Filming Equipment

August 31, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


The equipment we used for our film were:
          - Canon EOS 70D with a Canon EF-S Zoom - 18-135mm lens
          - K&F Concept Cardioid Microphone
          - FOTOWELT Glide-Cam Stabilizer
          - Tripod

The Canon EOS 70D is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) great for shooting RAW stills and recording video at up to Full HD (1920x1080) at frame rates ranging from 23.976, 25 and 29.97. 23.976 is a common frame rate used in big Hollywood films because of its cinematic and film look and feel, and this is the reason i chose to shoot at this frame rate/fps.
The ability for this camera to shoot RAW stills is also a great feature because it allows me to take uncompressed images which I can use later in the film. RAW photos also give me more flexibility in post production to color correct and grade more easily.

 The K&F cardioid microphone attached to the top of the camera is better than the built in mic of the DSLR. The cardioid mic is good for pick up audio from a object in front of the mic and it reduces the audio from behind and the sides of it.

 The glide cam stabilizer is a hand held camera mount that reduces camera shakes by counter acting the shaky motion of the camera. This allows for smoother motion and camera movements, and gives the footage a less shaky, hand-held, feel. The stabilizer will also allow me to run and capture a smooth movements, such a dolly and pans - almost as if the camera were on tracks or controlled by a crane. For most of the filming I will use the glide cam for greater control over the camera and for smoother camera movements. For our Green screen work, I will use a stationary camera on a tripod as this will make it easier to edit the footage and track. I will have to add camera movements in post to simulate as if it were on a glide cam, and to make the shots seem less dull.
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Use of Editing Software

August 30, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


Video Editing
A video editing software is used to place clips/footage together in a sequence to create a media product.

My choice of editing software was mainly similar to my AS media production except for the choice of video editing software. Last year, we used Sony Vegas Pro 13 which was an appropriate choice however it lacked on certain aspects and because of this I chose Adobe Premiere Pro CC. One of the main benefits is the integration of Adobe Dynamic Link. This allowed me to  place an After Effects file directly into my timeline, within Premiere. Then whenever I change an effect in After Effects, the effect is also updated within Premiere which saved a lot of rendering time. Previously, I would have to render my After Effects Sequences and then import them to Sony Vegas. Adobe Dynamic Link increased the flexibility and allowed for more make more changes quickly and effectively.

Video Compositing
A video Compositing software is primarily used to edit clips by adding different visual effects to it. Industry standards includes The Foundry Nuke, Black Magic Fusion and Adobe After Effects.

For my production I carried on using Adobe After Effects, however it had been upgraded from CS6 to CC. CC (creative cloud) has allowed for a more optimized workflow and the benefit of extra effects in the presets.

3D Editing
In my trailer, 3D elements are more common compared to my AS opening scene. Some of the shots in my trailer are entirely CGI, whereas others contain 3D elements. Cinema 4D  was my 3D editing software of choice. Compared to other 3D programmers such Blender, 3ds Max and Maya, Cinema 4D was the best choice for me because I already had previous knowledge about the program.

Photo Editing
Photoshop is an industry standard for a professional photo editing. We'll be using Photoshop to edit our posters and magazines, as well as editing textures that will be used a backdrops when compositing and textures for 3D elements for Cinema 4D.
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Genre Analysis - Science-Fiction

August 30, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


Science-Fictions films can be very popular depending on what the film is about and what other genres may be linked to the film. For example, it a sci-fi film is also created alongside an action and adventure genre, this may appeal a large male audience. Typically, a Sci-fi film is target towards an age range of 12 - mid 20's.

 A science-fiction film may gain a larger target audience if it contains a bit of romance - making it appeal to women. Sci-fi and adventure films work very well together because if the film is fictional, then there will be things in the film that are not natural, therefore the characters will have had to venture to the different places. This escapism will help attract a larger target audience.
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Genre Analysis - Adventure

August 30, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


An adventure genre is one of the most popular genres with the largest target audience. Adventure films can be U certificate rated and on-wards, appealing to ages anywhere from 3 - 30's but primary 12 to late 30's. What makes an adventure film so popular is the variety of films what can be created which contain adventure and the escapism it brings to the audience. It makes the audience feel as if they been taken away to another place and all their daily troubles have been left behind.

An adventure film is meant to take the audience away to another world. Everyone can relate to a time where they feel like they want to visit somewhere new and exciting, and an adventure film psychologically fulfils this dream by immuring them into the film which is set somewhere different country, world or universe. Where ever it may be, the feeling of being taken away to somewhere new is what makes audiences keep coming back to see this specific genre.
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Genre Analysis - War

August 30, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


War films are targeted towards a male age range of around 15 - 30 years. Men are stereo-typically known for their aggressive and physical nature and these traits are generally found within a war film. War films contain violence, death and a lot of fighting. Men will want to watch war films so they can relate to the protagonist and so that they imagine them selfies as being them.

 Some war films also feature a heroine that may or may not play an important part in the story of the film. What ever the purpose, including a heroine or love interest will widen the target audience as women may want to watch it due to the romance aspect of the film.
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Genre Analysis - Romance

August 20, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


Females are more interested in love and romance unlike men who are either not interested, or they are interested but don't show it. The typical target audience for an romance genre are females ages around 12 - early 20's. Stereo-typically, girls prefer romance films because they like to relate to the emotions in the film. Romance films can contain moving and heart breaking scenes like the death of a character or a break up.
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Genre Analysis - Horror

August 20, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


 A horror film usually appeals to a target audience of around 13 - mid 20's however most horror films have an age certificate of 15 or 18 because it could contain gory/violent scenes and excessive use of strong language. Horror films are targeted towards a male audience because males are stereotypical known for preferring thrilling and scary activities.

 Females are less likely to watch horror films because strong violence, gory/death scenes and strong language is not linked to stereotypical females. Horror films may not be targeted towards a female audience, some females like to watch horror films with friends as they can share the scary and thrilling experience together rather than being alone. Not being with alone and watching with friends may make the film seem less horrifying.
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Genre Analysis - Thriller

August 20, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


 A thriller film usually appeals to both a male and female target audience of around 15 - mid 20. This is because, unlike an action film where the main protagonist is male and the male target audience is made to feel like they are them, a thriller film can contain both a male and/or female protagonist and there's tensions and suspense throughout.

 Films like 'The Dark Knight Rises' and 'Nerve' are regarded as good thrillers because they contain suspense which appeals to the target audience.
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Genre Analysis - Action

August 20, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


 The typical target audience for an action film is primarily men, aged from around 12 - mid-20s however it could also appeal to men in their 30s. Stereotypical men are known for being more physical hence they are the main target audience for this film genre. The actions film also creates a sense of escapism whereby the audience is put in the film and travels to new and exotic locations. This could also be what makes an action/adventure film popular because it allows the audience to forget about everything causing trouble in life.

 An action film may also contain a heroine. This is usually because the directors try to create a larger target audience for the film as the romance parts may appeal to women, even though the heroine may not play a significant part in the film. Men like to see actions films because they like to put themselves in the situation of the protagonist. The protagonist is stereotypical male and very masculine, and the male audience like to think of themselves as them.
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Magazine Cover Analysis - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

August 14, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


The main eye-opening feature in this magazine cover by Empire is the medium shot of Bilbo Baggins as the main subject, and Gollum in the background. The magazine has been edited such that Bilbo Baggins sits in front of the magazine title. Cropping the main subject in front of the title is a common theme in movie magazines, and creates a 3D feeling, allowing it to be more easily recognised by an audience. We have the a golden ‘Empire’ logo that lays behind Baggins, and above the magazine title says ‘Precious Exclusive! When Gollum met Bilbo!’. Fans of the previous Lord of the Rings Trilogies will know this reference of ‘Precious’ to the character of Gollum. This suggests that this magazine is more directed to Lord of the Rings and Hobbit fans due the text shown, images and references to previous films. Above the ‘M’ in the title, we can see the website link, issue date and price of the cover in a very small font.

The medium shot depicts Bilbo holding a sword while his facial expression suggests he’s fearing from something. The frightening stare of Gollum towards Bilbo suggests Gollum is the evil in this shot, and Bilbo is scared and venerable. The sword is a genre indicator for an action film, and the character of Gollum is indicating a sci-fi because of this monster-like features. The environment they’re in seems like a dark cave which suggests an adventure, and with the use of low-key lighting, this suggests Bilbo is vulnerable in this shot.

Above the title of the film is a golden badge with ‘The Dark Knight Rises The Verdict!’ cut out into it. The gold and badge shaped suggests this is exclusive, and therefore the audience must purchase the magazine to read more about it. On the middle left of the page we have the barcode and the ‘PLUS’ list which is a commonly reoccurring element in a magazine cover. These usually list special content that may interest the target audience who are less keen for The Hobbit content. This allows the magazine to reach out to a larger target audience because it contains other content that will appeal to other people.


At the bottom of the page we have the title of the film in a golden serif font, and a smaller white font underneath. ‘The Hobbit’ is one of the biggest, noticeable, texts on the cover. Under the titles, says ‘The finest middle-earth coverage continues inside. . .’ in a thick gold and white font. This is used to attract a target audience that are fans of the film, as they want know as much as possible about the film. The ellipsis are almost used to subconsciously make the reader want to turn over the page to read on. After an ellipsis, we expect more content but this is the last thing the reader will see as it’s in the bottom right of the page, and therefore they want to read on.
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Magazine Cover Analysis - Skyfall

August 12, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


Like other film magazine front covers, there is almost always one film featured as the main image, in this case it is Skyfall. In the centre of the cover, we see the main character James Bond played, by Danial Craig, covering most of the page. The name of the magazine, Total Film, is displayed at the top of the page, were we see Danial Craig sit on top of the text. This technique is often utilised as it makes the main subject stand out among the text and almost pop out to the reader. The font used for the magazine name is a bold white, sans serif, font with a drop shadow to make this title stand out from the dark black background.

On the left side of the cover we’re sown come images of content that we’d expect to see in the film. The sub title for this segments is names ‘The ten coolest movies being made right now!’. This is directed towards the target audience of films fanatics who want to know all about the upcoming movies. This helps sell the magazine because the audience will want to know more about these new movies. On the bottom, right section of the cover, a bug plus sign is depicted with titles of different movies listed underneath with bold red text making it eye-popping. These are typical within magazine covers. The majority of magazines contain a ‘PLUS’ section to tell the target audience of other content to expect in their magazine.

The name for the film, Skyfall, is written in a large golden, serif, font – different from the font and colours used in the official Skyfall trailers and posters. This is not unusual in magazines posers as the editors give it their own twist as its less repetitive and more original. Original content is admired more by audiences otherwise seeing the same elements repeated can become boring, usually resulting in the fall of a magazine. Just above the film name, ‘Exclusive’ is written in a red rectangle while using a gold font. This indicates to the audience that the content is not likely to be in other film magazines and audiences will want to purchase this to get the latest news about a film. Using mise-en-scène to look at Bond’s clothing, we can see he is wearing a full tuxedo which connotes power and importance. We see that he has a small gun in one and judging from his stance as well as the slight low angle shot, it strengthens the idea that he is important and powerful. On his other hand, he is wearing an expensive watch, connoting wealth.


Above the ‘M’ in the magazine name are the issue numbers and the link to their website. These are written in a small thin font which the audience may miss, however, other magazine covers contain the same information. as well as the price, which may be the reason to why they are kept small. In the middle right of the cover, a circular array of stars encapsulates the magazines slogan – ‘The world’s best movie reviews’. This will be USP for the magazine for people who prefer to read about movie reviews.
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Movie Poster Analysis - Inception

August 10, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments


The film poster for Inception suggests a science-fiction, and possible fantasy, genre because we’re shown a long shot of six characters on a long street road, however, the road is shown curving up towards the sky in the background. The vertical street plays with the audience’s feelings, and may make them feel edgy due almost birds-eye-view shot coupled with the long shot. The poster uses a most dark color scheme, with the top and bottom being quite dark and the center being mostly lit. The dark colors connote mystery and danger which tie in the slogan of the film. The general color scheme of the poster is a teal blue tint which makes the audience feel cold and anxious.

At the top of the poster, Leonardo DiCaprio is written in bold white font suggesting that he is the lead actor in the film, and this is also evident as we can see him aligned to the center of the poster. Leonardo DiCaprio is used as a unique selling point for the film because of his popularity as being recognized as one of the greatest actors in Hollywood. Underneath his name are the names of other cast members in the film that play an important role. Their names are written in a smaller font than Leonardo DiCaprio’s, however, these also allow the audience to know other great actors and actresses that are in the film. Underneath the names, the slogan for the film can be seen – ‘Your mind in the scene of the crime’. We usually associate crime films with mystery, drama and thriller elements such as tense scenes and a series of well thought out plans.

We see the six main characters spread out evenly in the center of the poster. Through mise-en-scène we see that every character is dressed informal clothing, which include smart leather shoes, smart trousers, shirt and blazer, suggesting these characters play a powerful role in the film because we associate smartly dressed people with wealth and power. Three of the characters are shown holding weapons, guns and rifles, which connote danger, death, violence and crime. It is unclear from the poster however these characters could be playing roles of the criminals or the cops. This raises enigmas that makes the target audience, possible teen men aged 13-22, to go see the film.


Just above the title of the film, we are given the name of the director of the film and underneath is written ‘From the director of The Dark Knight’, where ‘The Dark Knight’ is written in a bold font. These are unique selling points for the film because The Dark Knight is a well-known, and well rated film, as well as the director – Christopher Nolan. The title of the film is written in a bold red, sans-serif, font which heavily stands out among the darker surrounding background colors. This is so that it allows the audience to easily know the name for the film, and therefore it and gain more popularity quicker. Underneath all the credit shots are the logos for the involved institutions, the website link and then the release date for the film. A common trend is that the font for the release date is greater than the font used in the credits. This may be because the target audience can quicker real when the film is coming and more easily decide if they want to do see it. Within the release date, it also says ‘in theaters and IMAX’. The use of IMAX is a USP for the film because it improved viewing experience for the audience.
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Magazine Cover Analysis - Suicide Squad

August 04, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments
On the front cover of this magazine, we see the character Deadshot from the film Suicide Squad. Through mise-en-scène, we can see he is wearing a red and black costume with body armor and padding. We also see that he is holding a gun which suggests that the film is an action and adventure film, and his futuristic eye piece may suggest a sci-fi genre. The background is filled with flames and burning SWAT trucks. The flames and SWAT trucks are genre indicators for an action film because flames connote danger, and the SWAT trucks connote danger and violence.

At the very top of the page, ’30-page Oscars preview inside’ is written in a bold yellow font which stands out against the black background, and the films listed underneath in a white font. This is made to stand out so it catches the audience’s attention, and it targeted towards audience members who what to know how these films did in the Oscars. Underneath this top section is the title of the magazine ‘Empire’. This is usually written in a bold solid color, and is consistent through other magazines by the same company, as it helps build brand identity as audiences familiarizes themselves with the brand. Just above the ‘M’ in ‘EMPIER’ we see the issue month and the price for the magazine ‘4.50’. This is written in a small font as any price that seems too expensive for the target audience will deter them from purchasing it.

The general color scheme of the cover follows a black, red, orange and white theme. The black and reds/oranges connote mystery and ricks, and the reds have links to blood, death and violence. A lot of low-key lighting is used which makes the Deadshot look more intimidating and scary. Deadshot used direct mode of address, this is where he is directly looking at the camera, and therefore at you. This is used to draw the reader as it subconsciously tells then to buy the magazine. Under the title of the film ‘Suicide Squad’, is written ‘Psychos. Killers. Freaks. Here to save the world’. From this text, it may indicate to the audience that these people are the protagonists, even though through mise-en-scène, they are depicted as the bad guys – the antagonists.
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Movie Poster Analysis - Star Wars The Force Awakens

August 03, 2016 Unknown 0 Comments
The main eye-popping features in this Star Wars The Force Awakens poster are the three main characters in the top, with their bright lightsabers and the Starkiller Base in the background. The audience can predict these are the main characters because of their size and hierarchy in the poster. The larger and higher up they are on the poster, the more powerful and important the character is in the film. We can easily distinguish the main protagonists from the antagonists due to the coloured lightsabers. The colour distribution on the poster suggests an action film with a fight against evil and good. The left half of the poster had an overall red/orange colour whereas the right half has a blue theme. The red obviously had strong links to evil, danger and death, whereas the blue connotes friendliness and safety. Underneath the main characters are images of other characters and familiar faces from previous Star Wars films. These will help being in previous fans of the film as well new fans of the film.

This poster contains many genre indicators which suggest a science-fiction, action and adventure film. The large explosions in the left and the mass number of Stormtroopers with weapons suggests an action film. The flying ships and robots in the poster indicate a science-fiction film, and from the background of space, it is also evident that this is an adventure film. Underneath we have the title of the film ‘Star Wars the Force Awakens’, and previous fans will know the ‘Star Wars’ series for being a sci-fi, adventure and action film. Under the title we have the film credits as well as the release date. As usual, the release date utilises a bold font to allow the audience to easily know when the film is releasing.


The overall poster uses a lot of dark colours, and low-key lighting which adds mystery and connotes danger. Similar to other science-fiction film posters, they usually have the main characters at the top, with other characters underneath them, and this poster is not much different, apart from the characters, mise-en-scène and props. This is a good thing because it means a target audience can quickly identify weather the film is a sci-fi or another genre. This could also be considered a bad thing as it means there is usually a small variation in film posters of this genre.
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