Marking Criteria self-Assessment

VIDEO (60)

-          Holding a shot steady where appropriate

-          Framing a shot introducing or excluding elements as appropriate

-          Using a variety of shot distances  as appropriate

-          Shooting material appropriate for the task

-          Using Mise-en-scene (colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting)

-          Editing so meaning is appropriate to the viewer

-          Using varied shots and transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately

-          Using sound and Images and editing appropriately

-          Using titles appropriately

Levels- Minimum (0-23) Basic (24-35) Proficient (36-47) excellent (48-60)

So far we have held the camera steady whilst filming by using a tripod, we have introduced our characters to the camera, we haven’t varied the shot types or shot distances and it is not appropriate or needed for our title sequence; though we did adjust the camera to certain heights to allow each character to been seen appropriately. We all wore different outfits to make our roles clear and fun for the audience to view, we are currently working on music and editing our green screen videos. We used lights in our video to prevent shadows from appearing but the lights changed some of the colour of the green on the wall making editing harder. In our next lesson we will be editing our titles in using final cut and making each title relate to each character.

The start of Toy Story immediately introduces the theme of the movie and the characters. We straight away find out that most the characters are toys and we are shown their characteristics; this immediately engages the audience and helps us to build a connection to them. The music played is upbeat and has a feel good mood which creates a happy, relaxed atmosphere. This is what the group I’m working in is intending to do, though our plan is to make the credits more obvious and interesting to read. Hopefully the sequence we create will also give ideas about what the rest of the film may include and make the audience feel comfortable and happy to carry on watching the film if we were to make the next scenes just like Toy Story does. 

Back to the Future

First we see and hear ticks clocking- there are many different types of clocks but all say the same time. The camera image is moving across the screen to reveal other features of the room, for example we then see newspaper articles, the radio turns on telling us the date and year, the tv is then shown; on a news channel- here we discover that plutonium has been stolen. The camera then moves to reveal many broken inventions such as a dog feeder. This is where the first cut in the film happens (around 1 minute in). Feet are then shown in the doorway with a skateboard; the skateboard is then pushed and hits the box of plutonium hidden under the bed.

I think this opening sequence helped by showing me what sort of thing I could use for my group project. It gave me an idea of what sounds and techniques to include.  

BBFC session.

We learnt about the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) and how U’s and PG’s are classified.

We discovered that the categories are extremely similar and there are few differences between them, for example: for both only mild language can be used, there shouldn’t been long scenes of violence or horror and only natural nudity is allowed. Though they are similar there are differences, for instance a U can contain very little sexual content like kissing and can only have references to phrases like ‘making love’ where as in a  PG sexual activity may be implied but must be discreet.   

Finding Nemo (U)

It is clear as you watch the introduction of Finding Nemo that it is suitable for all ages though a few mildly violent scenes. The first 15 minutes of the film show that Nemo get captured, suggesting what the rest of the film might be about. The characters personalities are straight away apparent, for example Marlin (Nemo’s father) comes across as very protective, and Nemo seems cheeky and curious. Introducing their personalities straight away allows the audience to empathise with the characters engaging them in the film. The introduction of the film generally starts off negative then for a short amount of time becomes positive but then returns to a negative plot.

The first 2 minutes of the film the music is quite positive and relaxing which makes the audience relax to find the film easier and more enjoyable to watch, though as the mood suddenly changes the music also reflects this though it is very similar to the sound played in the first few minutes. The Special effects for the year the movie was released is exceptionally good, the colours are bright and the picture is detailed. When these characteristics are present children watching it are more likely to be engaged and find it more fun to watch.

Overall the film has been well made and because of that it was very popular and still watched frequently to this date.