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

As a group we believe we all worked well together, at times we were slightly un-organised but when it came down to it everyone in the group came together and we where able to craete a high qaulity finished piece. In hiensight we spent to look on filming and when we first edited the film it was an astonishing 7mins long. Despite this we where able to edit it down to a nore relaistic 4mins 30secs aprox. This gave us an insight into editing and choosing key moments to include in the film and we managed to keep the stroy intact and impress our targert audience. We used a variety of props in the film including alcohol bottles, guns, knives and other props that you would expect to see in a gangster style film







During the editing process we got some key feedback from our peers. This varied to from glowing commondations to constructive critiscism which we would later use to make the film better. Natalie Slade offered us these thoughts "A good intriguing story which has excellent titles and music accompanying which grabs the audiences attention" In addition to this some critiscism was offered "At times the scenes are too dark, while it creates a sense of forboding it is sometimes hard to see the action". These comments aided us in making a better finished film.

We created a high qaulity film with good sue of props, costumes and camera work. Making the film gave us all a valuable insight into how a film is produced and distributed from beginning to end. despite some setbacks the group worked well together and each one of us contributed highly to the success of the project. We enjoyed making the film and were able to work out together how to combat problems when they occurred and we look forward to further learning and projects in the future.

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

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience for the film 35+ years. These are the people who spend most of their time and money in the cinema. As shown in the table below from the “Pearl and Dean” statistics website.


We have targeted our film towards this audience by paying homage to some of the great film noir classics over the years such as John Hustons “The Maltese Falcon” or Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. We chose the film noir style because as our target audience is older they are more likely to be interested in this sub genre of film.
We have given our film a “Film noir feel” by doing a number of things:

1. Location- we have chose our locations carefully in order to create the right mood and atmosphere within the shots. We have a scene set under a bridge. Its dark, full of graffiti and wet. This creates the perfect atmosphere, not just for the style of the film but also for what’s actually happening in the particular scene (The exchange of some unknown goods in a suitcase)

2. The effects- Using Adobe after effects I was able to make a fine smoke and lay it over the film. A trademark of noir films is the fog and mystery surrounding them, and it’s something I believe we have been able to recreate very well.

3. The plot- many noir films contain the plot elements that we have incorporated into our film. For example, Criminals, Violence, mystery (The suitcase) and death.

Yet whilst aiming for the 35+ audience we did not want to exclude the large chunk of the viewers aged 15-24 and 25-34, we have done this by updating the noir genre by including homage’s and references to more popular films that we expect the younger audience to have scene.
A large chunk of the 18-34 year olds would have seen films such as Reservoir Dogs (1992 Tarantino’s writing, acting and directing début) and Pulp fiction (1994 academy award winner). We have included references to both these films.
When the unnamed prisoner (Ryan Wetherby) is sat tied up on the stool being harassed by the psychotic gangster (James Taylor) some viewers may realise a similarity to the scene in Reservoir dogs in which Mr.Blonde (Michael Madsen) tortures a cop, Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz). We also see a mysterious suitcase (of which the contents are never revealed) passed around many times throughout the film. The very same thing happens in Pulp fiction.
At this point it is worth noting that all the pre-mentioned films are American. Given that our film is British and set in England it would be more comparable to a film such as “Snatch” or “Lock, Stock and Two smoking barrels ” with a darker noir twist
In conclusion the target audience of our film is 18-35 year olds who are fans of crime films such as Pulp fiction or reservoir dogs
Ben

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

If we were going to have someone distribute our film I think it would be one of the companies that specialize in independent films and their production and distribution.

1. Working title films.

Working title have a history of distributing smaller British films such as 1991 “drop dead Fred” with a smaller yet dedicated cult following. Other films similar to this are “Shaun of the dead” from a virtually unknown Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edger Wright team. They also have a good partnership with universal studios (a large part of the cult film “The Big Lebowski”) which will be good for getting an American release. Yet as well as these smaller cult American and British films they also do larger more commercial British films, for example “Bridget Jones diary” and “The Boat that rocked”. I believe that the wide variety of films they produce and distribute would give us a great advantage as they have a very successful back catalogue and lots of experience.

2. Handmade Films International.

Handmade Films International (Or formally just Handmade films) is a small British distribution and production company founded by George Harrison after EMI films pulled out of “Monty Pythons life of Brian”. From that it bloomed into a very successful company. They tend to stay with British films that have a cult following (similar in some aspects to working title), such films include the British classic “Withnail and I” released in 1987. Working title also released “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” a 1998 British crime film, Similar in style to our film, “The gambler”

3. Columbia Pictures

Columbia pictures are by far the wealthiest and the most successful production studio on my list so far. This would undoubtedly help when distributing the film. I have chosen to consider this company as they have previously released other British films that have been very successful in the past. These include nuclear war classic “Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” and British gangster film “Snatch” (A film very similar to ours)

I think that we could get some funding for this film from the national lottery, the British film institute or a company such as Film4

In conclusion I Believe that the company to release my film is Working Title Films because they have connections in America and the most expertise, They are also the most successful film company in England since Eeling studios

Ben

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

Reservoir Dogs has a similar dress code with the black and white suits also, we used similar props with hand guns and knives to complete the gangster stereotypical image (threatening and not afraid to use weapons for business). We have similarities in plots: they as a group all turn against each other and have a fire-fight in comparison to our film were the lead gangster also kills the two other gangsters. However, to make the film our own we had some differences; we made the film in black and white and lost the ties to imply a rugged yet dangerous look and yet keep the businessman image.

Our film applies to a range of social groups as our research indacated that existing gangster films attract a large proportion and a variety of the population however, it can be argued that the majority of viewers will be male as the film is a stereotypical 'male film' and is targeted at males in the first place meaning we could exploit this by focusing on what males want to watch. It can also be said that the film would attract around the age of 18-25 (this was researched before we produced the video on the website: pearl and dean) which also tells us what 'class' we could aim our film at: working class.

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

The first key frame is a shot of the black car (the colour black infers evil/mystery thus sets the atmosphere as unpredictable with regards to what the audience is thinking) which is in motion and is 'skidding' implying a sense of urgency. The opening scene sets the storyline of the film as the sense of urgency implies that either he has done something wrong or he is in a hurry to carry something out etc you get the impression that there is some importance with regards to the lead gangster (the one who steps out of the speeding car). This first shot is used in numerous professional films as the opening scene; a good example of this is the film 'Fast & Furious'. We chose to do the film in black and white in order to give the idea that the plot is serious and gloomy at the same time i.e. makes the audience feel anxious as to what will occur next. Again, there have been a number of films who have used this idea effectively with similar plots for example; 'sin city'. Also, we added film titles to the opening shots with names of the production team and casting members etc due to the fact that this is merely always the case for existing films no matter what the genre. The fact that the film is made in black and white makes the genre of our film seem more apparent: thriller/ Film Noir



The title of the film originated from the song written by Kenny Rodgers. 'The Gambler' brings a thrilling effect to the audience as it gives them an idea as to what the film is about but as they watch the film there's a slight twist (this is the reason why the title of the film is showed at the end). The style of the writing originates from current gangster films thus we wanted to follow the trend for example; 'Gangs of New York'. There are three main locations of the film so that we could use the flashback as a sub-plot; the first location is in a rural area as seen at the beginning of the film when the car skids to a hault, this is seen in existing films such as James Bond. the second location is set in an abandoned office/warehouse in order to imply that the area is derelict. the final location is set under a motorway bridge again in a rural area to give the impression that there's no one around when the 'deal' takes place (a stereotypical location for a 'deal').









All cast have a stereotypical costumes for the 'gangster image' which is a black suit with no tie as they are seen to be crude businessmen. Again, stereotypical props are used to imply the gangster image such as; guns and knives etc an example of this is in the film 'Reservoir Dogs'.


We methodically planned our shots (didn't improvise) by making a storyboard from our own storyline.
The editing was made to be slow so as to create a tense atmosphere throughout the film especially towards the end of the film.
The main character is introduced first as he smoothly steps out of the car and 'fixes' his suit. The opening scene suits the main character because he appears to be of some importance when there are low angle shots of him to show that people look up to him. The next character is introduced as a close-up in a different location which again sets the atmosphere due to the fact that he's tied up motionless, then as the camera zooms out it is clear that the main character has something to do with the fact that he's tied up. The final character appears on the floor semi-concious which makes the audience want to why thus are eager to carry on watching the film.
Many existing film openings have influenced and given us ideas towards our own opening scene, If these opening existing scenes are successful then surely a similar opening will also be successful. We used different transitions so as to portray the idea of a time switch (fade to white/fade to black) also we distorted the camera focus to indicate the semi-conciousness of the actor which has been used in films such as 'Casino Royale'. These were all very effective due to the film being in black and white.

Shots Used for the film

• Establishing shot- Our opening shot is a "establishing shot". We see the mini cooper pull up and the camera pans and follows the car. This helps us establish the location and sets the scene of the film immediately as the first thing we see is a dark car speed in and do a skid

• Medium close up- When our gangster steps out of the car we see him a medium close up. This means that the character takes up most of the screen and the audience gives him there full attention

• Pan up- When our gangster gets out of his car he is just in a medium close up meaning we see little else than his mid section. We start to pan up and we see the gangster towering over the camera, This imposing look gives him power and strength

• Point of view shot- The POV shot in our film comes from the boot, We see the events unfold from the prisoners eyes. As the boot opens we see the gangster looking down onto the prisoner, There is a very similar shot in reservoir dogs in which Mr. Blonde opens the car boot to show Mr.Pink and Mr.White the captured cop. We also see this shot in the poker games when they show the cards
  

• Zoom out- We fade into the action with a tight close up on the captured Ryan. We begin to zoom out and see the setting in which he is being kept and we also see our antagonist.

• Over the shoulder- One of the most common shots used in films and TV, Its also one of the most effective ways to show a conversation between two people. We use this in the meeting under the bridge between Ryan and Cameron's Characters and during the interrogation Between James and Ryan to name a few

• High angle shot- In the poker scene we get a high angle shot over Cameron and James poker game. This adds to the strange feeling the audience gets from the disorientating and strange music

• Tight close ups- When James opens the case we get two tight close ups of the case as he opens the locks. This is done to emphasise the importance of the case and create tension as to what's really inside

• Reaction shot- when Cameron see what's in the case at the poker scene we get a reaction shot from him as he contemplates weather to bet or not. This gives the audience an indication that there is something valuable in the case without revealing its contents

• Through the camera shot- As Cameron walks to the meeting point he walks directly into the camera facing front. He covers the lens in black, we cut and move the camera into the direction he was walking making sure he back covers the lens in black and start the camera rolling again. He continues to walk with his back to the camera. We fix this in the editing process so that it flows very smoothly. This gives the impression that the character has walked through the camera. Its an impressive shot and it holds the audiences attention.

• Low angle shot- The camera is placed on the floor looking up at the characters. This creates a sense of power for the characters and makes the audience feel slightly uneasy. especially if you combine this shot with a tight close up as we have

• Blurred shot- As we see James character present something to Ryan the camera is heavily blurred. This creates a sense of mystery as we are not quite sure what is placed there until the camera clears up again

• Slow motion shot- The last shot we get is in slow motion. I did this for a number of reasons. Firstly to add tension to the scene (as we have to wait longer to see what he roles) secondly because it fits with the music well (the music also adds tension) and lastly because it is a key scene so it sticks in the memory of the audience

Computer technology used within the film

Technology Used Within Our Film

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Finished Film

Location Shots

Here are some of the location shots for our "under the bridge" flashback scene. The photos show why we used the bridge location, it was dark and damp (thanks to the rainy weather), being a lonely and abandoned plave it gave the sense of fear and apprehension which is something we wanted to show on screen.

Today we have filmed our flashback scene, We have chose to set it under a bridge for numerous reasons, these being things such as; lighting (The fact that we get excellent silhouettes from the lack of lighting in the tunnel and the abundance of it on each entrance) The graffiti (which adds a lot of character and gives the scene a run down murky feel.) The location has a great gangster feel to it as it is urban and derelict implying the isolation and secrecy of the deal of the suitcase. However please note that the quality has suffered greatly due to compression of the film to fit onto the blog.

Character Profiles

Lead gangster played by James taylor: credited in the script as Jonny Roadhouse a psychotic gangster driven by revenge. Abusive, violent and an alcoholic criminal who is obsessed with finding the two men who wronged him and bringing them to 'justice'.
The two gangsters who fall victim to the wrath of 'Jonny Roadhouse are both of high status in the gangster world and have links with other gangs. They exchange a briefcase between them that they have stolen from Jonny but the secret as to what is inside the briefcase is never revealed, Jonny finds out that the suitcase has been stolen from him and so takes matters into his own hands by capturing the two thiefs. The names of these two gangsters are also never revealed but are played by Cameron Butcher and Ryan Wetherby.

Make-up

We have decided not to use any make-up as we want to put across a natural look with regards to the actors rugged look. We want the gangsters to look as masculin as possible as generally gangsters are not stereotypically feminine. The only make-up that be used is in aid of making the actors look 'beaten' via the use of fake blood or something that would imply that the gangsters have been beaten i.e. bruises etc.

This use of make-up is very realistic considering that the video is amateur and is cheap to buy as there are limited funds with regards to the whole production of the film and so this will be cheap but effective.

Music Ideas

The cabinet scene in Doctor Who "The Sound of Drums" has an excellent soundtrack, elements of which we would like to use in our film. At about 48 seconds into the clip the music starts to build up gradually first of all with string insturments quite deep, then the music is accompanied by a contrasting high pitch sound. This creates a sense of mystery and confusion, this is to compliment the insanity of "The Master" but it is good music for a villain. As "The Master" becomes angry the music becomes wild and eratic even more so creating a sense of unease for the audience. We wish to do somthing simillar in our film. At 1:21 the sound of a beat comes in, this is somthing which can show agrivation and in our scene it will show the fear the torture victims will feel.

Psycho

As posted earlier i mentioned that our possible soundtrack employed techniques as those off Alfred Hitchcock's psycho. This clip features the famous shower scene in whioch the protaganist is murderd, What makes this grizzly scene even more terrifying is the heavy underscoring. The high pitched strings keep the audince on the edge of there seats. Something we would like to achive within our film

Soundtrack ideas

We have decided that our soundtrack should add to the intensity of the atmosphere making the audience feel tense. Some inspirations include the track Young Jeezy- thug motivation 101


This song is played in a low key and is very masculine and defines the genre. The audience would be able to tell that it is a thriller and not a rom-com. The whispers in the background are sinister creating a sense of mystery and unease. There is a stark contrast between the two parts of the song, We have a very high pitched synth noise, This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats and keeping them slightly uneasy, Similar techniques where used for the soundtrack of Alfred Hitchcocks 1960's horror film 'psycho'. However with a soundtrack like this we must be careful not to create a hybrid genre, by connecting horror and action into one we may confuse our audience. We really just want to stick with action/thriller.
Another track that has influenced our song of choice is

The First Edit

We have just started the editing of the project. We have found that we have slight problems with continuity. When editing the various clips together taken from different angles we see things like James crouching twice. In order to correct this problem we decided to re film the scene, something we aim to do in the next lesson. Also looking back on the project we see some scenes just don’t fit into the style of the film, For example when cam regains consciousness we see the events unfold through his eyes, The eye- line match shot does not look right. We ha have decided not to keep this scene in the Final cut, However we have uploaded it to be able to look back on them and see how much of an improvement it is when the project is finished.

We also decided to add a black and white filter on the film. We did this to give the film more of a traditional 50's theme typical of Film-noir classics such as the Maltese falcon

Props

Props include: 'junk' will be unevenly distributed around the outside of the room so that the location looks natural with an open space for the interrogation to take place in the centre. A stool is used so that the gangster is more intimidating towards the captive (from a high angle). Another prop used is a handgun and a swich-blade/knife to add to the intensity of the situation. Belts will be used in place of rope as an improvised tool to tie the captives down indicating 'he has done this kind of thing before'. Simple materials will be used, again improvised, to gag the two captives. The wine bottle suggests that the gangster has been drinking possibly due to the stress of losing/being conned out of his own money and 'isn't thinking straight'; he continually drinks throughout the interrogation which adds to the uncertainty of what he is about to do next.

Clothing

All characters will be wearing smart-casual clothing including shirt and pants with no tie and shoes (possibly wearing braces). Gangster will have sleeves rolled up to imply that he is going to 'get his hands dirty'. These clothing indicate authority in the gangster world as this is their full time 'occupation'. Suit jackets may be used but will eventually be taken off.