Final Cut - The Returning

The Returning



By Kathleen Rayment

Preliminary Task

Here is our preliminary task. In this task we learnt how to shoot continuity shots.

Evaluation: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I have learnt so much since making my peleminary task. When I first started I knew how to use the camera correctly and how to shoot certain shots, but I was very much unclear of all the softwares that you edit your shots in to create your film.

Working on my own throughout this project has put pressure on me to make sure everything is right, and make sure that I don't mess anything up, because I would only have myself to blame. Therefore this lead me to take a lot of consentration and care into the making my media film and fully understanding how to use the different softwares.

The care that I took into making sure I knew my way around, Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro and Photoshop really has paid off looking back at my final edit. Without my editing techniques I would not have been able to the film what it is now. I have been able to create suspence and a tense atmosphere through music and lighting, which I originally did not have in my original shots. Thanks to the editing softwares I was able to re-create the ideas that I had going on in my head. I did however have a few limitations where I could not present the exact image that I had, based on the sounds on soundtrack pro, but I worked about that and created something I am a lot happier with now than my first idea. 

Apart from my gained knowledge on the softwares, I have also learnt about sounds that can be picked up through the camera, and how to capture sound that you do want, and get rid of sound that you dont particularly want or need. Aswell with the camera shooting, I have gained more confidence with my recording, and I am now willing to try new things instead of keeping to the same traditional sort of takes on things that would guaratee things to be 'safe'.

All in all, this the preliminary task, I have gained for knowledge and more confidence with the technologies and camera shooting to make sure I can create the best media product I potentionally can.

By Kathleen Rayment

Evaluation: What have you learn about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout the construction of this product I have learnt new ways of editing and distributing my work.

I was able to compose my soundtrack through soundtrack pro. This allowed me to mix around with different sounds. Cut, pause, mix and play around with them. With a mixture of different sounds I was able to produce the soundtrack that I now have on my media product.

Within final cut pro i was able to chop all my shots and mix them together. I was able to fade them into eachother, change the colour of my shots and add other shots such as my credits. I was also able to add my ident in at the beginning of my film to introduce my company.

Using blogger enabled me to keep track of my progress throughout the making of my media film. I kept track of my planning and then how I progressed onto actually creating the film. My blog consists of research behind the genre of thriller, the planning for my film and the construction of my film.

In photoshop I was able to take an original photo that is used in the media film and take a purposely taken photo to edit in, into the original. Photoshop made it easier for the new edited photo to look realistic and helped blend in with the original photo, therefore it did not look like an edited photo.

I have used YouTube a lot throughout the making of my media film. I have used it to gather research to help me create my film, I have used it to display evidence of my research on my blog, and more importantly I have used it to distribute my media film onto the internet. This way people can view it easily and for free.

I also briefly used Microsoft Word to help me plan out my research, and to write my script that I was able to give out to my characters to help structure my media product.

By Kathleen Rayment

Evaluation: How did you attract/address your audience?

The film has certain features that other thriller films have which attract my target audience. For example, the similarities between my film and an actual film is that:

• The characters come across niave and very vulnerable.
• The soundtrack sets a un-easy atmosphere.
• The surroundings have a sort of edge to them.
• There is an unexpected event.
• There is suspence that makes the audience keen to see more.
• The credits also build tension in the way that they are presented.

Therefore my film is like other thriller films which attracks a wide range of people who are keen to be 'frightened' and 'shocked'. This feeling of anticipation creates a sense of excitment which again can create a bigger audience.

By Kathleen Rayment

Evaluation: Who would be the audience for your media product?

My audience would mainly consist of those older than 15. Because the events that happen within my media product would be understood clearly by 15+ people and would interest them based on that Thriller films also have a big audience of different age groups.

I think it would apply more specifically to 15-19 year olds because they are the sort of people who tend to go to the cinema more often for something to do or on a date. Especially with 'Orange Wednesdays' a lot of teenagers tend to go out of a wednesday to the cinema because of the '2 4 1' deal with orange.

My media product was shown mainly to students aged 16-18 this is what they thought:

"Soundtrack worked really well throughout the film and flowed nicely."

"Good camera shots with great positioning."

"Good use of editing, when making the scenes more tense."

"Twist was very good and unexpected, made me want to watch more."

"Although the acting could have been better, the storyline was very well thought through and worked very well."

In reference to my given feedback I believe that I targeted my audience well, as they enjoyed the storyline, the suspence and tension created throughout my media product.

By Kathleen Rayment

Evaluation: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I believe that Paramount Pictures would be extremely interested in distributing my media product. Based on the fact that they have a wide range of genres that they distribute from, 'Rugrats In Paris: the Movie', too films such as 'The Ring' and 'Paranormal Activity.'

More specifically, looking into my genre that I have chosen for my media product, there has been a lot of very successful releases distributed from Paramount Pictures. This successful Thriller films consist of:

The Devil Inside

The Devil inside is based on a woman who committed a triple murder during an exorcism perfomed on her. She was then emitted to a physcharatic ward in Rome. Twenty years later her daughter after her daughter found out about the murders, she travels to Rome. Later on nearer the end of the film her daughter then finds out that she possessed.

Paranormal Activity

In Paranormal Activity a weird 'demon' is slowly discovered by a man and his wife/girlfriend. Weird things start occuring around the house, so in order to capture its suspicious behavour that happens reguarlary during the night, they set up a vide camera in different rooms around the house. The videos that they capture all start to build up and slowly what is causing havoc in their house and causing them terror, is revealed.

The Haunting in Connecticut

In Haunting in Connecticut, a young naive family move into an old house that has struggled to be sold on the market. But for thier own convienent reasons they decide that it is best that they bought the house. Slowly the house reveals what it was used for, when a boy chooses a main room that was used by the previous owner as his bedroom. He begins to discover things and also see things which he then tells the hospital about. Certain spirits use his body to get into our world and cause danger, and his original spirit trys to help his family stay away from the danger that the evil spirits are creating.

Based on the fact that these sort of films have made great success and made lot's of money for paramount pictures, I believe that they would also be interested in distributing my media product based on that these sort of films can make a lot of money and have a wide set audience.

By Kathleen Rayment