Mean Girls sweded film - poster + links

The film that our group decided to swede was Mean Girls. After filming and editing, we began marketing our film, producing a Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and poster to be put up around the school.

Poster:

Twitter:
twitter.com/meangirlsweded

Facebook:
facebook.com/meangirlssweded

Instagram:
instagram.com/meangirlssweded

Dexter title sequence re-edit: Evaluation questions

1. Summarise the conventions of title sequences that were most important to this task.
The main function of a title sequence is to introduce the names of the cast and crew most important to the TV show/film. It was important for us to include these names in our re-edit. Another convention of title sequences important to this task was the timing of the titles, as well as the font, colour, size and where they would appear on screen. We had to take these conventions into consideration when editing our title sequence.

2. How did your group plan to edit the title sequence? (consider timings, industry requirements etc).
We didn't do a lot of planning before we began editing as we didn't have much time. However, we did establish before we started where we would place each title, and chose to put them in shots where there was obvious space for them. We also chose shots that were long enough for the title to fit in one shot - we didn't think about having a title remain on screen for more than one shot, which we should have done. We also knew that it was important for us to mention the names of the actors and the crew, e.g. writers, producers, etc. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to include as many titles as we had initially planned.

3. Explain the creative decisions made by your group.
We decided that we wanted our titles to be red to symbolise blood, and because the colour red didn't blend in with the background. We chose a font called "Cracked" because we thought it established the crime/thriller genre. However, looking back on it now, I think this was a mistake. Something that the real title sequence does so effectively is establish the genre without the use of the genre's obvious conventions. The font used is clear and simple, and fits well with the morning routine, which is created in a way that represents murder and violence without showing any obvious signs of murder and violence. Our font looked too obviously like something used for a horror/crime/thriller and this took away from the effectiveness of the title sequence. 

4. How does your re-edit compare to the original?
I have already explained how it compares in terms of font, but there are other differences between the original sequence and our re-edit. One of these differences is the timing and length of the titles. We put our titles in the most obvious places, failing to see that the titles could in fact fit in any of the shots. As a result of this as well as our limited amount of time and the fact that we were having problems figuring out the software, we only ended up with about four or five titles in the entire sequence, and there was too much time with no titles in between them, whereas the original has a title on almost every single shot. Also, the titles in the original sequence don't just sit there on the shot - sometimes they move, flash, or have different size fonts in one title, e.g. at 00:46: "Based on the novel 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' by Jeff Lindsay." This was done because the title here is longer, and if the text was all the same size then either it would be in the way of the shot or the most important information would be too small and would not jump out at the audience. Overall, the original title sequence was a lot better than our re-edit. The font we chose as well as the software that we were slightly confused by meant that our edit looked very unprofessional and the titles didn't really fit well with the sequence.

Sweding

"Sweded" is a term to describe a short remake of a film that has been made on a very low budget and doesn't take itself too seriously. Sweded films often only have one take per scene and not much editing. They are usually spoofs of well-known films and use the most famous and memorable scenes. Sweding comes from the film "Be Kind Rewind", in which one of the characters erases all the VHS tapes in a video store, and the characters cheaply remake all the movies. They used the term "sweding" because they said that the films were imported from Sweden.

Here are a couple of examples of sweded films:

Back to the Future 

Saving Private Ryan

The whole point of sweded films is that they're taking a famous film that most people will know and recreating it in a way that doesn't take itself remotely seriously. I think a good film to swede would be Jaws. The theme music is very well-known and so this could be funny. With a few props, it wouldn't be too hard to do and people will know what it is.

Video brief: preliminary exercise

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

We did the video brief. This task focused on continuity and involved filming and editing a scene in which one character enters a room and has a conversation with another character. I worked in a group with Brandon and Maisie, and we were able to work well together to complete the task.

   During planning, we didn't worry too much about who was going to do what. For the most part, we worked together, sharing our ideas about location, techniques we could use, shot types, etc. Maisie did the most work on the storyboard, although her work was based off decisions we made together as a group.
   When it came to filming, none of us were keen to act, but Brandon and I ended up acting. I was in every shot, meaning I didn't get a chance to work with the camera, which I would have liked, but there wasn't really anything that could have been done about this because unfortunately the sequence did require actors and there were only three of us. Overall, the dynamics within the group were good and we managed the task well between us.

2. How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?
We didn't spend too long planning, but we did dedicate enough time to it so that when it came to filming, we mostly knew what we were going to do. We began our planning with a group discussion. At first, we were a little stuck for ideas, but in the end it was Brandon who came up with the idea of two characters having a conversation based off of song lyrics, which we agreed was a good idea because it would allow us to not worry too much about things like the script and narrative and instead focus on continuity techniques, which were the most important thing.
   After deciding what was going to happen in the sequence, we made a storyboard to establish what the different shots would be. A storyboard was essential in order to properly plan our sequence - when it came to filming we knew what we were doing and we had a basic idea of what it would look like after the edit. It made it easier for us to follow the principles of continuity - for example, we could see before filming whether or not we were breaking the 30-degree or 180-degree rule. We also had a shooting schedule so we could see where we had to position the camera and how many set-ups we needed, making filming a lot easier.
 

1 page of our storyboard

Our shooting schedule

We didn't do a floor plan or a walk-through, and had to move some furniture during filming, but this wasn't really a problem. I don't think that any more planning would have made much of a difference.
   Our main priority was ensuring that our sequence followed the principles of continuity. This is why we chose song lyrics to be our dialogue - this way, we didn't get too distracted by the narrative. We did, however, have to choose a song that would make some level of sense when being spoken. We chose Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" because the lyrics sound somewhat like spoken dialogue. Genre was a relatively important theory to consider during our planning - we couldn't do anything too serious if the dialogue was going to be Taylor Swift lyrics. We decided to make our sequence a comedy, except maybe it isn't quite funny enough to call it that. It doesn't really fit into an obvious genre, but since continuity was the most important aspect of the task and the sequence is only 19 seconds long, this isn't much of a problem.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
To film our sequence, we used one of our school's video cameras (Canon DV30) with a tripod and headphones. This was very exciting because at my previous school, although we did use video cameras, there was only one tripod so we didn't use it very often and there were no headphones or external microphones attached to the camera, so this felt very professional. We obviously used the video camera to film the sequence, and the headphones were useful for making sure that the sound worked. The tripod was essential because without it we would not have been able to keep the camera still and have steady shots. We also used a clapperboard, which made editing easier because we could see which shot and which take it was without having to watch it, so we didn't have to go through all the shots to find what we needed.
   To edit our sequence, we used Adobe Premiere Pro. It wasn't my first time editing, but I had only ever used iMovie before. Premiere Pro looked more complicated at first glance, but it wasn't too difficult to get the hang of, and it actually seems better than iMovie and is in a way more simple. In the timeline, there are two video tracks and two audio tracks. Having audio tracks made it easy to adjust the sound and make sure the dialogue flowed between the different shots.
   Before editing, we watched through the different takes and chose the best ones, then dragged them into the source monitor. With each take, we cut it using the in and out points so that you couldn't hear the director saying "ACTION" or "CUT" or see the actors before they were acting. After cutting each shot, we dragged it into our timeline, sometimes adjusting it to make sure we had good match on action.  Once our shots were edited together, we slightly adjusted the colour, increasing the contrast and lowering the brightness so that it looked clearer and stood out more. This was useful since during our filming we couldn't really control the lighting.
   We had a good experience with editing and mostly stuck to our storyboard. We divided the editing equally between us so that we all got a chance to edit.

4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
One factor we had to take into account was where we were going to shoot the sequence. There are three rooms in the media block and one corridor, which all three groups in our class needed. We had to make sure we were all going to be shooting in different rooms, so we asked where other groups were filming before deciding on our location. We knew that all we needed was a classroom, so it didn't matter so much which classroom that was. During filming the different groups took turns shooting in the corridor. Another factor we had to take into consideration was background noise, and we had to close all the doors to make sure the sound of people talking in other rooms could not be heard. Also, the media department happens to be right next to the music department, and sometimes you can hear people playing music through the walls. We couldn't do anything about this - it's not like we could tell them to not have their music lesson. Luckily, we couldn't hear music through the walls on the day of shooting.
   Since we were using a media classroom as our location, we didn't need permission to shoot there, and we also didn't need any props for our sequence, so we didn't have to worry about this. However, the desks weren't arranged in a way suitable for our sequence and we had to think about where we would move them. This didn't take much time to sort out, though - we only had to turn one desk around and push the others forward so that they weren't in the shot.
   The only other factor we had to take into account was who would be acting. None of us wanted to act at first, but it was eventually decided that Brandon would since he is the only one of us who takes drama. Unfortunately, on the day of filming Maisie had lost her voice, so despite my non-existent acting skills, I ended up acting, too. For our sequence, it wasn't especially important who would be acting because the dialogue was not race or gender specific and it didn't really matter so much if the acting wasn't good.

5. How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?
I think our sequence was quite successful. For the most part, we followed the principles of continuity, so it makes sense for the audience. During the characters' conversation, we didn't break the 180-degree rule, always staying on the same side of the imaginary line so that the characters didn't suddenly appear to be facing the opposite direction. We also used shot-reverse-shot, allowing the audience to see the conversation from the perspective of both characters and feel more involved in the conversation. Other shot types are used, including a panning shot that follows the character to the door, a master shot that shows the audience the location and introduces the other character and his reaction, and a medium shot showing both characters sitting at the desk from another angle. The sequence is smoothly edited and not disrupted in a way that distracts the audience from the story.
   There is one point in our sequence where the principles of continuity are not followed. At 00:12, when the sequence cuts from one over the shoulder shot to the other, match on action is not used. Brandon's arms are folded in the first shot and open in the second. Luckily, this isn't too noticeable and the sequence still makes sense, but if I were to redo this task, I would make sure that the actors had not only dialogue planned out but also body language to ensure that this problem could be avoided.
   Another part of our sequence that I would improve is the final shot because it seems too short and ends too abruptly. Since this shot ends our sequence, it would have been more appropriate for it to last a couple of seconds longer. We only realised this when we were editing, but by this point there wasn't much else we could do. We could have used another OTS, but when we tried this, it looked like even less of an ending. It would have also been better if it had faded to black rather than stopping suddenly.
   Initially, there was another shot in our sequence: an OTS of the first character opening the door. When we were editing, we realised that this was a jump cut and the sequence didn't really flow. For this reason we decided to cut this shot from our sequence. Because we were able to cut it out, it wasn't really a problem. Overall, I think our sequence was good. It met the brief and apart from the issue with match on action at 00:12, it remained continuous.

6. What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?
I have learnt that the principles of continuity are a lot harder to follow than you would think! Before starting A Level Media Studies, I understood that the concept of continuity was important, but I wouldn't have been able to complete this task successfully because I wouldn't have given things like match on action much thought, and I had never even heard of the 180-degree rule. After learning about the principles of continuity, it still seemed to me like something that would be relatively easy in filmmaking. Our task wasn't too difficult, but when planning our sequence we were met with more continuity problems than I would have thought. The task was good practice for planning and shooting something taking the principles of continuity into consideration, and when completing the rest of the foundation coursework, I will be more aware of the importance of continuity. Our sequence was mostly successful, but there were some faults and next time I will make sure that we don't make the same mistakes and the rules of continuity are followed. 

Art of the Title grid activity - evaluation questions

1. Summarise your film idea. Provide a brief synopsis and outline what happens in your film opening.
Our film is titled "Followed," and is a horror/thriller following the story of a girl being stalked and eventually caught by the criminal, who may or may not be some kind of killer. She unsuspectingly makes her way through an empty school, while an unknown character follows her and is shown pulling a gun from his back pocket. She is finally caught by the stalker at the end before the shot cuts to the title of the film.

2. What kind of information has been included in your film opening?
Not a lot of information is revealed to the audience during the opening. The audience doesn't find out who the villain is, or what happens to the victim. Our opening does, however, give the information that there is a seemingly innocent character being followed by someone with a gun, causing the audience to assume that he is probably a villain. But overall the story is an enigma - the opening is quite ambiguous and not much is discovered.

3. How do the titles link to the main film idea?
The font we used for the titles was important in order to establish our chosen genre. The scribbled, scratchy font creates a tense, panicked atmosphere, and indicates to the audience that this is a horror film. The way the last shot suddenly cuts to the title "FOLLOWED" before we know what exactly is going to happen to the victim is effective, because it causes the audience to wonder what happened and feel compelled to continue watching in order to find out.

4. Summarise the expected audience reaction. What should the audience be thinking by the end of your opening? Is your opening clear or ambiguous?
Our opening sequence remains ambiguous both throughout the opening and at the end of it. Our main character is revealed; however, the audience isn't shown much of the villain, creating a sense of fear and distrust. They know he is a threat - they are shown the gun being pulled out of his pocket, his hand reaching to grab the victim... but before the audience can find out what happens to the characters, the shot cuts to the title of the film on a black background. This creates suspense and gives the audience a curiosity to find out what has happened, although it is clear that whatever has happened isn't so good for the main character.

5. Identify three things that you included in your grid that are important in the construction of an opening sequence and explain their role in understanding the film.
1) The different shot lengths and camera angles used: the extreme close-up of the phone screen in the first shot shows the text written, revealing important information to the audience about what the character is doing walking around an empty school by herself. Other shot examples included in the grid is the low angle shot from behind the villain's shoes, the close-up of the gun, and the close-up of the victim's face when she begins to suspect that something isn't quite right.

2) The characters revealed: We used an establishing shot of the main character indicating what she looks like, age, how she dresses, etc., which is important in understanding her role in the film - she is an innocent character who just happens to be the unfortunate victim of someone (we don't know exactly who yet) following her. The setting that the character is in also explains more about her, as the setting is a school and that tells us that she is a student, emphasising the probability of her innocence. The villain is also vaguely revealed, for example, with the close-up low angle shot from behind his shoes. Ambiguous shots like these create a feeling of unease. The audience can assume that this character isn't to be trusted and is a threat to the girl.

3) The narrative structure of the opening: our opening sequence is in chronological order. The grid shows one event - the opening focuses on the main character and the fact that she is being followed. This one event, in which the perspective switches between the characters, is essential to the film as a whole. The audience can understand that this film will focus on either this followed character or whoever is following her. They can then predict that maybe there will be some kind of mystery relating to the scene and its characters, one that possibly will be solved by other characters introduced later. But regardless of whatever might happen later in the film, the event in the opening sequence is clearly significant to the whole story.

6) How effective is your project as a film opening? Explain your answer.
In a way, our project is quite effective. We tried our best to establish the thriller/horror genre, through camera angles, font and how the characters were initially revealed to the audience. However, it would have been more effective if there had been a way to control the lighting. The shots in our grid have quite high-key lighting, and low-key lighting would have been better to create a frightening or tense atmosphere. Unfortunately, there wasn't really anything we could do about this, as we had limited time and resources to make these shots. Another problem with our opening sequence is that the text at the beginning revealed hardly anything about where the character was going - she could have been simply meeting a friend, or going to engage in some sort of criminal activity. If we wanted this to remain ambiguous, then it wouldn't have been a problem, but since we wanted to present this character as simply an innocent victim, this is something we could have improved on.
Despite this, overall I think our project was quite successful, due to our limited revelation of the villain, the variety of shot lengths and camera angles, and the font, which was appropriate for our genre.