AS Media Studies Production

This is the opening sequence I made for my AS final production.Through the development of my opening sequence I have furthered my knowledge in the use of media techniques.

   

Synopsis:
The story to our opening sequence was based on a hitman who had a target to take out. The identity of the hitman is ment to be believed  to be the buisness man. We achieved this by having a voiceover over the buisness man as he returns to his home. The buisnnesman turns out to be the target as the identity of the real hitman is reveled. This buisness man is also involed in the transfer of prison inmates which could lead to either people the hitmans needs to take out or people the himan is trying to save. The opening sequence was ment to represent the more gritty and realistic side of crime and the UK. We wanted to create a thriller that will have twists and gritty tension.

Areas of Success:

I feel the types of shots we used were very successful. The main shots I am proud of was pan into the business man's car this can be seen at the 41 second mark. This camerawork was very smooth and matched the the movement of the actor. I felt this helped the audience's immersion due to the smoothness also it makes the tension more effective later as it goes from relaxed smooth atmostphere to immenient death. The scene were the hitman hears the buisnessman at the door was also very effective as this is low angle shot shot showing who has the power in the situation and also confirming the identity of the hitman.

The choice of music track was a good addtion to the non diegetic sound. Classical music is common convention in thrillers when trying to imply tension. This is due to the contrast from the classical music and action on screen as it makes the audience unevered as it is misleading.

The CCTV filter was also a good addtion to the opening sequence as it gives the hint that the actor on screen is being watched or followed by someone. We achieved tyhis by lowering the saturation and lifting the contrast. We also cut the clip into bits to make it look more athentic as jagged motion can been seen on some cameras in real life.

Areas for Improvement:

Although the majoriety of the shots we used were good there was one shot I felt we could have made better. This is the shot from the back of the car when the buisnessman turns up to his house. I felt this shot looked clumsy and tacked on as it didnt really give anything to the open sequence. I felt the voiceover could have been improved if we could have found better recording equipment as you can hear static everytime I spoke. There was also a crossfade that wasnt necessary when the buisness man leaves the door and enters his car. This I felt broke the imersion a little for the audience.

Conclusion:

In all I am proud of my AS production I felt I applied a vast array of knowledge of film techniques I knew at the time. My AS production has taught me were I need to improve. This will help me to learn from my mistakes and better myself for my A2 production. This post is also a handy referance for me to go back to for inspiration.