iWatch Evaluation

Below is the Prezi we made for our evaluation:

Evaluation: Questions

1. In what ways does your film opening use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real film openings? 
2. How does your film opening represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your film opening and why? 
4. Who would be the audience for your film opening? 
5. How did you attract/address your audience? 
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? 
7. Looking back at your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

Post-Production: Sound

In terms of sound and music in particular, we chose two different copyright free tracks that we had found on various websites. 

The first track, "Possession" was found on the website, www.purple-planet.com  It is used within the very beginning of the opening where we have the extra footage of "someone running away from something in the woods." It has almost a lullaby- like quality to it, which again connotes the fact that the victim was young and innocent, like a child. 

The second track was found on the website, www.incompetech.com and the track is called "Penumbra." It has a more electronic tone to it, which matches perfectly to the whole theme of a electronic, modern approach to horror films. 

Post-Production: Titles

We had to make sure that our opening actually looked like an opening and to do this we needed to add titles. Looking through Final Cut, we struggled to find the perfect font to get the electronic-type feel we wanted to portray the fact that the opening is based around a modern electronic device, iPhone. We ended up choosing the font "Courier New" as it is the closest font we could get that would reflect the effect we wanted to have. 

In order to add a new font, you need to scroll "Effects," then "Video Generators" and then "Text" and you will be able to type the title you want and edit it to how you wish. After adding the title into the rest of the footage, to reposition it, click the box in the canvas area and select "Image+ Wireframe" and then this allows you to reposition the title to however you desire. 

To get the correct duration of the title, you must right click on the clip and click on "Duration" and a box will appear allowing you to adjust the duration. 

To layer the titles on top of a present clip all that is needed to do is, drag your title over the selected clip. 

To create a sense of a horror film opening, we chose to add effects to our titles. To do this you need click on   the "Effects" tab, then "Video Filters." We chose to use the effect "Distort" to create the foreshadowing atmosphere of what is to come.

For the main title of "iWatch" we wanted to create an effect that appeared to the audience as though it was within a video frame that was being recorded. Preferably  we wanted to have a recording button flashing as the dot on top of the "i," however, we struggled to do so and we couldn't find a way to incorporate this into our opening. 

Post-Production: Editing Extra Footage

According to our storyboard we didn't include any extra footage. However, due to the fact that the footage we planned to film wasn't long enough by itself, so we decided to add some extra footage to not only prolong the footage, but to also create a more eerie effect. The clips we added were of the portrayal of someone running through the woods and someone crossing out the faces of the character's in the opening. We imported the clips like normal and edited them to where we wanted them and how long we wanted them to be. We then decided to create a black and white effect on the "running through the woods"clips, to create a more eerie effect. In order to do this we scrolled over "effects", then "video filters", then "image control" and chose "Desaturate."

The clips of the "crossing out faces" were also added and within them there were jigsaw pieces and a swaying light which were used for effect. We used the jigsaw pieces as part of muse-en-scene to represent that the victim was young and innocent, like a child and children tend to play with jigsaws. The swaying light was used for effect as part of miss-en-scene as well to get a shady feeling about the footage and hinting towards the fact that it is the murderer's hands that the audience is viewing. 

Post-Production: Altering Speed

Whilst editing our opening, we decided to alter the speed and slow chosen clips down to create an even more tension- building opening. We chose to juxtapose it with a clip at either a faster speed or a normal speed in order to build up the tension even more and create an eerie effect. 

To alter the speed of a clip, you need to click on the "Modify" tab at the top of the page and click on "Speed"



Then you will be able to alter your footage to the preferred speed. You can also reverse the clip so that it will play the selected clip backwards. 

Post-Production: Editing The Final Footage

After re-filming we have started to edit the final piece of footage for our opening.

Just like our rough edit, we imported the footage into iMovie, then into Final Cut Express. We then began placing the footage into the correct order and began the editing process.