Film Pitch

Film pitch from Harry Foord, Jess Prentice and Jordan Carter.

Exam Board Mark scheme and film opening evaluation

The Edge



This film shows excellent use of titles, as they are uniquely placed and positioned in places that correspond to the setting. The high speed action of the film allows quick loud music to be played. When the action of the film increases the music gets louder. This film opening scored 57/60 which is very high, to improve i would suggest that more text should have been used. 

Preliminary Task- School Musical High

Film Pitch and Evaluation

Here is my Film Pitch

Student marketing 

A lot of feedback we received was the movie title was catchy and easy to remember.  However the title would be even better if it was slightly shorter. A lot of students also believed that the cast seemed appropriate but could include more teenagers.However on the problems with the film is that it sounds like it would only appeal to younger children and will will unlikely attract teenagers or adults. Another postive aspect is that the plot is interesting but could be too complicated for younger children to follow, however it is different. Also the marketing is good for example not using social media is a good idea as our young audience will not see it.

Teacher marking

The good parts of the film pitch are the title good and clear. However the cast is not well known and do no need all of them and could need more description on some of them. Enigma code was intriguing but still not sure about it however it is well throughout however needed to be more original idea.The narrative fits genre but would like to hear more and marketing interesting but no well enough developed.

My evaluation of the film pitch

I believe that overall the film pitch went well.However I believe  that it could have been more organised about who was saying what about the film. We could have improved the order of the powerpoint and add how we would avtise  the film as we only spoke about it. We should have also written the first scene in more detail and not just the overall plot. However I think we made a good mood board about the film and used a lot of different films for ideas. 

Student film opening marking

In our lesson, we watched a several previous film openings and were told to look at the mark scheme to ensure we knew what we should look out for. Here are several film openings I reviewed.

A schools nightmare

• Smooth pan throughout the entire film.
• Music helped with tension and linked with the editing.
• There is enigma code.
• Lighting was relevant to the theme portrayed.
• Props help build up the clues shown and questions asked.
• Doesn't give much away to the audience.

Luna

• Music corresponds with the theme of the film opening.
• Variety of shots used.
• Camera shakes during the pans.
• Bad lighting on the beach, couldn't see clearly what was happening.
• There is no background noise which takes the attention away from the main focus. 
• The main title is after the film. 

Poscig

• Title at the start.
• It hasn't got creative text or font which links with the theme. 
• Transition between two shots which links all events together.
• Different shot from  the car which shows variety.
• Music helps with tension.

Michael

• Camera angles and pans were used throughout the whole film. 
• Music corresponds with the theme of the opening.
• Shots were relevant to the story.
• It doesn't give clues or make you ask questions. There are no enigma codes.
• In the beginning you can hear the background noise over the music which makes it seems cheap. 

Filming task - Juno

Filming task-Juno 

Here is an edit of footage to match the original clip shown in the bottom right corner.






   I think that my storyboard was accurate as I included some of the frames and camera movements used in the original film. I included the duration of each shot and action in the shot. I could have included some more details  as I didn't included all the key icons and props on every shot. For some shots I have included the transitions that I would need to include in the editing process.
To improve I would include maximum detail for every shot on the storyboard including: the frames and camera movements, Mise en Scene and the editing effects needed.

I think that the filming process went very well. My group worked together very effectively and we completed the filming process promptly. We persevered well with the limited props and locations available to us. One of my group's strengths was our ability to work together and share all of the responsibilities equally. We were all actively doing a task at all times. 

We did manage to get all of the shots that we needed but needed to cut some of the shots up and film them in sections so that we could get all of the key icons from the original video in our own shots, and at the right angles. In some places the filming was a little bit shaky. To improve we could use a tripod to keep the camera steady and therefore improve the quality of the footage. 

I learnt how to edit  things in Adobe Premiere Pro while completing this task. Like how to place another video in the corner of the screen. I also learnt how to edit the effects that I included in my video and how to speed up and slow down the speed of a video. I was able to edit the intensity of the cartoon effect (Find Edges) that I used and was able to change the direction of the wipe transitions that I included.

Narrative

Narrative 

Narrative is some kind of retelling often in words, of something that has happened. The Narrative is not the story itself but rather the telling of the story.

Bathes' codes: Significant items and objects, anything can happen, but don't lose the audience. (Action, symbol, enigma) He came up with the idea of signs and that they can tell us a lot of different meanings. He said that text is like a ball of thread and needs to be broken down and looked at in more detail, and that everything has multiple meanings.

Tests may be open (unravelled ending).
Texts may be closed.

Enigma code - What are characters saying, who what where why? This results in the audience wanting to see more.


Todorov: This is the theory is that every production has five stages.

1. Equilibrium (The state of normality) 
2. Distruption of the equilibrium (A character/action causes an effect which disturbs the normality)
3. The main protagonist recognises the equilibrium has been disturbed
4. Restoration of the equilibrium (The protagonist attempts to restore the equilibrium)
5. New equilibrium (Equilibrium is restored, but transformations and changes have occurred from the original equilibrium)

Propp
- All narratives have a common structure
- Shaped by characteristics

Levi-Strauss
- Good narrative is caused by opposites (Binary opposites)


The Prestige Narrative 





Top hats = Magic
Birds in cages = trapped/ freeing
Lightening = scared feeling

Enigma - Why Lighting?
Stages

• Equilibrium = normal practiced magic trick
• Disruption = people shouting/violence, reappearence of magician doesn't happen - magician gets stuck in a box of water - Murder.
• New Equilibrium  = No magician/magic potentially back to normality

Characters

• Older man
• Young Girl
• Audience
• Magician + Assistant 
• Murderer 

Opposites

• Calm narrative  Vs stressful narrative
• Caged and freedom
• Youth and elder
• Innocence and wisdom 

UP narrative 


Significant items/signs

• Clouds turn into babies
• Mailbox shows happiness 

Stages

• Disruption of Equilibrium = not being able to have a baby, not being able to go to south America, car break down, broken leg, roof falling in 
• New equilibrium = Ellie dies before him (Carl) , Carl Lives alone.

Characters

• Ellie is outgoing lively / dies first / physically different (tall and skinny)
• Carl is shy / lives on without Ellie / Physically different (Short  and stocky)

Lava Narrative

Significant items/signs

• couples/love
• Volcanoes song - about finding love = theme love

Enigma - Will he find love?

stages

• Normality - volcano all alone, singing song about love.
• Disruption - lava burns out, female lave bursts out the sea to find him.
• New equilibrium - 2 volcanoes murged in love sining about each-other.

Characters

• Male 
• Female

Opposites

• Tall skinnyVs short and wider