Music and Sound

What music and sounds are included within films?

Soundtracks are included in many films, as the music becomes recognisable to the audience and could be a main selling point. Children's films, particularly Disney films tend to have a soundtrack such as, The Lion King and Beauty and The Beast. 


Soundtracks add effect to films and build anticipation, making films more pleasurable for an audience to view. Other than children's films, dramas tend to use a certain type of music that attracts the audience and supports the storyline of the film. Popular soundtracks include the Brave heart and Lord of the rings, which are films that have action within them.




Soundtracks are non-diegetic music used within films. Music will be used in our own 5 minute film as it will add effect to the situations within our film such as the dramatic ending and upsetting parts where Destiny is shown to have no money. Most films use all 4 different sound/music techniques including: Ambient sounds, non-diegetic, diegetic, soundtracks.

Ambient sounds are sounds which are naturally within the setting used in the film such as birds tweeting, wind and rain. Rain is used within The Notebook as an ambient sound because it is a sound that matches the surroundings of the film.

Non Diegetic sound is where the sound is put into the film during production. This can be a Voice Overs, sound track or fake ambient sounds.

Diegetic sounds are sounds that are already in the film. These can be natural ambient sounds, dialogue and music that is being played in the film. This includes sound bridges during conversations.

 

 

 

Viral Advertising

Viral advertising

Viral advertising is a modern way in which films can be publicised and become familiar to their audience. There are many ways in which viral advertising can be used is through adverts, websites and videos. Different films go through extremes to advertise their new, upcoming films. A good example of this is batman, where a newspaper was created which was two sided. One side was a normal looking paper made by "Gothem news paper company" but the other side was made by the Mimes who are evil. This spin of a news paper advertises Batman well as people can get involved in the storyline and gives the audience a sense of reality.


An idea for our viral advert, would be a television advert that is similar to those that are already existing as real money lenders such as Wonga. These adverts all use the same techniques including close ups and voice overs. These voice overs add effect to the close up as these are usually just used to show facial expressions of people before they have lent the money and after. This is simple and would be easy for us to do in our own advertisement.

Furthermore, money lenders adverts are usually optimistic about lending money and portray it in a positive way instead of letting the audience know they are getting themselves in debt. They act as though the company works to suit the client and that they are in charge of the amount of money they lend and how long they have to pay it back. These adverts can be fairly long, but we plan to use this advertisement within our actual 5 minute film, so we would have to make it a little shorter.

Diary Update

 

Diary Update

 

 

Today we filmed and edited our viral advert, this was mostly facial expressions as we are going to do a voice over. We looked into existing adverts for money lenders and noticed that most of them have voice overs to make what they are saying stand out.

 

Once we finished filming, we imported the footage onto the computer and continued to edit the scene between the loan shark and Destiny. During this editing we realised that the 180 degree line wasn't always followed and the focus sometimes altered. This means we have to re film, however the original person who played the loan shark is no longer available. Therefore, we have now arranged another man to come in and film with us.

 

 

 

 

So far we have filmed Destiny, waking up and calling the loan shark arranging a meet up. This filming went well, however there is still more filming for the bedroom scene to be filmed.

After filming the loan shark scene and realising we had forgotten about the 180 degree line, we have made sure we have considered all the rules of filming during this session.

Making Video Look More Like Film

Making video look more like film

Video looks different from film. Film looks softer partly because the slower frame rate and the lack of interlacing. Interlacing means that video is actually 60 fields per second (a field being either every odd or even line of a whole screen, i.e. half). Both of these make movement on video look clearer and sort of strobe-like (less movement 'blur') than on film.

Film also looks softer because it has a much greater range of contrast and color. Video looks harsher (more contrasting and starker, more primary-ish colors). In our film, we want a move film-like effect rather than a video. There are certain effects you can use to achieve a more film look. These are the basic things you can do to solve this problem, not just on final cut express but on other editing software. 

Color Correct
First, get all the shots in a scene to look the same. If the white balance was wrong, the colour tone may have to be adjusted. Otherwise, fine-tune the exposure on each individual shot. Now, develop a look for the scene. Nest the entire scene into one clip and experiment with filters to see what looks good. This stage is another license to get creative. It doesn’t have to look exactly how it was shot. For example, add some green to give the scene a sickly, institutional look. Experiment with “curves” or “gamma.” The advanced will adjust the colour channels separately. 

Desaturate Colours 
Some people think reducing the colour intensity makes video look more like film. It is a look. I have used it before, but I don’t use it in every situation. Many video editing applications have a “desaturate” filter. Experiment de- and over-saturating the image. Again, the more advanced colourist will adjust each colour separately.

Crush Blacks
For whatever reason, video cameras don’t record the dark areas as black as they should (a contrast problem). Nest the scene and make the blacks blacker. This is done in the colour corrector (Final Cut Pro and Avid) by reducing the lows or with a filter called “Levels” by increasing the black input. Experiment with settings until happy.

Blur the Highlights
This is a trait of some films. The very bright areas of the frame are blurry and almost bleed into the areas directly surrounding them. Duplicate the nested scene and put it on an upper video layer, perfectly aligned with the original. Add a small Gaussian blur (2-5), reduce the opacity to 3-10%, and change the composite mode to Screen.

Add Grain
Most video editors have a “noise generator” of sorts. Generate some noise that is coloured and randomly changing (under it’s settings). Put this in the timeline above the scene. Reduce opacity and experiment with composite mode (multiply might be good for this). Keep the opacity low–a little goes a long way. I should note that I almost never use this anymore because I don’t like film grain anymore than I like a video look.

Widescreen
Dramatic media, whether on TV or in a movie theater, is often presented in widescreen. This is another thing that helps convince an audience that your movie is more than just a home video. On video, add those annoying black bars on the top and bottom of the screen by putting a black colour slug on an upper video layer and add an inverted 4-point garbage matte filter. This is better than applying the "widescreen" filter because this way you can adjust headroom on the clips. If you plan on doing this, shoot accordingly–try taping black bars onto the on set video monitor.

De-Interlace
The above 6 suggestions dealt with the look of film. This attempts to make the motion more cinematic. Video is 60 interlaced fields. Film is 24 frames per second. We can take video to 30 frames progressive (sort of). Most video editing software has a de-interlace filter. Unfortunately, it cuts the vertical resolution in half. Here’s how you can maintain more of the resolution. Duplicate a nested scene onto an upper video layer perfectly aligned with the original. On the lower layer, apply the “de-interlace” filter with even fields. On the upper layer, apply the “de-interlace” filter with odd fields and reduce the opacity to 50%. If you notice jagged edges, you may consider reducing the opacity to 30-50%. If you shot with the camera in 'movie mode' this step is not needed.

Maybe people have their own ways of making video look more like film using final cut express...

Editing process for our viral advert

Editing Process

For our media project we have used viral advertising for a money loaning company for the Loan Shark. This advert is good because it works as a believable advert for money loaning however, the audience will research the loan company and this will create a marketing buzz.

To start with we imported the footage of our film to final cut. We have used 3 different shots and edited them continuously. We followed the sequence of an advert for "Quick Quid" where the advert starts with someone who is struggling, then they easily get the loan, then they are happy.

However, because our advert is for a twisted money loaning company we needed to make it look a little scary. So we used a shark to come along and eat the text. This makes the advert look more professional and goes with the theme of the loan shark. We did this by layering the shark over the top of the film and key framing the shark and text.

On the quick quid advert there is a logo in the top corner. So we used photo shop to create a logo for the loan shark. 

 Also on the "Quick Quid" advert there is a voice over that talks though the steps and how easy it is. We have used a zoom recorder for this.

Due to a new idea we have decided to swap the actors in the Loan advert because the main character Destiny played by Maddison Brown is in the Loan advert. So the new idea was to put the advert on the film and have Destiny watch it but she would then be watching herself. So we are re-shotting 3 scenes and swapping them on the final cut.

Making Film Look Less Like Video

Some short films shot in HD become too shiny for a real film affect. One part of this relates to the Frames per second. Also we can put a colour filter on the edited film to make it less shiny.

Production Day List

Day 1-
Location- college
Script page 2-4
Camera, Tripod
Actors- Billy and Maddy
Props- Cups and menu

Day 2-
Location- Park
Script page -1
Camera, Tripod
Actors- Maddy and Autumn
Props- business card
Safety- Coats may be needed

Day 3-
Location- Maddy's house and outside and park
Script page 4-5
camera and tripod
Actors- Maddy and Beth
Props- Letter, business card, car, loan money leaflet

Day 4-
Location- Alhambra tunnels
Script page- 3
Camera and tripod
Actors- Maddy
Props- work uniform, phone and leaflets

Company Logo For Viral Advert

For out viral ad we needed a company logo so I used Photoshop to edit a shark text. I changed the colour scheme, cut out the image and added text. This logo is simple, easy to read and will stand out the screen when we film Destiny watching the advert and calling the Loan Shark.

Production Diary

In production of filming we have completed:

•  Conversation between the Loan shark and Destiny
• The two jogging scenes (Conversation between Maddy and Destiny, lending money and giving it back)
•  Viral advert

Viral Advert Story Board

Radio Trailer Research

Radio Trailer Research

Conventions:

• Voiceover - hints of sounds and lines from the film
• Information about where the film will be shown/available from and the certificate of the film
• A slogan/motto for the film
• Sound effects if needed

Purpose:

• Its purpose is the persuade the audience to go and watch and/or buy the film. 

An advertisement needs to be played on a particular station depending on the audience, for example a radio trailer for our film wouldn't be played on a classical station or one aimed at the older adult or a young child.

Title Sequence Analysis

http://prezi.com/iwv6fbjupxk0/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Loan Shark Character Profile

 

Name: Mr Shark
Age: 40
Occupation: Money lender/entrepreneur
Hair colour: Blonde
Personality: Creepy, intimidating.
Played by: Billy Marsden

In the film Mr Shark is the loan shark/money lender that Destiny meets in the restaurant. In the beginning of the film he has a very false personality of been generous, kind and caring, asking her if she's ok and being friendly leading Destiny into falling for his deadly plot. He gives her the money however sends her the files of who to kill - herself. He is a very dark, creepy young man who is not a good person to get involved with.

Location Change

Location change

Since we cannot film in the local theatre we have decided to film in an office at college. This is easier and we can personalise it to look as we would like. We have decided to bring in books and desk accessories for the desk that the loan shark will sit on. Although we were hoping for an old fashioned desk and room, we believe the blank canvas of the college office will work fine.

Desk accessories we may bring in:

Storyboard

New Script

Influences

Influences

The influences for our film was Black Button, The Purge, The Box and Angel Heart. 

Black Button - The film centers around a classic hypothetical and moral quandary; lost and confused in a stark white room the main character, Mr. Roberts, is offered ten million dollars by a mysterious older gentleman to push a black button. The catch? If he does, someone, somewhere will die. This premise sets the stage for a provocative conversation between the two as they discuss the implications of such a choice.  

http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2007/08/05/black-button/

The Purge - The Purge is a 2013 American science fiction thriller film directed and written by James DeMonaco. Starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey, the film is set in the year 2022 when the United States has become "a nation reborn", with crime and unemployment rates hitting an all-time low, due to the government having instituted an annual 12-hour period called "the Purge" during which all criminal activity (including murder, theft, and rape) becomes legal. The only rules during the Purge is that government officials of "ranking 10 or higher" must remain unharmed and usage of weaponry above "Class 4" (such as WMDs) is forbidden. The Purge is designed to act as a catharsis for the American people, so that they may vent all negative emotions and repressed urges however and on whomever they desire. The idea of The Purge is very similar to the Krypteia tradition every autumn of ancient Sparta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purge

The Box - The Box is a 2009 American psychological horror film based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson, which was previously adapted into an episode of the 1980s iteration of The Twilight Zone. The film is written and directed by Richard Kelly and stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box from a mysterious man played by Frank Langella who offers them one million dollars if they press the button sealed within the dome on top of the box. However once the button has been pushed someone, somewhere, will die.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Box_(2009_film)

Angel Heart - Angel Heart is a 1987 American psychological horror film written and directed by Alan Parker, and starring Mickey Rourke,Robert De Niro, and Lisa Bonet. The film is adapted from the novel Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg, and is generally faithful to the novel with the exceptions being the introduction of a child of Epiphany Proudfoot conceived at a voodoo ceremony by "a devil", and that the novel never leaves New York City, whereas much of the action of the film occurs in New Orleans.

A highly atmospheric film, Angel Heart combines elements of film noir, hard-boiled detective stories and horror.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Heart

All four films ideas and techniques have contributed to our film.

Mainly the ideas of people killing for money, temptation and self greed.

Our character of the loan shark is a modern and nowadays take on the judge that is seen in Black Button.

Our plot of her having to kill herself is based on that in Angel Heart where he is hired to kill himself but he doesn't know it. 

Music/sound

Just about every film has all 4 different music/sound features: Ambient sounds, non-diegetic, diegetic, soundtracks.
Ambient sounds- sounds that are natural in the film such as bird tweeting, wind and rain. In Matilda there is an ambient sound of wind. And in the Notebook the rain sound is ambient

Non Diegetic sound- this is where the sound is put into the film during production. This can be a Voice Over, sound track or fake ambient sounds. This is heard a lot in Dr.Seuss book inspired films. This is an example from The Grinch. 

Diegetic sounds- These are sounds that are already in the film. These can be natural ambient sounds, dialogue and music that is being played in the film. In Angus Thongs and Perfect snogging. The music is already in the film but then becomes non-diegetic by being used as a sound bridge.

Soundtracks- This is non-diegetic music. They are normally music to sum-up a problem or scenario.



http://www.slideshare.net/longroadmedia/glossary-sound-and-music-in-film

Film poster

Film posters are a big influence on marketing and advertising a film. One poster I want to look at in detail is "The Box". This film poster is a good example because the storyline is similar to ours. We can use this evaluation to give us some ideas for our film poster.

Title squeance

Title sequences

Possible distributor

The distribution company I have chosen is Future Shorts.
I think that they would be suitable as the specialise in the distribution of original, short films.
They would be a lot better than a larger company as they have experience and knowledge of what distribution methods work.

http://www.futureshorts.com/htmlViewer.php?id=15

Individual analysis of a title sequence + screenshots + links

I have chosen to look at the title sequences of similar short films, this allows me to see the techniques used that we could take into consideration when we are creating ours. 

The first title sequence i looked at was for 'Black Button' 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrKnhOJ-R80

This is the first shot is the first thing that pops on the screen it says: GOD WILL NOT SUFFER YOU TO BE TEMPTED ABOVE THAT YE ARE ABLE. In black capital blurred font on a simple plain white background. 

 The second shot stays the same as the first shot, however after a big ben style clock sound dings then the second paragraph appears in the same style. It says: BUT WILL THE THE TEMPTATION ALSO MAKE WAY TO ESCAPE.

 Then the quote is completed with the name at the bottom right corner which also appeared after the dinging sound.









The first three shots make up a quote taken from the bible Corithian 10:13. It means that no temptation has overcome you only that what is common to mankind, god is faithful and he will not allow to to become tempted beyond what you can cope with, but when you are tempted he will provide a way so that you can cope it.
This links to Black Button as the judge tries tempting him into pressing the button for money.
This links to our film as the loan shark tries to tempt her into killing someone for money.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+10%3A13

The title of the film starts to fade in.

 The title of the film becomes clear again in a similar font but larger and bolder.

It then cuts to a shot of the judge and the film starts. 

Production Schedule