Finished version of our teen angst opening sequence - Opposites

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FriSQ0ig5P8

Evaluation 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FriSQ0ig5P8 - Final version of Opposites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2zqD8DiOyk - Preliminary task.

 

Camerawork
 

In our preliminary task our main focus wasn’t to demonstrate a range of camera shot but to use the 180 rule, match on action and shot-reverse-shot. We included a high angle. This shot was from behind the interviewers head and this made the interviewee look weak and vulnerable. In out feature film we wanted develop our camera angles and use a wide range of shot as from research I learnt, many teen angst opening sequences use a wide range of shot, in particular Easy A mainly uses long shots of character walking around a school grounds, this clearly shows the setting and we want to use this in our own opening sequence. Therefore, the majority of our opening sequence was long shots. However, we include several close ups in our feature film, when the main character Aiden, is getting in the car, this emphasises he is cool.

 

Editing

In our preliminary task our main focus was the 180 degree rule, shot-reverse-shot and match on action.  We use match on action when Alice opens the door and closes it, this is match on action as it is shot from two different angles. We used the 180 rule in our preliminary task, this was so the character maintain being on their side on the table and have a clear divide. In our preliminary task our editing was very basic, therefore we focused on progressing this in our feature film. We also used match on action in our feature film when 'Kate' is walking towards the camera and then walks away from the camera. We used shot-reverse-hot, this was to show the clear sides of the conversation. We didn't use shot-reverse-shot in our feature film as it was necessary as we had to separate voiceovers.  At the beginning of our feature film we used fast-paced editing to emphasise that Aiden was late, this also engages the audience as the fast-paced editing matches the fast-paced music.

Mise-en-scene

All of the characters will wear smart/ casual clothing. This is because the characters attend sixth form. Additionally, the clothing will be casual and modern, this emphasises that the characters are young. Our main prop in the feature film was the car, this is seen as desirable for teenagers to drive. Other props included in our feature film was the school lockers, this emphasises the school location. Our main prop in the preliminary task was the table, as this audience that Lois was interviewing Alice. The table helped show the divide between the authority in the preliminary task.

Mode of address

The mode of address in our preliminary task is more sophisticated as to represent an interview. In our feature film the only diegetic dialogue is the voiceovers. This voiceovers are in a monotone voice, this is to represent the thoughts of the teenagers.

Titles
 

We focused on using titles in our feature film. The name of our film is 'Opposites' this appears in the colours red and blue, this is to symbolise a magnet. The magnet emphasises the name 'Opposites' by the saying 'Opposites attract' therefore the audience can foreshadow that the opposite people (Kate and Aiden) will be together. The font of the title is biro, this is informal and messy and connote a teenager. The main title appears larger and central, when the camera pans towards the sky., the sky gives a plain background for the main title to appear on. The font of the main title is biro, this has a messy style which connote teenagers The rest of the titles appear in various ways, the actors names also appear in the font biro, however they are smaller and in different colours. Every actor had an allocated colour throughout the opening sequence, this was to make it clear to the audience. The creative ways of presenting the titles included, the name 'Ben Angliss' appearing as the car wheel rolled away. Additionally, we added the number plate with 'Lois Hutchinson' on this was effective, as the transition we used, made the transition smooth.

Sound
 

 In preliminary task we used on diegetic dialogue, this was emphasises the seriousness of the interview and additionally to make it more dramatic and tense for the audience.The non-diegetic music we used in our feature film was the songs 'Llena De Plena' which is similar to 'Fireball' as it is upbeat and has a catchy rhythm. Also, the song 'Bring it back' is similar to 'Bad Reputation' as it is edgy. Both of these songs are the music a teenager would like, as they are upbeat and edgy, this connotes a teenagers personality. 

Evaluation 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The hardware we used:

 

 

My main role in the group when creating our teen angst  opening sequence was the editor. I sat behind the computer and done all of the editing. I has various other roles in my group for example, I create the story boards and was involved in planning of the film.

 

 

The computer was the main media technology we used. This contained the software we need for editing and helped with our research. To edit our sequence we used premiere pro, this was my second time of using it. During the editing process I learnt a lot, for example I learnt how to add titles. The program is easy to use and gave me the opportunity to play around with the footage and the audio until it was ready to be exported. Using premiere pro enabled me to add titles and still frames in the opening sequence. I was also able to speed up or slow down the footage. I was also able to detach the audio and add a voiceover. I learnt how to turn the music up and down so that the voiceover was easy to here. I also, learnt more about transitions, for example 'Ben Angliss' appears as the car wheel rolled away. Additionally, we added the number plate with 'Lois Hutchinson' on this was effective, as the transition we used, made the transition smooth. I changed the colour of the titles to make the person, for example every title in the opening sequence related to me is in pink.

I also created our production company logo. I created it on Photoshop. This was easy to create and has a simplistic look however it put across the meaning we wanted. For example; the clear image of the cinema indicts straight away that it is related to the film industry. I learnt how to curve the text so it curved with the cinema screen. The image is also is a point of view shot, therefore connects with the audience as they would be in the same position.

The main online tool we used throughout this process was blogger. It allowed us to upload our research and  planning. It also allowed us to display our ideas in various ways, for example including images. By presenting our work on a digital program, it meant that saving was easy, as blogger automatically saves and this meant that we wouldn't lose any work. I learnt that Blogger was a good resource to use as it allowed me to upload posts easily and amend them easily. 

We used YouTube to upload our footage. We also used YouTube to get the free music and sound effect in which we used in our opening sequence. This was useful as the music we originally planned too used was copyright, and the music we used from YouTube was non-copyright. I have learnt that YouTube was a good resource to use as it was easy to upload videos, additionally, it enables anybody to watch it.

Evaluation 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXQoB54ODI8

Evaluation 4 - Who would be the auidence for your media product?

Demographics
Age: 15-18, relatable to the characters in the film as they are the same age.
Location: Town, as it makes it relatable for the majority of the audience, as the film is set in a town a small state school.
Gender: All.
Income level: minimum wage, income bracket 'E'.
Education level: GCSE/A Level.
Family Status: Siblings watch it together.
Occupation: Part-time/Saturday Job.
Ethnic background: English.

Psychographics

The personality of our target audience will have a good sense of humour, our film is comical and the music in our opening sequence emphasises that the film is comical/ light-hearted.  The reason we chose a young target audience is because teenagers have an open-minded attitude. Therefore, they can interpret the jokes in the film better. We also chose this age bracket because  teenagers value their friendships and relationships, therefore they will be able to relate to the budding romance in the film and the friendships that are shown, for example 'Kate and Jessica'. Our target audience as teenagers would like going out, this may include going to the cinema. Teenagers, may find it difficult to balance education, work and social life, therefore teens might like to watch the film as a way of escapism, therefore, this opens a wide audience. This is because many people of 15-18 are involved with a sport. Additionally, we set the film in a sixth form and people of the age will be at sixth form or college, this will be relatable.

The audience is large enough to fit my criteria as many teenagers, with different backgrounds will be able to relate to the film as its is light-hearted and fun. The main characters are very stereotypical teenagers therefore, the audience will be able to relate and the audience can believe in the realism of the film. We include the football scene so that the target audience can relate.
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Evaluation 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMqd8DT0nhw

CHARLOTTE: Our film company is called 'Tomorrow Productions', this is because the target audience is for young people looking forward and not to the past like older people. This represents the film company as it suggest that we look forwards and are modernised. The title of the film company is on the screen, this makes it stand out as the background is dark. The red seats are also very stereotypical of a cinema. We created it on Photoshop; therefore it was easy to create and has a simplistic look however it is effective. For example; the clear image of the cinema indicts straight away that the logo is related to the film industry. The image is also is a point of view shot, therefore connects with the audience as they would be in the same position.

LOIS: We would use film 4 as our film distributor as, they have distributed films such as ‘the Inbertweeners’ and our film is similar to his film, and we share the same target audience.

CHARLOTTE: We would get funding from ‘film 4’ as we would be working with them and they fund similar projects to ours. Film 4 looks for films with a distinctive voice and they want aims to push the boundaries, within any given film genre. We feel like our film does this, and it gives us a chance to use risqué humor.

LOIS: Our titles and names appear in various different ways, for example, the first name appears on the number plate in the style of a number plate, this is fun and a creative way to engage the audience. Another way in which we presented our title was having ‘Ben’s’ name roll out from under the tire, this was effective as it linked the next frame and is satisfying to watch. The main title appears in the bright sky giving positive connotations.  The colours of the letters are in red and blue as its symbolises a bar magnetAlso, it is a well known saying and fact that ‘opposites attract’, emphasising the opposites..

CHARLOTE: The unique selling point of our film is that we have a male protagonist. This is a countertype for teen angst films as many protagonist are female. Through research the only other teen angst films with a male protagonist is '17 Again' and 'The Inbertweeners'.

LOIS: Our film would be released in the summer holidays as this is when our target audience are off school/ sixth form/ college and are more likely visiting the cinema. Our film opening is set in the winter, this gives negative connotations. The film takes place over winter and develop to the summertime, which will give the ending a positive connotation and emphasises that it is a light-hearted film. Also, as the characters in the film are in their second year of sixth from, the time of years also connotes the future and the change in their life, this may be relatable for the audience.
 

CHARLOTTE: We would use below the line advertising. This will be more personal advertising to our target audience. We would mainly use social media to advertise as it is cheap and gives the message out to a wide audience of both genders. Also, our target audience of young adults are always of social media. In later stages of advertising we would do Facebook live q&a’s and interview with the cast on YouTube. We would also create a hashtag across social media to get the word round and to spread new information and teasers. We would also put flyers in teen magazines such as ‘Shout’, ‘Seventeen’ and ‘Teen Vogue’.

LOIS: The main image on our poster would be the four main characters, with the boys on one side and the girls on the other, with the school in the background. The title would be inbetweeners Kate and Aiden with the magnets colours. The information included on our poster would be the actors names, age rating of 15, the release date, core crew members such as the director and the film distributor. The actors name would be in the same colour they have allocated in the opening sequence.

The trailer would include the best bits of the film, for example the football scene. We would use the music from the opening sequence in the trailer to make it recognisable. We wouldn’t give too much away about Kate and Aiden’s relationship, as we want the audience guessing and intrigued.

LOIS: We would show the film in Cineworld, as it is the most accessible cinema to most young adults and it is the most popular cinema in the UK, therefore gives us a wider audience. Additionally, the red seats in the cinema are the same as the red seats in our production company logo and gives the audience a mirror image of what their seeing.

Evaluation 2 - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

We designed our characters from research of different teen angst films. We based our characters from different social groups in society. For example, Aiden and Tom are popular and care about their appearance and popularity status. This is contrasted by Kate and Jessica who are unpopular and wears basic casual clothing. Therefore, both genders are represented. This clear divide shows very different social groups.

Kate's clothing is basic and casual. This portrays her personality to the audience. From research we want to based Kate off 'Bella' from 'Twilight'. Bella is unpopular with her small group of friends, she wears casual clothing such as jeans and a hoodie, this emphasises her personality as she doesn't want to stand out.  






We want the friendship between Jessica and Kate to be like the friendship between 'Georgia' and 'Jaz' from 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging', unbreakable. We wanted them to have very similar clothing casual) and this will show the audience that they also have very similar personalities.  
 

 

We based the character of Aiden of 'Mike' in '17 Again'. From our research we found out this is the only other teen angst film that has a male protagonist. 'Mike' wears casual clothing, jeans and a leather jacket. Therefore, we put 'Aiden' in jeans and a hoodie, as a hoodie shows he is more sporty, hence the football scene. However, both character have cool style and this represents their popularity.
  

Evaluation 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

 

Special effects - Number plate

We added special effects in the title sequence as it was an effective way of making the title appear in a creative way. We used this to make a name appear on the number plate. The  number plate transitions to a we number plate created (on Photoshop). This has a name on in the style of a number plate font, therefore it is a creative and engaging way of presenting a title.

 

Camerawork and editing - Ben Angliss under car wheel.  

This shot is a high angle, this shows the back wheel of the car and shows it pull away. As the car wheel pulls away, I edited the title to roll with the car wheel. This is satisfying to watch and the timing is right. Also, having the title appears in different and creative ways engages the audience. The titles that appear in the title sequence are colourful, this connotes young people and portrays the idea that the film will be light hearted. This because from research other teen angst films such as 'Easy A' and '10 Things I Hate About You', the titles that appear are colourful. This is because colourful titles are stereotypical in teen angst films, as the bright colours connotes happiness and fun, which represents the life of a teenager.

 Story and how the opening sets it up - Car

The opening sequence starts with the boy getting into his car and driving off. This shows that the character is old enough to drive. Additionally, being able to drive as a teenage connotes a cool personality. This foreshadows Aiden's personality. From research, in the teen angst film '10 Things I Hate About You', the main character 'Kat's' first appearance in the opening sequence is in a car, this gives her an edgy/cool personality and we wanted to use this idea for our protagonist.

Main title and font - Opposites.

The name of our film is 'Opposites'. This gives the audience an insight into the film, they can infer that the film will be about two very different people/ personalities. The audience might also know the saying 'Opposites attract', and infer that Aiden and Kate will be together by the end of the film. Our main title appears in the colours red and blue, this is to symbolise a magnet. The magnet emphasises the name 'Opposites' by the saying 'Opposites attract' therefore the audience can foreshadow that the opposite people (Kate and Aiden) will be together. The font of the title is biro, this is informal and messy and connote a teenager.

Clothing - Aiden and Kate passing in corridor.

The clothing the characters wear in our film are very stereotypical. The clothing is casual, modern and everyday basic clothing. This is stereotypical of teenagers as they are portrayed in other teen angst films as caring about their appearance for example 'Mean Girls'.

Introduction of Characters - Freeze frame Aiden 'The popular one'. 

The characters are introduced with their name and their tag line in a freeze frame, hence 'the popular one', the colour of the writing is the same as the actors allocated colour in the title sequence. The unique selling point of our film is that we have a male protagonist. This is a countertype for teen angst films. Through research the only other teen angst films with a male protagonist is '17 Again' and 'The Inbetweeners'. This countertype is emphasised as 'Aiden' is the first character introduced.

Genre and how the opening suggest it - Relationships

The opening sequence makes the genre of the film clear. This is because in the opening sequence there are 2 character, the male main character and a girl that have a voiceover, this tells the audience that the film will be about the 2 of them and how their relationship develops. The voiceover tells the audience how they are different, this will intrigue the audience as they foreshadow from the title that they will be together. It is very stereotypical that in teen angst films that a male and female with different personalities will fall in love. If we was to re-film the opening sequence then we would make the cross-connection between the two characters clearer.

Setting/Location - School (Lockers). 

A school is a very stereotypical location for a teen angst film. Having the school featured in the opening sequence engages the audience, as they know that the film will be based in a school and this will be relatable for our target audience, as they will be at a similar stage in their life and education. It is very apparent that the setting is a school from the stereotypical school lockers. We chose to include the boys playing football, being a parted of a sports team in a teen angst film for a male is very stereotypical. This gives the boys the 'jock' stereotype. From research the 'jock' in teen angst films are also the most popular and emphasises their popularity status, this was shown in the film 'The DUFF'.

Content- Football scene

We want to included the football scene for many reason. We wanted in mainly in the opening sequence for comedic effect as Aiden kicks the ball and it hits Kate on the head. The gives the audience an insight that the film will be light-hearted and funny. Additionally, it starts the narrative as the two main character will meet through this interaction. We also included this scene as the boys playing football is a stereotypical activity for teenager boys to be doing. It also gives Aiden and Tom, the 'jock' stereotype that appears in many teen angst films.

Feedback on first draft

They liked:

• the Llena de plena music - they thought it was comedic.
• The way the titles appeared - number plate especially.

Improvements:

• Make Rahib's voiceover louder.
• Add production company logo.
• Make the main title 'Opposites' have colours.
• Add the roles in the group, e.g. filmed by... edited by...

First draft of teen angst opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53aiHlrpFFY

Updated script

OPPOSITES

Characters: Aiden, Kate, Jessica, Tom

Scene 1: 

Location – Aidens house/Driveway – morning

There is no dialogue in the first scene

MUSIC – BRING IT BACK

•              He opens the boot and puts his bag and football inside

•              He shuts the boot- and we see the number plate change

•              A shot of the door handle

•              A POV shot of the steering wheel – a name appears over the wheel

•              The key in the ignition – engine sound

•              Shot of the wheel – name appears from under it

•              We see the car drive away – pan upwards

•              A shot of the sky revealing the title, Opposites

Scene 2:
Location – the school & corridors

Aiden walking around  the school – montage

Voiceover from Aiden:

Hi I’m Aiden. I’m 17 and  I’m in my second year of sixth form. (Screen freezes) I’m the popular one. (the popular one appears on the screen.)  it’s the same record every day. Eat, sleep, sixth form, repeat. And occasionally the odd game of football. It’s not easy being the popular one, there’s certain  expectations you need   1. Dress nice. Good clothes are essential. 2. Be funny . nobody will care if you can’t make them laugh.  And 3. Have a girlfriend. You need to have constant  gossip 24/7 otherwise your celebrity status wont exist. I’d say I have 1&2 down but I still need to get no.3.  This is my mate Tom! (screen freezes – the wingman appears on the screen) Aka my wingman.

(As Aiden leaves the voiceover changes to Kate)

Montage of kate walking around school

Voiceover from Kate:

I’m Kate I’m 17 and also in the second year of sixth form. (screen freezes) I’m  the unpopular one. (The unpopular one appears on the screen.) No one knows who I am to be honest. I’m the invisible one without an opinion. At the moment life’s on a loop. Eat, sleep, sixth form, repeat.  Nothing ever happens here. The only person who would notice if I went missing is Jessica. (Close up on Jessica – (screen freezes – the best friend  appears on the screen) She’s been my best friend since primary school.

Scene 3:

Location – the field

 We see Kate and Jessica walking to the sixth form building - there talking. Then to  boys playing football on the field.

Shot of boys playing football 

Aiden kicks the ball to Tom but he  misses 

Music cuts out fast when Aiden kicks football – silence –

And the football hits Kate in the head

Kate: OWW!

Fade to black

Sound

Me and Lois picked the music for our sequence. Initially we wanted to include the songs 'Bad Reputation' by Joan Jett and 'Fireball' by Pitball. I discovered the song 'Bad Reputation' when I was researching teen angst films. This songs is in the opening sequence of the film '10 Things I Hate About You'. I played this song to my group and they were very interested in using it. It is edgy and upbeat music with is stereotypical for teenagers and foreshadows our mains character 'Aiden's' rebellious behaviour. We wanted to use 'Fireball' for comedic effect and it is a 'feel good' song and fore-shadows that the film will be light-hearted. Lois first heard it and thought it was catchy and suggested we used it. However we were unable to include these songs due to copyright.

Therefore, to overcome this, we included non-copyright music from the 'YouTube creator space'. We found 6 different songs and narrowed it down to 2. We included the songs 'Llena De Plena' and 'Bring it back'. These songs worked well as substitutes. The songs 'Llene De Plena' is similar to 'Fireball' as it is upbeat and has a catchy rhythm. Also, the song 'Bring it back' is similar to 'Bad Reputation' as it is edgy.

Evidence of planning

In our group, we had a group chat on Facebook. This allowed us to plan outside of the classroom. On this we planned our teen angst opening scene and  arranged when and where we were filming.

Plannning of filming

Sound effects

Today we downloaded our sound effects:

Our sound effects include;
- A car engine starting.
- A car wheel driving away.
- A thud sound, which we will use when the football hits Kate's head, we will also amplify this sound to emphasise the action.
- A bell (stereotypical in a school environment).