Final Product - Limbo

Limbo Evaluation

Limbo Evaluation

Question 1

Question 2





Question 3





Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience can be identified through the use of G.E.A.R.S.

Gender
Ethnicity
Age
Region/Nationality
Socio-Economic Group

My main target gender for this production are male teenagers (12-18) due to the fact that they would most likely be able to "connect" with Limbo psychologically due to them having similar interests, likes, dislikes and lifestyle. Their social grade in the traditional segmentation model would be a D as they are most likely to be full time students. They may most likely be of a black background as they will probably want to see our change in the market by releasing a black superhero over the common white superhero.

This is shown during the very first scenes of our opening sequence as all teenagers, Limbo is also quite an untidy and lazy person. This allows the audience to further interact with him as for instance, they can comprehend the feeling of playing a game with your mother telling you either to go to bed or clean up your room. The reason for narrowing the target audience down to mainly teenagers is because the fast cuts used in the film wouldn't interest many viewers over the age of 30-35. They would lose interest as they may not be able to keep up with a fast paced film as such. In addition to this, recent trends show that teenagers prefer to play action packed games and watch movies than young adults aged 18+.


Question 5





Question 6




Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

I feel that since the start of the preliminary task, I have learnt quite a lot over the course of this year.

First of all, I have learnt the importance of teamwork and how crucial it is for each member to contribute equally towards the end product. A team has also got to be fully focused and have to co-ordinate well with each other to ensure the production pace is steady. I think that my group managed to understand the importance of working as a group from the very start and we co-ordinated well with each other regarding each an every aspect of our final product Limbo.

From a technological aspect, I feel that we have each learnt various new and valuable skills regarding software and hardware such as final cut pro, Nikon D5300, blogger, prezi, boom mic etc. All these new skills will help me in the future to create similar successful media products.

Another thing I have learnt is that there a lot of things that need to be near perfection in order for a scene to look the best it possibly can. In addition to this, I also learnt how to utilise each piece of equipment perfectly.

One of the most important things I feel I have learnt is time management along with the rest of my group. We learnt the importance of prioritising different parts of the project in order to work efficiently as well as ensuring that everything is completed on time.

In conclusion, I am very satisfied with our end product of Limbo and I feel that I have learnt a great deal of skills between my preliminary task and the final piece.

Update on Location

Location Update

We spoke to Caius house on Wednesday and to our disappointment, they are fully booked for the next three weeks. This was bad news for us as we only had to film a few more scenes with a white background and we didn't have enough time to book another media studio as such in the area. So what we decided to do, was to contact The Big Yellow Self Storage Company and ask if we can use their closest facility in Balham for a short period of time to film our remaining scenes.

Kevin and I constructed an E-mail together

After emailing their marketing department, Kevin decided to call the Balham branch directly, to see if we can get a reply immediately to know whether we can film in their facility or not. They said that it shouldn't be an issue however, they would have to check with their store manager. After this conversation, Kevin and I decided to go there just to check out what rooms they have available for us to use and if it is suitable for our opening sequence.

We later received a reply from the marketing team to say that we cannot film in their facility due to security concerns. This was a valid reason and totally understandable from their perspective so we would now have to find and alternative location as soon as possible.

We searched up other local studios who suited our requirements however, they were either fully booked for the next few weeks or they were far too expensive. For example, we found a suitable studio in Bermondsey which would cost us £55 to use for half a day (4 Hours) but it was too far from school. Our travel would take approximately one hour which would eat into too much of our time which we could not afford at this stage.

As a result of this, we explored places inside our school itself and to our amazement, we found the perfect spot just above the sports block. 

Update on Production

Quick Update on Production

So far, we have successfully completed filming all of our starting shots. This was only done because of our clear and detailed storyboard and screenplay without which, we may have been confused. We arrived on set from school at around 11:00 AM which was decent timing as we had roughly 4 hours to film. We filmed over the course of two days which were Tuesday 24th of February 2015 and Friday 27th February 2015. It also helped us that we had already assigned each other with a role. The roles were as follows: 

- Leslie was the main character (Limbo)

- Jarred played Limbos Father

- Kyle was the director

- Kevin was the cameraman

- I was the director of photography + behind the scenes

Unfortunately, on the Tuesday that we were filming, the camera battery went flat towards the end so we couldn't complete the full scene as we had expected. This added one extra thing for us to do on Friday.

All in all, we've done quite well so far in terms of shooting our first half of the opening sequence. 

Location

Location Scouting

For the first half of our films opening sequence, we will be in need of a "typical" teenagers bedroom which consists of an average sized bed along with things scattered everywhere. In addition to this, we will also require a television and playstation 4 for Limbo to play. We decided that the best place for this would be a friends bedroom as he himself is a teenager, so his room would really give off that teenager vibe to the audience. Not only that, but his house isn't too far from school so it would be easy for us to get there fairly quickly and with the route of just one bus, it would be a lot easier to carry all of the equipment.

For the second half of our opening sequence, as Limbo gets warped into the television, we will need quite a large area with plain white walls and floors. We decided that we will be using Caius house which is also in Wandsworth and is quite a large facility which allows us to get the perfect shots.

Actor Contract

Actors Contract

Shotlist

Our Shot list

Our shot list as shown below, is quite basic but serves the purpose it is needed for. Creating this list helps the cameraman to master each shot by knowing which shot they have to do and when. This also makes the production stage much more efficient as we have already planned what shot we are going to do where. So when it comes to filming, it is known when to take which shot rather than decide on the spot.

There are no dates or times present on our shot list due to us still waiting for confirmation from our filming locations.

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

A risk assessment sheet was filled out during lesson whilst I was absent.  So on my behalf, my group member Kevin filled the sheet out for me as shown below:

As shown in part A, we do not have very many hazards whilst filming however, we must be cautious and wary at all times due to there being various types of electrical equipment which is easily flammable and can cause significant damage to property as well as to people. It is imperative for us to address this issue to ensure the safety of every production member, the property we will be using, as well as the general public.

Hazards (Outlined)

A possible issue is the bedroom environment getting extremely hot due to the use of high-tech equipment such as a telescopic halogen work light which can get extremely hot if left powered on for prolonged periods of time.

Another major concern is a risk of fire as it wouldn't take much for an outbreak due to the vast amount of technology being present. This can happen as issues such as sparks caused at socket can spread and lead to a fire. One way to prevent this is to ensure that we use surge protected sockets as they will prevent there from being a power surge leading to our equipment being shut down. Alongside this, a similar issue is the risk of being electrocuted. This is also a hazard for which we will need to take precaution as to how we plug and unplug our technological equipment because if done incorrectly, somebody could potentially get hurt.

Lastly, an issue which is prone to happen because of the amount of wires there will be around the room, is tripping. It would be very easy to fall over a wire as we will have many of them going around the whole room. For example, the boom microphone will have its own cable which will stretch across the whole room which becomes a hazard as any one of us could trip over it and hurt ourselves.

Film Classification

Our Film Classification

As a group, we were unsure whether to rate our film a 12A or a 15. This was a difficult decision as we aren't very experienced in rating films so we started from the top. We started by discussing similar films and what their ratings are. Then we compared their rating to the content of the film. This allowed us to find out how much violence for example, is required to hit a certain rating. Having discussed this, we also took the initiative to search similar films on IMDb and see what they are rated. This was to ensure that we had evidence to prove our selection.

After conducting research on similar films, we decided as a group that our film will be classified as a 12A according to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). This enables us to target a larger audience than a film that is rated 15.

Violence

According to the BBFC, moderate violence is acceptable however, it must not dwell on detail. There must not be any emphasis on injuries or blood. Our production will have scenes of violence however, blood will not be shown and injuries will not be shown. Additionally, there will be an action sequence of a sword fight shown which complies with the 12A rating rules as again, we will not be showing the injuries sustained or the blood.

Theme

 Mature themes are acceptable according to the BBFC however, their treatment must be suitable for teenagers.

Our main theme in this production is about family, its values and how you should appreciate it. The reason why this relates to the 12A rating is because 12 year olds will understand our concept of portraying the importance of family in comparison to the younger ages who may not be able to understand the theme as it is.

Language

Strong language can be used occasionally if it used in the right manner and contextually. In our film, we plan on occasionally using some strong language to emphasise the sense of humour. We will not be using it out of context or unnecessarily as it would change our rating to a 15.

Imitable Techniques

Dangerous behaviour (for example hanging and suicide) will not dwell on detail which can be imitated or be presented in a way that is easy to be copied by easily influenced children.

We will not be presenting any dangerous behaviour in our film however, we will be using handheld weapons such as samurai swords and futuristic guns. We will not be presenting these weapons as "glamorous" to our audience to ensure that they are not acquired by children as well as the fact that they are futuristic concepts and do not yet exist in reality.

Horror

There may be some threat and hazard including scenes which which are violent and last a while however, injuries are not dwelled upon.

The main fright to the audience in the film, is when the villain suddenly descends from the sky which will definitely raise questions in the audience's minds wondering who he is and why he's turned up like that.

Props, Costume & Make-up

Props, costume and make-up

Our Prop List:

Weapons

We want to showcase a futuristic set of weapons in order to set the scene of Limbo entering a video game. This helps us to give the audience an image of what type of game he was playing before he became a part of it. In order to achieve the look of a futuristic gun, we decided to use either an airsoft gun or a nerf gun.

Game Console & Controller

We will be using a Playstation 4 and its controller as it in itself looks quite futuristic. Although it is not shown, Limbo will be playing GTA V in order to achieve a sense of reality that he is actually playing a video game.

Headset & Microphone

In order to add to the "futuristic" feel, we will also be utilising a light up headset which is aesthetically pleasing and will most likely entice the audience further. We will be using a headset that has a microphone built in which will allow Limbo to communicate with the online players.

Background Environment

Limbo is going to be playing playstation in his room so we will have to arrange for a bedroom to be used to give that house-like feel. This will have to include the typical "essentials" such as a bed of course, a cupboard, chest of drawers etc.

Sourcing our Props

We will be sourcing our props from online retailers such as Amazon and Ebay due to the large variety of products they have to offer. Not only that, but their pricing is also very competitive in comparison to street retailers. This is an advantage for us as it reduces our production costs and increases our profit bracket.

Costume

In our opening sequence, Limbo will be dressed in a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, complimented with a dressing gown on top. This will give the audience the feel that he is at home, comfortable and it's quite late. This aids us to create the picture for the audience that he is playing video games late at night like typical teenagers.

However, as Limbo is warped into the video game, when he meets Li face to face, he will be wearing a special superhero like outfit.

Kyle created a custom outfit for Limbo using Photoshop cc as shown below:

Kyle creating the superhero suit on Photoshop cc

The finished product

Li - The Helper

As a group, we discussed that Li should be dressed formally as it suits the face of the character, due to him being the helper. Therefore, we decided that Li will be dressed in a navy suit accompanied by a red tie. This attire fits perfectly as it shows his status.

Li's attire will look similar to this

Screenplay

Our Screenplay

Our screenplay was written by Kyle and Kevin with contributions from myself and Leslie as we were getting on with the storyboard. Each page of our screenplay will last roughly 1 minute. We had to think carefully about what Limbos script would be in the opening sequence as we had to make sure it wasn't too long or it would eat into our total opening sequence time. We had to make it short and effective. In order to think of a script, we also had to choose a game that Limbos character (Leslie) would enjoy to see if he would come up with any lines himself. As we tested this, it seemed to have worked as he naturally said "Get in the car" which we thought was perfect to put into our opening sequence. This was because it gives the audience the feel that he is really into the game and takes it seriously.

Once we established Limbos speech, we then had to think of another way of portraying his feelings to the audience. We decided to utilise our screenplay to do exactly that. We added actions into our screenplay which told the character (Leslie) to look frightened as well as throwing the Playstation controller onto the floor. The screenplay allowed the characters to grasp all of their actions and scripts clearly so that they can act it out accordingly.

Moreover, we agreed to add our sound effects and soundtracks into our screenplay as it allowed us to layout our entire opening sequence and check if there are any errors. For example, if we added the heart beat sound somewhere other than the start, we could use our screenplay to interpret whether or not it would suit that scene. As well as finding errors, our screenplay also allowed us to reduce our editing time as it clearly stated all of the editing techniques going to be used. For example, at the very end, it says "Finishes with immediate cut" which tells us when were editing, that we need to place an immediate cut there.

Lastly, we also stated which camera shots need to be used in each scene. This would aid us to complete our production efficiently as we have stated what we need to do beforehand.

Our Storyboard

Our Storyboard

We decided to create a storyboard for our film "Limbo" as it would help us to structure our opening sequence. This is useful as it gives us the freedom to play around with each scene and their order.

Our storyboard (shown above), shows the start of the film. We decided to do the layout on post-it notes as it gave us the freedom to rearrange the storyline at any time just in case there were any errors instead of having to create a whole new sheet each time.

1) We will start off by introducing the production titles and the film name to the audience.
2) We will show a close up of a family photo frame
3) A tracking shot of Limbo playing a video game
4) A mid-shot of Limbos Mum entering his room and telling him to go to sleep
5) A mid-shot of Limbo whining about his family
6) A close-up of Limbo looking confused about the television turning itself on
7) Marvel and Limbo titles scroll through with an ink animation along with a non-diegetic soundtrack
8) Extreme close-up of Limbos eye blinking twice with a non-diegetic soundtrack
9) A point of view shot of Li from Limbos perspective with a non-diegetic ambient soundtrack
10) A close-up of Limbo looking confused

Pitch Feedback

Pitch Feedback

On the whole, I think that our pitch went quite well and the response we got was pretty good. The advantage I think we had over other groups is that we clearly illustrated our key points such as who we would recruit as our actors. This provided the audience with sufficient information to understand how our budgeting will work and how much we will need in order to fund the production of the film. We also added an element of interest by talking intuitively and speaking with loud and clear voices to ensure that we come across as confident. This was crucial in our pitch as we would not sound very trustworthy if we weren't confident with our own production. If we were by any chance, coming across as not very enthusiastic and willing to produce the film, we would not be funded by the investors as they wouldn't see any potential in the production being a hit.

After presenting our powerpoint, we held a question and answer session with the audience just to make sure that they have understood our concept idea and if they have any questions they would like to ask us, we would be more than happy to provide them with relevant information. We also used this session to find out if the audience had any issues with our film production that may have needed to be addressed. It allowed us to interact directly with the audience and their likes and dislikes.

Our Pitch

Our Pitch

Title of our Film: LIMBO

Genre: Action/Comedy

Time Period: Modern Day

Film Budget: $80 - $150 Million

Target Audience: 12+ Males and Females

Logline

A teenager wishes to escape from his family without realising it could actually come true. As a consequence of his childish wish, he gets warped into a video game which he must now complete to breakout from in order to get back into the real world. Will he experience his biggest nightmares and comprehend the importance of obtaining a family?

As a whole, our presentation went better than we had thought. Through the use of a powerpoint presentation, we were able to put across our message as well as the importance of our necessities such as our budget. We delegated 2 slides to each other in order to maintain the focus of the audience which enhanced their understanding about our film.

Here's what our pitch looked like:

 Question and answer session at the end of our pitch

The audience engaged in our presentation

Our group presenting our main message.

In Depth Analysis

In Depth Analysis of The Amazing Spiderman 2

The Amazing Spiderman 2 opening scene:

Mise-En-Scene: Setting

The very first thing shown at the start of this sequence is the spider logo on the back of Spiderman's suit. This is showing the audience that he may have evolved from a spider. The camera zooms out suddenly to show the rest of Spiderman's body which shows that he may have started as a spider but is now has a human-like figure. This links in with the name of the film being "The Amazing Spiderman" which suggests that he has become something different, like never before. This creates a great sense of enigma for the audience as they're not too sure as to what they should expect. Spiderman is then shown to be falling from the sky towards the city with the camera tracking him then suddenly zooming out which showed the audience the place that the film is set. The camera then zooms out further to show the audience New York with Spiderman swinging from building to building which suggests that he is looking over New York city like a surveillance camera. Tall buildings show a large urban, metropolitan area. Furthermore, Spiderman flinging off tall buildings further emphasises his powers. This also helps to show his dominance in the film. He is then shown to be flying alongside helicopters which further enhances the audience's knowledge of how high Spiderman can fly.

Mise-En-Scene: Props/Costume

In this opening sequence, we are immediately greeted with Spiderman himself which shows the audience his costume. He is shown to be wearing a "typical" superhero suit as it's worn in conjunction with a mask and is red and blue. The choice of colours on this suit represent that he's related to spiders due to the red colour which signifies poisonous spiders. In addition to this, the red parts of his suit have a spider web-like design which also helps the audience to understand that he may have powers like spiders such as being able to make webs.

Mise-En-Scene: Characters/Objects

The opening sequence of this film shows that Spiderman is swinging from building to building which shows the audience that he can reach great heights due to each building looking like a skyscraper. This shows his power to the public and that he is somewhat superior due to the height at which he is swinging over New York. We are then shown a point of view shot of the buildings from Spiderman's perspective which also tell the audience the audience that he is "reaching great heights". I use this double entendre as it means that he is physically reaching new heights as well as "great heights" of protecting New York against any crime. We can differentiate between good and evil as the criminal leading the heist of the plutonium conforms to the dominant ideology of being a bulky person with a completely shaved head.

After this series of events, we are also shown supposed criminals who seem to have stolen a truck and are being chased by the city police (NYPD). This ties into the representation of Spiderman being a superhero as he is shown to be chasing these criminals down and preventing them from getting away.

Mise-En-Scene: Lighting and Colour

In terms of lighting, low key lighting is used to ensure that Spiderman stands out with his bright red and blue suit. This gives the audience who may not have seen the first instalment of this film the idea that he is going to be the main character for the rest of this film. An example of this is, at the very start of the film, we are shown a blank black screen through which the Spiderman symbol is shown in a slow fade-in effect. During his descent towards the city, everything brightens up to establish the scene of him swinging from building to building. However, his suit still seems to gleam which again, somewhat represent his power which is being used to protect the city.

Acting

The acting at the start of this film is very focused on Spiderman himself as it starts off by showing him and his powers through which he his flying over New York. Spiderman seems very relaxed to start off with and it looks as though he's flying around just for fun. However, as he's flying, he seems to become serious as he hears that a truck carrying plutonium is being hijacked. He is portrayed as a witty superhero as he's stopping the criminals from getting away as well as saying jokes and being funny.


Make-Up

It is not known whether any make-up is worn at this stage as Spiderman is dressed in the typical "superhero" suit where his whole body is covered. However, the criminal at the start is shown to have tattoos which are usually symbolic of a negative or villainous character.

Setting

It can be established that the film is being shot in America as the typical American cabs are shown. Not only that, but NYPD police cars are also shown which is the New York Police Department.

Camera

There are various camera techniques used during the opening sequence of the film. At the very start, there is an extreme close up of the spider embroidery on Spiderman's suit followed by a slow zoom out and tracking shot which makes the audience feel as though they are flying with him too. To add to this, a rather unusual point of view shot is also used to enhance the audience's interaction with the film as though they are present in the film.

Editing

The editing used in the film is very sleek and flows together quite well. For example, at the start, as a blank screen is shown, the image of the spider is faded in slowly to allow the audience enough time to think about what may happen. This also allows the audience to establish who the main character is.  Matching on action is a technique used quite a lot as it reduces the amount of time each move takes but also flows quite smoothly. For example, as Spiderman dives towards the ground, a tracking shot is used to follow him all the way down up until he shoots a web onto a building. At this moment, matching on action is used as we can see him shoot the web, then we're suddenly shown him swinging up towards the building.

Sound

The first soundtrack which starts with the film is upbeat and has a heroic feel to it. This increases the likelihood of the audience realising that Spiderman is in fact, the main character and superhero of the film. The non-diegetic soundtrack seems to speed up as Spiderman is swinging between the buildings which creates a sort of enigma for the audience as they're not quite sure as to what they should expect. The suspense is built up so the audience is left to guess whether he will hit the ground or spray a web and pull himself up again.

Enigmas

The opening sequence of The Amazing Spiderman 2 creates multiple enigmas such as:

Will Spiderman hit the ground?
The soundtrack leaves the audience thinking "What will happen next?"
Why is he flying around helicopters?

Our Survey Results

After approximately 1 week, we managed to attain 12 results. This included 5 online responses and 7 written responses. This showed us that questionnaires were amongst the most efficient ways of attaining the publics interests. 

Question 1)

Our first question was to identify the audiences age. This was to determine our market for the distribution of our film. The majority who answered our questionnaire were 16 years of age. This helped us to come up with an idea which would entice our audience into watching our film.

A bar graph to show the trend in age:

Question 2)

The majority of our audience for our survey were male as we can see in the graph below. This trend showed us that we have to create a movie that would be suitable such as an action film for our mass male audience.

Question 3)

Due to our first questionnaire audience being our classmates and friends at college, they were a perfect fit into our target audience which ranged between the ages of 16-25. However, there was an anomaly in our results as we also distributed our questionnaire to a couple of teachers in our college who exceeded our target age range of 16-25. This can be seen in the pie chart below:

Question 4)

Judging from the chart below, action/comedy was the most preferred sub-genre by our audience. The use of this pie chart was so that we could decide as to what sub-genre we could go with in order to produce a quality in-demand hit movie.

Question 5)

As shown below, we asked our audience to name their 3 most favourite films. This was due to the broad range of films today. In order for us to meet our target audience's interest, we had to narrow down their most favourite film. The graph below shows us that James Bond was the most favourited film. Therefore, we have to create a film similar to that of James Bond.

Question 6)

Looking at the graph below, we can see that our audiences' favourite super-hero films are Batman and Iron Man. Both of these films share similar characteristics and storylines such as both superheroes coming from rich backgrounds and trying to change society for the better.

Question 7)

The pie chart below shows the 50/50 ratio of our audience interested in a marvel parody and a samurai inspired film. From this it is visible that both of our film ideas are great and suitable for our audience.

Question 8)

Our last question was to identify what the audience would like to see in the future. From our data, we could see that most people would like to see action packed movies. Alongside this, the audience would also like to see an incorporation of comedy, fighting and a villain.