This is our finished Crime Opening 'Powder'. Enjoy!
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Question 7 - Conclusion
As a whole, I feel that my group and I have definitely improved in our Crime opening project from when looking back at our Preliminary task. We used decent shots, had a good plot, used visual and sound effects very well, and even improved on our acting skills, too.
When comparing the shots in the two projects, in my opinion, we used better looking shots in our Preliminary task than our Crime opening project but had less errors in the CO -
The Preliminary Task featured a close up shot that was similar to the Crime Opening shot above but otherwise, was absent. The Crime Opening shot is, in fact, a medium close-up.
There was a major error in our Preliminary Task which we fortunately avoided in our Crime Opening -
The picture shows that the camera is only allowed to stay in the green axis. If it passes into the red axis (also known as 'crossing' or 'jumping the line'), it may cause some disorientation in the audience as the two characters will look like they have changed positions from where they were sitting. However, we kept this in mind when filming our Crime Opening which showed that we learned from our mistakes in the Preliminary Task and greatly improved the footage.
Both projects used effects (both visual and sound) very well. Both used one or more fade outs to black and/or white, a different colour scheme mixed in with the footage (a murky green colour for Prelim. Task and Black and White for Crime Opening), and a sound effect for each (gunshot in PT and clock ticking for CO) - black and/or white, a different colour scheme mixed in with the footage (a murky green colour for Prelim. Task and Black and White for Crime Opening), and a sound effect for each (gunshot in PT and clock ticking for CO) -
Dialogue was used a lot more frequently in our Crime Opening than our Preliminary Task. While the Crime Opening used more humourous dialogue, the Preliminary Task included more serious words in a small number of lines as shown in the script sections below -
Preliminary Task -
Luke B - "These dreams...they're kinda...reality."
Luke M - "Would you like to tell me about that?"
Luke B - "...Not sure."
Luke M - "Going to keep it between you and me. No one has to know about this. It's just about you and me."
Crime Opening -
Big Arth (Luke M) - "What did he look like?"
Jimmy (Luke B) - "He wore a nice suit...and he was very evil. Oh! And he had a gun, too."
Big Arth - "There's only one guy in the whole of Wrexham that has a nice suit!"
Jimmy - (sarcastically) "Tell me about it."
The lines from the Preliminary Task script was almost the entire script with just one line said before Luke B's line. From there, it just shows Luke B looking at a gun, a fade to black, and a gunshot is heard. The lines from the Crime Opening, on the other hand, were just a small handful. The script was a lot longer and detailed than the Preliminary Task and so had more opportunities for humour.
Overall, I feel that our Crime Opening project was more successful than our Preliminary Task, even though some dramatic edits used in the PT were not used in the CO project. However, the 180 degree rule error in the PT was a hidden blessing as it helped us to improve our performance for the CO project and made sure what we were doing was accurate. We were still able to use some effective looking shots, edits and effects in both and am proud with what my group and I have managed to achieve in a matter of months.
When comparing the shots in the two projects, in my opinion, we used better looking shots in our Preliminary task than our Crime opening project but had less errors in the CO -
 |
| Preliminary |
 |
| Crime Opening |
As you can see in these two pictures, an establishing shot is used to show where the character is in the scene. However, there was a couple of shots that were used in the Preliminary but not in the Crime Opening -
 |
| Prelim. Task |
 |
| Crime Opening |
The Preliminary Task featured a close up shot that was similar to the Crime Opening shot above but otherwise, was absent. The Crime Opening shot is, in fact, a medium close-up.
There was a major error in our Preliminary Task which we fortunately avoided in our Crime Opening -
One of the main shots we were meant to incorparate into our projects was the 180-degree rule where, if two characters are sitting opposite to each other, the camera must stay at one side of them at all times. An example of the 180-degree rule is shown in this picture -
Both projects used effects (both visual and sound) very well. Both used one or more fade outs to black and/or white, a different colour scheme mixed in with the footage (a murky green colour for Prelim. Task and Black and White for Crime Opening), and a sound effect for each (gunshot in PT and clock ticking for CO) - black and/or white, a different colour scheme mixed in with the footage (a murky green colour for Prelim. Task and Black and White for Crime Opening), and a sound effect for each (gunshot in PT and clock ticking for CO) -
 |
| Prelim. Task (Fade to black) |
 |
| Crime Opening (Fade to white) |
Dialogue was used a lot more frequently in our Crime Opening than our Preliminary Task. While the Crime Opening used more humourous dialogue, the Preliminary Task included more serious words in a small number of lines as shown in the script sections below -
Preliminary Task -
Luke B - "These dreams...they're kinda...reality."
Luke M - "Would you like to tell me about that?"
Luke B - "...Not sure."
Luke M - "Going to keep it between you and me. No one has to know about this. It's just about you and me."
Crime Opening -
Big Arth (Luke M) - "What did he look like?"
Jimmy (Luke B) - "He wore a nice suit...and he was very evil. Oh! And he had a gun, too."
Big Arth - "There's only one guy in the whole of Wrexham that has a nice suit!"
Jimmy - (sarcastically) "Tell me about it."
The lines from the Preliminary Task script was almost the entire script with just one line said before Luke B's line. From there, it just shows Luke B looking at a gun, a fade to black, and a gunshot is heard. The lines from the Crime Opening, on the other hand, were just a small handful. The script was a lot longer and detailed than the Preliminary Task and so had more opportunities for humour.
Overall, I feel that our Crime Opening project was more successful than our Preliminary Task, even though some dramatic edits used in the PT were not used in the CO project. However, the 180 degree rule error in the PT was a hidden blessing as it helped us to improve our performance for the CO project and made sure what we were doing was accurate. We were still able to use some effective looking shots, edits and effects in both and am proud with what my group and I have managed to achieve in a matter of months.
Question 6 - Technologies we have used
The main piece of technology we used in the production of our Crime opening project was a camera and tripod -
We also used a boom microphone while filming to help pick up the actor's voices a lot more clearly rather than using the microphone incorparated into the camera -
The software that was used for our footage was Adobe Premiere Pro (to edit it) and Youtube (to upload it) -
We also used Blogger to create our blogs that state our tasks we had to complete while filming and editing our footage -
I also used the programme 'Paint' to edit and paste my screenshots into my Blog posts -
Question 5 - Attracting the Audience
These are the results of an interview I had with a friend who watched my Crime Opening video -
1. Based on the opening, if it were released as a full production, would you watch the film? And why?
Answer - Yes - Because it looked funny and it has plenty of opportunities to become more action packed
2. Are there any films that you could compare the opening to?
Answer - Pineapple Express
3. If I hadn't already told you the opening was a Crime Comedy film, what would your opinion be as to what the genres are?
Answer - Crime, Comedy, Action
4. Was there anything that disappointed you or looked rather inaccurate?
Answer - No
5. Was there any particular moments in it that you liked and enjoyed?
Answer - The 'Can of Coke' scene, the 'Kidnapping' scene, the 'Forgot my Keys' scene
6. Overall, what would you rate the opening out of 10?
Answer - 8/10
I also interviewed another friend about the Crime Opening. Despite the fact I didn't record him, I've still noted down the results -
1. Based on the opening, if it were released as a full production, would you watch the film? And why?
Answer - Yes - Because it looked funny and it has plenty of opportunities to become more action packed
2. Are there any films that you could compare the opening to?
Answer - Pineapple Express
 |
3. If I hadn't already told you the opening was a Crime Comedy film, what would your opinion be as to what the genres are?
Answer - Crime, Comedy, Action
4. Was there anything that disappointed you or looked rather inaccurate?
Answer - No
5. Was there any particular moments in it that you liked and enjoyed?
Answer - The 'Can of Coke' scene, the 'Kidnapping' scene, the 'Forgot my Keys' scene
6. Overall, what would you rate the opening out of 10?
Answer - 8/10
Question 4 - Typical Audience Member Profile
This is a profile for the typical audience member for our film -
Name - Thomas Matthews
- Age - 16
- Location - UK
- Likes/Dislikes/Hobbies - Likes action, thriller and comedy films, dislikes romance films, enjoys relaxing with friends
- What films they like - Die Hard, Pineapple Express
- What TV programmes they watch - Smallville, Scrubs
- What music they listen to - Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones
Question 3 - Media Productions and Distributions
A production company provides the physical basis for works in theatre work and productions, films, television, and radio. Production companies handle budgeting, scheduling, scripting, the supply with talent and resources, the organization of staff, the production itself, post-production, and marketing. Production companies are either owned or under contract with a media conglomerate, film studio, entertainment company, or Motion Picture Company, who act as the production companies partner or parent company, known as the "studio system". They can also be mainstream independent (eg. Lucasfilms) or completely independent (eg. Lionsgate). In the case of TV, a production company would serve under a television network. Production companies can also work together in co-productions.
A distribution company is an organization or set of organizations that are involved in the process of making a product or service (in this case, our film) available either theatrically or for home viewing (DVD) for the public. As mentioned in a previous blog post, there are a few examples that we could use to distribute our film. These include Paramount Pictures UK, Optimum Releasing or Universal Pictures UK. These are all distributions founded or created in the UK and are well known for making successful films throughout their time as a film company. We could also use smaller companies or even video sharing sites (eg. Youtube).
There are a small selection of films similar to ours. The main one, and mentioned quite frequently in my blog posts, is Pineapple Express. Other films that have elements that are mildly similar to the ones in our film include Layer Cake and the Cheech and Chong films.
We could create trailers to help promote the film and could also create merchandise for the film (eg. t-shirts, posters, keyrings etc.) and could sell it on websites or in stores where we could use the money from that to help fund the film.
The list of people used in our titles were -
Luke Mallia
Luke Bravin
Jason Southern ('A Jason Southern Film')
There are a small selection of films similar to ours. The main one, and mentioned quite frequently in my blog posts, is Pineapple Express. Other films that have elements that are mildly similar to the ones in our film include Layer Cake and the Cheech and Chong films.
We could create trailers to help promote the film and could also create merchandise for the film (eg. t-shirts, posters, keyrings etc.) and could sell it on websites or in stores where we could use the money from that to help fund the film.
The list of people used in our titles were -
Luke Mallia
Luke Bravin
Jason Southern ('A Jason Southern Film')
Question 2 - Social Groups
The social group that our film represents is mainly youths and criminals, in particular those who use or are involved with drugs frequently. The main characters are drug addicts while some of the other minor characters are often associated with drugs, such as a drug dealer or a drug lord.
 |
| Powder |
 |
| Pineapple Express |
I have represented my chosen social group in the pictures by using a image depicting a weapon in our film and the main characters looking at a bag of drugs in the 'Pineapple Express' image.
Mise-en-scene is conveyed in our picture based on the fact that one person is aiming a gun at Jimmy, another is holding his shoulder so he doesn't get away, and another from behind about to cover his head. The 'Pineapple Express' picture portrays the main characters in a mildly dark room with drugs which shows a shadiness to the atmosphere.
The meaning created in my picture was one of suspense and shock because Jimmy seems to be in danger and we don't really know what the reason is for it. The black and white effect used in the picture also suggests suspense. However, a more humourous side is being shown in 'PE' due to the goofiness of the characters and the colour used in it.
When compared to existing representations in the media, it may relate to films with action and possibly comedy due to the expression on Jimmy's face before he is covered. It could also be compared to films with suspense and violence due to the gun and what it could be used for.
Question 1 - Conventions of real Media products
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
 | |||||||||
| Title of film - Big, flashy font, simple style shouts out to audience |
 |
| Locations - Abadoned school - Ideal place for drug deal |
 | ||
| Locations - Living room - Home for main characters |
 |
| Costume (Pyjamas) - Implies laziness, not out-going |
 |
| Costume (Casual Clothes) - Goes out more than Big Arth, less weirder |
|
| Props (Gun) - Promote sinister effect + Camera Angles/Shots (Medium Close-up) - Shock for when he is covered |
 |
| Locations - Dark room - Interrogation area + Props (Scissors) - Gives a painful mental image |
 |
| Lighting (light over desk) - More sinister and grim |
 |
| Characterization (Big Arth - Confused) |
 |
Characterization (Jimmy - Casual)
Genre - Guns, kidnapping, drug groups
 |
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
The Edits
In our Crime opening, we used several different sorts of audio and video edits in our project. Most of these were used for effect to help heighten the mood and atmosphere in the scene the edit is being used in.
These edits include -
- Cutting
- Black and White
- Fade out to White
- Non-copyrightable music
- Titles overlayed on footage
- Voiceover
Because our footage was over the limit allowed for our projects (2 minutes long), we had no choice but to make many cuts to narrow it down. In some cases, we were forced to get rid of whole scenes as they didn't seem necessary and were taking up too much space. Overall, I feel that it helped make the more relevant and major scenes stronger so the audience can become more involved in them.
The B/W effect was used for a flashback sequence to create an illusion that this particular scene is in a different time period. It also changes the mood from chilled and mellow to tense and suspenseful.
The fade outs and ins between scenes were also used in the flashback. They went at a fast rate which helped make the flashback snappy yet tense.
Music was used in just about every scene in the footage. In most scenes, the music sounded funny and casual, relating to the scenes where Jimmy and Big Arth are talking in the house. However, in the flashback scene where Jimmy is kidnapped, the music becomes dark and grim.
When the characters are first being shown, the names of the actors involved in the project are shown on-screen along with the actors to help audiences associate the character to the actor.
The voiceover was used in the flashback scene. The audio from the actual clips was muted and a voice recording of Jimmy was added in so it was like we were looking inside Jimmy's mind and viewing his memories.
These edits include -
- Cutting
- Black and White
- Fade out to White
- Non-copyrightable music
- Titles overlayed on footage
- Voiceover
Because our footage was over the limit allowed for our projects (2 minutes long), we had no choice but to make many cuts to narrow it down. In some cases, we were forced to get rid of whole scenes as they didn't seem necessary and were taking up too much space. Overall, I feel that it helped make the more relevant and major scenes stronger so the audience can become more involved in them.
The B/W effect was used for a flashback sequence to create an illusion that this particular scene is in a different time period. It also changes the mood from chilled and mellow to tense and suspenseful.
The fade outs and ins between scenes were also used in the flashback. They went at a fast rate which helped make the flashback snappy yet tense.
Music was used in just about every scene in the footage. In most scenes, the music sounded funny and casual, relating to the scenes where Jimmy and Big Arth are talking in the house. However, in the flashback scene where Jimmy is kidnapped, the music becomes dark and grim.
When the characters are first being shown, the names of the actors involved in the project are shown on-screen along with the actors to help audiences associate the character to the actor.
The voiceover was used in the flashback scene. The audio from the actual clips was muted and a voice recording of Jimmy was added in so it was like we were looking inside Jimmy's mind and viewing his memories.
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Production Diary
Hello everybody! Thought I'd give you all an update on what I've done so far in my media assignment -
Me and my group, which consists of Luke Bravin and Jason Southern, have almost finished our crime opening sequence. All our filming is completed, editing of the footage is just about done and we are currently working on our blogs and mood boards. The title of the Crime opening is entitled 'Powder', referring to the substance of some drugs. It stars myself, Luke B, Charlie James and Haydn Kidd while Jason was filming the footage. He also did most of the editing and the music for the film. However, Luke and I did do our fair share to help out. The footage begins with myself as a drug addict named Big Arth who is lying on a sofa, watching the television even though it isn't on (because he's most likely high). My friend Jimmy (Luke B) then enters and we have a conversation about Jimmy misplacing some drugs intended for Big Arth. Jimmy starts explaining the possible reason for losing the cocaine which leads to a flashback of himself meeting up with his drug dealer who gives him the drugs for free before running and leaving a confused Jimmy wondering 'Why?'. Suddenly, 2 sinister men (played by extras Charlie and Haydn), one of which is armed, grab Jimmy and take him to a dark room where he is confronted by a mob boss. The boss threatens him with a pair of scissors and demands he tell where 'Enrique' is so he can kill him. Jimmy doesn't know so is apparantly knocked to the floor and has a gun aimed at his head. However, he's obviously spared. Big Arth, not seeming to care whatsoever about Jimmy's health, is extremely shocked by the fact their drug dealer is in danger. in his pyjamas, he gets off the sofa and declares to Jimmy that they are going 'to find that bloke who gives us our coke'. However, he returns to the living room seconds later to retrieve his keys then leaves again.
The whole opening is just over 2 minutes and 15 seconds which, considering the fact that we had about 15 minutes of footage altogether, is quite good. The soundtrack goes well with the footage and has no lyrics and is non-copyrighted. We added a black and white feature for the flashback to make it look different to the rest of the footage and that it's set in a different time to the rest of the coloured footage. There is also a sinister change of music that goes along with it for a menacing and sinister effect. We are satisfied with our finished project, although some of our favourite scenes were sadly cut out of the project due to the length of it. However, we feel the project is a lot better than our Preliminary task and that we have improved our performance and editing abilities from our last project. Our storyboards, split into 3 different scenes for one group member each, have been drawn and we will be starting our mood board very soon.
Hope you enjoyed my latest post.
Me and my group, which consists of Luke Bravin and Jason Southern, have almost finished our crime opening sequence. All our filming is completed, editing of the footage is just about done and we are currently working on our blogs and mood boards. The title of the Crime opening is entitled 'Powder', referring to the substance of some drugs. It stars myself, Luke B, Charlie James and Haydn Kidd while Jason was filming the footage. He also did most of the editing and the music for the film. However, Luke and I did do our fair share to help out. The footage begins with myself as a drug addict named Big Arth who is lying on a sofa, watching the television even though it isn't on (because he's most likely high). My friend Jimmy (Luke B) then enters and we have a conversation about Jimmy misplacing some drugs intended for Big Arth. Jimmy starts explaining the possible reason for losing the cocaine which leads to a flashback of himself meeting up with his drug dealer who gives him the drugs for free before running and leaving a confused Jimmy wondering 'Why?'. Suddenly, 2 sinister men (played by extras Charlie and Haydn), one of which is armed, grab Jimmy and take him to a dark room where he is confronted by a mob boss. The boss threatens him with a pair of scissors and demands he tell where 'Enrique' is so he can kill him. Jimmy doesn't know so is apparantly knocked to the floor and has a gun aimed at his head. However, he's obviously spared. Big Arth, not seeming to care whatsoever about Jimmy's health, is extremely shocked by the fact their drug dealer is in danger. in his pyjamas, he gets off the sofa and declares to Jimmy that they are going 'to find that bloke who gives us our coke'. However, he returns to the living room seconds later to retrieve his keys then leaves again.
The whole opening is just over 2 minutes and 15 seconds which, considering the fact that we had about 15 minutes of footage altogether, is quite good. The soundtrack goes well with the footage and has no lyrics and is non-copyrighted. We added a black and white feature for the flashback to make it look different to the rest of the footage and that it's set in a different time to the rest of the coloured footage. There is also a sinister change of music that goes along with it for a menacing and sinister effect. We are satisfied with our finished project, although some of our favourite scenes were sadly cut out of the project due to the length of it. However, we feel the project is a lot better than our Preliminary task and that we have improved our performance and editing abilities from our last project. Our storyboards, split into 3 different scenes for one group member each, have been drawn and we will be starting our mood board very soon.
Hope you enjoyed my latest post.
Monday, 16 April 2012
Script
This is the full script for our Crime Opening. Most of it was used when filming but, occasionally, Luke and I improvised a few lines. The cast is also included -
Characters:
Luke B – Jimmy
Luke M – Big Arth, Drug Boss, Drug Dealer
Haydn Kidd – Unarmed Sinister Man
Charlie James - Armed Sinister Man
*Big Arth lying on sofa watching TV and laughing. The TV isn’t on. Implies he's high from drugs. *
*Enter Jimmy and sits on other sofa*
Jimmy: You will not believe the day I’ve had!
Big Arth: I don’t really care to be honest Jimmy.
Jimmy: Thanks Arth, I appreciate the sympathy and the interest in how crap my day has been.
Big Arth: Well I don’t care since all I want is that coke I sent you to get.
Jimmy: Oh yeah! Here ya go!
*takes coca cola bottle from pocket and hands Arth it*
Big Arth: What’s this?!
Jimmy: The coke you asked for…
Big Arth: I meant coke as in the drug, coke!
Jimmy: Oh right that, I’ve got that somewhere, let me find it.
*reaches into pockets taking out comical/house hold objects*
Jimmy: errrmm….
Big Arth: What?
Jimmy: Right, so I don’t have the coke.
Big Arth: WHAT!?
Jimmy: Hey it wasn’t my fault! It was the dealer! He was... dodgy.
Big Arth: Ok, so what happened? Why has your day been so terrible?
Jimmy: Well….
*Fade to white, into a flashback. Flashback shows Jimmy’s day with Jimmy giving an on-going commentary*
Jimmy: First off, I went to my usual dealer, but he wasn’t there. Instead some other guy was there and he gave me the coke for free, which was nice. I asked why but he just ran off.
So I went on my way and as I was on my way back here, some goons grabbed me and took me away! I ended up in a dark room, with a light shining on me. Some Boss guy was asking me who gave me the coke and I said, no-one, I bought it from a shop. He got angry then and pulled out a gun and told me my drug dealer’s life depended on me finding the guy who gave me the coke but he eventually got the drugs off me and just left me on the street.
*End of flashback*
Big Arth: He’s gonna kill our drug dealer?
Jimmy: Yeah.
Big Arth: Crap! Right so what did this boss guy look like?
Jimmy: He wore a nice suit and had a gun…
Big Arth: Nice suit? There’s only one person in the whole of Wrexham who has a nice suit!
Jimmy: Tell me about it…
Big Arth: I’m surprised he didn’t kill you! That’s Wrexham’s number one drug dealer!
Jimmy: That’s not really something to brag about
Big Arth: Shut Up! And stop being such an idiot! This guy is dangerous! Our drug dealer is in danger! Come on!
Jimmy: Where we goin?
Big Arth: To find that bloke who gave the coke!
*Both leave. Fade to black*
Characters:
Luke B – Jimmy
Luke M – Big Arth, Drug Boss, Drug Dealer
Haydn Kidd – Unarmed Sinister Man
Charlie James - Armed Sinister Man
*Big Arth lying on sofa watching TV and laughing. The TV isn’t on. Implies he's high from drugs. *
*Enter Jimmy and sits on other sofa*
Jimmy: You will not believe the day I’ve had!
Big Arth: I don’t really care to be honest Jimmy.
Jimmy: Thanks Arth, I appreciate the sympathy and the interest in how crap my day has been.
Big Arth: Well I don’t care since all I want is that coke I sent you to get.
Jimmy: Oh yeah! Here ya go!
*takes coca cola bottle from pocket and hands Arth it*
Big Arth: What’s this?!
Jimmy: The coke you asked for…
Big Arth: I meant coke as in the drug, coke!
Jimmy: Oh right that, I’ve got that somewhere, let me find it.
*reaches into pockets taking out comical/house hold objects*
Jimmy: errrmm….
Big Arth: What?
Jimmy: Right, so I don’t have the coke.
Big Arth: WHAT!?
Jimmy: Hey it wasn’t my fault! It was the dealer! He was... dodgy.
Big Arth: Ok, so what happened? Why has your day been so terrible?
Jimmy: Well….
*Fade to white, into a flashback. Flashback shows Jimmy’s day with Jimmy giving an on-going commentary*
Jimmy: First off, I went to my usual dealer, but he wasn’t there. Instead some other guy was there and he gave me the coke for free, which was nice. I asked why but he just ran off.
So I went on my way and as I was on my way back here, some goons grabbed me and took me away! I ended up in a dark room, with a light shining on me. Some Boss guy was asking me who gave me the coke and I said, no-one, I bought it from a shop. He got angry then and pulled out a gun and told me my drug dealer’s life depended on me finding the guy who gave me the coke but he eventually got the drugs off me and just left me on the street.
*End of flashback*
Big Arth: He’s gonna kill our drug dealer?
Jimmy: Yeah.
Big Arth: Crap! Right so what did this boss guy look like?
Jimmy: He wore a nice suit and had a gun…
Big Arth: Nice suit? There’s only one person in the whole of Wrexham who has a nice suit!
Jimmy: Tell me about it…
Big Arth: I’m surprised he didn’t kill you! That’s Wrexham’s number one drug dealer!
Jimmy: That’s not really something to brag about
Big Arth: Shut Up! And stop being such an idiot! This guy is dangerous! Our drug dealer is in danger! Come on!
Jimmy: Where we goin?
Big Arth: To find that bloke who gave the coke!
*Both leave. Fade to black*
Storyboard (Flashback Scene)
This is the storyboard for the Flashback scene in our Crime Opening project -
- The first picture is of Jimmy at home with Big Arth about to recall the events of what happened to him earlier that day, introducing the flashback with the simple line 'Well...'.
- The second picture is of Jimmy waiting for his drug dealer outside an abandoned building earlier in the day. Jimmy's voice is heard in the background, explaining what we are seeing to Big Arth, and ambient music starts.
- The third picture conveys the drug dealer walking in front of Jimmy, giving him the drugs for free. When Jimmy asks 'Why?', he runs away in a panic.
- The fourth picture shows a shot of two sinister men walking towards Jimmy, one of which is armed.
- The fifth picture shows a medium close-up shot of Jimmy with one of the men aiming at him, another grabbing him so he doesn't escape, and one unknown man covering Jimmy's head.
- The sixth picture is of Jimmy waking up in a dark room with nothing but a table, 2 chairs, and a light hanging above the table.
- The seventh picture involves a mysterious man in a suit sitting down opposite Jimmy. He menacingly pulls out a pair of scissors and opens and close them, slowly. Jimmy (in the voiceover) tells us that the man wanted to know the location of someone named 'Enrique' and that he wants to kill him, along with Jimmy and Big Arth's drug dealer.
- The eighth and final picture shows Jimmy face down on the floor with the man aiming a gun at his head. The man aims away from him and there is a fade to white which shows Big Arth showing his shock at the fact that their drug dealer is wanted dead.
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Schedule/Shot List
Here is the schedule and shot list for our Crime Opening production -
- Wednesday 18th January, 13.41pm = Creation of Blog
- Thursday 9th February = Updating Blog, started planning ideas for Opening
- Monday 20th February (in Media lesson) = Planning characters, story, rough ideas for Mood Board
- Wednesday 22nd February (in Media lesson) = More planning
- Friday 24th February (in Media lesson) = Filming of 'Big Arth and Jimmy's House' scene (Luke B and me needed at Luke B's house, pyjamas, can of Coke, comical items)
- Monday 27th February - Friday 2nd March = Editing 'Big Arth and Jimmy's House' scene (at Yale)
- Monday 5th March (in Media lesson) = Filming of 'Kidnapping' scene (need Luke B, me, Haydn Kidd, Charlie James, guns, leather jackets, filming outside abandoned school)
- Tuesday 20th March (after college) = Filming of 'Interrogation' scene (need Luke B and me, light hanging above table, suit, scissors, gun, filming at Yale's Filming Studio)
- Wednesday 21st March onwards = Editing all the footage (at Yale)
- Monday 16th - Friday 20th April = Final pieces of editing (at Yale)
The Pitch
When we pitched our Crime opening idea to our class, it was met with mixed reactions. People said they like the idea of the story and that it had an interesting plot, but was apparantly a rather confusing plot, too. We were in the rather early stages of thinking up our story so we weren't exactly clear as to what the whole story was about. This lead us to simplify the story slightly from a big story with a lot of scenes to a smaller story with fewer scenes. When we first gave our pitch, the name of our film was unknown along with the names of our main characters. Fortunately, just after the pitch, we came up with the title 'Powder' (referring to the substance of some drugs), and the names 'Big Arth' and 'Jimmy', chosen by Luke B and me, respectively. I chose Big Arth due to it's funny sounding nature which would hopefully be percieved by audiences as humourous. Luke B chose Jimmy on the spot due to the fact that we needed a simple name and we all agreed 'Jimmy' was simple yet elegant with his character. The name of the drug dealer who's gone missing, 'Enrique', was also thought up on the spot. However, we didn't discuss the name so we had no choice but to use it. However, it sounds like a fitting sort of name for the appropriate character of our footage so we liked it.
The characters remained unaltered from the pitch to the filming, except for Big Arth's accent, which is something I really wanted to incorparate into my character. It came down to a choice between either putting on an Australian accent, a Welsh accent, an American accent or not accent at all. In the end, I opted for an Australian accent as I couldn't make up my mind in time so just went for the one that came out first.
The characters remained unaltered from the pitch to the filming, except for Big Arth's accent, which is something I really wanted to incorparate into my character. It came down to a choice between either putting on an Australian accent, a Welsh accent, an American accent or not accent at all. In the end, I opted for an Australian accent as I couldn't make up my mind in time so just went for the one that came out first.
Costumes, Props, Locations and Casting
Costumes
The chosen costume for my character, Big Arth, consisted of a pair of pyjama's. The pyjama's portray the fact that my character is high and doesn't go out of the house much. This is similar to James Franco's drug dealer character of Saul in 'Pineapple Express' who also wears pyjama's in the film.
The chosen costume for Luke B's character, Jimmy, was mainly casual clothes (T-shirt, jeans, trainers etc.). His clothes show he's more outgoing than Big Arth.
The chosen costume for the Drug Lord was a black suit and sunglasses for a stylishly menacing appearance which portrays his personality in the opening.
The chosen costume for the Drug Lord's goons were leather jackets and jeans for a dark yet also sylish look.
Props
The list of props used in our Crime opening are as follows -
Clock
Fish Tank (Deleted Scene)
Can of Coca Cola
Cutlery (Deleted Scene)
Whisk (Deleted Scene)
Teddy Bear (Deleted Scene)
Rubber Chicken (Deleted Scene)
Plastic Severed Leg (Deleted Scene)
Plastic Handguns
Knife
Scissors
Plastic Revolver (Deleted Scene)
Sunglasses (Deleted Scene)
Keys
Multiple Tables
Some of these were either used or meant to be used for cutaway shots (clock, fish tank), some were used for character and story effect (weapons, cutlery, rubber chicken, severed leg) and others were simply used as they were available to use at the time (table, chair etc.)
Locations
Around 3 locations were used for our Crime opening footage. These included Luke B's house, mainly his living room, an empty school down the road from Luke B's house, and Yale College's filming studio. Luke B's living room in his house was used for Big Arth's and Jimmy's home, the empty school was a great location for Jimmy's drug transaction and kidnapping, and the filming studio, darkened with a single table and light for effect, was perfect for the Interrogation scene between Jimmy and the Drug Lord. Fortunately, all 3 locations were extremely close to each other so we didn't have to travel far to record our footage.
Casting
The people used in our Crime opening footage was -
Luke Mallia - Big Arth
Drug Lord
Drug Dealer (in scene with Jimmy and unknown person exchanging drugs and money)
Luke Bravin - Jimmy
Charlie James - Goon #1 (armed)
Haydn Kidd - Goon #2
Our teacher was not very happy by the fact that I was not one or two characters, but three. However, footage showing me as the Drug Lord was cut so that you could only see the back of me and you only see the back of me briefly when I'm playing the Drug Dealer in the drug transaction with Jimmy so it wasn't too much of a problem.
The chosen costume for my character, Big Arth, consisted of a pair of pyjama's. The pyjama's portray the fact that my character is high and doesn't go out of the house much. This is similar to James Franco's drug dealer character of Saul in 'Pineapple Express' who also wears pyjama's in the film.
The chosen costume for Luke B's character, Jimmy, was mainly casual clothes (T-shirt, jeans, trainers etc.). His clothes show he's more outgoing than Big Arth.
The chosen costume for the Drug Lord was a black suit and sunglasses for a stylishly menacing appearance which portrays his personality in the opening.
The chosen costume for the Drug Lord's goons were leather jackets and jeans for a dark yet also sylish look.
Props
The list of props used in our Crime opening are as follows -
Fish Tank (Deleted Scene)
Can of Coca Cola
Cutlery (Deleted Scene)
Whisk (Deleted Scene)
Teddy Bear (Deleted Scene)
Rubber Chicken (Deleted Scene)
Plastic Severed Leg (Deleted Scene)
Plastic HandgunsKnife
Scissors
Plastic Revolver (Deleted Scene)
Sunglasses (Deleted Scene)
Keys
Multiple Tables
Some of these were either used or meant to be used for cutaway shots (clock, fish tank), some were used for character and story effect (weapons, cutlery, rubber chicken, severed leg) and others were simply used as they were available to use at the time (table, chair etc.)
Locations
Around 3 locations were used for our Crime opening footage. These included Luke B's house, mainly his living room, an empty school down the road from Luke B's house, and Yale College's filming studio. Luke B's living room in his house was used for Big Arth's and Jimmy's home, the empty school was a great location for Jimmy's drug transaction and kidnapping, and the filming studio, darkened with a single table and light for effect, was perfect for the Interrogation scene between Jimmy and the Drug Lord. Fortunately, all 3 locations were extremely close to each other so we didn't have to travel far to record our footage.
Casting
The people used in our Crime opening footage was -
Luke Mallia - Big Arth
Drug Lord
Drug Dealer (in scene with Jimmy and unknown person exchanging drugs and money)
Luke Bravin - Jimmy
Charlie James - Goon #1 (armed)
Haydn Kidd - Goon #2
Our teacher was not very happy by the fact that I was not one or two characters, but three. However, footage showing me as the Drug Lord was cut so that you could only see the back of me and you only see the back of me briefly when I'm playing the Drug Dealer in the drug transaction with Jimmy so it wasn't too much of a problem.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)