Evaluation Activity 1
The opening of my film has many aspects which makes it look like a conventional movie. In the first frame is the ident logo of the company that produced my film. This is a typical convention, and the ident logo normally appears before the company name.
The second frame shows the production company’s name and it appears just after the ident logo is played. This is another typical convention in a movie, but there is no motif playing except the film’s music throughout the very start.
The third frame shows the title of the film, which is “Lucky Numbers”. This is a typical convention and can sometimes be shown after an excerpt of the main film is shown. The font used is bold and there is a rotating-shining light effect added to it. This is an important frame, so the title is shown for a long period of time.
The fourth frame shows the name of the director. This is a typical convention in most movies and also in credits. The background is a picture and zooms out very slowly; this is not typical, but helps the audience understand the theme of the film.
The fifth frame shows the name of the editor and the background doesn’t change. This is also a typical convention in most movies and also in credits. The background in this frame doesn’t move and shows the location where the film is shot. This is typical in many movies and helps the audience get an idea of where the first scenes are filmed.
The sixth frame shows the main character collecting mail from the post box. This is typical, because the character’s face can’t isn’t shown and only the hands can be seen. This allows the audience to follow what the character is doing and makes them build a picture of what the character may look like.
The seventh frame shows the main character and his dad, which is the first scene with dialogue. This frame is typical, because it shows who has the authority out of these two characters. The dad, which is standing above the main character, has more authority, but only the son’s face is shown. This shows that the dad isn’t one of the main characters, but is important in getting the storyline moving.
The eighth frame shows the three most important characters in the film. In this frame the characters clothes are visible, so that the audience can see what they are wearing. This is typical, because two of the characters appear for the first time.
The ninth frame is the last scene in the opening sequences in the film. In this scene, one of the main characters steals a lottery ticket from his friend and runs down the street. This is typical, because most storylines present a problem to the main character and this frame sets the problem.
Evaluation Activity 2
Evaluation Activity 2
In the picture above (left) is James, which is one the key characters in my film. He is a friend of the two other characters shown in the opening sequence of “Lucky Numbers”. His personality is profiled as a loud, bossy and disloyal friend. In two of the scenes in the film, James grabs the lottery ticket from his friend’s hand and later on hits Tevin on the head, just so he can run off with the ticket. This is how a questionable character would behave and that it who I wanted to portray in this character.
James can be likened to a Benny, a character from the film “Lottery Ticket”. Benny is a loyal to his friend called Kevin, but later on movie Kevin doesn’t trust him. This causes their friendship to waver and for a while their friendship ends.
In comparison James and Benny both have friends, so that means they must have been loyal beforehand and trusted by others. The point where these two characters differ is that James betrays his friends and runs off. James doesn’t look like he is capable of such an unkind act, so it is almost unexpected by the audience. Benny isn’t a character that would do such a thing, but is misinterpreted because of the way he dresses and acts.
Both these contrasting characters end up in the same predicament of losing a friend and not being trusted. The main difference is James caused the friendship to end between his friends, because of what he had done; but Benny didn’t do anything wrong and was always loyal.
Evaluation Activity 3
A production company is responsible for the creation of a film. Their role includes providing funding for the production, technical support and assigning special people to help bring the director’s idea to life.
A suitable distributor for my film, would be a small company that specialises in low-budget, British films.
The funding for my film might have come from a small production company and I could use my own money to put into the film production.
The main actors, directors and important people who contributed to a film have their name shown in the titles. Normally the director, the most expensive/key actors and producers names are included in the tiles. The director’s name is normally shown first, then the actors and then other important names; so the most important names are shown first. In the opening of my film I only included the director, audio and video editor. I could have included the names of the actors, but I would have included them in the credits at the end of the film.
My film is similar, in terms of ‘institution’, to the film “StreetDance 3D”, which was an extremely low-budget British film. This film couldn’t afford expensive special effects and expensive mainstream advertising. They had to get funding from a British production company like “Film4” and they used this money very carefully. I would have to do the same when producing my film, so that I would have enough money for an advertising campaign.
Evaluation Activity 4
The target audience for my film would fit into this general profile. They would be between the ages of 16 – 25 and be in a middle or lower class family.
Now I will focus on the profile of a male teenager that is part of my target audience. He is aged 16 and still goes school and may possibly have a part-time job or has a small income. He would shop in JD Sports and wear popular brand clothes, but would still browse in cheaper price shops like Primark. He would listen to popular music and the latest artists, like Tine Tempah and JLS. His favourite TV programmes would be comedy animated series, like Boondocks and action movies like Independence Day.
My target audience would watch my film, because they are aspiring to make money in the near future. The theme in my film is friendship and money, so this is two things they would be concerned about during this time of their life. My film is of a comedic persuasion, so it doesn’t have a serious feel, which is what my target audience wouldn’t like.
Evaluation Activity 7
I have learned a lot in the progression from my preliminary task to my full product. I realise that it’s harder and more complex than I first thought when making a film. This involved learning how to make my shots look continual, planning the shots I would use, filming my shots and then editing them to get my final film production. Also it’s important to take two or more shots of a scene, so that when you edit you can choose the best one.
Editing is very important in creating my film, because it brings everything together and allows me to correct mistakes/faults. I have also learned that it’s important to film, then look back on what you scene you just shot to ensure continuity. I had made a few mistakes concerning continuity, but fortunately I managed to edit them out smoothly.
Using a varying number of shots is very important when filming. I learned that when you plan your shots and visualise them in your head, you can create some really beautiful shots with the camera. I also learned that moving the camera while shooting can cause shaky shots and isn’t suitable for small handheld cameras that don’t have stabilization.
Here are a few shot types I learned and used in my film.
Important rules and shots that I learned include the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot/reverse shot.
