My name is Samridhi Virk (everyone calls me Sam), I'm 17 years old and a media studies student at Graveney School.
If I'm being completely honest with you, I had never thought I would enjoy media as much as I do now. When I first picked this subject to do for my A levels it was just something I had chosen to fill the last gap. I knew what I wanted to do for my other A Levels (Maths, ICT and Business Studies) and this was just something that looked interesting.
I wasn't very sure about how I would find media since it didn't really fit in with my other options. I was also worried that I wouldn't be any good at it since I hadn't done it before and I thought that because English wasn't a subject that I did amazingly well in, this wouldn't be either.
I was very wrong though. I LOVE media! There is something about it that I really enjoy. I love having a subject where I can be creative and not just think about numbers and formulas all the time! ... and I like to think that I'm not half bad at it too.
This blog that I'm writing is like an online journal where I can keep a record of everything I do involving my opening sequence project. I am going to be blogging about the research and planning, the construction and the evaluation of our project.
Hope you enjoy reading this! :)
x
Sunday, 30 June 2013
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Timetable
So that we could figure out when we were free and when we could meet up we decided to make a timetable. Unfortunately we realised that we didn't share any frees and that we could only really meet up at break, lunch and out of school time.
Friday, 28 June 2013
Preliminary Task Storyboards
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| Preliminary Task Storyboard (Page1) |
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| Preliminary Task Storyboard (Page 2) |
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| Preliminary Task Storyboard (Page3) |
As we were able to storyboard well for the preliminary task, hopefully we will be able to do a good one for our real opening sequence too and make filming much easier.
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Preliminary Task Evaluation
For our preliminary task we had to make a short opening to a movie using the list of shots we were provided with. This task was very helpful as we were able to learn a number of skills such as reverse shots and we were able to learn from our mistakes so that our real opening sequence .
One of the things we did to do very well were the reverse shots. We weren’t able to do the 180 degree rule so when we were editing it did not feel as if person A and person B were talking to each other. When we were filming the shots we focused too much on getting the camera angles and the shot lengths right and we forgot about the 180 degree rule. If I'm honest, we actually didn’t know what the 180 degree rule was but we were silly and didn’t ask!
On the other hand something that we had done well were the matches on action. Every time we had person A going though a door we filmed the entire action from both sides of the door so that when we edited it we could make the actions match each other at the right time and have them flow into each other.
Another thing which we need to work on for our real opening sequence is the lighting. A lot of our shots were very dark and people may not have been able to see all the actions clearly. As our idea for our real opening sequence is to have a happy rom-com genre we need the shots to be bright ad well lit.
One of the things that we learned from this task was how to use a tripod properly. We were able to get a feel for using both the monopod and the tripod. Personally I prefer the tripod because someone like me who has incredibly shaky hand can film something without it being too wobbly. Also the tripod had a sprit level so that we could make sure that we didn’t accidentally have a cantered angle. We did have a slightly off angle in the very first municipal shot of the building but hopefully it is not very noticeable.
We also learned how to time shot when filming them. We allowed roughly 5 seconds from when we stared recording to when we cued our actors, this made editing SO MUCH easier since we weren’t worried about accidentally cutting out a bit of action. We also learned that we didn’t need to make some of our shots so long as the first time we edited the some of our non-action shots we made them to long. When sir was watching our film he said mentioned that they may be too long and we realised that the audience really didn’t need that long to digest what was happening in the shot and if we gave them too much time then they may get bored. We then went back and made a few of our shots shorter and found that the film flowed a lot better.
All in all I think that the preliminary task was very helpful as we could learn a number of skills in one go and find out which things we were not as good at so that we know to pay more attention to them when doing our real task.
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Full Plot Synopsis
This Friday I wasn't able to go into sixth form so I couldn't be in the media lesson that day (the damn snow huh!). But since I was at home I decided to write up a synopsis for the film and email it to the others in my group so that they would be able to use it in the lesson and tweak it to make it better.
The first draft was just based on some of the ideas we had been discussing as a group but after reading it we realised that our idea of making the genre of the film a Romantic Comedy wasn't really fitting with the synopsis, as the synopsis was sounding more like a deep romantic movie and less like a teen flick!
We decided to add more of the comedy element and changed the main plot of the film so that it wasn't just about the main character falling in love, but it was also about who she got revenge on those who wronged her.
We also finally came up with a title for the film after brainstorming through a number of different, and very random, ideas including "Trouble", "Love Switch" and "The Rise and Fall of Naomi". We finally settled on "The Naked Truth"
After I re-wrote the synopsis, this was what our ideas had accomplished:
"The Naked Truth Synopsis
At the age of 18, in her second year of college, Naomi (Phoebe Bower) is the “queen bee”. She loves being adored by people and the attention she receives from boys. She will resort to anything to keep the power in her hands, even at the expense of her own dignity. Underneath her sweet exterior she is a girl who is very insecure about herself and feels the only way she can be popular is to give boys what she thinks they want (sex).
After having multiple flings with multiple guys she sets her sights on the main prize, the alpha male of the school, Aiden (Daniel Walsom). When she finally lands a date with him they hook up and she feels as though she has accomplished something great; however, much to her shock, Aiden has a girlfriend and not only is she popular but also ruthless.
Katelyn, Aiden’s girlfriend decides to get make it her job to get revenge on Naomi and posts a naked picture that Aiden took of her all around the school and online. When the rest of the school sees these images Naomi is alienated and a lot of her friends reject her, except for her two best friends who have been with her though everything, even with her bad reputation.
Naomi, however, is not willing to take things lying down; she aims to get her own back. Over a number of months Naomi and her best friends Abigail and Lauren plot and plan ways to get back at Aidan and Katelyn. Naomi puts ant powder in Aiden's jock-strap, cuts up Katelyn's school clothes, dyes Katelyn's hair pink and spreads a rumour about Aiden having a tiny penis, but both Katelyn and Aiden are able to find ways of styling them out and their reputations don’t get damaged. Naomi however begins to gain more and more friends after doing each prank as everyone who ever felt victimised by Katelyn decides to take her side.
Since none of their plans have worked, Naomi and her friends decided that they need to do something that will really hit Katelyn hard, so Naomi decided to go after Katelyn’s brother, Oliver. They plan to use as a source of information and find ways of humiliating Katelyn, just as Naomi was humiliated beforehand.
Oliver ends up liking Naomi and becomes close friends with her, much to his sister’s dismay. Naomi also begins to realise that that she likes Oliver as more than a friend and she feels something for him that she had never felt for another boy. She decides that she can’t keep using him and lying to him and so calls of the whole revenge plan thinking that she will go to him and explain everything to him, making everything fine.
Meanwhile one of Katelyn’s friends finds out about Naomi’s plan through the schools grape vine and rushes to tell Katelyn. Katelyn rushes to Oliver and tells him everything and although he is crushed, Katelyn is filled with joy over the fact that her brother no longer likes Naomi.
When Naomi and Oliver next see each other he ignores her and, after seeing the smug look on Katelyn’s face, she realises that Oliver has found out everything. Naomi is heartbroken and begins to give up hope. After many sleepovers filled with chocolates and tears, Naomi’s friends convince her to do something because nothing will ever change if she sits around crying.
The next day at school a large crowd gathers and Naomi tells the whole school that she is sorry for what she has been doing as she had dropped to Katelyn’s level and most of all she is sorry for what she did to Oliver. Oliver forgives her and they become friends again, foreshadowing a possible relationship in the future.
At the end of the film, Naomi is walking round the back of the sports centre at school when she sees Aiden making out with the football captain Luke - we find out that Aidan is bisexual. Naomi wastes no time and decides to take a picture, bringing the film to a close as she sends the picture to a bunch of people."
(Please note: all of the discussions we had done about the synopsis were on text, over facebook and via video chat! :D)
The first draft was just based on some of the ideas we had been discussing as a group but after reading it we realised that our idea of making the genre of the film a Romantic Comedy wasn't really fitting with the synopsis, as the synopsis was sounding more like a deep romantic movie and less like a teen flick!
We decided to add more of the comedy element and changed the main plot of the film so that it wasn't just about the main character falling in love, but it was also about who she got revenge on those who wronged her.
We also finally came up with a title for the film after brainstorming through a number of different, and very random, ideas including "Trouble", "Love Switch" and "The Rise and Fall of Naomi". We finally settled on "The Naked Truth"
After I re-wrote the synopsis, this was what our ideas had accomplished:
"The Naked Truth Synopsis
At the age of 18, in her second year of college, Naomi (Phoebe Bower) is the “queen bee”. She loves being adored by people and the attention she receives from boys. She will resort to anything to keep the power in her hands, even at the expense of her own dignity. Underneath her sweet exterior she is a girl who is very insecure about herself and feels the only way she can be popular is to give boys what she thinks they want (sex).
After having multiple flings with multiple guys she sets her sights on the main prize, the alpha male of the school, Aiden (Daniel Walsom). When she finally lands a date with him they hook up and she feels as though she has accomplished something great; however, much to her shock, Aiden has a girlfriend and not only is she popular but also ruthless.
Katelyn, Aiden’s girlfriend decides to get make it her job to get revenge on Naomi and posts a naked picture that Aiden took of her all around the school and online. When the rest of the school sees these images Naomi is alienated and a lot of her friends reject her, except for her two best friends who have been with her though everything, even with her bad reputation.
Naomi, however, is not willing to take things lying down; she aims to get her own back. Over a number of months Naomi and her best friends Abigail and Lauren plot and plan ways to get back at Aidan and Katelyn. Naomi puts ant powder in Aiden's jock-strap, cuts up Katelyn's school clothes, dyes Katelyn's hair pink and spreads a rumour about Aiden having a tiny penis, but both Katelyn and Aiden are able to find ways of styling them out and their reputations don’t get damaged. Naomi however begins to gain more and more friends after doing each prank as everyone who ever felt victimised by Katelyn decides to take her side.
Since none of their plans have worked, Naomi and her friends decided that they need to do something that will really hit Katelyn hard, so Naomi decided to go after Katelyn’s brother, Oliver. They plan to use as a source of information and find ways of humiliating Katelyn, just as Naomi was humiliated beforehand.
Oliver ends up liking Naomi and becomes close friends with her, much to his sister’s dismay. Naomi also begins to realise that that she likes Oliver as more than a friend and she feels something for him that she had never felt for another boy. She decides that she can’t keep using him and lying to him and so calls of the whole revenge plan thinking that she will go to him and explain everything to him, making everything fine.
Meanwhile one of Katelyn’s friends finds out about Naomi’s plan through the schools grape vine and rushes to tell Katelyn. Katelyn rushes to Oliver and tells him everything and although he is crushed, Katelyn is filled with joy over the fact that her brother no longer likes Naomi.
When Naomi and Oliver next see each other he ignores her and, after seeing the smug look on Katelyn’s face, she realises that Oliver has found out everything. Naomi is heartbroken and begins to give up hope. After many sleepovers filled with chocolates and tears, Naomi’s friends convince her to do something because nothing will ever change if she sits around crying.
The next day at school a large crowd gathers and Naomi tells the whole school that she is sorry for what she has been doing as she had dropped to Katelyn’s level and most of all she is sorry for what she did to Oliver. Oliver forgives her and they become friends again, foreshadowing a possible relationship in the future.
At the end of the film, Naomi is walking round the back of the sports centre at school when she sees Aiden making out with the football captain Luke - we find out that Aidan is bisexual. Naomi wastes no time and decides to take a picture, bringing the film to a close as she sends the picture to a bunch of people."
(Please note: all of the discussions we had done about the synopsis were on text, over facebook and via video chat! :D)
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Short Synopsis
As well as writing our full plot synopsis I also wrote a short synopsis, like the kind you would find on the back of the DVD to attract peoples attention.
"The Naked Truth DVD Synopsis
Naomi (Phoebe Bower) is the “queen bee”. She gets what she wants, when she wants, and more importantly ... gets exactly WHO she wants.
After setting her sights on the biggest prize of all, Aiden Young (Daniel Walsom), and having her reputation ruined by Katelyn “the bitch”, Naomi is determined to get revenge. From ant powder to pink hair, Naomi pulls out all the stops!
Will Naomi ever be back on top, or will her vengeful spiral get the better of her ... especially when Oliver, Katelyn's brother, is added to the mix."
"The Naked Truth DVD Synopsis
Naomi (Phoebe Bower) is the “queen bee”. She gets what she wants, when she wants, and more importantly ... gets exactly WHO she wants.
After setting her sights on the biggest prize of all, Aiden Young (Daniel Walsom), and having her reputation ruined by Katelyn “the bitch”, Naomi is determined to get revenge. From ant powder to pink hair, Naomi pulls out all the stops!
Will Naomi ever be back on top, or will her vengeful spiral get the better of her ... especially when Oliver, Katelyn's brother, is added to the mix."
We wanted it to be short and exciting without giving away too much of the story.
Monday, 24 June 2013
Institutional Research
As we are creating a low budget British film type opening sequence I decided to research a number of British distribution institutions in order to find one which would potentially distribute our film, were it actually made.
Artificial Eye is a British film distribution institution who was founded in 1976 by Andi Engel. Although they distribute in cinema and home entertainment, they specialise in foreign language films and art house films. These films tend to be quite serious, independent films which aim to a niche market, such as Antichrist and Caché. This is pretty much opposite to the type of film we we're making as ours is a light-hearted comedy which appeals to the mass market, therefore this straight way didn't seem like the sort of company that we would want as our distributors ... and they probably wouldn't distribute our film anyway!
Fox Searchlight Pictures is an American division of the Fox Entertainment Group that was established in 1994 and is owned by 20th Century Fox. It specialises in independent and British films, as well as comedy-dramas. Many well known film have been part produced and/or distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures including Black Swan, a winner of many Oscar's and BAFTA's.
Fox Searchlight may be a good production and distribution company for us as they are a large company which would be able to distribute of film to the mass market and it is also associated with other films which are of a similar genre as ours, some of their most recent include Ruby Sparks, 500 Days Of Summer and Never Let Me Go which are all well known for their romance.
Now known as EOne Momentum, Momentum Pictures is a leading independent film distributor in the UK. They release approximately 20 films a year ranging in a variety of genres, their most recent release is Quartet.
Although Momentum is an independent distributor, now that is it owned by Entertainment One (an international entertainment institution) it has a lot more finances to be able to distribute films. Recently Momentum has been distributing quite a lot of thriller and horror films such as Sinister and The Woman In Black, however it has distributed a fair number of romantic/romantic comedy films too - some of the most popular being Penelope and P.S. I Love You.
Universal Pictures International is the International film distribution division of NBC/Universal. In the UK is distributes a number of films from a wide and varied range of genres. It has distributed many films which we found to give us inspiration on our story, such as Wild Child - a very popular romantic comedy amongst teenage girl, and the classic British love story Atonement.
After conducting this research I think that EOne Momentum would be the best company to distribute our film as it would be able to reach a wide audience (especially our target audience), now more than ever thanks to its links with Entertainment One and their increase in finances. It would also fit the genre of our film as Momentum has distributed Romantic Comedies in the past.
The first institute which I researched was Artificial Eye.
Artificial Eye is a British film distribution institution who was founded in 1976 by Andi Engel. Although they distribute in cinema and home entertainment, they specialise in foreign language films and art house films. These films tend to be quite serious, independent films which aim to a niche market, such as Antichrist and Caché. This is pretty much opposite to the type of film we we're making as ours is a light-hearted comedy which appeals to the mass market, therefore this straight way didn't seem like the sort of company that we would want as our distributors ... and they probably wouldn't distribute our film anyway!
The second institute I researched was Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Fox Searchlight Pictures is an American division of the Fox Entertainment Group that was established in 1994 and is owned by 20th Century Fox. It specialises in independent and British films, as well as comedy-dramas. Many well known film have been part produced and/or distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures including Black Swan, a winner of many Oscar's and BAFTA's.
Fox Searchlight may be a good production and distribution company for us as they are a large company which would be able to distribute of film to the mass market and it is also associated with other films which are of a similar genre as ours, some of their most recent include Ruby Sparks, 500 Days Of Summer and Never Let Me Go which are all well known for their romance.
Momentum Pictures was another institution which I researched.
Now known as EOne Momentum, Momentum Pictures is a leading independent film distributor in the UK. They release approximately 20 films a year ranging in a variety of genres, their most recent release is Quartet.
Although Momentum is an independent distributor, now that is it owned by Entertainment One (an international entertainment institution) it has a lot more finances to be able to distribute films. Recently Momentum has been distributing quite a lot of thriller and horror films such as Sinister and The Woman In Black, however it has distributed a fair number of romantic/romantic comedy films too - some of the most popular being Penelope and P.S. I Love You.
Another institution which I researched was Universal Pictures International.
Universal Pictures International is the International film distribution division of NBC/Universal. In the UK is distributes a number of films from a wide and varied range of genres. It has distributed many films which we found to give us inspiration on our story, such as Wild Child - a very popular romantic comedy amongst teenage girl, and the classic British love story Atonement.
After conducting this research I think that EOne Momentum would be the best company to distribute our film as it would be able to reach a wide audience (especially our target audience), now more than ever thanks to its links with Entertainment One and their increase in finances. It would also fit the genre of our film as Momentum has distributed Romantic Comedies in the past.
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