Production Schedule

Pre-Production

During the pre-production stage, we will have to focus on completing different tasks that will ensure that our production/filming is the most efficient and effective that it can be. We will do this through completing several tasks in a constructive order.

The pre-production tasks are:

• Creating the initial story line (1 hour)
• The narrative (1 hour)
• 60 second pitch (1 hour)
• Storyboards (1 day)
• The script (2 days)
• Pitch (2 hours)
• Mood Board (1-2 hours)
• Location Previewing and selection (1 day)
• Casting/auditions (7 hours)

The total pre-production time based just on our film will approximately be 3 days and 14 hours. However, this is excluding time for genre analysis and gathering research from other genre specific films. These additional parts of the pre-production stage can be completed as we gone along the entire production stage to constantly help to develop the ideas that we have.

Production

During production we have to ensure that we are fully prepared to film and that we have everything we need. Therefore, there is many different tasks that need to be organised before filming.

These include:

Costume (1 day)
Props (1 day)
Location (1 day)
Lighting (1 hour)
Kit preparation (4 hours)
Kit transport (2 hours)
Extras (1 hour)
Filming (1 week)

Through completing all these tasks we should have enough clips ready to put together to create the two minute film. Doing this within the allotted times that we have given to each task will enable us to have more time to complete the post-production tasks. I have given myself and partner, approximately 3 days, 1 week and 8 hours for this part of the production. Although this could differ slightly dependant on whether or not I encounter any problems.

Post-Production

After we have gathered all the clips needed and have produced the film itself, we will need to edit the film clips and put our two minute film opening together in the most effective and orderly way possible. Given that a lot of the stages included in post-production require us to be sat at a computer/laptop, we will take regular breaks. Therefore, this time must be considered as a process taken out over a larger period of time than to what is suggested.

These times include:

Cutting clips together (1 day)
Inputting transitions (5 hours)
Editing (1 day)
Colour Grading (30 mins)
Sound (1 day)
Visual FX (1 day)
Music (2 days)
Uploading & Posting (2 hours)

Creating these time scales will allow me to optomise the time that I have to create the film. Having these in order and with allocated time scales, I will be more prepared for each stage of the production. If I were to encounter any problems, then I could amend the time given for a certain task. The overall amount of time that I will spend on these post-production tasks is 6 days, 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Initial story boards

Pre-production Mood Board

Storyboard and script analysis

60 second pitch: Planning

Summer Task 3

Discuss the role that media plays in shaping our views and opinions on any one group in our society; is this representation good or bad?

Gender & Society

The media has always placed judgement upon how women should present themselves and what their roles, appearance and behaviour should be like. Too often, media is seen as the correct guidance for behaviour and appearance such as new slang terms and the latest trends. Due to this, unrealistic expectations of women are beginning to increase because of unfeasible images formed on photoshop and objectification. This essay will explore how media builds society's views on women and how they represent them.

The TV/Film industry often gives female roles a stereotypical appearance conveying conventional beauty ideas (tall, slim and somewhat unintelligent). overweight female characters often have comments made about them by men followed by 'canned' laughter. This has a negative psychological effect on women subconsciously providing expectations for body types, behaviour and values. In addition, female characters are fewer than men in the film industry (for example no two women have a conversation in Lord of the Rings) and their priorities are often marital status and family issues, creating an underlying impression that still in modern day society a woman's priorities should be to find a partner and care for the family. Overall Film represents women in a negative way.

Futhermore, many articles that are written in newspapers and magazines are unnecessarily sexualising woman. Above is Emily Ratajkowski, an actress and model, wearing a skin coloured dress with an open back. The Daily Mail News decided to make a story about this, despite the fact that all she did was go out to get an iced coffee. Furthermore, the pun used for the article had sexual connotations however she was only participating in an everyday activity. Articles like this belittle other work that Ratajkowski has done in the past such as Gone Girl and her cover campaigns on GQ and Vogue. On many occasions, news paper and magazine articles also represent women in a negative way.

Finally, despite being a lesser used form of media, Radio has a very low representation of women. Statistics show that for every 4 men being a radio host, only one of them are women. This is bad because it shows the inequality in modern day society. This just means that there is one less media platform for women to voice their opinions on.

Overall, women are represented quite negatively in the media, however there has been change. In recent years a strong feminist movement has occurred and specifically hit social media, empowering women to believe that they have as equal value as men do. More attitudes like this should be shown through different forms of media and display woman more positively.

Peer Feedback

 Peer Feedback

Peer feedback helps to develop ideas, and in the instance of media, encourages the creator to consider the perception of the audience. 

I began practising how to write a strong peer assessment by looking at another media students work. In this, I analysed the positive and negative aspects of their work. The work that I was providing feedback on, was a 60 second pitch. This pitch was in video format and so I watched the video multiple times, enabling me to comment on multiple aspects of the work. Firstly, I viewed the overall video: focusing on the tone of the person and presentation of their ideas. I commented on the enthusiasm they showed and how this could have a positive impact on the person that it is directed to. 

Then, I went on to look at the specialist lexis used. I discussed how using a wider range of media terms could make their ideas clearer. I suggested that they could discuss a broader range of subjects, such as: genre, camera work, lighting, target audience and editing. I could have perhaps encouraged them to also discuss more about character, costume, location and props. 

Overall, I believe that this peer evaluation was successful in delivering a clear analysis of the work. I stated what I believed would make a stronger pitch, but didn't go into more depth about how this could be implemented in direct relation to the content that they'd discussed.  In future peer analysis, I will develop my feedback further.

Script Draft

SCENE 1

OUTSIDE HOUSE - NIGHT

                                                                                                                                        JUMP CUT:

In the heart of a suburban neighbourhood, a house glows with light from a teen party. The heavy bass sound echoes through the air, partially muffled by the walls of the house. 

ANONYMOUS, .. Slightly muscular figure, dressed all in black, lingers outside of house. The figure breathes heavily.

BLONDE GIRL, .. Wearing a short dress, finished with fishnet tights and holding a wand; her intent to be a fairy princess. Her bright blonde hair stands out from the dark backdrop of the house at night.

BOY, .. Tall, dark male 

BLONDE GIRL

(Laughs loudly in-between talking and stumbles in heals to the front door)

Hands off! You'll have to wait until iv'e had at least 10 litres of vodka before you can get even a peck out of me.

BOY

 (Holds girl up by her waist and laughing at her) 

Here's to hoping Adele decided to buy the corner shop then.

(Holds bottle of beer in the air and swigs from it, smirking)

Both boy and girl stumble towards front door and walk into crowd. Anonymous starts charging towards house, stopping suddenly when he  reaches the door.

ADELE

(Standing opposite to the door. Looks at anonymous and reacts with shock and disdain)

You?

(Interrupted by brown haired female who pushes into Adele)

BROWN HAIRED FEMALE

Someone doesn't look very happy... or drunk. Adele! Come get a drink and dance with me. 

(Adele looks back towards door where there is just empty space filling where anonymous was previously stood)

ADELE

(Stutters)

Did you just see that?

BROWN HAIRED FEMALE

See what? Come on margaret, before I find a new best friend to get paralytic with.

SWOOSH TRANSITION:

BROWN HAIRED FEMALE

(Pouring drink, every so often looking up at Adele)

Analysis of different mood boards

Analysis of different mood boards 

A mood board is a collection of: images, graphics, colors, material, words and emotions which can be used to portray an idea. A mood board should give insight into the creators mindset and creative thoughts. Although, there are no rules for creating a mood board, there is still a distinction between doing it right and wrong. The following analysis illustrates the pros and cons of different forms of mood board:

Video (Youtube)

There are many strengths of processing a mood board through video. Portraying ideas through visual stimulation and including audio can enhance the overall transmission of ideas. It can be much easier to describe your ideas clearly if you are able to talk about an idea using a visual prompt. Additionally, individual images used as part of the mood board can be picked out and analysed in much more detail that it may otherwise be. 

In this particular video mood board, the creator has categorised the presentation into the main parts of the planning process: location, characters, costumes and props. Creating these sub-titles allows the viewer to easily understand the ideas. Perhaps a stronger video would include visuals showing how all of these would work together; something that could easily be included. By selecting just 5 images for each topic, the creator has been able to describe in detail, his reasoning for choosing these. Using a larger number than this could lessen his ability to describe in as much detail as he has. Likewise, a smaller quantity could make it more difficult for the viewer to understand the intent, as well as making the mood board less engaging.

Overall, the creator has supported the images/evidence with specific detail as to how this would work as part of a film following a specific genre. From this, the viewer has a clear understanding of the conventions being followed. He has talked specifically about the denotations and connotations of the colours used. With some of the images, particularly the ones describing locations, the visuals don't portray exactly the time of day and so, atmosphere this would create. For example, the picture showing the alley way location was taken during the day, whereas his intent is to film when it is darker. However he has added audio describing this so the inaccuracy in imagery isn't massively misleading. 

Written and analysed

The written mood board that I looked at gave a brief summary of the plot line. This helped to establish the purpose of the moodboard and gives the audience an idea of the genre of the film. The author has then gone into detail about the purpose and impact of including different ages and genders. Here, she has talked about ways in which they would represent these characters through the use of costume and characterisation. Perhaps a visual representation of this would help to strengthen the portrayal of her ideas. Otherwise, the written explanation is detailed, therefore allowing the audience to visualise her ideas to some extent. 

Also. she links how the conventions of her genre will link with the film opening. One example of this can be seen through the descriptions of the types of characters she intends to include and for what purposes. She has talked about the stereotypical representation of female characters and why this will play a significant role in her film. In mentioning this, she has informed the audience of her intent to produce a responsive piece. Furthermore, she has linked an example of an opening scene (V for Vendetta). This helps to explain her idea in more depth. Also, this helps to back up the points she has attempted to explain, showing the audience her ideas in practice.

This mood board focuses solely on the representation of gender and the camera shots that she intends to include. Therefore, we don't see descriptions of other aspects such as the location of her opening film; props or costume. I believe that this mood board would be more powerful if she were to talk about these aspects of film and describe there relevance to the genre of her film. Additionally, images and further video examples could be used to support these ideas.

Conclusion

When creating my own mood board, I will ensure that I refer back to these examples and produce a board which mimics the strongest aspects of these. I will make sure to give ample explanation as to why I wish to include different props, locations, characters and costumes. The mood board I produce will reflect my chosen genre and present the conventions of this. Analysing these mood boards has made me recognise the effectiveness of visuals and so I will try to convey my ideas through images and video; whether that will be me talking or examples that are genre specific from youtube etc.

Codes and Conventions

Codes and conventions

What is a code?

Codes are a system of signs which create meaning.  These are divided beneath two different headings: technical and symbolic. Technical codes are the way that the equipment is used to create a mood and tell a story. Whereas symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see.

Examples of each of these headings are:

Technical - Lighting and sound, as well as editing. A point of view shot can be used to show what it would be like if you were in the position of a character.  It makes the audience feel as though they are part of the film and creates a connection and rapport between the audience and the characters.

Symbolic - Darkness and low lighting: generally used to build suspense and mystery in horror or thriller films.  The darkness symbolises the unknown.

Sometimes codes can fit into both categories - for example music.

In the movie 'Me Before You', we see representation of different codes. The use of the colours red, white and black present various symbolic meanings. Red is symbolic of romance and danger; white, purity and black, sadness. Louisa's red dress is symbolic of romance and heartbreak.

Technical codes from the film include:

• Contrast between bright and dark in clothing 
• Love ballad playing in background
• Rapid jump cuts emphasise energy and positivity in scenes, whereas the slower transitions soften the scenes, making them feel more emotive.

What are conventions? 

Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something or ways that you would typically expect things to be carried out.  There are conventions in any medium, but they are genre specific. For example, a romantic movie would usually follow the idea that a boy meets a girl and they fall in love. This is not to say that there won't be disruption to this. However the overall narrative will follow this structure.

Codes and conventions are generally used together when studying a genre. You would have to talk about how a code is used and follow it up with how it is used in a conventional sense, in that genre. For example, the technical code of lighting is used in all film genres- whether is is noticeable or not. It is a convention of a horror genre to use side and back lighting to generate mystery and suspense.

Denotations and Connotations

Denotations and Connotations

Denotations 

Denotations are the logical things we can see. It is referred to as a denotation because it is the things we can see rather than what we can infer.

The denotations of this shot are: there are four males sat in a car. We know this because the shot shows all four characters sat down in a small space where we can see a steering wheel in the foreground and they are wearing seat belts. Also there are other cars in the background with their lights on.

Connotations

Connotations are the things we can infer from the denotations. For example, from the denotation of a man holding a gun we can infer that he might/will shoot someone.

Words and imagery can have both negative and positive connotations, depending on the context to which we find them in.

The connotations of this image are that there is conflict in these characters personalities. This is presented in their clothing. Two of the characters are wearing blue jumpers, suggesting that they are of a somewhat similar nature or opinion. The character in the foreground is wearing a full black suit, suggesting that he is a more professional/posh character who possibly thinks of himself as above the other characters. His glasses connote that he is intelligent and offers some kind of foresight that is absent in the other characters. Then, the final character wears a white shirt with a loosely fashioned tie. There is contrast in the white that this character wears and the black that the other character does. From this, audiences may believe that the personalities of these two characters are opposing as the connotations of the two colours are largely opposing. 

Batman in Theory: Research

Batman: Dark Knight

In Christopher Nolan's 2008 movie, Batman: Dark Knight, we see multiple uses of media theory.

Propp's Character Roles

Using Vladameer Propp's theory of character roles, we can establish that the characters within this movie all have individual roles within the film. These have been created in order to help to develop the plot line. Including a variety of different characters adds more depth to the film and therefore generates more interest from the target audience: whoever that may be.  

For example, we see the joker as a villain in the film. This is implied by the negative actions he performs and characteristics that he has. We know from this characterisation, that he his role has been included to hold opposing motives to the hero. In doing this, contrast and conflict has been created. Perhaps to develop a larger theme in the film. In this film, Batman is clearly pronounced as the hero. 

Other characters roles in Batman: Dark Knight include: 

• The Hero as Batman (Bruce Wayyne)
• The Villain: Joker
• The Donor: Lucius Fox
• The Dispatcher: Jim Gordon
• The False hero: Harvey Dent (Two face)
• The Helper: Jim Gordon, Alfred J Pennyworth
• The Princess: Rachel Dawes
• The Father figure: Alfred J Pennyworth

As we see in a lot of film, characters can be assigned to multiple roles. In Batman:Dark Knight, Alfred J Pennyworth is both a helper, and the father figure. Often these two roles go together. This could be because directors want to enforce the idea of alliances- in this instance, Alfred being loyal to Batman. 

Levi Strauss's Binary Oppositions

In this film, the Joker and Batman are binary opposites, This follows Claude Levi-Strauss’ binary opposites theory. The Joker is represented as an advocate of destruction and chaos whereas Batman is shown to promote order, goodwill and justice. Each of these characters dress and behave in opposing ways. The Joker wears purple and green. The connotations of purple being royalty; perhaps signifying his power as the over-ruling villain. The colour green proposes ideas of money, greed and jealousy. So, overall we see negative connotations presented in his clothing as well as personality.In contrast, Batman wears all black. This makes his character seem mysterious. Untypically, this attire contradicts what an audience would expect a superhero to wear. It could be that this clothing has been chosen to signify Batmans lack of selfishness, performing only good deeds and in return, expecting no recognition.

Moreover, we see the actions of the two characters as widely opposing. Often, the Joker acts in fast and sudden ways, as oppose to Batman who holds back until action is actually needed and justified for good reason.

The Binary opposites explored in this film are: Good vs Evil, Corrupter vs Reality, Insane vs Sane, Dark vs Light and Strong vs Weak.

Toderoy's Equilibrium Theory

The Dark Knight is structured as follows:

Equilibrium: It’s perceived as normal for Gotham City to be under constant threat of death and disruption, so it’s not a surprise when the Joker begins to stir things up.

Disruption to the equilibrium: The Joker causes new corruption and chaos in Gotham City.

Resolution/Recognition of disruption: Batman recognises that he needs to step in to help stop the Joker from causing further damage.

Solution/Attempt to repair: Batman fails to defeat the Joker several times and the deviance continues.

New equilibrium: Batman disappears until there is the presence of new disruption in Gotham City. Harvey Dent becomes the new continuing villain of Gotham City.

Structural/Representation Analysis:

The film follows a linear narrative structure. This is because it is expected that Batman will defeat the Joker and fight other villains throughout the film. On the other hand, the ending of the film does not follow the same structure as Batman chooses not to reveal himself as Gotham’s hero. The structure that we do see is: Batman controls crime, The Joker's character becomes apparent, disrupts this and finally, the film ends with Batman defeating the Joker. Subsequently, the city returns to order. Batman also follows an open narrative as the audience can and has to interpret what is going to happen next before it has happened. The film finishes with a dramatic cliff-hanger which creates anticipation for a follow up from Batman: The Dark Knight (Batman: The Dark Knight Rises). Without this cliffhanger, the audience may assume that there isn't a follow up movie and so there wouldn't be attention draw towards that.

Different ages are represented differently within Batman. We see elderly characters such as: Alfred J Pennyworth and Lucius Fox, presented as wise and less dominant; whereas the younger characters are shown to be rebellious and easily manipulated by negativity. Harvey Dent and Batman are more dominant characters. This is demonstrated this by the Joker using younger characters to help him to rob a bank. We can also see a positive representation of children. Children are shown to be Innocent victims. An example of this can be seen when Jim Gordon’s son is hysterical and acts vulnerably when he's threatened with a gun.

In Batman, we see a prominent representation of different ethnicity's. The mob is foreign, with some Russian, Italian and African Americans being part of it. This gives the audience the impression that these individuals have negative personalities and influences, and so encourages us not to trust them. A good example of this can be seen where a black prisoner takes the detonator from an officer and throws it aggressively out of the window. The incorporation of this violent action criminalises the character and adds to the negative representation of black and Hispanic characters. Additionally, this character is covered in tattoos. Again, the presumption that the audience may have of this character is that they are rebellious and dangerous. However the outcome of this scene contradicts his role as a criminal because a criminal is expected to choose to save himself and blow-up the other boat however he than saves the innocent civilians.

Gender roles are shown to be vastly different in this movie. Men are represented as: strong, powerful, intelligent and quick thinking. This movie has a male protagonist and antagonist. By doing this, we see an emphasis on the dominance of males within the movie. Stereotypes of male characters are exaggerated to draw attention (hyper-masculinity). Batman is seen as unnaturally strong. On the other hand, women are seen as: sexualised, objectified and gold diggers. The classic male gaze theory is clearly incorporated here when Rachel Dawes is interrogating Mr Wong whilst her shirt is un-buttoned. This feature/technique has been used to generate a larger male audience.

Disability is represented in different ways in this film. The Joker represents evil and so he stereotypically has a scared face because he’s the villain.  This shows that he is different to the other characters and that his character is slightly tainted (both physically and mentally). He’s not accepted in society and so, creates chaos and anarchy for his own entertainment. This proves him to be insane and deluded and the audience knows that this is not normal behaviour. Particularly, Harvey Dent is manipulated by the Joker and is turned into a villain, when previously he wasn't. His transition from good to evil, light to dark is shown in scenes where we see him before the accident (Harvey Dent) and after as Two-Face. He doesn’t believe that Rachel’s death was fair or justified and therefore wants to punish those responsible. In addition to this, he does not accept the skin-graft for his burnt, disfigured face because it’s ironic to his Two-Face nickname as he literally has two visually different faces/sides to him.