Introduction to AS Media

Introduction to AS media Studies

My name is Mary Thompson, My candidate number is 3168 and i am currently studying media studies at Swakeleys Sixth form (centre number 12950).
At the end of the year I am hoping to pass this AS level (preferably a B) and continue on to A2 level Media Studies. We are creating blogs and an opening to a film which will be externally assessed.
I enjoy Media, I find it very interesting and I thrive in the hands on subject and specification. I'm excited to create the opening sequence to a movie and i hope it will meet expectations and achieve me a high grade.

180 degree rule & shot reverse shot

The 180 degree rule
In class we have been studying different camera angles, and I will be focusing on the 180 degree rule in this post.
In film making, the 180-degree rule is a basic guideline regarding the on-screen spatial relationship between a character and another character or object within a scene.
This rule states that the camera should stay on one side off the imaginary line. This ensures continuity between shots.

If you break the rule in over-the-shoulder shots, it can seem as if the characters are not looking at each other, this can be the case in many Hollywood movies, it is a huge editorial mistake.

This picture shows the relationship of the camera and the 180 degree angle it must keep. The camera can rotate from side to side in the green area and the characters image and positioning will remain the same throughout, where as if the camera were to rotate into the red area the characters position would be opposite and from the wrong angle, so the continuity of the editing would be wrong.

shot reverse shot

Shot reverse shot (or shot/counter-shot) is a camera angle where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.

The Shot reverse Shot also involves quick cuts and cross editing to work. 

This image is show how the camera is on one characters action / movement, it then shows the second characters action/movement and then refers back to the original characters reaction. This camera angle is used frequently in film and is a good shot to use to portray emotion.

Match on Action

Match on Action

Match on action (also known as cutting on action) is an editing technique for continuity editing, one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action from the subject in the first shot.
This creates the flow of continuity, the action being carried through created a 'visual bridge' this draws the viewers attention away from slight cutting or any continuity issues.
Furthermore it portrays a continuous sense of the same action rather than matching two separate things.

I then crested my own match on action scene, i walked through the door into a room and sat on the sofa. the way I made the continuity editing work was by using two cameras to film this quick scene, one on the outside and one inside the room. The cameras were both filming at the same time so the editing would flow.

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task


Below is the script of our preliminary task and the video we have created of our preliminary task.

Script: 
(Story: A young girl walks into a classroom and sits down, she spots a young man that she instantly feels attracted to and begins to make awkward conversation with him...)

Girl: (walks into the room, sits down and glances at the boy) : Hi!
Boy: (looking up from book) : Err... Hello.
Girl: (apprehensively) : I don't know about you but I haven't got a clue what to do for Miss.Jones maths homework... do you?
Boy: NO! I don't... maybe we can work o it together?
Girl:Yeah, okay that sounds great... who's place? yours or mine?
Boy: Umm... maybe here, right now... in the library?
Girl: Ohh yeah of course... um... lets get to work
boy: Okay question one... 243 X 6...
Girl: Umm... if I knew the answer I wouldn't be asking you for help would I?

Preliminary task video



This preliminary task it beneficial to our progression in this work as it provides us with something to expand a learn from. The preliminary task also helps us as it is like a practice run with using the cameras, editing etc. We practice different camera angles and shots as well as many different editing techniques, the new techniques we learn will benefit our final production. This task was completed in school.

Evaluation of preliminary task

Evaluation

Our Evaluation of the preliminary task.
Mary Thompson & Leah Gathergood

Below I have embedded a video from YouTube of our evaluation we made a video insert of us talking about how we can and have evaluated our preliminary task and what we can do to improve our work. It also provides us with the skill to self assess our own work, progress and improvement which will be beneficial when it comes to creating the final product.

Horror film survey and evaluation

Horror Film Survey

The link below contains the horror film survey evaluation conducted by our group for research purposes for our film production. The website use is survey monkey and we asked individuals to complete the questionnaire and from the answers found we have submitted an evaluation.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JC89MGF

Evaluation

The results of our horror film survey showed a diverse range of answers we analysed them and decided exactly what we need to incorporate into our horror movie.



Our results showed that our main age range for our target audience is 17 - 19 year olds so we will make out film a 15 age rating.

Below is a series of images that represent our evaluation.
Created by Mary Thompson on imgur.com

Horror Research

Horror Research

I have been conducting independent research on Horror movies for my AS media filming projects. Below is some of the research I have studied.



This horror research is contributing to my horror work as I am learning proficient codes and conventions in what to add to my work and how it need to conform with the horror genre.
We will use aspects of the iconography we have researched as they are typical of horror films and we will also relate and conform to two different horror films we that we will base our film around 'The eye' and 'The unborn'.

Here is a clip of the film 'The eye' featuring hallucinations and death.




Leah conducted research into age ratings and some iconography.

Websites I used for research and pictures for horror iconography 
http://rachaelmariebreheny.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/iconography-of-a-horror-film/