Marking criteria for production

Holding a shot steady where appropriate
We used stop motion so the flow of each shot is continuous as we had the camera held securely in a tripod.
Framing a shot including or excluding elements where appropriate
The tripod held the camera in place so we didn't require much handling or movement of the camera. In filming time there was a lead in the way of a few of our shots but as it is as dark as the background, we may crop that part out

Using a variety of shot distances where appropriate
This is something we didn't do because of stop motion. If we had extra time, perhaps the credits would have been shot as medium close ups so they were easier to read for our target audience.

Shooting material appropriate to the task set
We have achieved this. Our task was to create a childrens film, either PG or U. There is no foul language, violence or offensive images, you probably wouldn't find a Unicorn travelling the world to find its owner in a gory 18 film!

Selecting mise-en-scene
I think this we partly achieved this, the lighting was efficient, we drew all of our backgrounds of different settings (pyramids, a forest, a cloudy sky) and I drew the characters to fit the storyboard using colours that were bright and would be appealing to the target audience.

Editing so meaning is apparent to the viewer
We haven't started editing yet, but we will use our own knowledge of this and watch some more children's film clips (possibly stop motion) to gather ideas to make it apparent to children.

Using varied shot transitions and effects selectively and appropriately
We haven't done this either, but I don't think we will use a lot of transitions as they can be distracting and unnecessary. We will use transitions for the opening title and credits by looking up some on youtube for inspiration.

Using sound with images and editing appropriately
We have done no editing of our film, but we have allocated Maddie the narrative role for it. She will tell the story so the audience knows what is going on and will introduce the characters.
We have not thought about music for our film but children's films are often very lively and this is an adventure, there will be some element of sadness so this will be reflected in our soundtrack. We will do this by using Garage Band.

Using titles appropriately
The title will be at the beginning of the film and we may use some for the different backgrounds so the target audience gets a better sense of place. We will do this using Final Cut.

Contributions to the production process.
In our first filming lesson I looked up a unicorn outline on google images, drew it and then based the rest of our unicorns on that image.
I drew the background of the pyramids and brought in colouring pencils so the colour would be consistent and in case the pencils in the classroom were all being used.

During my spare time, I drew and coloured the characters, some of which can be seen in a previous post.
I drew:
Three unicorns
Four thought bubbles, including one of Charlie and his owner
The world
The owner himself
The words 'Where are you Charlie?' in bubble type writing.

I also was in control of taking the pictures for the stop motion, my pressing the space bar to take them and deleting any shots that had hands in.

Some of the drawings I did at home in preparation for filming next lesson.
I drew three unicorns to represent him walking, tear drops that we are going to film as they form a waterfall that he walks through, his owner, Mister, a lightbulb to represent his sudden idea and a speech bubble showing him thinking about him and Mister.

As part of the planning for our children’s film, we watched the opening sequence of the film, ‘Back to the Future’ and created a storyboard for it. A storyboard allows the director to film something the most appropriate and effective way and is a visual blueprint for the film, it also makes it easier to go back and redraft something.
We watched the sequence once and made notes on the types of shot, sound, duration, camera movement and possible themes and genre. We then drafted these notes into a storyboard in our groups, by drawing the key objects in the setting in each box at different parts of the sequences, made some notes on the storyboard about sound, duration and shot order. We used arrows to clarify the way the camera was moving and wrote what type of angle or shot used at that specific moment in the sequence. We did this because it will demonstrate to the examiner our knowledge of storyboarding, as we will have to create a storyboard for our children’s film sequence, which needs planning before filming.

The lesson before the storyboards was about film classification. We learnt that the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) are responsible for the certification of films in Britain, so that they are suitable for the target audience.
We looked up the guidelines on the BBFC website (www.bbfc.co.uk) for U and PG films and each group were given either U or PG and we wrote on pieces of A4 the basic guidelines, to feedback to the class. Then we watched four sequences and had to guess in our groups what certificate they were and justify why we thought they were either U or PG. We watched Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone (PG), Up (U), Watership down (U) and Home Alone (PG).
It was important we knew the differences between a U and PG so that our film sequence would be suitable for our target audience of children and so we could give it the correct certificate.

Our opening sequence is going to be an animation, using stop motion, of a Unicorn visiting different parts of the world. The Unicorn is searching the world for his owner and is eventually reunited at the end of the film, if we were to create the whole film.
By watching the Milkmaid video by previous Long Road media students, we were inspired to do our own stop motion video. The Milkmaid video is about a maid who becomes a star, after having to look after a farm left by her father as her mother is too old and her brother is a baby.
They used characters drawn and coloured in by hand and had several cut outs of things like stars, letters and thought clouds. The music was relevant to the film as it was also about a milkmaid and set a happy mood because it was upbeat. During a sadder part of the film, such as when they sang about her father dying and her mother being too old, the music slowed down to reflect the mood.
Our group liked this style because the drawing doesn't have to be to a professional standard and therefore makes it easier for the target audience to understand.

Analysis of the opening of The Parent Trap (PG)

The film’s title sequence opens with a crane shot that follows the movement of a cruise ship. The opening credits contain the title of the movie, the main actors and L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole is played throughout this, suggesting love as a theme.  

Inside the cruise ship, there is a wedding ceremony occurring filmed as a point of view shot. The mood is very lively and warm as the characters inside are either dancing or enjoying each other’s company, which gives the impression that the wedding went well, and the married couple are happy. Close ups of the groom putting the ring on the bride’s finger, both of them holding hands and signing documents conveys themes such as family and romance. 

As a photographer approaches the couple for a photo, their faces are not shown until the photograph is shown to us as spectators, which has some significance later in the film. When the flash of the camera goes off it turns into a firework display, which enforces the mood. 

The scene then cuts to a title of ’11 years and 9 months later’.

Another crane shot is used of ‘Camp Walden’ to show the buses of girls arriving and the camera tilts downwards then a tracking shot is used to find a main character, filmed from a point of view angle so the spectator feels they’ are there in real life. The camera then pans over to a male character who says ‘Wait a minute, I thought this was a boy’s camp.’ while surrounded by girls, which suggests the film will contain comedy. 

We are introduced to one of the main characters, Hallie, we can tell she is the main character as a long shot of her is given when she pops up behind the pile of luggage and then a medium close up as she struggles to get her duffle bag out. She has also had the most dialogue so far. We learn from her dialogue that she lives with her dad, who is a winemaker, and that she is friendly and polite. Shot reverse shot is used during the conversation between her and her new friends. ‘Either of you, by any chance know how to play poker?’ indicates she is both an innocent, yet cheeky character.

We are then introduced to the other main character who is revealed as Hallie’s identical twin, Annie. 

As Hallie walks away with her two friends, filmed as a long shot a limo pulls up. The spectator learns that she is the complete opposite of the first character. Annie getting out of the limo is filmed from a low angle, she is wearing smart shoes and a skirt and blazer, so the spectator assumes she is not going to the camp. She arrives with her butler, has a British accent, is well dressed and uses language such as ‘picturesque’. The spectator can tell this is her Butler by the way he is dressed and the fact that she calls him Martin. This shows the class and contrast to her twin sister. 

The conversation between Annie and the butler is filmed using shot reverse shot and high and low angles. He runs through a checklist then presents her with a pack of cards, a link to Hallie’s question about poker, which suggests the two sisters will play a game later on in the film.

The butler and Annie engage in a special handshake, filmed as a long shot. The handshake is not what would be expected of the two as they switch places and jump around, again showing more comedy. It shows their relationship is more like a father and daughters. 

You can watch the opening of the Parent Trap here: