Conventions

Should you always adhere to them or do they restrict creativity?

For my foundation portfolio I have created an opening to a thriller.  A common convention of thriller films is a build up to action. In my thriller film I have subverted this convention, in order to fulfil another one. I was successful in subverting this convention; the opening of my thriller begins in the middle of the film. The audience are unaware of what has happened and are thrown right in to the aftermath of the action; however they are also given no conclusion leaving them confusion, an important convention of thriller films.

By subverting this convention I was also able to delay the showing of a main event, another convention fulfilled. By showing the aftermath of the action I left my audience confused and not knowing the plot of the film.

I have used realistic settings in my thriller film; I have used a police station, a train station and a high street. These locations enable me to create a sense of the unusual occurring, adding an eerie and intense emotion to the film. This is a common convention within thriller films, it gives the audience the ‘unexpected’. These locations however led me to subverting a dark and shadowy atmosphere, a convention of thriller films. I felt this atmosphere would take the audience away from a ‘realistic’ setting and make the film more predictable therefore I felt it was right to not use this convention.

Flash backs are also a convention, frequently seen in thriller films. I have emphasised this convention through colourisation in my thriller opening. The scenes which are occurring in the past are viewed in black and white. This convention was made more evident through editing. The black and white effect adds and older look to the shot, capturing the connotation of a flashback.

For my advanced portfolio I have created a music video. To stick to real media conventions I have followed Goodwin’s principles. As one of his conventions, I have matched lyrics to visuals in my video.  There are several moments in the video where the visuals will match the lyrics such as ‘grains of sand in the palm of my hand’; you will see exactly what you hear. This adds meaning and depth to the video, and also adds understanding of the song for the audience.

I have used genre characteristics throughout my video. The tempo and pace of my shots match the style of music and location matches the peaceful tone of the song. I have used close ups of the guitar as an image motif to emphasise the guitar in the track. Along with these conventions and my work of matching music to visuals, sections of the music are highlighted in ways which when listening to the track you may not notice. Such as the beat behind the lyrics, I have made transitions sit on the beat on emphasise them.

My skills in editing has enabled me to lip sync my track to the footage. Lip syncing is seen in almost every video, in footage where the artist or band will perform.

Post Production

Post Production Essay

“The post-production process can be the most important part of the filming process”.

How important has the post-production stage been in your foundation and advanced portfolios and how have your skills developed over these two years? 

In my two years of A-level media I have been required to make to productions. Across the two productions I have created a thriller opening as my foundation portfolio and a music video as my advanced portfolio. I feel that the post production process was the most important step because as it enabled me to edit all my footage together and produce a product with meaning and conventions. Eisenstein believed that editing was the foundation of film art. He believed that meaning behind film was not in individual shots but in the relationship between them. He claims the relationship is created though editing. In this essay I will discuss my development in skills and editing made throughout the two years, using this idea.

In my thriller opening I used voice overs to add narrative to my video. They also created confusion, a convention of thriller films. It was through iMovie that I was able to over lay these voice overs on to my footage and through garage band that I recorded theses voice overs. . It was for the police report and a phone call that voice overs where used. These voice clips formed the sound to my video along with a music track; there was no direct conversation between characters.

In my music video, I had to overlay the music track on to my footage. It was through iMovie and the options to adjust the timings of my footage that I was able to lip sync this track. I feel this shows progression as I had to use precise editing through iMovie to synchronise my sound clips in my second production. Eisenstein’s belief that meaning is created through editing and becomes the foundation of that film is evident here – the voice overs add the whole narrative to the film.

In my thriller opening I used blur and dissolve transitions when showing two simultaneous events to merge the footage. I did this using the default transitions on IMovie and adding them in between shots. This effect was used in between shots of the boy and the girl.

In my music video, I used the green screen effect. This effect enabled me to show two shots with in the same frame. This allowed me to emphasise on the lyrics ‘Stranded on the beach’ and match them to the action within the shot. I feel this shows progression as my ability to work with iMovie more creatively enabled me to find this effect. This effect allowed me to match lyrics to visuals, fitting the conventions of the product.

In my thriller opening, I used fast motion shots to show how time has past since the main character has gone missing. It was through iMovie and the options available to adjust the speed of the framw to speed up the shot. The editing effect was used when showing flash backs of the main character.

In my music video, the spped of the shot was reduced to repseresent the lyrics, ‘im adrifting in an endless ocean’, where I wanted to emphasise how the boy felt when lost in his emotions and his confusion. I feel that the progression here is clear as I was matching visuals to lyrics at the editing stage. Eisensteins belief that meaning is created through editing and becomes the foundation of the film is evident here – the slow motion makes the boys emotions more apparent here.



Post Production - Exam Structure

“The Post production process can be the most important part of filming process”

How important has the process been in your foundation and advanced portfolio and how have you your skills been developed?

INTRODUCTION

-          In my two years of A-level media I have been required to make to productions. Across the two productions I have created a thriller opening as my foundation portfolio and a music video as my advanced portfolio. I feel that the post production process was the most important step because…..

o   Eisenstein believed that editing was the foundation of film art. He believed that meaning behind film was not in individual shots but in the relationship between them. He claims the relationship is created though editing.

-          In this essay I will discuss my development in skills and editing made throughout the two years, using this idea.

BODY

-          Six paragraphs on how I used iMovie to edit my film and how it created meaning.

-          3 foundation 3 advanced

-          Refer to grid

Structure;

Point – what editing tool/technique? What did this suggest/connote?

Evidence – where was this used? AS/A2?

Explain – How does this example show progression? Take risks? More confident?

Example; In my thriller opening I used a slow motion shot to represent the reflections and memories of my central character. It was through iMovie and the options available to adjust the speed of the frame to slow down the shot. The editing effect was used as the main character was experiencing flashbacks..

In my music video, the motion of a shot was frequently reduced to represent the lyrics of the song 2ill give you time2 where it was important to represent the idea of time through editing. I feel the progression here is clear as I was matching lyrics to music at the post production stage.

Eisenstein’s belief that meaning is created through editing and becomes the foundation of that film is evident here – the slow motion makes the meaning of time clear here.