Evaluation

http://prezi.com/zcftuhtvccsn/two-minutes-film-opening-evaluation/

our two minutes film opening

This is our final two minutes film opening called "Lost & Found".

construction

For our two minute film opening we used a camera, a tripod and a microphone for the voiceover which was provided from our school.

During the filming we took our time to try different camera shots and angles as well as camera movements to see what looks best. We wanted to make sure not to use the same angles and shots all over again and to vary between them to make it look less boring. We found that using a mid-shot for the general filming was best as that kind of shot doesn't focus on details and the viewer has the opportunity of seeing things like the setting much clearer. Besides, we also used close-ups when necessary: When Andre and Nora bump into each other and she drops the diary, we used a close-up shot to show how it falls on the floor to make sure the viewer focusses on the diary as it is the main thing in the film. We did the same with the lip print on the mirror at the very end of our film opening and we zoomed it in to bring the viewer closer to the story and what happens in it.

We then decided to pick a German song for the background music. We thought that it would fit quite well since the film deals with a German girl and is told from her point of view. The song is pretty popular in Germany, especially with teenagers which is another reason why we chose the song as our film's target audience are teenagers.

We also made sure to edit the different scenes to the rhythm of the music, especially at the end of the film where Andre walks out of the school and it seems as if he walks to the rhythm of the music: that's how we tried to connect the song with the film.

assignment of task

Pre-production

In the pre-production, Faraz, Nora and me worked together as a group. In the beginning, we discussed our ideas for the two minutes film opening, the genre we want to use. We talked about quite a few different genres such as costume drama and spoofs but found that there might be some problems and difficulties in filming and financing it. After further discussion and research on the internet we decided to pick the genre of teen comedy drama as we thought that a lot of teenagers would be able to identify with the characters in the film.

We also thought that Nora and I could bring in some ideas in terms of funny experience we've gained during our time in England as we are exchange students from Germany.

We then made a script based on our ideas and Nora drew a storyboard.

Filming

During the filming, all of were in charge of different parts of the filming. We only needed five days in total to get the filming done, but we spread it out over a few weeks as it was difficult to find a day to meet up on which every member of the group was able to find some time to come.

The first filming day took place in the library in town. Since Andre and Nora were the actors, Faraz and me were in charge of the camera and tried out different camera shots as well as angles.

When we checked the footage a few days later, we noticed that it was too shaky for us to use because unfortunately, we hadn't used a tripod, so we met up to refilm the library scene, this time at Northwood campus. Since Andre was the actor, Nora, Faraz and I again filmed and brought in our ideas for the different shots and angles.

Nora and I then decided to not only refilm the library scene but also the sequences in which she gets ready. We both therefore met up at her house on a Saturday afternoon and while she was putting on the make up in front of a mirror, I was the one who filmed her.

The last filming day took place at Foxley campus on a Tuesday morning and the plan was to film Andre and Nora bumping into each other. We therefore used a corridor and the staircase which made it look quite authentic as students were passing by every now and then.

Nora and Andre again were the actors and even I played a small role in one of the scenes, but for the majority of time, Faraz and I were in charge of the camera.

Editing

When it comes to the editing, Nora and I were mostly involved in it. We not only used the media lessons for it, but also did a lot of the editing in our free periods. In the final stage of the editing, Faraz helped us with the details such as cutting, sound and music.

Final

As a result I would say that we worked quite well within our group everyone was involved and in charge of different parts whilst creating our two minutes film opening.

Although it was not always easy because we sometimes didn't share the same opinions and wanted to do things differently, but all in all we had a lot of fun and got on well.

the song

Since we've used a German song for our background music, I decided to translate it for you (:


I Will Change The World (Ich werd' die Welt verändern)

I've been knowing these days for years,
and it's almost as if I like fighting myself.
I don't like being alone,
and I go crazy when I'm with people.
I ask myself too many questions
but I can never find the answers.

But all this will end one day,
and I will start celebrating my life.

I will change the world,
will do everything better,
will start getting along again
and will laugh at myself.
I will change the world,
will do everything better,
will start getting along again
and will laugh at myself.

And I know that evil can turn into good,
and if nothing works out,
I'll start all over again.
Maybe I just have to count the days
and fight myself through too many hours.
It doesn't matter how long it will take
because I know who will stand in the end.

I will stop losing,
will discard the past,
I will only copy myself.

I will change the world,
will do everything better,
will start getting along again
and will laugh at myself.
I will change the world,
will do everything better,
will start getting along again
and will laugh at myself.

I will change the world,
will sort things out differently

the filming, part III

Faraz, Nora, Andre and I met up at Pendeford school on Tuesday to get the final bit of our filming done.
We've planned to film the scene in which Nora and Andre bump into each other and therefore used one of the corridors in school. Due to the fact that we used a tripod this time we were able to film everything in quite a short amount of time and again we tried out different camera shots and angles.
We then used the staircase where we filmed Andre trying to give Nora back the diary but she runs down the stairs too fast for him to catch her.
Since we filmed on a normal school day, we had some students walking through the camera shots which makes it look even more authentic.

We also had the idea of putting a voiceover over our film in the form of Nora's voice telling her story.

the storyboard

During the last couple of weeks, we went through a process of changing and rechanging our film opening in terms of the story, script and shots.
The storyboard above was made by Nora and shows our final storyline. Our main idea was to kind of switch between the scenes during the two minutes of film opening: The first sequence shows Nora putting her make-up on (1), we then have the scene in which she drops her diary by bumping into Andre (2), and we then switch back to where Nora gets ready (3).
(We replaced the idea of Nora losing her diary on the bus with the idea of her dropping it by running in Andre because we considered filming on the bus as too difficult.)
In sequence 4 we can see Andre in the library despairing of the diary that he struggles to translate (4), followed by another sequence of Nora in the bathroom (5).
Sequence 6 shows Andre leaving school after everyone else has already gone (he forgot the time over translating the diary)(6); we then see the final bathroom sequence in which Nora kisses the mirror (7) and the title "Lost & Found" appears next to her lip print (8).

We had a discussion about the title of the film at pretty much the end of our filming process and finally came up with "Lost & Found". We thought that the title might fit quite well because the main character not only "lost" her diary, she also "found" a friend or maybe even a boyfriend by losing it.

the filming, part II

After we have had a look at our filming work from that Saturday in the following media lesson, we noticed that we would hardly be able to use the footage as it turned out to be too shaky. We then decided to refilm the scenes and met up at the Northwood school on Wednesday to get the library scene done during our free periods.

On Saturday, Nora and I again met up at her house and refilmed the scene in which she gets ready. We therefore used a shot that only shows parts of her face (such as eyes and mouth)in a mirror to make sure the viewer doesn't get to see her whole face.

the filming

We finally started our filming. Therefore Faraz, Nora, Andre and I met up in town last Saturday to film the scene of Andre sitting in the library trying to translate the diary.
We tried out different camera shots such as close-ups and over-shoulder-shots; it all went well, apart from the fact that we forgot to bring a tripod which would have made the filming much easier.
We then went to Nora's house in Codsall where we planned to film the bus scene, but since it had started to rain we cancelled our plans and instead filmed the scene in which Nora gets ready, puts her make up on and leaves the house.

the characters

The two main characters in our film opening are both the German girl and the English boy.

Frieda (the German girl)

The role of the German girl in our film opening is being played by Nora Böttcher. We decided to give her the name "Frieda" as it is a typical German name and easy to keep in mind.
Frieda is an exchange student in an English school; she spends a year in Great Britain and has therefore started to keep a diary which she takes everywhere. When she gets off the bus on her way to school, she drops and loses it due to the amount of people at the bus stop.

Liam (the English boy)

The role of the English boy in our film opening is being played by Andre Jenkins; his character's name is Liam.
Liam finds Frieda's diary when he gets on the bus and tries to give it her back, but since the bus stop is quite busy and Frieda is already too far gone into another direction, he keeps it. He then decides to translate the diary, which is written in German, in order to find the girl who owns it.