Poster for Film

For the poster of my movie, "The Dark Side to Disney", I have decided to use the base image as a picture of a foggy forest, which is very hard to see through due to the fog. I photoshopped the edges of the poster to disappear into blackness. I chose this picture as the fog makes the forest seem frightening, as the viewers cannot see anything through the forest. I made the poster disappear into darkness, as it makes the poster display the genre of horror more, as dark colours are mostly associated with horror. I made the title, "The Dark Side to Disney" in red, to display the scary side of the movie, as red is the colour of blood.

Task 5: Website and poster self-reflection and evaluation

Year 10 Creative Media Short Film Production 

Part One: Discuss your feelings about the website, poster and promotional materials task:

1. Are you satisfied with the final result?

I am satisfied with the final result of the website and poster. I believe the poster is very interesting, as I used Photoshop to put the faces of all the Princesses and Prince in the foggy forest, found on the internet. The faces are faded and look very natural within the forest. I like the idea of red writing on the poster, to show it was a horror and the dark lighting. I also like the sentence in quotations, as most posters do this. I am also very pleased with the website, as it displays the to genre of horror and drama within the movie. The character page is very professional in the sense that you can navigate through the characters by clicking the Princesses name. 

1. Did the website require more/less time than you originally thought?

The website actually required less time than I thought it did, however this was most likely because I had thought it would take a very long time to make in the beginning. If you worked hard at the website for a good hour, you could probably make around two - three good  quality pages. 

1. Would like to change any aspects of your final project (layout, links, images, colour scheme etc)?

I think there are definitely some aspects of my final project that I would like to change. I would like to make the website more interesting if I had more time, by changing the background picture throughout the different pages. I would also like to include some more pictures and hyperlinks to perhaps a mini-game, which would make the site more adventurous. I would have also liked to spice-up the colour scheme, as red, black and grey become quite repetitive within the website.

1. If you could start the project again what would you do differently?

I would include more pictures, change the background colour from black to perhaps a picture from the movie. I would also include hyperlinks to different sites, perhaps the movie theatre site to book the movie. 

Part Two: Respond to each of the following dot points (using complete sentences or paragraphs). You should include as much detail as possible in your responses.

1. Discuss whether your website and poster have turned out the way you pictured them?

To be honest, I really did not picture the website and poster - I didn’t have a plan. However, I  am very much liking the website and poster I made. I think the website is so interesting at the beginning, as I really love the home page and having to click “enter” to enter the website. I also love the poster as I believe the faces of the Prince and Princess fit very well within the picture of the forest. 

1. Describe whether your site and poster clearly depicts the intended genre and describe some specific design techniques you have used to achieve this;

I believe that the poster and website I created, clearly depicts the intended genre of horror within the film, “Dark Side to Disney”. In order to have created this, I made the colour scheme a combination of red, black and grey. These colours are often associated with horror, as red symbolizes the colour of blood, and black and grey can be thought of the “night”, which can be frightening. I made most of the titles within the website red, and I made the background black as, once again, the colours symbolize the genre of horror. For the poster, I also had the main title in red. I made the background picture of a foggy forest which seems frightening, as a foggy forest is somewhere you can’t see what is happening and is often though of as being scary. The faces within the picture also appear dark, and teh corners of the poster blend into darkness. 

1. Did you have all of the necessary resources to complete your site and poster or did you create new materials? 

I did not have all the necessary resources to complete the site, as I forgot to complete the document on pre-making the materials for the website. Because of this, I had to make new material on the poster, but I am happy I did as I feel satisfied with the end materials within the website. However, for the poster all I needed was to find a picture, and use photoshop. But that was all for the poster. 

1. Describe any problems or difficulties you encountered during the process. These may include; technical difficulties, corrupt or missing files, difficulty using the iWeb software, problems exporting files, sound or video etc;

I encountered only a few difficulties whilst creating my website and poster. For the website, the whole class discovered that we could not use different computers to create the website, and had to remember the computer we used and use that each lesson. This was a little frustrating, as it meant we were not able to do it at home from our own computer, but was solved by borrowing the computer we used during school over the weekend. A problem during the process of making the poster was that the paint brushes did not work, so I could not mask. However, to solve this I just used the eraser and ended up looking very good!

1. Clarify how you made use of planning, content-lists and the flowchart during the authoring process;

The planning was very useful for me, in making mainly just the website, as the poster was not to difficult to create. By making a list of what pages were needed within the website, it gave me a direction to follow, and basically gave me instructions on what page to use next. 

1. Clarify any time-management issues you encountered during the creative process and describe the steps you took to improve in this area;

I encountered many time-management issues during the creative process, but did improve in this area towards the end. I believe I spent to long on the poster during class, where I should have been working on planning documents, and the website. I believe I did not use my time effectively towards the poster, but I ended up spending a bit of time on it on the weekend, as I did not spend enough time on it during class. To improve on this area, I decided to stop making my poster, and begin my website as I may have needed help from the teacher. 

1. Discuss whether you undertook adequate and detailed reflection throughout your project. 

I believe i did not take adequate reflection throughout the project. I am very angry with myself that I didn’t, but this was probably due to my lack of time-management skills. I spent so much time on the actual project that I forgot to keep updating my blog. 

1. Have you provided enough evidence to support your work? (Look back at your blogs/journals and think about whether it looks like a whole terms worth of work);

I feel that I have provided enough evidence to support my work, but I believe I have probably not done enough and could have done much more if my time-management skills were improved.  It doesn’t truly look like a terms worth of work, but I do feel that what I have put on my blog, supports the materials and projects I have made.

Format of the Website

The format of the website will vary from each page, such as one having writing at the bottom, one at the top, one at the left, and one on the right. Having a varying amount of formats will make the website much more interesting to explore, and will also make the website seem more professional and complete, as most websites vary between styles and formats.

Pages for Website

Within my website, I plan to use a page for;

• Home page
• Character Page
• Poster Page
• "The Movie" page
• Picture page

The home page will be of a relatively "scary" looking forest, which is very cloudy and foggy. This will be a large image, with the words "Dark Side to Disney" on it written in red. The red will display the horror within the forest, as it is most commonly associated with blood.  There is also an "Enter" below the title, which when you press it, it will lead you into the main site.

The character page will have a picture of all the four princesses, and their name will be below the picture. To get information on the Princesses, the viewers have to click their name, which is hyper-linked to their information page. The Prince, however, is at the bottom of the "characters page".

The poster page will be very simple, with a black background. It will have the picture of the poster of the film within it.

The Movie page will have the synopsis of the movie on it, stating the main points of the movie, but having a question at the end which will make viewers want to watch the movie. Above the synopsis, will be the full movie for viewers to enjoy if they wish.

Lastly, the picture page will also be very simple. It will have a black background, and have an image gallery of main focus points of the movie, such as "the chase", the wedding and the killing of the Prince.

Colour Scheme for Website

I have decided to use a black, red and grey colour scheme for the website I am producing. I have chosen these colours to display a certain mood which is portrayed without the film, and also led the viewers understand what genre it will be. The colours of red, grey, and red are usually thought of as horror, and scary colours, displaying red as blood, and black and grey as darkness and scariness. The titles will mainly be in red, the text will be in grey, and the background will be black.

Pan's Labyrinth

1. Describe each film including the genre, the style of film, the actors, the storyline (include synopsis if you can find one).

The film I chose was Pan’s Labyrinth, which is a film of many genres, including: Fantasy; Horror; Drama; War film; Supernatural; and Fairy tale. All these genre’s show how diverse this film is. There are 6 main actors in this movie, who take the characters of Ofelia, Fauno, Mercedes, Carmen, Vidal and The Doctor. Ofelia is played by Ivana Baquero, Fauno by Doug Jones, Mercedes by Maribel Verdu, Carmen by Ariadna Gil, Vidal by Sergi Lopez and The Doctor by Alex Angulo.  

The plot of this movie is that In 1944, in the post-Civil War in Spain, rebels still fight in the mountains against the fascist troops. The young and imaginative Ofelia travels with her pregnant and sick mother Carmen Vidal to the country to meet and live with her stepfather, the sadistic and cruel Captain Vidal, in an old mill. During the night, Ofelia meets a fairy and together they go to a pit in the center of a maze where they meet a faun that tells that she is a princess from a kingdom in the underground. He also tells that her father is waiting for her, but she needs to accomplish three gruesome, tough and dangerous assignments first. Meanwhile, she becomes friend of the servant Mercedes, who is the sister of one of the rebels and actually is giving support to the group. In a dark, harsh and violent world, Ofelia lives her magical world trying to survive her tasks and sees her father and king again.

1. Separately discuss the overall feel developed for each film’s promotional materials (is it clean, crisp and bright or dark, moody and grungy etc.)? Be as descriptive as possible, you could discuss the colours, textures, tone and use of movement in the website to create interest in the film.

The home screen, when first entering the website of Pan’s Labyrinth feels very magical and unreal, with a hint of fantasy included. The screen is dark around the edges, but the centre is dimly lighten with blue lighting. This home screen is animated, with sparkles and beaming light from the title. As you enter the site, you are led to the synopsis page, where the trailer plays in the upper right hand corner.  The middle of this page is filled with bright white light, but the edges are still dark. The mood is still dark, however on this page it has a feeling of happiness and hope. The movement flows very well, as when you scroll your cursor over a button, a drop down menu pops up, leading you to several different pages. It has a very natural movement and makes looking at different pages very enjoyable and simple. “The Film” is a very information-packed pages, with a clean crisp look and feel. On the upper left hand corner is a production video, which can help viewers understand the film

1. For each film reflect on how the film’s website is laid out. Look at the links, font and how the information or promotional materials are presented.

This films website  is set out very well, and makes it interesting for the viewers to look at and explore. Each page is different and amazing in its own way; with different animations, set-outs, pictures and videos. The materials are presented very uniquley, with a dark mood to give the audience an idea of the genre of the film.

1. Identify the Target Audience for each site (who are they? what age, interests, etc.) and discuss whether you feel the website is effective in appealing to this intended audience.

I believe the target audience for this site is for adults, as it seems to have much too horror for children. I also think this is an adult-fantasy, rather than a fantasy for children. The ages would be around 18-35, as it seems to fantasy-based for older people, but too horror and violence-stricken for people younger than 18, unless very mature. The interests would include fantasy films, and would have a large imagination and are very intrigued and outgoing in trying to new things. I believe the website would appeal to this audience as it seems very interesting, and I feel the people watching this film would be wanting to explore a unique website. The website is also different in each page and has a fantasy colour scheme, pictures and animations. 

1. Talk about what you like/dislike about the promotional material for each film. Why?

I like the promotional material for Pan’s Labyrinth, as it seems very unique from other posters, and has a very magical and fantasy theme to it. The poster draws your attention in, and almost takes you to another world as it it so different and luring. However, I believe the final poster could have made the main section of the poster larger, as it seems as though it is smaller than the side pictures of the poster. This distracts the viewers eyes from the centre, but overall still has a very magical feeling to the poster. 

1. Find a poster or advertisement for each film, save the images in to your folder and insert here. In as much detail as possible discuss the following:

The colour scheme is very cool, including blues, browns, blacks and greens. It is crisp and very fantasy-like, which makes the poster identify the genre of the film. It makes me feel as though I am entering a parallel universe, due to the magic feel the poster has. My eyes focus at the centre of the poster, which is of Pan entering a tree-like object. This is because it is at the centre of the game, and it a different colour from the background. The centre is mainly blue and brown, however the sides and background is more blacks and blues. In the sense of Balance, the advertisement seems to be balenced, as the focus point is in the centre, and the side pictures seem to be in proportion, and centre the middle object nicely. The tone is also balanced, and is the same on each side (mostly). I believe the elements work well together, as the colour, lines, shapes and font all contribute to make the poster have the feeling of fantasy. All these elements also unite to make this effect, and makes it more effective as the colour scheme of blue and greens make the crisp and magic feelings. The overall message being communcated about the film, through the visual language in the poster, is that this a film for adults, not children. Also that this is not a happy film, and more a crisp, new, thrilling adventure of fantasy and magic. 

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Material and additional Content for Website and Poster

Material Content Required

• Synopsis
• Character Profiles
• Trailer video
• Poster (for website)
• Pictures
• Title/Subtitles
•  Gallery
• About the film
• Reviews
• Quotes
• Catchy phrase line

Additional resources

•  An main image to advertise
• Main colours for the website and poster

Principles of Art

Colour
Is an important aspect of design; It communicates feelings and emotions, and can help the viewers understand certain themes through the film.

• Warm; yellow, orange, red

• Cool; blue, green

Text
It is important to make sure that the text is readable, and does not clash with the colour scheme of you're poster.

Emphasis
First thing viewers see, so it is important to use emphasis effectively to make your main point stand out. Contrast in colour could emphasis your focus point. Movement can also be emphasised by using lines to draw the eyes of a viewer to the object, Distorted sense of size and scale, which draws viewers to the main point. *Make sure there is something for your viewers to look at first

Balance
Refers to the distribution of visual weight in  a work of art.  It doesn't have to be symmetrical, just as long as there is equal weight within the image.

Unity
It is important to make sure everything on the piece of art work together, in unity. This can be done through...

• Colour (important to stick to one or two colours)
• Repetition
•  Text (important to stick to one font, or a only a few)

Space
Important to not over-crowd, as it can confuse the viewer. Can avoid visual clutter, looks clean. helps keep the flow going. Negative space can help keep the balance
Positive Space; Where focus points are, where the audience should look at
Negative Space; The empty space

Line
This is a simple aspect, however can be beautiful due to its simplicity.

Shape
The union of unlikely combinations is probably the best way to create a concept. Types..

• Geometric

• Organic

Practice Promotional Poster - INDEMINI

In order to achieve an effective poster for my groups film, The Dark Side to Disney,  a practice promotional poster was needed. Above, is my trial poster, named INDEMINI, which the title, picture, and quote was all randomized. The basic set out of my poster was to try grab the audience's eyes to the title, and then to the picture and quote. In order to achieve this, I made the title in capitals and red font. I also placed it in a black section of the picture, so that nothing is behind the title and makes it harder to read. Apart from these features, I also made the font bigger compared to the quote. The quote is in white font, and is smaller to make it seem less important than the title, but still important enough for it to catch the readers eye. I tried to keep the main focus of the picture, the child,  clear, by not putting any words on top of the toddler. In all, I believe that the randomized poster I made is well balanced, having the title and quote jump out at you, but still making the main focus point of the picture clear.

Reflection of The Dark Side to Disney

What did you learn?
From completing the movie task in Term 2 and 3, I have learnt many things that have found to be useful to know. One thing I didn't know before this task, but I know now, is how difficult and time consuming it can be to produce a short film. I had always thought that producing a film was not  difficult, but in fact it is. So many shots of a scene is needed to ensure that the film is good quality, and then the editing is the most difficult aspect. Drafts of the movie have to be made and the sound has to be perfect to enhance all the emotions that the audience should feel, such as tension or sadness. I now have much respect for movie makers throughout the world, as it really is a time-consuming and difficult profession to pursue. Another idea I learnt is how hard working as a group can be, and ensuring that all the cast have equal roles and responsibilities with shooting. It was extremely difficult organising times that everyone was available to attend, and making sure that someone would borrow a camera.

What worked well?
After finishing the assignment of creating our movie, The Dark Side To Disney, some things became clear that worked well in our group. One concept that worked well was our storyline. Our storyline of four princesses being cheated on and killing their prince, was very unique and creative which made our movie much interesting. However, this also made our film much more difficult to shoot and took much more time. What also worked well was our costumes, as they clearly represented the four princesses. By using appropriate costumes, it was also identifiable that the flashback was representing the princesses wedding day, as all the girls were wearing white dresses. The music was also very effective within the movie as it was dramatic, and emphasised the different emotions throughout the clip.

What would you change?
There are a numerous amount of aspects that I would change about my project completed, if given the chance. The first thing I would change would be before the editing of the movie took place, the organisation of shooting scenes. We were very behind in filming scenes, as it was difficult to organise a time to all come together as everyone had different commitments on different days. If I were given the chance to re-do this complete assignment, I would definitely plan much before the due date to get together and film sequences, and would make sure to film on the holidays. I'd also plan to have the first prince at the chapel scene again, as Courtney and I were not able to film our scenes with Dane, as he were not there. This ruined our films quality, which overall damaged the whole effect of the movie.

Overall evaluation/extra thoughts?
I overall though of our movie to be good, but could definitely use a lot of improvement. I feel that whilst shooting scenes we lacked time management, but at the end we all came together and worked hard on our movie. We got the job done, but in the last minute which meant that the film was not at the best quality it could have potentially been. I believe we challenged ourselves with a difficult and complicated storyline, and turned out to be worth the effort. I also think that the editing I did made the film seem much more complete, but some more  dramatic music could definitely be used. Overall, I believe our group worked well as a team to complete a good movie, but if our time-management was more efficient, the clip could have been much better.

Reflection for Production Task

1.    Describe any problems or difficulties your group encountered during the planning. These may include; organizational problems, group related issues, etc.
During the planning, some problems were encountered which had to be solved in order to create the film well. One problem was that each group member had many outside commitments, which made it difficult to create a functional shooting schedule which each group member could commit to. This in total, made it very hard to shoot scenes on weekdays and weekends, which is why we needed an extension, as two of our group members were sick for nearly a week as well. Another problem which was encountered was that not every group member was 100% committed to working during class. This either left one or two group members doing all the work, or no work being done at all. However, this was not encountered very often.



2.    Clarify any time-management issues your group encountered during the planning process and describe the steps you implemented to improve in this area;
Our group has struggled very much in the area of time-management, however solutions are being implemented to solve this problem. This, again, was due to the groups outside commitments, such as sport, dancing and drama. Also, some group member went on holidays during the term break, so no filming was completed over the holidays. Only slight filming could be done on the first Sunday as some members did not have a transport method to arrive at the destination. In order to improve this, some sacrifices to outside commitments had to be made in order to have filming times after school, and on the weekend.



3.    Discuss whether your group made effective use of the provided templates to assist the film-making process;
 Our group used the provided templates to assist the film-making process, however they could have been used more effectively. The props list helped greatly in knowing what props should be brought each shooting time planned, and also organized who should bring what for each individual character. This was very helpful, as  it was clear in what should be brought without hesitation.  The shot list also helped to identify what characters were needed within each shooting time planned, however this did not work effectively. This was because even when we knew the Prince was needed, some group members did not organise to bring the Prince to the location planned. Lastly, the shooting schedule did not work effectively without our group. Even though it clearly told us what days and times were planned for shooting, most times this did not happen due to other commitments outside of school. 







4.    Explain whether the planning process helped your group during filming. In particular, discuss whether the use of devices such as storyboards, shot-lists, and rough edits assisted throughout the filming process;
Some aspects of the planning process definitely helped my group during filming. The documents that particularly helped well was the storyboard and shot-list. The storyboard was very helpful, as it gave us a view on what camera angles would be used to make the story the best it could. It also gave an idea of the whole movie, and helped us to decide whether any changes were to be make. One change that was made was to make it simpler, as there was so many shots to complete in little time. The shot-list also assisted greatly, as it made it clear as to what characters were needed for each scene and made it easier to organise shooting sessions.





5.    Describe any problems or difficulties your group encountered during the filming process. These may include; organization problems, unreliable cast members, group related issues, equipment problems, etc.
There were a few difficulties that our group encountered during the filming processes, which included mainly organization problems, unreliable cast members and group related issues. The organization of our group was very poor, as many group members had other priorities to commit too, such as sporting sessions. This made it extremely difficult to have the shooting schedule work effectively, and made us have to do very quick and poor shots. Unreliable cast members was a very large problem as well, as some members were required to organize actors, like the Prince, to come on certain days, and did not happen. This meant that less shooting could be done on the day, and also made us very behind in our shooting schedule. This was also the major group related issues, however I have enjoyed working in a team even though it has been very stressful and difficult.

6.    After reviewing your footage and completing the rough cut of your film, describe any aspects of your film, which need to be addressed. i.e does your group need to reshoot any scenes; are any additional shots required; are there any scenes which worked better than expected.
There are some aspects of our film which were identified, that need to be addressed and reshooted. A scene that needs to be reshooted is the wedding chapel scene, as Courtney and I were in our school uniform for part of the movie. This meant that the movie was not as realistic as it should have been, and this will be reshooted as soon as possible. Another shot that should be reshot, is the end scene where Courtney is writing on a tree with blood. This is a very long scene, and the tomato sauce bottle is clearly noticable. This will be reshot and the tomato sauce will be unnoticable, and it will be much shorter. Another shot should be added at the ended, showing the words on the tree clearly, which will make the whole film much more scary.

7.    List any skills, techniques or tricks you have discovered during the project.
There are a few skills, techniques and tricks that were discovered during the project. One was that by using a close-up and then transferring to a mid-shot, was found to be very effective as it depicted the emotions on the face whilst also showing the scenery of the film. Also, by using music in the movie which has the same beat and timing as the footage, it become much more interesting and a joy to watch.



8.    Discuss whether you undertook adequate and detailed reflection to throughout your project. Have you provided enough evidence to support your work? (Look back at your blogs/journals and think about whether it looks like 6 weeks worth of work).
After looking back onto my blog after the rough edit was completed, it does not seem to look like 6 weeks worth of reflections. I also do not feel that each reflection is detailed enough, however it does provide basic information of prove of my work. This was most likely because of our lack of time managment, most time was spent on filming and planning, not blogging. I provided basic information on the cooperation of our group, and also what I contributed to me group and what other members contributed.


Discuss your feelings about the production task:
9.    Are you satisfied with your groups final result?
I am satisfied with my groups final result, however I also believe that the end result of the rough edit could have been better. I feel that if more time was spent filming and planning, not talking or procrastinating, a better outcome could have been produced. I am pleased with the rough edit though, and I feel that our weekend work has paid off to create a good quality film, with a good storyline.

10.    Would like to change any aspects of your film?
There are definitely some aspects of the film that I would like to change. One of which includes making the end scene with Courtney, much shorter as it takes nearly most of the film to complete. I would also like to make certain clips much more shorter and precise, to make the storyline more clear and definite. Also, I would like to shoot a new scene were Aurora, Belle and Cinderella hear a sound in the bushes, after they question where she is. This would become much more effective, as the audience would understand why the screaming occurs, which is because Ariel is attacking them, aiming to kill them.
11.    If you could start the project again what would you do differently?
If I could start the project again, there a numerous amount of things I would do differently. One thing that I would do differently, would be to have more organization and time management within my group. 

Mise-En-Scene, Cinematography, Editing and Sound

Within our film, we use mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and sound in our film effectively to create a clear storyline and genre classifcation.

Before filming our short film, lighting, acting, costumes, props and settings were organised to create a professional looking clip, and also making the storyline and genre appear clear. We used a gold sheet to soften the light when filming close-up shots. This was to make the lighting seem natural on the actors face, and also to avoid having a sharp shadow over the actors face. Also, we made sure that the acting within the film was very Princess-like, and lady like in the beginning to make it clear that we were Disney Princesses, as typically, Princesses are gentle and very lady-like. However, when chasing the Prince, all lady-like manners disappeared, and the personality becomes opposite; Aggressive and unlady-like. This is so display how angry and upset the characters were that their Prince had been unfaithful to them. To allow the characters seem as modern day Princesses, specific costumes also had to be worn. For Cinderella, my character, a blue modern dress was worn, along with the typical crown. All the other Princesses also wore a dress in their classical colour. Other occasions such as the wedding day, a white dress was worn by each Princesses to indicate they were getting married. This was also shown within the props and costumes, such as a Tiara to indicate their superiority in being a Princesses, and a chapel to show they were getting married.

The cinematography was also very crucial in delivering a clear message within the short film. When the Princesses were chasing the Prince, the camera follows them along. This demonstrates how intense and fast pased the action is happening, and creates an intensifying mood, full of thrills and excitement. Also, during the wedding scene, many different shots are taken to demonstrate how in love the two characters are, which emphasises the heartbreak of the poor princesses. Editing has not been completed with the film yet, however we plan to use any matchcuts within the wedding scene. This is when the Princesses are walking up the isle, and the Princesses are meant to be flicking from one to another. This is to identify that all girls were married to Prince "Charming".  Lastly, sound was also demonstrated in our film, or will be soon. We do not have much dialogue within the film, as the sound quality is not fantastic, and also is not needed to determine the basic storyline. However, a few sentences are spoken to clarify ideas and themes within the short film, such as when the Princesses question where Ariel is. There will be sound effects, such as crunching leaves to identify the fast pace of the Princesses at the beginning of the short film. Mysterious and intensifying music may also be played to increase the Audiences anxiousness and thrill.

Struggle of being in a group

This week we received an extension as two group members were away sick for all of the week. This meant that we had another week to complete our rough draft. This proved to be a struggle, as we are busy most days of the week, as well as the weekend. This is due to other commitments, such as sports and outside activities. We found that we could film on Tuesday afternoon - Meaning an extension would be needed on our Maths assignment. We also have a plan to film on Sunday for four or five hours. Hopefully we will get it done in time!

Timecode

What Is Timecode?

Timecode is a time or code assigned to a specific frame or a specific point in a video. Essentially, a timecode is like a time stamp in video editing. However, nowadays, timecode is no longer used only for video editing. Timecodes are also now used in audio and music file editing.

Types of Timecode

There are several types of timecodes you can use when editing video. There are two major types of timecodes: DV Timecode and SMPTE Timecode.

DV timecode is often used on digital media. DV timecode is stored on its own track and is then transferred over firewire. SMPTE is the standard timecode format used on all non-digital media. It is often stored on an audio track or integrated into the video track.

There are also two other familiar types of timecode still being used: the Drop Frame and the Non-Drop Frame.

Drop Frame Timecode throws out the numbers at :00 and :01 frames every few minutes, except at the 10 minute mark. This means that a video with a drop frame timecode will make adjustments by skipping frame numbers perdiodically. This is to keep the timecode synced with real time.
With a Non-Drop Frame Timecode, a number to 30 frames per second is assigned. This will result to an error of .03 frames per second. In a nutshell, if you use a Non-Drop Frame Timecode, your video will run approximately at 30 frames per second.

Uses of Timecode

Timecode is an essential part of video editing. The timecode assigns a specific time to each frame of video. By doing this, you can access any specific frame of the video and any edits you make to a frame will still be accurate.
You can also use a timecode to make the video in conjunction with real time. By dropping or skipping a frame, you are able to align the time of the video in real time.
Giving each frame a timecode is like stamping a frame with a special code so that each one is unique and easily searchable. You can manipulate each frame of the video, pick a scene, cut a scene and adjust the beginning or end of the frame to define it.

Uses of Timecode

Timecode is an essential part of video editing. The timecode assigns a specific time to each frame of video. By doing this, you can access any specific frame of the video and any edits you make to a frame will still be accurate.

You can also use a timecode to make the video in conjunction with real time. By dropping or skipping a frame, you are able to align the time of the video in real time.

Giving each frame a timecode is like stamping a frame with a special code so that each one is unique and easily searchable. You can manipulate each frame of the video, pick a scene, cut a scene and adjust the beginning or end of the frame to define it.

Creating a Timecode

A timecode is an 8-digit code and each code has a different meaning. The first number signifies the hour, then the minutes, the seconds and the last number signifies the frame number. Since a timecode moves from right to left, the number should be encoded the same way beginning with the hour.
You should also note that the hour is based on military time, which means that numbering is from 1 until 24. However, encoding the minutes and seconds is just like that of a regular clock - 0 to 59.
If you will be using a Drop Frame Timecode, use a semi-colon or period to separate the seconds and frames. On the other hand, use a colon all throughout for a Non-Drop Frame Timecode.

Converting Kodak Zi8 Files for use in iMovie and Final Cut

In order to convert Kodak Zi8 Files for use in iMovie and Final Cut Pro, these steps are to be followed:
1. Open MPEG-Streamclip
2. Open the file in the MPEG-Streamclip window
3. Export to Quicktime, from the "File" Menu
4. Ensure you math the settings; Frame Size 1280x720
5. Open Final Cut from the Dock by selecting the "Final Cut Pro" icon
6. Check your project settings
7. Adjust your settings in File menu and select easy setup
8. Adjust your project settings; Set your Format to Apple; Intermediate Codec with a Rate of 29.97 fps; Use - Apple Intermediate Codec 720p10

What to improve on, and how

We need to improve on our filming organization, including acquiring costumes and props in time.

I've found that within this group we have plans of filming during the week, but it has never happened so far as we have not gotten our costumes or props prepared for filming yet. 

To improve, I feel that we should organise people to individually acquire their own props and costume for a certain date, such as before Sunday, to ensure that filming can be completed on that day.

Working in a group of Four

So far working in a group of four has been a challenging experience, as there are so many people to worry about regarding costume, props, and times that they are available to film.

It's been hard to organize times and places to meet for filming, as everyone has different times that they are available to meet and film. This is mainly because everyone has different commitments that they have, which makes it very hard to have a steady filming session. It's also hard as we get distracted very easily as there are so many people to talk to.

We plan to film this Sunday, for a whole day as we are very behind in our filming schedule.

Extra Filming

In Creative Media, we are not able to film properly as we do not have our costumes or props with us. So, whilst in class we film scenes in our school uniform to make sure we have film for our rough edit, even if we do not complete all proper filming. 

Last lesson, we used a white screen as the background and had lighting bounce off a golden surface to create our scene setting. We completed the close ups at the marriage scene, and the scene where the ring slides onto the brides finger.

If all filming with costumes and correct settings are not completed in time, at least we have back-up footage.

Three Point Lighting

Whilst recording film for a professional movie, accurate lighting is one of the most important aspects for a good quality clip. The three-point lighting set-up is a very common method for good quality lighting. A key light is used which is very strong, followed by a fill light which is softer and is used to make the object seem for three dimensional. Lastly, there is a back light which highlights the back of the object which also makes the object more dimensional and real looking. A reflector can be used to bounce light and make it seem softer. This is sometimes used to make the light less harsh on the object, making it seem fake.

Practise Essay on a Movie Shot

This picture displays a rural country with a single man and his vehicle. The country seems barren and dull, lacking both colour and objects in the scenery. However, by using colour, lighting, setting,  camera position and focus, the message of "Barren and dull" has been emphasized.

By using colour in this picture, the scenery seems more barren than it was originally. The colour also makes the setting clear that they are in a dessert or rural country of some sort. Such as, by making the vehicle seem a dusky brown colour, the car blends into the surroundings making the item seem less apparent in the picture. By doing so, the viewer focuses on the surroundings more than the items in the surroundings. The only real colour is he background, that turns into a hazy blue, which draws the viewers attention.

The lighting also contributes to the whole purpose of the shot. You can clearly identify that it is day time, and that more light is being displayed on the front section of the picture. This then draws the viewers attention to the front of the picture, displaying a car and a man walking. The setting in this shot is a rural area, such as country or dessert. Using this background, the message of the picture becomes more clear, as the setting is not drawing the viewers attention. For example, if it were in the city instead, the audience would be looking at all the tall buildings and such, instead of the true meaning.

The camera position of this shot is using an extreme long shot, which makes it easier to identify the full frame of the picture. Using an extreme long shot (ELS), allows the viewers to see where the story is set, and also makes the items in the shot seem small and unimportant. The man in this picture seems very small, which emphasizes the idea that they are in a large rural setting. Lastly, focus in this picture is crucial in making the viewer look to the center of the shot. The focus seems to be mainly on the close, center section on the frame. Again, this makes people look to this area of the picture and can help identify the message of the shot.

Overall, it is clear to see that the story takes place in a rural setting, withholding only a few shrubs and vehicles. Although the message seems to be clear, that they are in a deserted area, without the use of colour, lighting, setting, camera position and focus, the true meaning would have been severely effected. Therefore, mise en scene and cinematography play a vital part in depicting the message of ones shot, making the viewers understand the picture more clearly.

Plot Elements

What is a Plot?
A Plot is the organized pattern or sequence of events that make up a story. Every plot is made up of a series of incidents that are related to one another.

Plot Elements
1. Exposition
     This usually occurs at the beginning of a short story. Here the characters are introduced. We also
      learn about the setting of the story. Most importantly, we are introduced to the main conflict
     (main problem).

2. Rising Action
    This part of the story begins to develop the conflict(s). A building of interest or suspense occurs.

3. Climax
    This is the turning point of the story. Usually the main character comes face to face with a conflict.
    The main character will change in some way.

4. Falling Action
    All loose ends of the plot are tied up. The conflict(s) and climax are taken care of. 
   

5. Resolution
    The story comes to a reasonable ending.

Short Film Recipe

Short Film Recipe

Ingredients

3x Beautiful Princesses

1x Jealous Princesses

1x Unfaithful Prince

1x Happy Forest

1x Scary Forest

1x Chapel

1x Park

1x Shoes

1x Book

1x Fork

1x Blanket

1x bush movement

1x Tree

2x flashback

Blood

Method

Take the four Princesses and make them all marry the same unfaithful Prince. Make sure that one of the Princesses is jealous of the other girls, which makes the storyline extra juicy! Add a forest happy forest background, and make it transition to the scary forest.  Then, add the shoes, book, blanket and fork to the Princesses for them to throw at the Prince. Throw in a flashback at a chapel scene to show that all the Princesses married the Prince and then add in the next flashback. At this flashback, make the background the park, and be sure to show how the Princesses found out they had been cheated on.  Make the Princesses round up the Prince and kill him with the various objects in their hands. When the Princesses are walking back, smiling and happy, add the bush movement to the scenario. Make the Jealous Princess kill the other Princesses with her fork and be sure to have lots of gushing blood to add to the horror! Lastly, have the jealous Princess write 'Happily Never After' on a tree with blood.

The Title of our Short Film

The Title for our Creative Media short film is,

                                                      The Dark Side to Disney

This is because the film consists of the main Disney Princesses; Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Arial and Cinderella. It also includes the famous Prince Charming. However, instead of being a classical Disney movie, being all 'happily ever after', we decided to make the story into a horror film. Therefore, making Disney having a dark side.

Genre Recipe

          Ingredients

         4x Beastly Princesses

         1x Unfaithful Prince

         1x Dark forest

         1x Warped Wedding Scenery

         1x Beast

         1x Full moon

         1x Tree

    1x Black Screen

    4x Blood

Character Profile Worksheet

Character Profile Worksheet

Basic Information/Statistics

Name: Cinderella	Age: 17
Current Residence: Prince Charming’s Castle
Occupation: Princess	Talents/Skills: Caring and kind, but when angry she can be violent, Singing with animals, making dresses

Physical Characteristics:

Height: 170cm	Weight:
Race: French and German	Skin Colour: Pale
Eye Colour: Blue	Glasses/Contact Lenses:
Hair Colour: Blonde	Facial Shape: Oval
Distinguishing Features: Classical face
Style (Elegant, shabby etc): Elegant
Dress/Clothing: Blue, long dress
Mannerisms: Very kind, soft and gentle
Hobbies: Singing, Making dresses
Favourite Sayings: -
Speech Patterns: (straight to the point, long winded), She’s a bit of both, when told to do something she goes straight to the point. However, when being nervous or shy she can be very long winded.

Emotional Characteristics

Strengths: Being soft and gentle, can make friends easily

Weaknesses: Sometimes being to shy, or afraid to speak up

What motivates this character? To find her Prince Charming, and please her father.

What frightens this character? Evil step-mothers, or her family being unwell (father).

What makes this character happy? Being with the Prince, making dresses or singing to her animals

Introvert or Extrovert: A mix between both.

What is this Character’s Goal? To make the Prince realise what he has done wrong.

Intellectual/Mental/Personality Attributes and Attitudes

Educational Background: She had a fantastic education until she was a teenager, then she became the stepmothers servant.

Character's short-term goals in life: Capture the Prince

How does Character see himself/herself? She sees herself as lucky to have been rescued from her stepmother.

How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others? She believes that everyone sees her as a Princess with no intelligence, she wants to prove them wrong.

How self-confident is the character?  She is moderately self-confident, but can doubt herself at times.

Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or some combination thereof? She is definitely a mix. She always thinks before doing her logic, but when it comes to her emotions, she is stuck between using her heart or head to make the right decision.

What would most embarass this character? If her friends saw her as a slave again, or if she made a bad decision. Or, if she were seen with he cheating Prince.

Best Characteristics: Soft, gentle, kind

Worst Characteristics: Shy, too kind and sometimes undecided.

Does the character have any prejudices? She used to be jealous of people with lots of money, but now she is one of them herself.

Vampire Storyboard Analysis

The title slowly fades in through the frozen still picture of a Priest leaning against a balcony, looking stricken with fright. This mid-shot, over-the-shoulder picture has a vampire on the left side of the shot, and is looking determined to accomplish some deadly task. As the title dissolves out, the scene comes into motion, and you can depict the vampire rushing towards the priest, with no guilt or smirks laid upon his face. He has a straight face - He has one task, and he is going to complete it. The priest is looking to try to escape, we sense from his body language he his panicking and is acting as he has no where to run. His arms appear to be leaning on the balcony, tensed with fear, while his eyes are looking straight at the vampire's vicious face.  As the vampire advances towards him, we can hear the priests breathing pace increase dramatically - Appreciating each gasp of air he has left to breath. The vampire is moving towards the priest like a lion hunting a deer, and all you hear is the combination of creeky floor board and the priests breathing. Suddenly, we hear a large drum beat - only one. As soon as this occurs, the screen turns black.

Now the screen zooms onto the Vampires face, you see him from the priests point of view, and this emphasis the idea of him being much larger and domineering than the Priest. A light is shining onto the vampires face, creating shadows and making him seem much more villainous than the previous scene. Once again, he has a straight face with no signs of pleasure, or discomfort on his face. The scene is silent, and all that is depicted is the hollowing wind, whistling through the church windows that are in the background. The wind is slightly blowing the vampires hair, and while this is happening you can hear a slight mumble coming from the Priest. All you now hear is the Priest say quietly, "One...Two... Three...".

The scene quickly cuts onto the next clip, and you can identify the Priest still leaning on the balcony, while the vampire is lurking towards him menacingly. The scene has zoomed out and this makes the characters seem to be on the right side of the screen. Once the Priest has said the world "Three", he shoots across the balcony, dashing for his life. You see him dragging his legs across the floor, trying to run away from the vampires gaze. You hear loud and fast footsteps, and as you see the priest running across the balcony, the vampire is only walking slowly towards him. During this time, the camera is still continuously panning to the left, following the priests desperate steps to freedom.

All of a sudden you hear the vampire say in a deep voice, "Let's go", and he runs at an in-human speed and lunges onto the priest - flinging him off the balcony and slamming onto the alter beneath the balcony. You can hear the gigantic smashing noise of the alter collapsing and the contents on the table flying to the ground. From the items on the table, you hear metal clashing and along with you hear the breaking of two or three bones. As the Priest starts to recover from his fall, he leans on his elbows, trying to stand straight and all becomes quiet and still. Three seconds into the silence the vampire launches onto the Priest, with a snarl on his face, red eyes beaming with hunger. You hear shrieking from the priest, and during this the camera zooms outwards in a slow and haunting manner. The shrieking slowly fades out, and becomes just another howl in the wind.  The Vampire stands up (the camera is still zooming out), and wipes is mouth with blood covering is mouth and hands.  The camera then goes to a high angle shot, where you can see the statue of Jesus on the cross. Below this is the priest, laying lifeless among the bloody objects on the table. The vampire is gone, and once again, all you can hear is the howling of the wind.

THE END.

Camera Positions

High    Camera Angle  

            A camera angle which loos down on its subject making it look small, weak or unimportant

        

High Camera Angle

           A camera angle which looks down on its subject making it look small, weak or unimportant

            Low

           A camera angle which looks up at its subject. Makes the subject seem important and powerful

             Level

            A camera angle which is even with the subject, it may be used as a neutral shot

           Long shot

           A long range of distance between the camera and the subject, often providing a broader range of setting.