Final Opening Sequence

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The school mac' had one programme that we hadn't used before.  This was 'Premiere Pro'.  

The video camera was easy to use, and we didn't find any difficulties in working it.  However, during one shoot, there was dust on the camera.  The sun made it visible, and so most of the shots were not usable.  Obviously when we filmed again we made sure that the screen was clear of any marks or dust. 

Premiere Pro

Premiere pro was the main programme that we used within our production.  We learnt how to zoom our logo during the title sequence, how to cross dissolve, adjust the levels of colour on the footage, how to dip to white/black, importing video/sound/picture files, all of which built on our overall editing skills.  

Other Programmes Used

1 - Photoshop - this is what we created the title background images on
2 - Blogger - where all our planning/development/work on the production is
3 - GarageBand - created all the music on this software
4 - Youtube - uploaded our music and final film onto our production youtube channel
5 - iTunes - exported our music created on GarageBand into MP3 tracks on iTunes

BBFC - (www.bbfc.co.uk) - worked out the rating for our film from this website

How did you attract/address your audience?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

This is Claire Woodruff.  She is 40 years old, she is married and has two teenage sons.  She lives in Canterbury, Kent.  She studied Politics at Portsmouth University, and finished with a BA Hons.

She now works for a local law firm.  However, in her spare time, with her son's company, Claire enjoys to take part in amateur theatre, focusing on regency and Shakespearian productions.  She loves to see how other people portray the same role as her, and so likes to research into the production, knowing the period inside out and see see different adaptations of the media product.

Her family mean the world to her.  Especially her mother.  Claire visits her every Sunday.  The pair take a morning walk, cook a sunday roast together, and then sit down afterwards to watch a feel good film, or watching a drama on the TV.  They often watch the repeats of Eastenders, or cultural shows such as the Antiques Roadshow.  Films include, Pride and Prejudice, or The Duchess.

From the stress of work, Claire turns to relaxing, classical music to help her wind down from a stressful days work.  She often chooses the work of Debussy, and enjoys the soft piano sounds that he creates.

I think that our media product would appeal to Claire.  Her main hobby is period acting, and so would enjoy watching the productions come to life in the form of a film.  The type of film we are producing is targeted at a older generation, so Claire would enjoy watching our film with her mother on a sunday afternoon.  Her favourite music shares the same genre as our production music, meaning that she can musically enjoy our production.

3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product, and why?

What is a producer?

A producer oversees and delivers a media product to all relevant audiences while, and the same time preserves the voice and vision of the product.  Some will often take personal financial risk by using their own money, especially during the early stages of production period, before the product is fully financially supported.

The producer is often active throughout the journey of the production, from development through to the completion and delivery of the media product.  However, a concept can originate from any individual, such as screenwriters, directors, etc.



What is a distributer?

An organisation that is involved in the marketing process of a product, making it available for the consumer.

       

E.g.  Miramax Films and Universal Studios distribute films via cinema release or home viewing (DVD, Blu-ray, download, television, etc.)




Period Drama & Distribution Companies


Working Title - Elizabeth(&Elizabeth The Golden Age)/Atonement/Pride & Prejudice/Nanny McPhee
Miramax Films - Emma/Becoming Jane/The Importance of Being Earnest/Mansfield Park
Universal Studios - Robin Hood/Nanny McPhee Returns/Pride & Prejudice/The Musketeer
Paramount Pictures - The Duchess/Sleepy Hollow

From this information, I would conclude that 'Working Title' would be the most likely company to distribute 'Devotion'.  Already, Working Title are distributing similar products to our film, such as Atonement and Pride & Prejudice, which were the main influence during the planning stages.  This would mean that the company have a wide knowledge of the target audience for period drama's and would therefore know which areas to target effectively.  I feel that Working Title would be the distribution company I would pick to market our product.

2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our media product represents the class differences that are typically shown in a period drama.  From our research, we found that common problem keeping the lovers apart was class/status differences and lack of wealth and connections.  The importance of a "good marriage" for their daughters was of great importance to mothers such as Mrs Bennett (Pride and Prejudice).  From the chosen period, this was a strong theme that appeared in many films/novels.  We decided to use the same theme of love, but have our main character as a man, instead of the typical woman role.  We saw that it was rare for the man to be of the lower class.  We felt this made our production more unique and therefore different and appealing to our audience.

Billy (Devotion) & Robbie (Atonement) 

Billy Walters is a young boy from a poor background.  He seeks to regain the romantic interest of his first love, Elizabeth Harding. 

His social class, which is lower/working class, is represented through his accent, costume and character background.  Billy was raised on a farm.  His mother and father died shortly after Billy was born, leaving him to the care of his Aunt and Uncle.

The costume is basic in its appearance.  A white, ripped shirt, black trousers, brown tattered waistcoat.  His hair is messy and unkempt, suggesting his day consists of work, and therefore does not need to look presentable.

The the character's dialect is colloquial throughout the flashback sequences.  However, we see a contrast in character when Billy tries to write a well-spoken letter to Elizabeth, in hope that she will appreciate and respect him as a gentleman. 

We decided that Ash should play Billy.  We felt that his gestures were not proud, or arrogant, and we felt that Billy would not have these qualities.  His accent is not "posh English", and therefore does not represent a gentleman in the way he speaks. 

Billy is based on the character Robbie Turner from Atonement.  Robbie is the son of the Tallis family servant and he falls in love with the families daughter, Cecilia.  Robbie would therefore be from a similar background to that of Billy. 

Both actors have dark brown hair, the stereotypical "tall, dark and handsome" appearance that are in most period dramas.  For example, Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice).

Billy's costume would not be as realistic as Robbie's.  Robbie, however, is in a moderner time than Billy.  His costume would have been easier to find, and less expensive to purchase.  We found that the realistic costumes were too expensive to buy for our production.  We therefore had to be creative and basic in what costume we chose for Billy.  However, the cheaper the clothes, the more effective it would look for that character's costume. 

Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice - BBC Adaptation)

1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The Title of the Film

The first screen shot is of our title, 'Devotion'.  For all of our title images, we chose to make it look like it has been painted onto parchment paper.  We felt this set the period, but also to give the film a homely, warm feel which conveyed Billy's character.  By using brown, muddy colours, it suggests a country lifestyle, which once again reflects Billy.  

We chose to use a clear, handwritten style for our font.  We tried to make the writing look messy to try and portray Billy's uneducated background.  However, when we put the font on the background it clashed with the patterns, and was not clear to read.  From our research we saw that most period drama's use handwritten fonts.  We therefore concluded to stay with the style, but to find a simpler version.  I feel this works better than our original idea.  Whereas the messy and exaggerated font showed the background of Billy, the simpler font suggests the plainess of Billy's life.  Therefore, the development of font ideas worked in our favour to what we wanted to convey to the audience.  

This style of titles has been used in Sherlock Holmes and Emma.  These two films influenced us to do a similar title sequence.  However, the title sequence of Sherlock Holmes goes from footage to a screenshot, which is then turned into a drawing/painting.  We wanted to produce a similar effect, however, because of the limited time given, we felt that the audience would become bored of the same shots being repeated from the title sequence in the main body of our film opening.  We therefore decided to keep the painted still images, and not to have moving images. 

However, other period drama films have moving images.  For example, the titles of Pride and Prejudice are shown before the main character, Elizabeth, is introduced.  The rest of the opening sequence is of Elizabeth walking from a field to her house.  As she walks through the house, the audience are introduced to the Bennett family, a location and the status of the family, all of which are important in setting the scene.

(Pride & Prejudice)

Titles can be introduced in different ways in a period drama.  Both ways introduce the characters, location and also suggest the status/class of those characters by costume/appearance. 

Setting and Location


The reason why we used the fields of Sandwich was to introduce the audience to the agricultural atmosphere of the film.  We wanted to convey Billy's background and class through the muddy, unkept fields.  This is similar to Pride and Prejudice.  Elizabeth is walking though the fields whilst reading a book.  The directors chose to do this to introduce Elizabeth's two favourite hobby's, walking and reading.  Both films introduce information about the main character.  However, we chose to make our information different to that of Pride and Prejudice.  We thought that the difference in background should be introduced and made clear to the audience from the very first shot of the film.

                                                    (Pride & Prejudice)                                                                 (Devotion)


The bridge where Elizabeth says goodbye to Billy was used as a symbol of separation between the two main characters.  Billy could not cross over the bridge to follow Elizabeth.  We wanted to imply that he could not cross because he is of a lower class to her, making the separation due to social standings.

Costumes and Props


Costume and props is the media convention that all films have.  See the costumes here.


The main prop of our film was the letter to Elizabeth.  This prop is the object that still connects Billy and Elizabeth, and keeps their relationship alive.  We therefore needed the prop to look as realistic as possible.  We chose a creme coloured paper, which conveyed the period of time.  White paper was rare to come across at this time, it would therefore be very unlikely that Billy would have white paper in his possession.  The writing on the letter also suggests the period, and is written in calligraphy.  This is a fancy, old-fashioned arty form of writing.  We used this to suggest the period, and also to suggest that Billy is making the effort to impress Elizabeth.


From our research, audiences connect with the elaborate costumes and props, that represent the period and era of the film.  Costume was therefore a main focus in our production to portray the correct period to our audience.

• Inspiration for Billy's costume, based on Angel Clare, from Tess of the d'Ubervilles.
• Inspiration for the Maid's costume, based on the maid, Estrella, from Pirates of the Caribbean.
• Inspiration for Elizabeth's costume, based on Cosette, from Les Miserables. 

Camerawork and Editing


We wanted to have a smooth, soft transition between our title sequence, and the main body our opening sequence.  We did this by slowing the footage down so that it moved smoother, and then added a cross-dissolve to make the transition and sequence flow, and create the romantic feel of a period drama.
I chose this shot because we wanted to use a range of stylistic shots throughout our opening sequence. We took inspiration from the film director, Tim Burton.  In some people's opinions, his shots could be frozen and used as still images.  We liked this theory, and wanted to try the same methods to artistically entertain our audience.

(Mr Darcy - Letter scene)

(Billy - Letter Sequence) 

Narrative

We have written a very typical storyline of the genre.  Often, period drama's evolve around the struggle and discovery of a "decent marriage".  Often the "true love" is not eligible for the other.  Our diegesis fits in perfectly with this structure, which means it fits in with the genre. 

How does the opening set up the narrative?

We are shown the important early stages of the relationship between Billy and Elizabeth.  Billy's favourite memory of the two of them sitting, laughing together, to his least favourite, when Elizabeth says goodbye.  These two flash backs show the compatibility of the pair, and also the heartache that the two feel by being apart.  We are not told however the reasons why Elizabeth leaves.  The audience will become intrigued and will want to know the reasons behind this sudden disappearance. 

We are also told that Billy continues to write to Elizabeth to keep the relationship alive.  However, the audience know that the Maid throws the letters away.  Billy believes that he can trust the maid to give the letters to Elizabeth.  By the gesture the Maid makes of letting the letter fly away, suggests she has a reason behind her actions.  The audience gain interest, and want to know the reasons behind the gesture.  

Genre

Genre is introduced through all the elements used within our production.  Music, costumes, set/location, props, titles, etc. all help to establish the film as a period drama.  Letter writing, for instance, is a main form of communication within period drama's.  It is a main form of communicating important news, and audiences are introduced to changes within the storyline many times within real period drama films through the character reading the letter.  

The music also suggests classical, and a romantic atmosphere.  It sounds similar to other period drama film scores, and so fits in with this genre.  

This therefore establishes the film to be within the genre of a period drama. 

Costume is the second biggest sign that our production is a period drama.  Throughout the opening sequence, all the characters are dressed in regency attire, and so appear to be of a non-modern era.  Their accents then reflect their costumes.  For instance, Elizabeth speaks in a well-spoken, "proper English" way.  This reflects her character, and her status.  Both of which are continual themes within the genre of period dramas. 

Character Introductions

Billy, the protagonist, is introduced straight away.  This is similar to Pride & Prejudice, where the audience is introduced to Elizabeth first.  We felt that this suggests Billy is the main character to emotionally connect with.  We wanted to imply that his story and thoughts/emotions were the most important to follow. 

Elizabeth, the woman who is addressed in the letter is introduced as the romantic interest of Billy.  We first see Elizabeth in Billy's imagination (flashbacks).  This suggests that Elizabeth is an important part of Billy's life, and still is within his thoughts.  The two flashbacks however are of Elizabeth being attached, and interested romantically interested in Billy, to then suddenly leaving him.  This implies Elizabeth's and Billy's confusion in their relationship, which, from our research is shown in many other period drama's.  

The Maid is introduced as the character who is Billy's only way of communicating with Elizabeth.  She is also introduced as the character who prevents Billy and Elizabeth's relationship being maintained as she throws the letters away.   Making the maid the antagonist. 

Special Effects

We did not use any special effects in our production.  Our storyline did not require any, and from our research we saw that this convention is not typically used within period drama's with a romantic narrative.