Assessment Criteria

Mark scheme

Final Cut Pro X: 1st Impressions

I had already been introduced to Final Cut Express when I was introduced to this software, so I already knew the basics of how it works. I was taught by an A2 student.
   I thought that this software is very similar the Final Cut Express, in the sense that the editing tools are the same. However, there are a lot more effects and transitions you can add into your video, and it is better for editing longer videos. Although there are added features, it soon became clear how to work this software and I have used it since confidently.

   The editing side of the software is quick and easy to pick up, but my group when editing our swede did struggle with exporting the file in the right format. There were many steps and processes to go through, and it became quite confusing. We had to re-export our video, as we had used the wrong format and it did not work. We were taught how to export it again, and I now think I would feel confident doing it again by myself.

Shaun of the Dead Swede

We worked in a group of 5 to make our swede. We decided upon Shaun of the Dead, because it is a popular film, meaning the scenes would be easy to recognize and we didn't need a lot of equipment or props to make it work well. The scenes we chose were good as they are well known scenes from the film. Although it was a fun task to do, I think we should have planned it more before hand, and added more shot types and angles into it. We could have also made it longer by filming more scenes. 

   To edit the video, our group split into two groups, so we have two finished version of the swede. This is my groups version:

Sweding Explained + Pitch

Sweding is remaking a film on a practically non-existent budget, with amateur equipment and actors. The idea comes from the film Be Kind Rewind (Michael Gondry, 2008). The point of a swede is to re-create a well known, popular film and make it funny.

Pitch:
I think that the film The Amityville Horror would be good to swede, as there are a lot of events that occur. To reenact some of these events, you would need no special effects or major props. One of the main characters in the film is a little girl, who was shot dead by her father. She is still living in the house, in the closet of one of the bedrooms. To re-make this little girl, we should use a boy, who is tall with short hair. Some of the scenes

Here is the trailer for the film:


A couple of the scenes that could be re-maked:

(0:40 onwards)

Final Cut Express: 1st Impressions

I had never heard of or used this software before I began Media at A level, so I thought it was going to be difficult to use and get the hang of. However; it was very easy to use. All the tools you need for cutting and editing the video footage are in the same place, and it doesn't take long at all the edit a video clip. We used this software to edit our Prelim, and it was very easy and quick to do, as it only took us less than 1 hour to cut it down and make it flow. There are different transitions you can add in, and you can also add text, which enables you to make your video different and unique.

   Although the editing side of the software is easy, I had to be shown a few times how to export the video in the right format, as there were many different formats. Apart from this, the software is very clever, and is good to use to edit short clips.

Preliminary Task

In our groups' preliminary video, we used Poppy and myself as the actors whilst James was in charge of filming. In the task, we had to include the use of 180 degree roll, match on action and shot reverse shot:
180 degree rule - This is a guideline in film making that states that two characters in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary line connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line.
Match on action - This is a technique of continuity editing where an action commenced in the first shot is completed in the second shot, or an action in the first shot is mirrored by an action in the second shot.
Shot reverse shot - This is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character, then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. This is a classical style of Hollywood continuity editing.

The task was to make a short, basic video of ourselves entering a room, walking across to the other side and having a conversation.
   We wanted the video to have a range of shot types and angles, which I think we managed to complete well. After filming the video, we used a software called Final Cut, to edit and cut the shots.

If we were to do the video again, I think we would use different actors, even though the task was just for practice to get an idea of why these shot types are important and how they effect the flow of the video.

OpeningEG7: Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008)
PRODUCED BY: Celador Films, Film4, Pathé Pictures International.
DISTRIBUTED BY: Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Channel 4 (click here to see the full list).
BUDGET: $15m.
BOX OFFICE: $141m (USA), £31m (UK).
RATINGS: 8.1 (IMDb).


I am going to analyse the opening scene of this film. It begins at 00:40 (after idents) and ends at 1:53.
Apart from the idents, there are no other credits. They are all shown at the end of the film.

00:35

00:43

00:50

The very first shot is a close up, over the shoulder shot, of whom we gather to be the main character. He is sweaty and  dirty, and it is set in a dim, orange coloured room, filled with smoke. The close up shows the emotion of the characters face and the over the shoulder shot tells us that he is not alone and that someone is sat opposite him. There is background noise, however it is not clear what it is and there is no dialogue so at this point, we only really know what the main character looks like. At 00:50, there is a shot reverse shot, as the camera switches to look over the first characters shoulder, at the man sat opposite him, and then back to the first given shot. The impression we get from this second character is that he isn't very nice, by the way he is blowing smoke into the first characters face. He is also sweaty and dirty, giving the audience the idea they have been in that room for a long while together.

00:57

1:02

 
 
   At 00:57, a date and place appears on the screen in the top left corner. The font is fairly small and simple. It says 'Mumbai, 2006', which gives the audience some information about what to expect, and where it all takes place. At 1:00, some more writing appears, releasing even more information to the audience. It tells us a name and a situation, however it still is not clear who this name belongs to and who is in this given situation. It also asks a question, making the audience get involved and to perhaps suggest that somehow there is police involved. At 1:02, the man blowing smoke hits the first character across the face. It becomes clear that the first character is under some sort of interrogation, linking the name and situation with the police.
                                                                            However, we're still not entirely sure as there has been no dialogue.

1:12

    After this scene, 4 possible answers to the question asked previously appear, in the style of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'. The theme tune to the game show has begun to play in the background. There is a montage, of someone dropping a lot of money into a bath tub, and the first character. From this point, we can figure out that the first character is waiting behind the set of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire', therefore confirming that he is the name given (Jamal Malik) and he is in the given situation; he is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. However, the questions says 'How did he do it?' which contradicts the previous statement. This questions suggests he has already won the money whereas the statement above suggests he has nearly won it...
   From this, we can also figure that the film has gone back to how it all began, as he has already won the money. We can then work out that the 2nd seen character is interrogating Jamal, after, we presume, winning the money.

1:27

 
Whilst the music is playing, there is someone introducing the game show, telling us what is going on. At 1:27, we get the first bit of face to face dialogue. The shot type is a close up, however the lighting is poor and dull. A new character is asking Jamal if he is ready, and as Jamal replies, a spot light flashes on and off of him. This effect enables us to briefly see the characters face and emotion. He looks quite nervous and seems to be staring at one place, perhaps trying to calm his nerves. At 1:44, Jamal and the new character walk onto the stage. The shot type is a two shot, with the unknown character looking up at Jamal smiling, but Jamal is still looking else where with a nervous expression. We can figure out that the new character is the host of the game show, but we are still wary about him as we have not been given any information about him.

1:44

   At 1:48, there is a birds eye view of the stage on which Jamal, has just walked onto. This gives an all round view of the setting. The opening scene effectively ends as the music comes to an end. Jamal has sat down in the hot seat and is about to start playing the game. The effect of the game show theme tune playing is a clever way of introducing the start of the film and also the start of the game show, even though there are flashbacks, despite the fact that we do not discover that they are flashbacks until later on in the opening sequence. The dimensions of the screen are long and thin, cutting the top and bottom halves of the characters faces off.

1:48