storyline for my project makes the film quite unique and crates an idea that could be developed further. The idea is influenced by many different classics, with the adventurous teen characters like that of Stand by Me and the mystery/thriller storyline like that of Sixth Sense, and I hope this will allow it to entertain I greater demographic.

With this said, I think my main aim and what about this project is important, is to entertain the audience and completely captivate them, bringing them into the film.

Conclusion

In this chapter I developed the key ideas for my project as thought in depth about the background behind them. To develop my ideas I also did more work on the ‘Who Am I?’ Task, as well as looking into what skills I have developed on the course so far. Both of these tasks helped me finalise what I

can bring to this project in terms of both my skills and my interests.

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CHAPTER 2

Literature/Resources Review

Introduction

This chapter will show how different literature resources and existing media products have allowed me to answer key questions about my project theme and carry out the main body of research

needed for the film to turn out as successful as possible. In my literature review, I will research into the key features of a strong thriller theme, life in the early British 1900’s (fashion, language used,

etc.) to help me design the young female character from the past and, as I want to focus on editing, how the editing can make my film more effective.

I will also complete a media product review in which I look at existing media products that relate to the theme of my project and use them to help shape my idea. I will look at 3 existing products that I

can relate to my project mainly through genre.

The chapter is then concluded with what I have learnt and what research has been collected in order to shape and solidify the idea of my project and how I will go about making it.

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Literature Review What key features make a successful thriller film?

The importance of characters.

A common thing that came up in a lot of the videos I watched was the fact that the audience will engage and be more interested in a film if they enjoy the characters and, even more so, if they can relate to them in any way (as mentioned in interview with Gordon Burkell (Thurlow, Interview With An Editor, 2013) . This therefore means that a key thing to remember when creating this thriller story is that the characters should be very strongly designed and should really appeal to the audience. This helps in a Thriller films because ('EHow', 2012) Thriller films are usually based off of the audience’s fear on behalf of the characters rather than for themselves.

The importance of suspense.

Based on the research I’ve collected almost every source touched on the fact that suspense is one of the main features of a ‘successful’ thriller. There are many ways to create this suspense that I have discovered from picking out similarities between multiple thriller short films, watching informative videos on what makes an effective thriller and reading articles and webpages about thriller stories.

Low Light

Most thriller films I watched in order to identify recurring features were set either at night or in a low lit area. Lack of lighting increases the mystery and fear of the unknown as neither the characters nor the audience can see the surroundings as clearly as in daylight. This is also an effective feature because it plays on an already common fear of ‘the dark’. According to a video on ‘The Psychology of Scary Movies’ (Hess J. P., 2013), people often find scary films more frightening if they are somewhat relatable. So this shows that the use of low light may be a relatable fear to the audience, increasing the tension.

(Evans, 2013)

Close Up Shots

The use of close up shots comes up often when building the tension in a thriller film, as I noticed in the process of watching some short thrillers. The use of close ups once again plays on fear of the unknown as the scene around whatever is being closely focused on cannot be seen. It also allows the audience to see, in detail, the fear or distressed expression on the protagonists face, building the tension further. (Sears, 2014)

Slow development and subtle hints

One of the key points to remember when creating a thriller short is not to rush straight to the action / jump scares. Dragging out the tension and creating an uneasy atmosphere for the audience will make for a much more effective jump scare as the audience is already feeling vulnerable. The use of a plot twists at the end also means dropping subtle hints throughout is very important, as well as giving the audience certain bits of information that you haven’t yet given the character(s).

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Figure 6 - Low Light

Figure 7 - Close Ups

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The importance of sound and music.

Another point that came up a lot during my research was the influence and power music has in a film. In an interview with Composer Spencer Cobrin (Thurlow, In Tune With Spencer Cobrin, 2013) he explained that “Music adds emotional intensity” and has the power to “lead the audience along the narratives path”. In the short films I watched, instrumental and tension building music was used in the build-up of suspense and I personally felt the powerful effect of it. To make a jump scare more powerful, the use of sudden loud sounds was very effective and used often throughout the films I viewed.

How can I accurately portray the character ‘from the past’ as a young girl from the early 1900’s?

Use of costuming...

This will probably be the clearest way of portraying the character as someone from the early 1900’s (1912) as it’s what the audience tend to pay a high level of attention to when distinguishing a character. From reading a webpage on the clothing of girls in the early 1900’s (BBC, 2014), young girls often wore knee length dresses covered in lace like materials, accompanied by large collars. They often wore knee high socks and leather boots with this outfit. This information was then solidified by this picture from 1903 of a family photograph. As shown in the photo, the young girls are all wearing white knee length dresses with large collars and leather shoes. I also watched a short video that showed what life was like in 1912 which showed clearly what life was like in britain and globally at this time. (Fan, 2012)

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Figure 8 - Year 1903

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(Lethbridge, 2014)

Main Events in 1912…

The Titanic sunk on its first voyage:

(aejmc, 2018)

Everyone was very excited for the voyage of the Titanic, from Southampton to New York, in April of 1912 as it was the largest ship afloat at the time and had been deemed ‘unsinkable’. The passenger ship collided with an Iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean and sunk, taking over 1,500 out of an estimated 2,224 passengers and crew down with it. It was and still is the deadliest peacetime disaster in British modern history. (Wikipedia, 2018)

Summer Olympics held in Sweden:

(Olypmic Commitee, 2018)

At these Olympic Games, Women’s swimming and Women’s diving were first introduced. Britain finished third overall, collecting 42 medals, 10 of which were gold.

Albert Berry did the first parachute jump from a moving plane:

On March 1st, Albert Berry became the first person to parachute jump out of an airplane mid-flight. The plane, piloted by Tony Jannus, climbed to 1,500 ft. before Berry made the jump. Afterwards he was asked whether he would do the jump again, to which he replied “Never Again!”. (Reichhardt, 2012)

These events can help me add subtle props into the scenes (Mise en scene) that suggest the old house was used in 1912, before the plot twist is revealed at the end. I could do this with fake newspaper articles about the Titanic and/or old photos from the Olympics.

How can I increase the impact of my film through editing and visual techniques?

Following the character’s eyes

Every video I watched related to editing effectively and making the best cuts mentioned the technique of following the characters eyes. This involves editing together clips of the character focusing on something and point of view shots to give a smoother and more natural effect, which some have named ‘invisible editing’. The key to this being successful is to make sure the continuity and focus of the characters eyes makes sense, in other words, the point of view shot must correspond with where the character was looking in the previous shot. (Scoma, 2015)

Green Screening

This is a huge aspect of my project as one of the character’s relies completely on being green screened in and if not done correctly, this could really negatively affect the film. From watching a video tutorial on how to create the best outcome of a green screen shot, one thing that was make quite clear is that the actor in front of the screen should be far enough forward and the screen should be lit evenly enough so that no shadows are cast onto the screen. Shadows on the green screen will make it a lot harder to accurately edit out the background around the actor. (Hess J. P., YouTube, 2013)

Montage editing and shot sequencing

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Figure 9 - Olympic Games 1912

Figure 10 - Green Screening

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From watching other thriller films, both shorts and feature length, and watching informative videos I have learnt that montaging shots together quickly and sharply can be used to create tension and build up right before the action. However slower montaging can also be very effective in creating tension to create a ‘calm before the storm’ effect. Having a rhythm of these shots can also be effective and make the editing flow a lot smoother.

Colours and Colour Correcting

One point that I found very interesting, and has been used in many films, is the technique of having a different colour scheme / colour correction depending on the location. The example used in a video I watch was from (Wachowski & Wachowski, 1999) and it showed that when in The Matrix everything is tinted slightly green but outside the Matrix the colourings are more natural and have more of a blue tint. Bright colours being used in the shot and making these colours pop out more in editing can draw a lot of attention to something in a shot whilst also having the power to change the emotion of a scene. (Hess J. P., Youtube.com/Filmmaker IQ, 2013) There are often a lot of crossovers with the meaning behind certain colours but Red is, for example, one of the strongest. It has connotation of aggression and violence, which could work very effectively in my film, especially if it were to pop out against the dark setting. Black also has quite ominous connotations of fear and violence which would work well in a thriller/horror. (Fusco, 2016)

Conclusion of my literature review

I have learnt a lot from this review and the sources I used. After researching into my first question I learnt that the audience’s view of the characters is very important as sympathy for the characters is what can make or break the effect of the action taking place. This has allowed me to think more into

how I am going to make the characters as strong as possible in the short time before the action begins. I also learnt about the importance of sound in film and how background music can make a

not so scary scene into one that has the audience on the edge of their seats. This research also taught me about the use of shot types and lighting to make the suspense scenes more effective and

interesting to look at.

From my second research question I found out a lot about the traditional outfits of young girls in the early 1900s, such as the white knee length dresses with oversized collars, white knee socks and leather shoes. I also researched into the key events of this decade and how that may

affect the type of things inside the ‘haunted house’. This was very important information for the design of both my characters and the setting to drop as many hints towards the plot twist as possible

and make the idea clearer to the audience.

From the final research question I learnt a lot about the importance of getting the editing done right for a thriller film. The idea of montage editing was also very interesting to me and not something I

had thought too much into for this project. I also found information on how to make my green screening work better and at a higher quality. The use of different colours is also very important

information that I am hoping to bring forward into my production as it really helps different locations and situations contrast against each other.

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Figure 11 - The Matrix 1999

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Media Product Review

(Watkins, 2012) Duration: 95 minutes

This film was directed by James Watkins (also known for directing Ep. 3, season 3 of Black Mirror [2016], Eden Lake [2008] and McMafia [2018]). Its main target audience was people over 12 years old who are interested in supernatural horror films that follow the traditional horror stereotypes and gothic narratives.

In terms of semiology, this films plays on a lot of stereotypical features of thriller films. The ‘haunted house’ itself is a recognisable thriller setting but is also surrounded by things like graves, mist, crows and crosses, all of which are traditionally associated with gothic / thriller narratives. The use of traditional thriller themes coincides with the film being set in 1906, around the time one of my film’s characters is from, making this review more helpful for my research.

When building up the suspense scenes the film used the common and highly effective technique of slow movement to drag out the tension. For example, when the rocking chair could be heard in one of the haunted houses’ rooms, the main character was edging towards it very slowly as the dramatic background music got louder. Occasionally, the idea of showing the audience something that the character can’t see was used to scare the audience more effectively and make them anxious. However they went against this at the very beginning of the film when they showed 3 young girls seeing something off camera, intriguing the audience and introducing the idea of something currently unknown to us haunting children. As this was used to intrigue and leave the audience with questions rather than explicitly scare them, it worked really well.

To address Semiology further, the haunted house is heavily decorated with old, broken and dirty household items which add to the sense of isolation and disgust that the house scenes created. This contrasts from the children’s bedroom in the house which seemed disturbingly better kept and clean as if it were still in use. There were a range of aspects of the setting that created a feeling of isolation including the main character being separated from his son, the house being temporarily cut off from the village whilst the tide came in and the fact the main character is left alone in the house most of the time.

Sound played a large part in the atmospheric success of this film. The jump scares were almost completely created by the contrast of extreme quietness and sudden loud sounds. The tense build ups were also made significantly more effective because of the use of deep and dark background music getting increasingly louder. This is something I think is very important to use in my film as it makes the audience pay much closer attention to the scene and increases the overall suspense. A rhythm was also created as the sound got more dramatic which seemed to replicate the heartbeat of the main character and possibly the audience, reinforcing the anxiety felt.

In terms of shot types used (Mise En Scene) there were a couple of trends throughout the film, the most obvious being the use of

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Figure 12 - Woman in Black, 2012

Figure 14 - WiB suspense

Figure 15 - WiB Shot Types

Figure 13 - WiB Mise en Scene

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extreme close ups in the more tense moments. For example, just before a jump scare, the main character is looking through a keyhole into a room and many extreme close up are used to capture both the main character and the child who pops up at the key hole. The use of extreme close ups here made the scene more scary because the jump scare was more ‘up-close and personal’.

I have learnt more about the effect of sound and shot types in the production of a thriller film and how strongly the post production can affect the film. My work is related to this product because of the genre but also because of the time period, as one of my characters if from the same decade.

(Alfrey)

Figure 16 - Baby Yaga by Aeron Alfrey

‘Baby Yaga’ - Art by Aeron Alfrey – September 2016

This is a piece of artwork called ‘Baby Yaga’ created by horror artist Aeron Alfrey. Alfrey is best known for his horror themed sketches of both original and already well known monsters.

The framing of this drawing is very important as it is very visibly framed by the trees and the monsters living within them. This makes the art even more bold and unpleasant to look at, putting more focus on the witch looking creature and house in the centre of the drawing.

The artwork also has quite visible leading lines created by the placement of the stone path that leads up to the house. Paired with the strong framing, this really draws the viewer into the drawing and consequently makes it more unsettling to look at.

The horror theme is represented in a similar way to Woman in Black in that it uses a lot of the traditional features associated with Gothic narratives and visuals. For example, the monsters in the artwork mainly resemble demons and witches, the sky is gloomy and full of birds, and the main subject is an old haunted house. However, this theme is then made more unique by the integration of the horror theme in nature. The monsters are formed out of the trees with the twigs as spindly

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Figure 17 - Another piece by Alfrey

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hands and terrifying monster heads growing from the ground like plants. This mix of horror and something we are all familiar with – the natural world – adds to the horror of this piece of art and brings it more to life.

The whole sketch is in black and white which enhances the traditional and particularly old fashioned horror theme. In addition, the art work has quite a few places coloured in completely black, such as in the house and under the roots of the trees, which makes the drawing even more unsettling as it plays on the fear of the unknown and the thought of what may be lurking in the dark areas, considering the horror that can be seen even in the light.

(Plaza, 2017) Duration: 105 Minutes

Veronica is a Spanish Supernatural thriller about a Teenage girl who plays with an Ouija board in an attempt to contact her dead father but instead is latched on to by an evil spirit that soon takes over her apartment. This film is claimed to be based on a true story, after the Spanish police were called one night in 1991 and lead to the scene of an inexplicable murder. The film was directed by Spanish Film maker Paco Plaza who is known for directing psychological thrillers including the ‘REC’ series. I think the main target audience for this film is people who love thriller / horror films that follow a classic ‘demon possession’ narrative and people who are intrigued by films with interesting visuals.

One of the first things that stood out to me about this film was the way in which they used sound during the dramatic/ horrific scenes. There were many sounds all layered together to create a very unpleasant but heavily atmospheric soundscape of screams, sirens and background music. Different genres of background music were almost always playing throughout every scene but changed depending on the intensity of the actions taking place. During the suspense build ups, the use of music instead of dialogue was very effective. To create anxiety and more suspense they also contrasted quietness with sounds heard in the distance to imply there was something there that couldn’t yet be seen.

Something I found very interesting and would like to bring forward into the production of my film is the fact it wasn’t completely chronological. The very beginning of the film, a 2 minute snippet of the end / action scene was played, before then going back in time to the beginning of the story. I think this catches the audience’s attention really well and makes them want to watch until the end to understand what was happening in that first scene. This is then also made more intense because the camera pans towards the police inspectors horrified face as he sees somethings behind the camera, so we know something awful is going to take place later in the film.

There is also a lot of foreshadowing of the ending which makes the film more interesting to watch for a second time. For example, in the first scene you see the childrens’ mother running towards the apartment block and two young girls but the viewer doesn’t realise it is the mother and sisters until watching it for a second time. There is also reference to the possession scene, near the beginning, when the students are seen being taught about primative cultures’ sacrificial beliefs.

The supernatural thriller theme is represented in many ways, both traditional and unique, throughout this film. The use of pathetic fallacy and weather conditions relating to the current actions was a frequent technique, such as the solar eclipse happening as the 3 students took part in the Ouija board. The lighting and colourings were also often very light / white at the beginning of the film and the dark, blue tinted colourings at the end of the

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Figure 18 - Beginning scene of Veronica

Figure 19 - Veronica colourings

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film when the main action takes place. The tinted blue gives a more supernatural almost sci-fi feel to the shots making them much more atmospheric. I think this showed well how important the colours and lighing used is in creating an atmosphere and I will strongly take this on board during my production.

Also seen in the ‘Woman in Black’ during shots where the character needed to be moving quickly, slow motion was used to make the audience more anxious and drag out the intensity of the scene. They also used the same technique of having the character make slow movements in the suspense building scenes and showing the audience something the characters can’t see.

Conclusion of my media product reviewsI have picked up a lot of key points from the products I reviewed, many of which I would strongly like

to bring forward into the production of my film. All of the products are related to my idea through the thriller genre and effect they have on the audience.

All of the products I reviewed have shaped my project in some way, the ‘Woman in Black’ gave me a huge insight into the use of traditional gothic themes and how to create suspense through Mise en Scene and the placement of certain characters. For example, the idea of showing something horrific

appearing behind the character, so the audience can see them but the protagonist can’t, is very effective and make the shots a lot more terrifying. The use of close up shots in the suspense scenes

was also very effective and something I will keep in mind throughout my production and storyboarding.

The artwork, ‘Baby Yaga’, by Aeron Alfrey allowed me to think about the idea of incorporating horror into things relevant to us in everyday life. The way he build the monsters into parts of nature is a

very effective and unsettling way of communicating with the viewer. This piece of work also taught me how effective framing and the use of leading lines can be in a shot.

‘Veronica’ probably influenced my project the most as it taught me a lot about the effect of editing and post production techniques. The use of sound in the film was very influential and helped me

shape the sound design of my project. I would like to use the technique of creating a layered sound scape as I think this created a very strong atmosphere for the viewer and brought the whole scene

to life. I also was very inspired by the use of colourings throughout the film and the effect this had in each scene. The blue tinted lighting in the final action scene was incredibly effective and something I

think has overall shaped the postproduction of my film.

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Requirements for my Creative Media Production ProjectRequirements of the media industry.

Figure 20 - Media Ind. Structure

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Figure 21 - Stages of production

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Detailed job analysis.Preproduction

Storyboarding – It is very important that I accurately storyboard my project due to the use of green screen footage, as I will have to think a lot about the composition of a person that isn’t there at the time of filming.

Director – I will take the role of the director for my project due to the fact I will have the deepest understanding for this project and will be producing it overall.

Screenwriter – There isn’t a lot of dialogue in the main bulk of this film so the script will not be too complex. However I will write a short screenplay to solidify how the film will run through, with the occasional dialogue included.

Production Boom operator – For the first scene, there is dialogue as the characters are

approaching the house so someone helping me with the production will take the role of the boom / sound operator.

Lighting director – I will be taking the role of the lighting director / technician as I will probably plan this in my storyboards and will have quite a strong understanding for the needed lighting, especially after the experimentation.

Camera Operator – I will also be taking the role of camera operator so that I can clearly follow my storyboards and make sure the shots are framed well for the green screen footage added later on

Clapper – I will have someone helping me with the project to mark each scene with the clapper board.

Costume designer – I will be designing the costumes for the characters due to the research and eventual experimentation done on this subject.

Post production Green Screening / VFX – I will be editing and directing the green screen footage that I

get. This is something I will be practicing in the experimental stages of the project. Editor – I will be taking the role of editor for this project as it is a skill I enjoy and

want to develop. I also think this aspect is very important in the atmospheric success of my film, so the research I did in the literature review will be useful.

Foley artist – I think Foley sound effects will be quite important for creating an intense atmosphere for the film. I will take on the task of sourcing these sound effects as well as necessary background music.

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Equipment and technology relevant to my project.

Camera (Around £35 a day) – should film in high enough quality to show the film well. I can use white balance on this to adjust the lighting and find the correct effect for the situation being recorded.

Tripod (£8 a day) – Used in still / panning shots. Make sure camera operator knows how to pack away and open up the tripod and it could lead to the camera falling off if

not done properly. Shot Gun Mic (£8 a day) – Goes on the end of the boom pole. Connected to the

sound recorder. Shouldn’t be too far from the actor in order to pick up sound but must stay out of shot.

Boom Pole (£11 a day) – Used to hold the mic out of shot but near the actor. Can be heavy and should therefore be held properly and not for long periods of time.

Sound Recorder (£18 a day) – Attached to the mic and records the sound to play over the video. Make sure it is recording before you start filming and running the scene. Can be

difficult to hold with the boom pole so be careful when handling it. Can attach headphones to make sure sound is being picked up well.

Clapper board – Used at the beginning or end of scenes to mark which scene is what and to help sync the sound with the video during editing.

Avid – This is more for post-production as this is the software I will use to edit together the base of my film and also to superimpose the green screen footage.

Steadicam stabiliser vest (£32) - A stabiliser vest otherwise known as a Sled and Vest is used to create unique movement that masks the movement of the operator and creates a smooth range of shots. The vest is worn around the operator’s torso

with the camera weight distributed evenly. It also comes with a handle to easily move the camera without it weighing too much.

Health and Safety – risk assessment

Project Name Betwixt Number of persons involved 6

Nature of Activity Filming a short thriller film.

Frequency of Activity Daily

Assessed By Megan Wyrill

Date 10/04/18

Approved By Megan Wyrill Date 10/04/18

Hazard Ref. Potential Effect Existing Controls in

Place

Score

Low/Medium/High Risk

Further Controls Required?

OFFICE USE

Who By

OFFICE USE

Target date

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Figure 22 - Camera

Figure 23 - Boom Mic

Figure 24 - Clack Board

Figure 25 - Stabiliser vest

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwim99_c0cDYAhUIXBQKHcaPA00QjRwIBw&url=https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1270520-REG/steadicam_sdm_30_steadimate_30_with_aero.html&psig=AOvVaw3n-clFY9mPIHEsKQnjnb8f&ust=1515233556773605

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Example7.6

Weights dropped on body part causing injury

Instructors present, ‘spotters’ for all people bench-pressing

Medium

New grip tape for old equipment to minimise risk of objects slipping during lift

[IGNORE] [IGNORE]

1.1Bumping into things / tripping over.

Keeping lights on when not filming, Using camera light whilst filming.

MediumClear area of possible things to bump into / trip over.

1.4 Trip hazard causing injury.

Tidy area as much as possible before use. Medium

Warn cast and crew of any possible trip hazards.

6.4

Injuries caused by ignorance of equipment being used.

Educate those who are unaware of health an safety aspects before production starts.

Low

7.2

Inability to travel to the location due to it being a remote area. (Little public transport)

Legal adults (My Parents) will be driving the crew and I to the location as it is around 4 hours away.

Low

Make sure there is enough room for equipment and crew to travel safely.

7.7Wires could create a trip hazard.

Make cast and crew aware of the wires around the set.

Medium

Tape the wires down so they are less likely to cause people to trip.

7.10

Staircase shots may be difficult as its quite narrow.

Storyboard the shots so that this is taken in to consideration.

Medium

Don’t record audio for this bit (unnecessary anyway) so that a boom pole is not needed.

Detailed Analysis of Target AudiencesI created a survey for thriller fans to fill out as a way of me finding out what common interests or life experiences my target audience has. I did this by creating a survey on SurveyMonkey.com and advertising it on Facebook. This is what I found out from the responses;

AgeThe results from the first question, ‘How Old Are You?’, showed that around 64% of the people answering the survey were between the ages of 17 and

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25 years old. So from this I can make the assumption that the main people interested in my film, and consequently those I will be trying to appeal to, are in the older teenagers category.

Gender

The next thing I wanted to find out was the most common gender of those interested in the themes of my project. This came out as nearly 60% identifying as male. This is interesting research

on the genre as well as what gender I will mainly be appealing to with this project.

StudiesThe answers collected from study related questions showed that most this audience were in sixth form / college or not in education. Those who do study subjects seemed to be studying mainly creative subjects such as Media, Music and Photography. This forms the point that a strong percentage of this audience have quite creative mind sets and appreciate things from a visual point of view.

Common interestsI also asked questions based on hobbies and interests, as well as what other media products they enjoy. I found that a lot of the hobbies that this audience took part in were media or art, further supporting the idea that this audience tend to have quite creative minds. For example, Video games came up multiple times as an interest and similarly drawing and photography came up more than once. In terms of shared media product interests, the only ‘Favourite Thriller Movie’ that came up more than once was Steven King’s ‘IT’. When asked about their reading habits, most said they “Sometimes” read and none of the responders shared a favourite book, however most of them enjoy reading books of the fantasy-thriller genre.

To conclude the research found on my target audience. I found the majority are between the ages of 17-25 and male. They have a creative way of thinking and deep understanding and appreciation of visual aspects of media. They enjoy consuming thriller themed books as well as thriller films. They are drawn to studying creative subjects and are either out of education or in a college / sixth form environment. I think this research has deepened my understanding for the type of people who will be consuming my film and can therefore allow me to tailor the content to them in a more personal way.

Legal and ethical requirementsRepresentation of gender is something I wanted to touch on with this project. I wanted to make the young female character appear strong and powerful as this is something that has only started to be represented in media in the recent years (typical ideas of the hero is a male). However, I also wanted to touch on the idea of toxic masculinity and have the young boys portray people with emotions who can admit to their fears and not put up a front at all times, as this is also something that is often shown in media and has resulted in negative connotations of gender.

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As I am creating a character from the early 1900’s and setting my film in a house that is supposedly from around 1912, I need to make sure the characterisation and mise en scene / props used are historically accurate for the timeframe I am trying to portray.I will be filming in a house that belongs to my parents and have therefore confirmed their permission, and they will be on set of the production to oversee it. I will also need to get the parental permission from the parents of the minors that will be acting in my film as I need their permission to release a film that shows their face. I will create a document for both the actor and their parents to sign.

Detail the Design/Style/Form/Genre/Aesthetics of your project The genre of my short film is predominantly a psychological thriller. The style will be quite dark, almost gothic but with a more modern feel, similar to that of M. Night Shyamalan – Director of ‘Sixth Sense’ and ‘The Village’.

(Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense, 1999) (Shyamalan, The Village , 2004)As seen in the two images above, Shyamalan often used bright colours, such as red, to go against the otherwise dark colours. This has quite a sinister and almost violent effect on the shot.

The project is in the form of a short film and will therefore be no longer than 8 minutes long. To keep the audience’s attention and to create something of a good standard I would like to keep the film around the 5-minute mark.

The aesthetics of my project, as descried when I talked about the style, will follow quite dark colourings for the most part of the film. However, I think that adding bursts of light and colour can make the shots a lot more interesting and eye catching for the viewer.

ConclusionThe main inspiration for my project came from my family’s house in France due to it being still slightly run down and its slightly gothic and unique appearance. However, I have also gained a lot of inspiration from these research reports that have given me an insight into the themes I will be exploring for this project. I am also inspired by the work of Shyamalan as his thriller work follows the aesthetics that I would like to show in my project (mainly dark but with unique bits of colour).

My main motivation and aim is to bring the audience into each scene and make every shot as captivating as the next. I want to be able to entertain as broad an audience as possible but am focussing mainly on people between 14-17 years old and, for obvious reasons, fans of the thriller genre. I would also like to remind the audience how terrifying the unknown cane be but how things can be a lot less terrifying when there is an understanding.

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Figure 27 - Sixth Sense Figure 26 - The Village

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CHAPTER 3

Research Design Strategies and ExperimentationIntroductionThis chapter documents the research design for my project. I will be explaining in detail the questions I’ll be researching to educate myself further on creating a film of a high standard and represent the themes accurately, As well as the methods I will be using to collect the information I require for these questions.

Research QuestionsI want to create a thriller that, to a degree, contains classic thriller icons that are recognisable to frequent thriller watchers, whilst also making it original and to help develop my own style. My main aim is to bring the audience into the film and create an atmosphere that reminds them of how terrifying the unknown can be. I also want storyline to surprise them and be something that they wouldn’t expect.

To develop on my research from chapter 2, I would like to collect primary research on the key icons to create a recognisable thriller whilst also putting my own twist on it, The costuming for the 1912 character and the use of a green screen. I would like to gather opinions on what my possible audience thinks works in terms of my ideas and certain technical techniques.

Question 1 : How can I use colour and lighting to enhance the typical thriller atmosphere whilst also making the shots looks unique to my style?

Method : Filming, Survey, Focus Group.

Question 2 : How can I use costuming to accurately portray the young female characetr as a child from 1912?

Method: Experimentation, Questionare.

Question 3 : How can use filming equipment to capture effective and relaistic green screen footage? Method: Experimentation, Filming, Visual Survey

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Research Design

In this part of the chapter, you will expand on what you wrote in your project proposal. Write about what you researched and how you collected your information/data (research activities).

Remember, in this chapter, you will only write what you have researched and what research activities you used. In the next chapter, you will write about your findings, analysis and conclusions (2.2).

Detailed below are possible methods you are could use for your research. This will be the research activities you have conducted. The secondary research about your subject will be in your Literature Review. (Chapter 2)

This primary research is anything done by you, such as:- Online questionnaire – you could ask your Facebook friends to comment on your

project idea and give you some additional ideas how you can make it better. Get the feedback from your Lecturers and peers and reflect on it in relation to your

journey. You can contact companies, the council, artists, depending on what your project is

about to get their opinion on your project idea. You can use your phone or tablet to research, take photos of possible locations

and places that you can use in your project. Practical activities such as creating models, drawings, recording, filming, working in

Photoshop. Experimentation

Target Audience Research

I created a survey for thriller fans to fill out as a way of me finding out what common interests or life experiences my target audience has. I did this by creating a survey on SurveyMonkey.com and advertising it on Facebook. This is what I found out from the responses;

AgeThe results from the first question, ‘How Old Are You?’, showed that around 64% of the people answering the survey were between the ages of 17 and 25 years old. So from this I can make the assumption that the main people interested in my film, and consequently those I will be trying to appeal to, are in

the older teenagers category.

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Gender

The next thing I wanted to find out was the most common gender of those interested in the themes of my project. This came out as nearly 60% identifying as male. This is interesting research

on the genre as well as what gender I will mainly be appealing to with this project.

StudiesThe answers collected from study related questions showed that most this audience were in sixth form / college or not in education. Those who do study subjects seemed to be studying mainly creative subjects such as Media, Music and Photography. This forms the point that a strong percentage of this audience have quite creative mind sets and appreciate things from a visual point of view.

Common interestsI also asked questions based on hobbies and interests, as well as what other media products they enjoy. I found that a lot of the hobbies that this audience took part in were media or art, further supporting the idea that this audience tend to have quite creative minds. For example, Video games came up multiple times as an interest and similarly drawing and photography came up more than once. In terms of shared media product interests, the only ‘Favourite Thriller Movie’ that came up more than once was Steven King’s ‘IT’. When asked about their reading habits, most said they “Sometimes” read and none of the responders shared a favourite book, however most of them enjoy reading books of the fantasy-thriller genre.

To conclude the research found on my target audience. I found the majority are between the ages of 17-25 and male. They have a creative way of thinking and deep understanding and appreciation of visual aspects of media. They enjoy consuming thriller themed books as well as thriller films. They are drawn to studying creative subjects and are either out of education or in a college / sixth form environment. I think this research has deepened my understanding for the type of people who will be consuming my film and can therefore allow me to tailor the content to them in a more personal way.

Skills and Techniques Research Plan what skills and techniques you will need to research to produce an effective,

original and to near professional standard project. o For example, you can watch tutorials or read about how to achieve specific skills and

techniques that you will need for your project (secondary) (cross reference)o Experiment with range of skills yourself (primary) (cross reference)

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Production ResearchExplain what and how: o People needed for the production

After consulting people around me who are available to help with my production and those who I know have some experince in this field of production, I have the 3 actors necessary for my prodution plus someone to work on camera and someone to work on sound.

o Research production roles that you will need to carry out and how to do it successfully (how: the internet, media books, etc.)

o Production schedule (how: create your own) o Budget (How: secondary internet, primary ask yourself) o Recce research/location needed (how: take images, contact individuals for

permission, etc.) o Health and safety research ( How: take images, check locations yourself, ask for

permission) o Visual ideas (storyboard optional) (How: take images, create sketches, get

inspired by other people ideas, etc.) o Props (how: make a list, ask to borrow, make it, buy it, use what you have)o Production (echniques, hardware, workflow) (how: research what you need /

how: try it yourself) o Post -production (Edit, colour correction, VFX, etc. (how: read, watch how other

people/professionals do it, try it yourself)

Conclusion

List all research activities

What activities did you conduct to answer your questions and collect the data? Write about the information and data you collected; your choice of data presentation and how you structured your information.

The research activities should be identified such as:

Observations (observational drawings; using photography, video and audio to collect data)

Documents analysis (written, but also video and audio documents) Workshops Interviews Focus groups Surveys (visual, audio, etc.) Experiments Tests and measurements Experimentation

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Figure 28- What is Research

Figure 29- How to ask good questions

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEuul8hBip8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkcHstP6Ht0

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CHAPTER 4

Writing and presenting my research findings

Introduction

In this chapter, you will summarise the information and data that you collected and detail your analysis of your research. You should start this paragraph by briefly restating the topic/theme of your project (take it from Chapter 1).

Explain the object of each question, research activity, point out results, and present those results in a chosen form of summarised information/data. Select method of presenting data carefully.

In a quantitative study, (questionnaires, surveys etc) the results usually begin with a description of the sample (e.g., sample size, description of participants who were excluded and why, handling of missing data) then you will detail your results, and analyise how that has informed your project.

In a qualitative study, the results often include many quotes from participants who were interviewed. Here you should also present your non-textual elements such as photos, videos, audio files, maps, tables, charts, mind maps, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, etc.

Findings/Data analysis What did you learn from your research and how did it informyour project?

Present, explain and contextualize findings

Background and context of the work (refer to work produced in Chapter 1) What is it that makes me do my project? My personal experiences that influence my choices (idea for the project, my role in

the project, how it relates to my future possible career) What is the basic premise of my project? What do I seek to achieve and how it relates to my target audiences?

Use Findings to contextualize my Project. Present and Discuss Findings. (refer to work produced in Chapter 2)

What are similar media products and how my work relates to them (position yourself in relation to similar media products)

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AC 2.1 2.2

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How do similar media products include my project? How they shaped my project? (thought and action) What did I learn from similar media products? (compare similar media products,

how did they influence your perspective and ideas for the project – talk about both script and techniques)

Organise and express your idea (ideas from week 2) Originate a range of ideas – list all ideas you had and explain how you chose the

final idea Analyse each idea for viability - use focus groups and lecturer to support Map and analyse your Ideas (Mind mapping, SWOT analysis - strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities and threats).

Conclusion

How did the research help me with my project?

My ideas Presentation:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DRTtvX_grqE4qFZqalMLdNBovIV56EOS/view?usp=sharing

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CHAPTER 5

My Project

Introduction In this chapter you should present the level of self-direction, personal initiative and commitment necessary to progress ideas and find solutions, and the practical, theoretical and technical comprehension, appreciation, knowledge and proficiency necessary to achieve identified goals. The ability to plan and organise work within a given timeframe and the efficient production of outcomes both individually and collaboratively.

Pre-Production

Produce Pre-Production Portfolio, which will formally define your project (location survey; risk assessment; treatment; script; budget; schedule, character bibles, design documents etc depending on your project.)

Identify your role - directing (managing the team) crew, actors, games designer, concept artist, foley artist, sound design, model maker, camera, yourself etc depending on your project

Collaborating and working as a team – do not worry if you are working on your own!

Dealing with production problems (delays, equipment breakdowns, changes in schedule, etc)

Use of visual, audio and interactive media skills to complete your media project Pitch your proposal to the production board (video recording of your production

board presentation) Analyse your target audience. Investigate the target demographic and record the

type of media or entertainment they consume

Production Management techniques, (notes of team meetings, or daily diary reflections if

working on your own, production and post-production schedules; call sheets, etc.) Team and individual performance monitoring (weekly check against schedule) Development – Demonstrate development (photos from the shoot, screenshots

from computers). Keep daily production and post-production diary and reflect on your production

process. Feedback from Lecturers and Peers and Social Media

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Post-production Describe post-production of your project. Assess your production and post-production process. Describe, and critically

analyse any production problems and the solution you experienced. Prepare material for edit and further manipulation QA Testing Critique of visual art Presentation and Publication (walk-throughs, voice over, portfolio) Preparing credits if applicable Editing (manipulating) Fine tuning special effects, mixing, colour correction, rendering, compressing, etc

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CHAPTER 6

MY EXTENDED PROJECT - FINAL PRODUCT

Present your finished practical project here

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CHAPTER 7

Project Evaluation

Critically evaluating your final media project against the agreed requirements and parameters. Answer the following questions:

Introduce the project in your own words What was the purpose of the project?

o What did you hope to learn? How much reference material did you find?

o Do you think you could have done more? If so, explain what you think you could have done

How did you develop your ideas? List five strengths and five weaknesses in your final design Was there a theme for the design ideas?

o Can you describe it? o Can you reference any influences here? - art movements, designers,

media companies/campaigns, etc. What experiments and exploration did you do?

o How did it affect your development? Find a similar type of design publication - place it next to your own - what

comparisons/difference can you identify? What were the key areas of development in this project? - use your daily

reflections to help you with this Which technical skills, processes, methods and techniques did you use? Review your proposal - what changed, what developments did you make, did you

manage to complete everything you set out to achieve? What did the client/lecturer think of your original concept/idea?

o How did that make you feel? What could you do to adapt the work produced to improve and develop it? Is the final work appropriate for the needs of the project?

o Does it sufficiently answer your brief? (Project Proposal) Reflect on your pitch to the board; how did you feel about it before?

o Did the pitch go better or worse than you expected? o What was the feedback from the client/lecturer about your pitch?

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o What do you think you could improve next time when doing a pitch? Did the project as a whole, go better or worse than you expected? What was the feedback from the client/lecturer on the project as a whole? What do you think you could improve about the project as a whole, if you did it

again?

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APPENDICES

Extended project in creative media production Learning Outcomes and Assessment

1. Understand the requirements of a creative media production project.1.1 Analyse the requirements of a creative media production project.

2. Be able to use research methods to inform ideas for creative media production.

2.1 Review a range of research sources to support a creative media production project. 2.2 Interpret research to develop ideas and effectively communicate to an audience

3. Be able to use skills, knowledge and understanding in the completion of a creative media project.

3.1 Apply practical skills, knowledge and understanding to complete a creative media project within an agreed timeframe.

4. Be able to evaluate a creative media project.4.1 Critically evaluate a creative media project against the agreed requirements and

parameters.

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