Ident: Final Version

This is the final version of our ident, which we physically filmed using a light box and pieces of coloured plastic, as planned. However, we had to cut it shorter than anticipated, meaning we didn't get to use the full length of our stop motion animation. To achieve this effect, we filmed the sequence as normal, and then sped up the footage 4x on Final Cut. The name we decided on, as before, was "Elemental Studios", due to the four colours representing the elements. Originally, we planned to form the name of our company out of the pieces of plastic themselves, but we found this was too complicated and made the title look virtually unreadable. Therefore, despite initially wanting to avoid using Motion, we nevertheless ended up having to familiarise ourselves with it. In order to achieve the above font, we wrote out the name of our company, added a background glow and then deleted the text itself in to mirror the effect of the lightbox. We programmed the text to move towards the audience slightly as the ident played because no movement at all made the whole thing look rigid and unnatural, and this was the simplest, least distracting motion we could use.

We combined the Motion graphics and filmed element in Final Cut, cropping the image in order to centre the circle of plastic on the screen. We then heightened the colour saturation of the red tones on both components in order to give the entire image a warmer, brighter and therefore more eye-catching ambience. In the end, I think the ident turned out significantly better than we could have anticipated; despite being fairly clearly made by a low-budget company, its rough, distressed, shadowy style suits the tone of the rest of our film perfectly.

AF

Altering Colour

One technique we had been keen to use at our research and planning stage was that of colour alterations, especially as a device to make the contrast between our two leads all the more obvious. Luckily, we had enough time to work out a satisfactory colour pallet after completing our second rough cut, raising the saturation of red shades in frames with Al, and generally draining the colour from Mal's scenes on the  pallet that had the most influence in each shot.

This is likely the most striking example of a before and after comparison. We chose to alter predominantly red shades in Al's scenes due to her clothing and surroundings, and this shot is surely testament to the effective filming and costume choices we made. The effect of such a trivial change ended up turning this shot into one of our personal favourites due to the huge aesthetic difference  colour alteration made to it.


The opposing colour scheme we chose for Mal's shots created a fairly jarring effect due to the viewer having to constantly watch the camera switch between the two throughout the entirety of the opening montage. However, this effect made the contrast between the two girls more obvious, especially in terms of suggesting the difference in their origins; Al's colours are unrealistically vibrant, connoting her alien heritage which we would traditionally view as a break away from the mundanity which Mal's colour scheme represents. For every shot, we picked a different colour to fade depending on the magnitude of the impact it had, such as bringing down the saturation of green here due to the expanse of the field in the background.

However, it quickly became obvious that the shots where the two characters appeared on-screen together would become a problem for us. Reverting to standard saturation in those scenes seemed like a natural decision to make (especially in terms of symbolically highlighting how the two lead's personalities balance each other out throughout the rest of the plot). However, we nevertheless elected that it would look effective if, every time one of the characters left the shot, the colours would revert to those associated with the one who remained. An example of this is shown here, with the first and third shots having a normal colour saturation because Al and Mal are together, but with the middle shot's red saturation heightened due to Al being alone. Despite the cut we had to make halfway through the shot to apply this change, the transition looks fairly smooth in the film itself; something we were rather pleased with, as it would prove an interesting Easter egg for our more attentive viewers.

The final shot of Mal is the only one which we allowed to be an exception to the rule, in order to emphasise the atmosphere of confusion and fear our protagonist finds herself in. These feelings, which the viewer is supposed to emphasise with, meant the shot had to be brighter and sharper, just as the world looks under high tension or stress for us, allowing us to react more quickly to our surroundings. Hopefully, this choice precipitates the cliffhanger effectively, making the audience wonder about the resolution.

In all, altering the colour saturation of our piece to subtly emphasise the film's themes of reflection and parallel worlds was probably one of our best ideas, effectively enhancing not only the strange ambience of our work but also the other clues within the opening (such as the matching key necklaces and the Al's "mother's" unresponsive behaviour). Although the correct balance of both enhancement and discolouration was at first difficult to find, we eventually realised that the optimal saturation value to use for most shots was +/-50% (discounting special cases where this created an effect too unrealistically bright or dark). It was also interesting to learn that certain colours were significantly more present in our environment than anticipated, as shown by, for instance, a change in green saturation affecting certain brown colours, such as that of bricks. The change we made, overall, is not only interesting but attractive; the normal colours of the footage, while seeming perfectly fine before, now seem in some way unacceptable in comparison.

AF

Animatic

Here is the animatic I completed during filming using scanned-in versions of the storyboards, later augmented with the lyrics version of our soundtrack. It took a rather long time to cut away individual panels from each board using Photoshop, and some of them ended up in Bitmap format as opposed to a normal image, but this would have taken too long to amend, considering the imminence of the deadline. The entire process did, however, allow me to re-familiarise myself with this older version of the software.

It's interesting to see that, even while allowing only around 2 seconds for each shot, if we had stuck to our storyboard our film still would have been at least half a minute longer than the time limit. In the end, there are several shots (such as the point of view one with the tail of the hat obscuring half the screen) which I'm sad we had to get rid of, but, compared to the final product, it's obvious that these were necessary to remove, as the overall fluency of our work improved greatly as a result.

DY

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 refers to the “second” version of the internet which, due to its greater technical capabilities, allows its users to enjoy a higher level of interactivity with the services available online (thus users can now both create content and distribute it to others). Before Web 2.0, the levels of user-inclusion within the internet were comparatively low; there were few pictures, almost no videos, and the very idea of forums was not yet conceived. The gradual emergence of this new web model meant we, as consumers, could ourselves post videos, pictures, opinions and other things, becoming at least partially self-sufficient in terms of our entertainment. Websites that best utilise 2.0 include modern online giants such as Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, Twitter and Tumblr.

These sites now greatly affect the film industry, mostly through their capacity to either increase or lessen the monetary value of movie releases depending on the situation. For instance, films can now be advertised easier if the company, for example, puts up official teasers and trailers on popular sites, not only building up the audience’s enthusiasm in advance (and thus consequently increasing sales), but also opening the floor for pre-emptive discussion about the upcoming picture. No matter which of the above sites information about the film is posted on, it lends to greater exposure of the piece. Furthermore, users themselves become a form of free advertising when they begin to talk about and analyse the content of the film (whether it's using screenshots, short clips or looking at the whole thing after its initial distribution). However, the existence of sites such as YouTube undoubtedly also increases competition for traditional film-makers in the sense that non-professional users are churning out new content all the time, regardless of quality. This has even caused some new filming talents to emerge, although increasingly less so than simply allowing the pirating of already-existing products to flourish.  

This of course is outstandingly useful to film audiences who don’t want to pay more than necessary (or pay at all) for products. Not only that, but the emergence of Web 2.0 means that users feel more like part of a community when it comes to the internet – a fact that poses great problems for companies when a subject like net neutrality is brought up. Net neutrality refers to the fact that, currently, there is a largely similar internet connection speed for everyone, and yet in most recent years big cable companies are effectively attempting to overturn this. The fact that web users feel an increasing sense of togetherness in regards to their personal internet space means that some laws (such as the one attempting to take away net neutrality to allow companies to make even more money), are more vehemently resisted by the public than if the internet had remained the largely impersonal space it initially was. The chance to voice one’s opinion on the internet and be a part of online groups that have similar interests – in regards to film or otherwise – is thus exceptionally beneficial to web users all over the world, be it psychologically or commercially.       

DY

The Rise and Fall of Myspace

At its peak in 2008, MySpace had 75.9 million visitors a month and represented the most diverse social networking site of its time. Indeed, it was the pioneer in the new era of online information sharing, as in its ever-expanding scope it included not only pictures and messaging, but moving stickers and, perhaps most importantly, music. As a consequence of these features, MySpace very quickly gained popularity amongst the younger generation; the majority of its users were between 16 and 25, which is considered the key demographic to reach when it comes to online media. The initial popularity of this site is owed to not only the sheer fact of the ease of communication which it presented, but also the trend of discussing one’s interests using forum posts and the eventual decision of unsigned upcoming artists to post their music on the site (such as the Arctic Monkeys in 2005). The platform allowed its users to buy music using PayPal, which also greatly boosted its user base. As a result of the extensive amount of facilities available as part of MySpace, it soared to popularity quickly and yet almost just as quickly lost its users, causing the number of visitors per month to drop to just 3.3 million by 2010.

The reasons for this loss of popularity are numerous, but in the end MySpace was crippled mostly by two things; the rise of its greatest competition, Facebook, and by the naturally-occurring shift in its age demographic. Every website inevitably ages unless it adapts to attract the next generation, and MySpace failed to do just that, surrendering the majority of its users to the more advanced and newer social networking site, Facebook, which started up in 2008. This also clearly correlates with the steady decline in its user base since its aforementioned peak year. MySpace simply did not have the vision or funds to keep up with Facebook, which already had the advantage of being drawing the public eye just by being new. However, when most of the younger population of MySpace left for a more advanced platform, they were also leaving due to the fact that MySpace had become mundane enough to society to draw middle-aged users. As a rule, younger people refuse to share their space with those who are of the same age demographic as their parents, and the fact that MySpace had become so integrated meant that the younger users were even more eager to leave.

DY

The Problem with Prints

For film companies, there are many benefits to the development of D-List cinema. For instance, the production of digital prints rather than physical reels is ten times cheaper. This also means less money is spent on transport; the reels require a significant amount of space, whereas simple discs do not. The lessened cost additionally means that independent companies will be able to show their work on significantly more screens, heightening their revenue and thus increasing the incentive to film more independent pieces. Similarly, less money has to be spent on storage, as even maintaining reels in working order is strenuous, whilst discs need little to no care. For cinemas, the consequent availability of newer equipment may allow other things to take place in the auditoriums when screenings are not scheduled, including musical or sports events. All this is likely to earn them more money and expand the variety of their audience.

Equally, D-List cinema is also advantageous for consumers. The increased availability of copies of films released by smaller-scale companies means there will be a much greater variety of entertainment for the audience. Additionally, D-List discs afford a much higher picture quality, as well as having a much longer lifespan than a reel, as physical film is prone to wearing down over time no matter how well it’s looked after.

However, there are also significant disadvantages to this new technology. The lowered cost of distribution means that film-makers may feel encouraged to further cut corners to decrease their expenses and heighten their profit, causing the overall quality of released films to go down. Furthermore, as the storing of the films becomes largely digitalised, recently released films become significantly easier to pirate, whether via stealing them in their physical form or via hacking.

DY

Convergence and Synergy

Convergence refers to both the utilisation of several types of media within a company or project and to the combination of more than one type of technology within a single product. This phenomenon presents the proverbial double-edged sword for the film industry for a variety of reasons. The pros of convergence are that it allows the economic development of the world of film; for instance, creating a video game based on a well-received movie is sure to earn the company significantly more money. It also causes the film’s fanbase to widen, encompassing different generations of viewers with varied interests. Thus, for instance, the official website for “Edge of Tomorrow” includes three different types of games in an attempt to appeal to the target audience of the film; teenagers. On a more basic level, the fact that movies can now be streamed online means that they are easier to sell – thanks to outlets such as Netflix, consumers don’t even have to leave their house in order to enjoy a movie that has just been released on DVD. It also means that films can be sold internationally much easier; physical copies don’t have to be shipped or flown over in order to be sold, as they can simply be distributed via the internet. Conversely, convergence has greatly furthered the problem of film piracy and copyright. Piracy in particular is an increasingly huge problem, especially for independent titles which already have less money behind them to begin with. For such films, convergence and consequent illegal downloading essentially increases the possibility of any future financing being taken away.      

The effects of convergence on the film audience of the UK is much the same as on the rest of the world. Convergence is incredibly convenient for consumers, for the reasons mentioned above, but also presents a temptation in the form of illegal downloading or streaming. Additionally, despite giving an opportunity to reach a wider world audience, it leads to certain challenges in terms of financing models, as well as problems with increasing the quality of broadband across the UK in order to ensure the ever-growing needs of the internet age can be met. 

Synergy signifies the collaboration of more than one company when working on a particular media-related venture. This is good for film institutions mainly due to the fact that, if several companies pool their money into a particular movie, it is possible to create a better overall product and thus ensure a greater revenue. The increased competition roused by finer creative pieces being made can also become a catalyst for the overall improvement of the quality of films the industry releases. On the other hand, if a lot of money is invested in a certain picture and yet the movie fails to at least earn it back, any small companies involved in the venture are likely to crumble, and large companies will feel their reputation has been marred and possibly refuse to collaborate with those particular companies in the future. Finally, even if the film is well-received, the involvement of too many people means the percentage each party involved gets is cut down the more companies are involved, which, again, is cause for concern especially for smaller companies.  

DY