Progress Chart

This is just an updater and progress chart which has helped me to stay on track, time and management is crucial in this project. The chart finishes before the date of the actual evaluation task. The need to put it on there isn't that important as all the important stuff is in the blog anyway and as we draw closer to the end of this project, it's much easier to monitor what is left to do.

Progress chart

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The End (Finished Filming)

Well filming is over and I must say that the overall product looks amazing. All this hard work and time has gone into produces a great opening sequence, All the editing, sound has been done, all left now is the evaluation which is going to be a great challenge.

AS media has been great and I can honestly say that I've learn't so much. I'm most definitely more open minded with ideas than I first once. I can't wait for A2 media but until then enjoy my blog and the Opening Sequence of Cannibal High.

The Final Piece

Editing the final piece has been a roller-coaster, making the effects work with the shots were quite a challenge. After the first two drafts we had to be extremely creative with the way we contained the interest and tension for the audience.

The clear changes from this final draft and the 2nd draft is that we put more special effect that suggest that the characters are being watched. We've tried as a group to make sure that the colour pallet is clearer and more visible for the audience. Using Sony Vegas which (a form of final cut express but not on a Apple Mac) enabled use to create this was much more efficient than using the Apple Mac, it gave us a more better understanding on how to use the software whereas Final Cut Express can be misleading. It's gave us great transitions and great effects as well. However the speed of the rendering is far better on a Apple Mac. So Sony Vegas lacked the speed which made it more time consuming.

The sound is much better and connotes a better picture to the audience it allows the audience to think more and question the opening sequence a lot more.

This is our Final Opening sequence, and I'm extremely pleased with it, so I hope you enjoy it.

Creating a Film Name (Finishing Touches)

Thinking of a film title was extremely difficult we had relate the title to the opening sequence, however our first initial ideas went from Zombie school to After School,we stuck with After school for the first draft but when we got feedback from our teacher it occurred to us that the title just wasn't cutting it. Me and my partner sat down for a very long time. We just couldn't think of any titles that placed the character of our film correctly. UNTIL.....we had a drink and then my partner suggested Cannibal High. I looked at him and said you absolute genius, when we sat back threw a few drafts of our film we noticed that the finishing of the opening sequence fitted so good that we ended up changing a few things in film. Using Adobe After Effects to create this title we managed to create a strong but bold title that placed itself well within the film.

As you can see the title correlates to the image of the cannibal.

Sound

Creating sound for this opening sequence had to a well thought out process. When creating a Horror film the realism of the sound connotes a better understanding of what's happening and why.

As group we planned initially to create a all garage band theme tune. However after a few trials and experimenting we choose to combine mixture of recorded music with some sounds created using Apple Mac Garage Band software. It enabled use to blend the two together, giving us a great conventional horror theme tune. We created a clear Non diegetic sound which connotes isolation and vulnerability, The sound of wind passing threw a tunnel with no one around adds to the tension built at the beginning. As the main character in the film continues to go about his vandalism we capture a lower level of Non diegetic sound, the cross fading between ambient and a low level of percussion sound(wind). We've captured the sound to fit well with the character, when he's vandalising and when he's vulnerable we've change the level of crescendo. When the character goes to investigate to what happened we have chosen to slowly but steadily increase the tempo at which the shots are being shown. Before the character goes we use a diegetic sound to emphasise the 'Bang'. The 'Bang' sound connotes clear frustration and panic across the characters face. As we build up to the finale we unravel a diegetic sound (breathing) combined with a tension building diegetic sound. A high pitch using strings and a source of percussion instrument. At the point of the character entering the room the crescendo of the music is at it's highest. The chase uses diegetic sound of the cannibal character and also Non diegetic sound of the CCTV surveillance camera effect. All together the sound creates and adds the tension of the opening sequence.

The 2nd Draft (Opening Sequence)

We had our last production day, we re-filmed certain areas to make the film much more to the point, We've put in some creative special effects and a narrative code as well one which re-tells a slight story from the past.

We've already notice by the length of the film that its to slow in the build up. When we come to rendering the final draft we will cut the opening shots of the vandals approaching as it doesn't fit in with the overall idea of a Horror genre. We realised that our film isn't about vandals from out of town but a horror which suggest that there's something in the school. We felt also that the sound needed adjusting as well as it wasn't just wasn't cutting it.

Creating a Cannibal

Creating a cannibal for the film was the more fun part as we able to play round with blood (ketchup) and generally make our cannibal character look convincingly scary. The use of ketchup was a much more reliable product of blood as it was the closest to creating an effect that the cannibal was eating people. Experimenting with the ketchup and took many shots with the cannibal. As we felt that the ending of the opening sequence is probably the most vital thing of it all as it's the tension which has been built, and now something will happen. What the audience see last is what will stay with them more as it's the most terrifying bit of the opening.

Creating a Cannibal

Advertising (Film Awarness)

If my film company was actually real, publishing a real film, then promotion of the film is vital. My group decided to create a form of advertising threw the internet, as it's were everyone goes especially our target audience. 9/10 they will be visiting social networking sites and browsing for videos and songs. My group chose to advertise using Facebook (social networking site) and You-tube (broadcasting Site) both shared a similar theme which is it's low budgeted, hardly any costs needed, and as being a small production company using the internet to advertise is at a much more greater effect than spending thousands on advertising threw the TV.

Production Day 5

As a group we have decided to make this the final production day, this based on that we only have some minor filming left to do. We need to film the part at the end involving blood. Apart from that the entire film is complete and from my point of view rather a pleasing result.

The experience gained threw these past few weeks, has been great I've learn't more about the technique when filming and even produced greater shots in the process. The use of Sony Vegas and the Adobe After Effects has enabled me to gather a better understanding and vision, filming contains a lot more than just a camcorder. Without all my research and planning finishing this film wouldn't have been possible.

We will be putting in our desired special effects and creativity that wasn't put in the first draft, so that's still to be put in. We felt that cutting out the walking scene of the three vandals was better as it ruins the point of is being a Horror/Thriller. It's confusing to the audience as well not knowing if it's a gangster film or a Horror/Thriller film.

First Draft

Editing the first draft is rather straight forward,we got feedback from our teacher we understand and digested his comment of the first draft and are currently planning another day to film, a few of the shot weren't accurate and showing what they were mean't to show. For example at the end of the first draft we noticed that the build up to the cannibal scene was far too long, and when it came to the final sequence it wasn't as clear as it could be.

The film is black and white, as a group we are still discussing the fact of filming in colour. It will improve the quality and visibility of the film. We found that the sound wasn't congruent as it could be so that another area we will be looking into. There are still some effect that we want to put in, when we come to editing the final sequence we will be putting in a clever re-telling the story style effect, For example after the production name and the title we will be putting pretend statistics and a hand-held video effect with it, if your still confused watch the final draft it's clear.