Preliminary Task

For my preliminary task I worked with Zoe and Ellie. From the preliminary task I have learnt how important it is to get lots of footage. If you don't have enough footage the shots will be jumpy and not run as smoothly as they should. I have also learnt the importance of the 180 degree rule, as well as the shot reverse shot and match on action. When people are talking it is important to use these rules in order to make it easy to follow the conversation. Additionally, when filming someone going through a door it is important to use match on action. That is the part of our preliminary task that we didn't get enough footage for. Not getting enough footage means that when I walk through the door the shot just cuts and doesn't run smoothly. If we had got more footage we would have been able to edit it together better and it would have been of a higher quality.

Analysis of opening 2 minutes - The Vow

• Production company - Screen gems and then spy glass both on a black screen
• Soft slow music playing in the background 
• Names of the production companies, this time in white writing over the action 
• Outside the movie theatre tracking shot from the top of the building to level with the two main characters who are walking out of the doors
• They have just been on a cliche date
• Characters walk out with their arms linked, which suggests that they are in love
• Snow outside is romantic
• She is wearing a coat that is red, which could suggest love and or anger that is going to come in the rest of the film
• Name of the film comes into focus over the action, which is out of focus
• Close up shots which change quickly between characters suggest they have a connection
• Car radio is used to make it seem like a normal drive home
• He sings along to a love song while looking at her
• Close up of their faces as he sings and looks at her
• 180 degree rule with both characters in shot but the character that isn't talking is out of 

 Analysing The Vow has really helped me with the production of the opening two minutes of my film as it has a lot of similarities. The Vow uses the kind of actors/actresses that I would like to use in the opening two minutes of my film.It also has a wedding scene. This is useful to me as in my opening two minutes people will be getting ready for a wedding. This will help me to decide on the costume and props I would like to use. As well as this The Vow contains a car crash scene much like the one I would like to use. This gave me a good idea of the angles and shots I would need to get of my character driving in order to make it look as realistic as possible.

Analysis of opening 2 minutes - Pearl Harbor

The opening scene is of a war plane flying in front of smoke. It gives it an old fashioned feel, which is enhanced by the slow classical music playing  in the background. The title of the film is over a picture of the sun. The mise en scene helps to create an olden day feel. The children are wearing dungarees and are on a farm. They are also wearing olden day pilot hats. This helps to give the film a felling that is set during the war. The use of a low shot when the children are looking at the dad flying the plane makes the audience feel like they are with the children and admiring the plane above them.

Diary Post - 6

I have been doing institution research. By doing this I have decided that I would like to use Screengems as my production company. I have chosen them as they produced The Vow. The Vow is like the opening two minutes of my film as it contains the husband and wife getting ready for a wedding as well as a car crash scene. These are both things that I would like to include in the opening two minutes of my film and why I have chosen Screengems as my production company. Screengems are also a production company that have made other romantic drama films such as Dear John. This means that it is a production company that is used to creating romantic drama films and also works with the types of actors and actresses that I would like to have in my film. This is another reason why I chose them to be the production company of my film. 

Diary Post - 5

In class I have been working on creating an animatic for the opening two minutes of my film. I have been drawing pictures of each of the separate shots from my shotlist that I wish to shoot when out filming for the opening two minutes of my film to put together to create a short animatic. This will be a representation using still pictures of what the opening two minutes of my film will look once I have filmed and edited it. I will refer back to this throughout the whole film making process to make sure that I am creating the film that I have always wished to create. I think my animatic has really helped me to get a real feel for what my film is actually going to be like. It has also been a good opportunity for me to experiment with different music that I may want to add to the actual finished product that will be my film.

Diary Post - 4

I have been doing certification research to find out how and why films are rated at the age that they are. I have also found out what goes into the film that makes it that certification age. From doing my certification research I have decided that my film would be a 15. This means that no one under 15 would be allowed to go and see this film in the cinema. I have decided my film would be a 15 because of the car crash scene that I wish to have in it.

As well as this I have been doing institution research to find out what type of institutions make films like the one I am going to make so that I can use that in the opening two minutes of my film. In doing so I think that the type of institution that would produce a film like mine would be screen gems. They make other films like mine such as The Vow and Dear John. I am therefore going to use them as the production company in my final film.

Institution Research

10 Things I Hate About You
Production company - Touchstone Pictures

Safe Haven
Production Company - Relatively Media

Like Crazy
Production company- Paramount Vantage

Pearl Harbor
Production Company - Touchstone Pictures

The Vow
Production Company - Spyglass entertainment and Screen gems

Dear John
Production Company - Screen gems and Relatively media

Water for Elephants
Production Company - 20th century fox

The Lucky One
Production Company - Warner Brothers and Village roadshow pictures

P.S I Love You
Production Company - Warner Brothers and Alcon entertainment

In Love and War
Production Company - New Line Cinema

A Walk on the Moon
Production Company - Miramax Films

Perfect Opposites
Production Company - The Vault

Remember me
Production Company - Summit Entertainment

The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud
Production Company - Universal Pictures

Last Night
Production Company - Gaumont and Miramax

When Harry met Sally
Production Company - Castle Rock Entertanment

The Notebook
Production Company - New Line Cinema

The Fault in our Stars
Production Company - 20th Century Fox and Temple Hill Entertainment

From my institution research I have decided to use Scremgems as the production company for the opening two minutes of my film. I have decided to use Sceengems as they make The Vow. This film is very much like the one I am aiming to make as it contains the kind of actors and story line that I am using for the opening two minutes of my film. It also contains a car crash scene much like the one I wish to use in the opening two minutes of my film.

Certificate Research

This is my certification research. From this I have learnt what each certification means, and what films can and cannot contain in order to fit into a certain certification. I would like my film to be a 12A as it contains a car crash scene. This is not suitable for younger children as it may upset them. My film wouldn't be a 15 as it doesn't contain any strong language, drug taking, portrayals of sexual activity or strong verbal references to sex. Doing certification research has helped me as I now know what the opening two minutes of my film can and can not contain. I will bear all of these things in mind when I go out to film, in order to make sure that it fits into the 12A category.