WWW: I was successfully able to select a transparent image of myself onto the blue background, in order to create the effect which I intended to have. I was also able to create a neat box for the other featured topics in the magazine. EBI: The cutouts were not very neat and somewhat jagged, so more time and accuracy should have been put into this process for a more professional look. The 'also' box also does not contain content that synergizes well with the theme of the magazine. More thought could have been put into this, prior to making it. Finally, the colour of background does not appear to be very representative of The Big Issue brand. These could have been contrasting in order to make the cover more visually appealing or 'eye-catching' and this would additionally work to reinforce the brand image.
'Tomorrowland' is a Disney adventure movie which tells the story of a former 'boy-genius' (Frank) as well as a gifted teenage girl (Casey) who are tasked to explore a land caught in between time and space as well as save the future of the world.
The first shots of the trailer use low-key lighting, as well as a voiceover of Frank, immediately stating the disruption of the narrative: "the future is running out." The use of low-key lighting connotes the possibility of a bleak or dystopian conclusion to the story, assuming the disruption is not dissolved. This emphasises the magnitude on the disruption, implying that it plays a significant role in how it influences the characters make decisions or tackle challenges ahead in the film. Furthermore, this can also relate to Barthes' enigma code as it causes the audience to question why the future is "running out" or why Frank is staring at his Nixie tube timer rather than changing the future which hands in the balance.
On the other hand, the shots featuring Casey afterward contrast the negative mode of the previous shots with Frank, as these appear as more hopeful and optimistic. The scene in the car in addition to the montage within 'Tomorrowland' use genre signifiers such as the flying vehicles and hover-boards to indicate that it is an adventure movie. As a result, it may become appealing mostly towards adolescents and tech-savvy adults who are interested in Computer Generated Imagery (CGI). The montage also includes a contrasting narration to the first where Frank hints to a place which has no limits. This can be linked to Barthes' symbolic code as it raises the question as to whether a 'utopian' society can actually ever be created.
As the trailer progresses, the cuts between shots become more frequent, dialogue becomes shorter and there is a larger shot variety. This connotes the spontaneous and epic nature of the film. It also demonstrates to the audience the action or sci-fi influences within the movie, as the remaining scenes showcase the antagonists who are constantly trying to thwart the progress of the protagonists with gadgets and weapons they would associate with 'the future' presented in the media.
At end of the trailer, the non-diagetic music reaches it's climax; the soundtrack is dominated with percussion, implying the dramatic or 'epic' ideas which stem from this movie, such as saving and changing the world. The final shot reduces the pace of the trailer and relates back to the main genre of the movie: adventure. This is in order to return back to the core themes of the movie such as exploration and innovation, as well as return it's appeal back to the adolescent audience who are attracted by the traditional adventure theme which Disney usually emphasises the most in their films.
1. What was your role in the task and what did you actually do?
In the task, my primary role was to film the actors or monitor the sound for other members of my group whilst they were filming; I took up the role of camera operator and sound operator. I also partook in editing some of the video in post-production as well as contributed some shot ideas alongside the rest of the group. During pre-production, decisions were made collectively, for example the order of our shot list or the when and how we were going to cut to our master shot, since the brief requested it was to be included.
2. As a group, what factors did you take into account when planning, filming and editing?
During planning, we took into account the shot types we needed if we wished to have full continuity, such as the master shot and eyeline matches on the extreme close-ups. When filming, we had to continue to consider how we would get full continuity, such as obeying the 180 degree rule and keeping the set / props in the same condition for when we filmed from different directions. In the editing process, our group had to think about how effectively we could maintain the narrative flow and tell the narrative with the rushes which we had available. This was not just for continuity purposes, but so the audience would understand what was going on.
3. How successful was your sequence? Did you fulfill the demands of the brief? Did you manage to demonstrate match-on-action, shot-reverse shot and 180-degree rule? Did you achieve continuity overall?
I would say that our sequence was quite successful, as we met the demands of the brief. Sadly, we did not reach maximum continuity, as a result of the change of time on the clock in the background between two shots. Furthermore, filming did overrun by approximately 15 minutes, which meant that we did not succeed in filming all our shots in the time allocated. Besides this, match-on-action and shot/reverse/shot was successfully achieved during post-production. Also, the 180 degree rule was not broken when filming.
4. What have you learnt from completing this task? How might this learning impact on future video production work?
From completing this task, I have learnt to pay attention to fine details in order to gain full continuity (for example the clock in our video). I have also become more competent in filming in order to meet a brief and this experience will increase the efficiency the production process and will ultimately make sure that we complete filming within the time allocated. Additionally, I have increased my skills in editing on Adobe Premiere CC and this will help me feel more confident when editing, exporting and uploading projects in the future.
