About Me

Name: Halim El-Rhafffouli
Candidate Number: 1432

Question 7

Here is my answer to question 7 in the form of a Prezi with voice-over, Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

http://prezi.com/eviuxvbscr30/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-eviuxvbscr30&rc=ref-28829847

Question 6

Here is a Glogster link for Question 6, What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? http://jafool.edu.glogster.com/media-24-06-8652

Question 5

Here is my link to a voice-over Prezi presentation for Question 5, how did you attract/address your audience?
http://prezi.com/ylvd0gj_m9yb/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-ylvd0gj_m9yb&rc=ref-28829847

Question 4 (b)

Here embeded is the second Voki I have made representative of the other section of our audience.

                                                          

Question 4 (a)

Here is a mood board I made to represent our audience and a Voki representative of a section of our audience, Who would be the audience for your media product ?

  

Question 3

Here is another link, to question 3 "What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?"

http://prezi.com/n1qsncdgsb37/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-n1qsncdgsb37&rc=ref-28829847

Question 2

Here is a link to my Prezi presentation for: Question 2, "How does your media product represent particular social groups?"

http://prezi.com/o7q_n0j37yka/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-o7q_n0j37yka&rc=ref-28829847

Question 1

Here is a link to my answer to question 1,"In what ways does your meadia product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?"

 http://prezi.com/qa0pdkr82zja/untitled-prezi/?kw=view-qa0pdkr82zja&rc=ref-28829847

Evaluation

In my evaluation I will be answering seven questions, where I will be showing my skill in the use of digital technology, understanding of my media product and the issues that surround it and my progress from my preliminary task to now.

Vindictive poster

Here is a rough idea of what the Vindictive poster would look like; it is based on a scene from the film where the protagonist is dreaming.

Vindictive final edit - after having considered audience and group feedback.

Rough edit audience feedback

Here is audience feedback received from fellow pupils after having watched our rough edit. They provided us with useful information on what our strengths were (concerning the film opening) and what needed to be improved upon which we would later implement into completing our final edit for our Thriller film opening.

Thriller Film Opening - Rough edit

Here is the rough edit version of our Thriller film opening, completed after the first week of editing using the Final Cut software, a very useful, professional and user friendly software with features which could be used for any genre or form of filmed media. Although, sometimes the abundance of functions available can be a bit overwhelming, causing the editing process to slow down slightly.

Vindictive (Edited) Script

The edited version of the script; with character names and the removal of the Office Scenes (Scenes 2 and 3) from the film opening, however breaking down the necessary information from the scenes in the form of voice over/phone call conversations which play during the first scene.
This was a decision made because we believed that three locations and the extent of dialogue we had would not be appropriate in creating the sense of mystery we hoped to create and may have perhaps caused it to resemble a trailer. Furthermore, we also agreed that compressing the information we wanted in the form of phone calls over the first scene would seem more professional and creative than what we had originally planed.

Another change made was to open the final scene with the protagonist exiting a garage opposite the estate we discovered when looking around it, rather than walking on a pavement somewhere more distant and a fade into him walking towards the estate when he is nearer. This was done not only because it is time effective but also as it would be more piratical for the character, therefore suits the characteristics of a highly skilled and intelligent ex-agent. Furthermore, this also creates the illusion that he had arrived on a vehicle, which also suits the age and mobile lifestyle the character would have.

Vindictive Edied Scrip

Production Company Logo and name ideas

Production Company Logo and name ideas

Character Profiles

 

Vindictive's protagonist Michael Faytes, played by Ryan Dowley is a talented and highly capable young ex-MI6 agent who left after his wife, whom he secretly marries at the early age of 21 passed away in an alleged terrorist bombing. He believes it was his responsibility as an agent to have somehow prevented her death and the incident and therefore drowns in guilt and anger.

Blinded by rage and a thirst for vengeance he is determined to capture those responsible for his pain and make them pay and fails to see signs that all is not as it seems. His anger leads him to danger and his skill out of it.

As the film progresses Michael begins to stumble upon confusing clues which cause him to trust even his closest less and less, as the plot takes twists and turns and he approaches the shocking truth. 

The mysterious figure which knocks Michael out at the end of the film opening, is later revealed to be Philip Congman (here played by Yasser Ibrahim), Michael's close friend and experienced mentor from MI6, one who he believed was doing him favours, when he was in fact deceiving him with false information in fear of Michael discovering the truth behind the purpose of the so called Al-Sabaat terrorist attack; set up by the agency, an operation lead by Philip.

 

Omar Adam (Halim El-Rhaffouli; Left image above), a British born agent of Lebanese origin and James Ali (Martin Al-Ashouti; Right image above) also British of Egyptian decent; called in to preserve the truth behind their operation by appearing as one of the members of the amateur terrorist group, The Al-Sabaat, hence the overt, stereotypical portrayal of terrorists as being of Arab decent and wearing traditional Arabian clothing to deceive the blinded by rage, Michael Faytes.

Shooting on-site

Here are some pictures of our group at work during the filming task of the project. An overall enjoyable experiance but at times fustrating as it took us some time to practice filming and we struggled to agree upon final decisions for the shots, angles and movements that will be used.

 

  

Location 2

An abandoned estate where scene two takes place. We discovered this estate when searching for a location near the school area (Chelsea) that would be appropriate for creating a sense of notoriety we believed the scene should for the audience. After speaking to workers on a small section of the site we were permitted a limited amount of time to film what we wanted.

 

Image1: shows the view from which the audience and the antagonist witness the gun trade.

 Image2: Where the scene begins, as Ryan exits the building's open garage located behind the spooky estate.

Image3: Where Ryan is filmed from multi-angles walking after having crossed from the garage towards

the estate premisses.

Location 1

For the first scene (the Graveyard Scene) we ideally found a cemetery located in Chelsea, very near to our school and fairly near to all our homes.

Image1: Where the video opens with the protagonist, Ryan walking down the path

as credits begin to appear.

Image2: Where Ryan is seen walking through and down the stairs, after turning

as credits continue.

 

Image3: Ryan is viewed walking down towards his diseased wife's grave.

Image4: Ryan's wife's grave, where he kneels out of respect and despair to place flowers on the grave;

There is a close-up of him doing this as his name appears in the credits.

Anamatic

Here is an anamatic presentation we made, using images from our storyboard and final cut to edit, to create an idea of what the film opening would look like .

Our Final film idea

 

Script

Here is a complete draft of our thriller film opening. The script includes the final agreed upon title of our thriller film 'Vindictive'; a title we believe conveys the nature of the complete film and is effective dramatically as it keeps the audience pondering how exactly the theme of vengeance relates to opening as they watch the video.

Vindictive Script

Storyboard

 

Here is our thriller opening storyboard, allowing us and any other interested to somewhat visualise what the thriller opening video will look like.

Prop List

Here is a list of the props that we plan to use in our thriller opening video, we may decide to not use some of these in our final production depending on the effectiveness we believe they will have when using them and availability of objects:

• Gun replicas: Will be used in Scene 4; by the alleged 'terrorists' in a gun exchange and by Ryan as he prepares to face the criminals.

• Bag: Will be used in Scene 4 during the gun exchange as a means of carrying the contraband.

• Phones: Will be used by Ryan in Scene 1 as he talks to Yasser when leaving his deceased wife's grave, By Yasser when contacting the 'terrorists' in Scene 3 and by Ryan in Scene 4 as he makes his journey to the abandoned estate location.

• Document folder(s): Will be used in Scene 2 by Yasser when presenting the fabricated documents by him designed to deceit Ryan's character.

• Formal suits: Will be used by Yasser and Ryan in all scene's they are present in order to present them in the formal image we wish to convey.

• Flowers: Will be used in Scene 1, when Ryan shows his respect by placing the flowers on his deceased wife's grave.

• Middle eastern traditional clothing and scarf's: Traditional Arabian clothing will be worn by Martin and Halim in the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim extremists designed by the agency Ryan used to work for to fool him, in this trap.

Antagonist Comparison

Our thriller opening consists of a protagonist, an ex-cop and antagonists in the form of a whole organisation, which he believes is a terrorist organisation, but is in fact the agency he used to work for.

This is similar to the film Taken as in the film the protagonist is forced to face a criminal organisation in order to protect a loved one, knowing very little about them and are outnumbered by this organisation.

They have committed a grave crime and have made him an enemy as a result, when discovering he is after them they attempt to kill him.

Both adults have a particular developed set of abilities which allow them to remain alive and achieve their mission and this makes them a threat to their enimies. They also both have a strong motivation behind their mission concerning a loved one.


A notable difference between the two is the fact that the antagonists in Taken have something belonging to the protagonist that they do not want to lose. In our thriller this is not the case. Therefore the antagonists in our film are in a more powerful position because they have nothing to lose unlike the antagonists in Taken.

Protagonist Comparison

Our thriller features a protagonist similar to many films but a very notable character that he can be compared to is 'Bryan Mills' who is played by Liam Neeson in the film 'Taken'. The reason he is very similar to our character is because he is pursuing a similar objective to the protagonist we have created ( His family are in jeopardy therefore he seeks to solve all issues and take revenge on the people responsible  However, he is not exactly the same as our protagonist due to the fact that he is mainly used as an action character yet the role we have created is not centred around action nearly as much as the role played by Liam Neeson in Taken. Furthermore in Taken, Mills solves all of his problems fully through his action, we have included many different ways in which our character aims to resolve his issues. For example, the sources he has that he can use to gather information which he manipulates greatly to aid him on his quest. Another difference between the two is the fact that in Taken Liam Neeson is chasing his enemies as they are in the position of power and have something that he needs however in our opening the antagonists are not in any position of power, the protagonist just wants to take revenge and is willing to do a lot to get it. Therefore throughout Taken he is trying to save his family whereas our protagonist is only out to kill.

Equipment

 

 

 

Sony HD Handycam - This camera is what we will use to film and it shoots at 25 frames per second therefore it creates a visible smoothness when we record which will benefit our opening. Also it has a 12x zoom which can be beneficial as there is potential for us to use these features throughout our shoot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Tripod - We will be using a basic tripod throughout our shoot which will provide us with stable shots which we will need for any conversations or monologues and can also provide a very smooth pan effect which will be beneficial in various scenes throughout our opening.

 

 

 

Microphone - We will be using a microphone to record any speech or sound vital to the opening as it provides clear sound with no interventions from any other source of sound. This is beneficial especially because when filming with the camera it is likely that unwanted sounds will be present therefore we have our microphone to rely on.

By Ryan Dowley

Sound Research

Before shooting it is important to be aware of sound and how to go about adding it in to our opening correctly. For this reason it is key that we understand synchronous and asynchronous sound.

Synchronous sound is when the image on screen corresponds with the sound that the audience can hear. This can be anything from speech to an action that happens on screen.

Asynchronous sound is when the sound does not correspond with what we see on screen. This can have various effects but is particularly effective in thrillers as a director can create tension or mystery by using a sound and not showing its source.

We will include both of these types of sound in our own opening.

By Ryan Dowley

Title Sequence Research - Red Lights

The opening sequence of Red Lights consists of various stereotypical aspects that a thriller opening would have. The lack of lighting and mysterious titles along with the odd barely visible image which creates alot of mystery from the start is very common in various different types of thrillers. The inclusion of shots showing a variety of objects zoomed in has a great effect and is another thing we could take into account when producing our own opening. To add the text is a very subtle touch used in this opening however it is very effective tool as it compliments the background and is also a very subtle font following the theme of mystery and keeping the audience in the dark so they wonder what to expect from the film.

Each shot in the storyboard above is very dark and the colour scheme sticks to shades of black,grey and white. Except for the red lights which appear behind the title. This demonstrates that there is some sort of importance associated with these Red Lights and is very effective. This is a feature that could be adapted in many ways and we can take it into account when producing our own opening.

The images of a pen writing and mysterious cards suggest a dark psychological twist in the film as these things are associated with the mind. Although we are not creating a psychological thriller it is an effective technique that can also be adapted to the different style of thrillers.

By Ryan Dowley

Title Sequence Research - Casino Royale

The title shots of Casino Royale demonstrate a unique style with the use of things such as the free flowing movement of the credits. Additionally the background which consists of fights and various other captivating shots including targets and guns etc. is very good at setting the tone for the rest of the film. There are many things used in the opening of Casino Royale that our group could use as an influence when making our very own opening. For me the most notable and effective feature of this particular opening is the style of title. Very clear and bold which gets the credits shown and noticed however when combined with the unorthodox background it remains captivating for the audience. Furthermore the use of blood and guns in the opening suggests what viewers can expect throughout the film and we can take this into account making a film of a similar type. 

The storyboard above shows the opening to Casino Royale. The re-appearance of guns throughout the opening suggest alot of violence and combat will be present in the film. This is only amplified by the ongoing fight scene that we are shown. Images such as the sight of a gun in front of bullet holes also have a clear connotation of violence.

There are more subtle factors that effect the opening such as the inclusion of blood and the colour red. Once again suggesting violent themes are to be expected. In addition we see the symbols of card suits throughout the whole opening sticking with the title 'Casino Royale'. This suggests the cunning and intelligent side to James Bond may be shown in the film.

By Ryan Dowley

Filming Schedule

 

 

Week 1	Week 2
Monday – Practice filming of Graveyard (Scene 1) 4pm-5pm	Monday – School- Office (Scene 4) 5pm-6pm
Tuesday – Graveyard (Scene 1) 4pm-5pm	Tuesday – Various locations (Scene 5) 4pm-4:30pm
Wednesday – School classroom- Office Meeting (Scene 2)	Wednesday - Various locations (Scene 5) 4pm-4:30pm
Thursday – Voiceover recording (for Scene 2) 5pm-6:30pm	Thursday – School- Editing (Sound)
Friday – School (Scene 2) 3:45pm-5pm	Friday - School- Editing
Saturday – Various locations (Scene 3) 11am-1/2pm	Saturday - School- Editing
Sunday – Various locations (Scene 3) 10am-12/1pm	Sunday - School- Editing

Film Fonts Research

Film fonts research by Yasser Ibrahim  

Film Production Logos Research

Film logos research by Yasser Ibrahim

Film Production Company Logos

 

Dreamworks - The font is very clear and quite aesthetically pleasing and the symbol of the moon and clouds is very unique and memorable. Furthermore the colour scheme is quite relaxing and makes the whole logo even more aesthetically pleasing.

20th Century Fox - The logo used by 20th Century Fox has become an icon in the film industry and i believe that it has become so notorious due to the concise layout of the logo. The font is very clear and bold and stands out against the soothing looking back drop. Furthermore the sound that goes with it when it is introducing films is also very notorious as it is catchy. This could be something we take into account when making our own.

Universal - There is an ongoing theme between the different production company's logo's and that is that they seem to focus their logo on one main image that is almost like an icon (in this case it is the earth behind the title). Furthermore they often use aesthetically pleasing backgrounds which aid the title in catching the viewers eyes. Also, the fonts used often work well with the colour pallet on the logo's.

By Ryan Dowley

Saul Bass research

Saul Bass by Yasser Ibrahim

(Thriller) Production Companies

Touchstone pictures is a division of The Walt Disney Studios that is known for making films with a dark theme, often thrillers. It was founded in 1984 and is based in California, USA. It has produced many films including Armageddon, War Horse and Flight Plan. Touchstone uses Disney's resources for things such as distribution making it a  lot easier to access things needed to make the film a success.

Touchstone is a good example for us to follow with films such as Flight Plan as we are considering making a film that is based on terrorism and it also shows an example of a big company's take on a film based on terrorism. We have to consider whether we will produce our film as part of an independent company or as part of a conglomerate and we can use Touchstone as an example of a conglomerates version of a film based on terrorism and compare it to independent films such as Pulp Fiction (Miramax).

Miramax films is an independent film company known for distributing independent or foreign films. It is based in Santa Monica, California and was founded in 1979. It is useful as it provides us with an idea of an independent thriller so we can compare it to a conglomerate's version and see which we would like to be.

A reason that i decided to research Miramax Films is because it produced one of the most successful independent thriller films ever (Pulp Fiction). This is interesting as it shows that you do not have to be part of a conglomerate to produce a successful and presents a case for independent production companies when we are making our decision.

By Ryan Dowley

Film Production Companies

Film Production Companies by Yasser Ibrahim

Title Fonts

King Kong - The font used in the title of a film can be quite important and reflects on the film itself. A great example of this is 'King Kong' which is about a giant gorilla who is released into modern society from his native home and he goes wild causing chaos in society. The title is very good as it is in big bold dominant letters which reflect the events of the film.

Blade Runner - The title of blade runner has various connotations most notably the slash that goes through the whole title clearly representing the 'blade' part of the title. Additionally the font is blood red which could be a symbol of the death that is shown throughout the film.


The Godfather - A connotation that may not be noticed so easily is the arrangement of the title. In this case, the title is very concise and organised which could relate to the nature of the film (Organised crime). This could be something to take into account when making our own title.


By Ryan Dowley

Title Research

Titles by Ryan Dowley

Opening Sequence - Casino Royale By Ryan Dowley

In the opening sequence of Casino Royale there are many features that we can take inspiration from when creating our own for example the use of props (guns etc.) go well with theme of the film. Furthermore the editing used is also very good using things such as the blood coming down and covering the screen. The cast and crew are introduced whilst keeping the introduction captivating and introducing the theme of the film vaguely.

Furthermore, the constant fight scene going on behind the opening credits is very captivating and keeps the audience focused whilst introducing everything. We will take into account the effect that this has and try to include this in our own introduction.

As the opening progresses the animations continue to show fight scenes that almost sum up what you can expect in the film. Additionally the fact that they are only showing animated figures helps to keep the mystery of the film intact. Therefore it is helping to build up the anticipation.

To add, the way in which the credits are presented is very unique as it is very spontaneous and therefore keeps the audience guessing. This could be effective as often the credits are not a noticeable feature of an opening sequence.

Mind map of potential ideas by Yasser Ibrahim

This is a brainstorm my group created and illustrates 3 proposed film ideas that could be the foundations of our film opening. Thus far we have established that we would like to create a crime/conspiracy thriller, but we are still considering other options such as mystery and psychological. We have also concluded that the film opening should not reveal as much as we primarily thought, as film openings paint a vague picture of the story's themes, along with the opening credits and the setting.

Brainstorm of 3 film ideas;
The ideas include a main plot, characters and roles, sound and location

Audience research continued by Yasser Ibrahim

Audience research continued by

Audience Research

-   The majority of people asked look for action and comedy in a film when going to watch it in the cinema, therefore we will attempt to implement those desired qualities of films within our film opening

-   The majority of participants claimed to watch mostly action and thriller films; action now proving highly demanded by audience with the increasing use and development of special effects, CGI and camera quality. Therefore, well will try to use or hint that there will be some action in our film opening.

-   Based on current events and the increasing popularity of conspiracy based films and documentaries for examples ‘The Lion sleeps no more’, ‘Esoteric Agenda’ and films like ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ and ‘The Ghost’, as a group we decided to go for a conspiracy based film (opening), regardless of the lack of apparent interest in this specifically in comparison to other sub-genres of a thriller shown in the questionnaire. In addition, due to the high popularity of action thrillers and secondly psychological thrillers we will attempt to include certain aspects of these thriller sub-genres in our film opening

-   Predictably of teenagers the large majority stated they preferred new films to old classics so we will discuss elements of successful ‘new’ thrillers such as Inception in order to apply these elements to our thriller opening. However, two of the films mentioned as the participants’ favourite thrillers were in fact ‘classics’ (The Godfather and Scarface) despite the general preference of ‘new films’, this indicates that we must attempt to analyse sections of the films in order to somewhat determine what makes these thrillers so successful and hopefully be able to incorporate some of those elements into our own thriller opening.

Questionnaire by

Preliminary Task storyboard

Here are two sheets we completed in groups as class work before filming our preliminary task; creating the main ideas and type of shots we will use.

Film Opening sequences by Martin Al-Ashouti

This is a mind map we made to begin looking at Openings to a film, before more closely looking into thriller openings and our chosen sub-genres.
It gives an idea on what exactly the opening of a film should do and in what way etc. How does this introduce the genre, the cast and crew as well as entice the audience.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Opening sequence by Martin Al-Ashouti

This is a timeline activity of the title sequence of 'The girl with the dragon tattoo' that we conducted together as a group in class. below is the video that we used for analysis.
The video was very fast paced and filled with violence (though animated/CGI) and instantly gave an impression of the film as well as what it would include - fast paced violent scenes filled with both tension and action.