FINAL CHILDREN'S FILM

Here is our final version of our children's film.

Its called 'BEARNAPPED!'

Enjoy!

FILMING OF CHILDRENS FILM DAY 1 - FRIDAY 3rd DECEMBER

Today in our first filming day we recorded the classroom scene. This scene had The main character Poppy and the teacher Miss Darch. In this scene we see Poppy packing her things away after her lesson, being the last student left in the room, and Miss Darch wiping the board from the last lesson. Poppy then starts to pack away and discovers a mysterious letter on the top of her bag, which she opens and examines. Poppy is worried and anxious and Miss Darch senses Poppy's mood and wonders what is wrong and why she is still in the class room. Miss Darch confronts Poppy, and poppy says that nothing is wrong, and hurridly starts to leave the room.

HEALTH AND SAFETY:
Throughout our filming we had to consider possible problems that may occur.
The general health and safety routines we made sure we took to account were:
. That we didn't create excessive noise which would distract classes or anyone around us who didn't want to be disturbed.
.We had to make sure when filming our product, that the area was clear and that no one who was not involved in the scene being filmed was in the way or was accidently captured in the scene and not wanting to be in the scene.
.We had to make sure the location that we want to film around was safe for us to film, this meant the area had to be secure with no possible traffic being created by us or to be around us in general. If parked cars were around us, we made sure they weren't harmed whilst passing through. When filming in the woods we checked there were no sticks or rubbish which could of caused injury whilst filming, especially the elf running across the screen.
We had to take into consideration the safety of using the camera itself. We had to make sure we:
.Made sure the camera is securely in the bag whilst travelling to different locations to film.
.We made sure we kept all the equipent together and carried and set up the equipment correctly as demonstrated by the teacher when we first began the task.
.When filming different shots on different days, to make sure the tape is rewound so that you don't tape over your previous work.
.It is advised to shoot more then one shot within a scene, this is so there are no possibilities of unwanted people within the scene and no mistakes.
.Lastly we had to make sure we didn't leave the camera on or carried on filming unwanted scenes by accident when clearing the equipment.

Review
Our first filming day went well, we had some difficulties getting used to the camera, we experimented different camera angles and practised zooming in and out on the camera to create a close-up or a long shot. Once we had got the hang of using the camera the filming went smoothly.

FILMING OF CHILDRENS FILM DAY 2 - Friday 10th December

Today we finished filming our childrens film. We filmed the mysterious Elf scene in which the elf runs through the forest, and by using a mid/long shot it makes the Elf character appear unidentifiable, as a mysterious character in the clip.

Today we also filmed Poppy walking to into school which is to be used at the start of the film showing her entering the school. We also filmed Poppy looking at the mysterious letter and photograph she found in her bag. An over the shoulder shot was used to film this.

Review
Over all the filming went well, we were able to film the scenes we needed to complete our media product. It helped having all of us there to help get all the scenes done as we played the characters in our film, so having everyone there made it easier to get scenes finished more efficiently.

FINAL CHILDREN'S FILM PLAN - costume, props and location research.

COSTUME

The two main characters identifiable in the scene will be the main character Poppy, aged 10, and the teacher Miss Darch.

Poppy will be wearing an everyday normal outfit for somebody of her age.



Miss Darch will be wearing a fairly smart outfit presenting her as a well presented teacher, with a tidy appearance.



The other character in the sequence is an elf, who will only be seen for a short amount of time. The elf will however be wearing a green outfit, with a pointy hat.



PROPS
The props which will be used in the children's sequence will be:
.School bag for the girl

.Letter

.Picture of a teddy bear for the letter

.Books and pens for the class to make it realistic in the scene in the class


LOCATION:
The main location settings in the children's sequence will be the school and the woods as they're the main locations where the story will be taking place, for our opening sequence of the story the main location shown will be the school, however there is a short scene which shows the woods and introduces one of the characters with in the sequence.



A woods location in many children's films such as The spiderwick chronicles often give a mystical theme to the story which blends in with fantasy. In our opening sequence we have included a woods which has myterious characters wondering between the trees, this creates excitement.



The school location emphasises the fact it's a children's film as the main character being the little girl makes the story appeal to a child as the behaviour and language used will be of a young child's level.
Children can relate to this film as the location of the school is an environment many children are familiar with themselves which helps them create their own imagination towards the film.

FINAL CHILDREN'S FILM PLAN - STORYBOARD AND SHOT LIST

STORYBOARD
Here are our two storyboards, showing all of the shots we were originally going to use. We now however have decided to shorten this to use up to shot 8 in order to keep it an opening sequence rather then including too much of the story and to keep the limit of two minutes for the sequence.









GROUP CONCERNS
As a group we had concerns about the length of our planned children's film, as we thought that the story that we had planned and created a storyboard about was too long to use for an opening sequence. We then discussed, and decided that we would shorten our children's film and storyboard in order for it to fit the time limit, and also the elements of an opening sequence. We therefore decided to shorten our storyboard to stop at shot 8, instead of the previous 15, and also shortened the length of our children's film plan. The shorter edited version is listed below.

Panning of the first character running down the road, writting of the name of the film and the director, producer and first character's name are shown over the top of the scene as the tracking of the girl continues. Her movement towards the school zooms out to get a long shot of the school which outlines one key location. The non diegetic music is fast to flow with the movement of the girl rushing to school. The scene fades into a shot of the woods, the non diegetic changes to a mystical tone as you see a fast shot of a green image of the second character swipe across the screen, this builds tension yet is not continuous so is appropriate for a PG. The following scene is a cut of the girl sitting in the class room doodling in her book. The third character is then introduced as the teacher with her name in the corner of the screen. As the teacher continues to talk to the class, her voice the diegetic background sound as you get a mid shot of the girl writting in her book. A close up zooms into her bag where she finds an old letter mysteriously there. It reads a riddle which leads her to the woods after class, showing a picture of her beloved teddy which she had previously misplaced. The close up of her face shows her curious and anxious.

Opening sequence to 101 dalmatians

The Walt Disney film 101 dalmatians is an adventure/fantasy film appropriate for young children as it includes a young person's humour.

At the beginning of the sequence the name of the film along with the producer's, director's and character's names are titled over the establishing shot of the location, this introduces the destination of where the story is set.

The first character introduction within the opening sequence is the dog Pongo, his name is introduced as he clicks on his owner's computer. The second character to be introduced is the owner of Pongo, he is first shown laying in bed and we are shown Pongo waking him up. This immediately makes us aware that Pongo is trained to wake him up each morning. We also gain an insight of both characters personality as we can tell straight away that the owner is lazy and is also child-like as he cannot wake himself up. We can also tell that Pongo is very intellectual for a pet dog.

We are introduced to the location straight away by different ways as Pongo, the dog enters many rooms of the house to do different things. This gives us an idea of the rooms in the house and what they have in them. We can tell that the main location is their home town as we are shown a zoom in of the town and then their street. Later on we are shown Pongo and his owner sitting in their local park, there is shown different camera angles on the different people walking around the park.

We are also shown an insight to the story from the opening sequence as the dog is represented as the dominating character in the story, he is shown as very independent (more than his owner) as the clip clearly shows his role around the house; doing the housework and helping his owner. We are shown that Pongo loves his owner, this makes us feel that Pongo is equal to his owner. We can see a clear loving relationship between the owner and pongo.

children's film, final idea

Main story: Panning of the first character running down the road, writting of the name of the film and the director, producer and first character's name are shown over the top of the scene as the tracking of the girl continues. Her movement towards the school zooms out to get a long shot of the school which outlines one key location. The non diegetic music is fast to flow with the movement of the girl rushing to school. The scene fades into a shot of the woods, the non diegetic changes to a mystical tone as you see a fast shot of a green image of the second character swipe across the screen, this builds tension yet is not continuous so is appropriate for a PG. The following scene is a cut of the girl sitting in the class room doodling in her book. The third character is then introduced as the teacher with her name in the corner of the screen. As the teacher continues to talk to the class, her voice the diegetic background sound as you get a mid shot of the girl writting in her book. A close up zooms into her bag where she finds an old letter mysteriously there. It reads a riddle which leads her to the woods after class, showing a picture of her beloved teddy which she had previously misplaced. The close up of her face shows her curious and anxious.

After lesson the teacher stops to ask if she's alright, once convinced the girl is fine she lets her go. The girl runs to the woods. The tracking behind her shows her looking back to make sure no one follows. She discovers another letter. The non diegetic music turns mystical with a deeper tone. You then hear twigs snap and running which makes the girl jump. The over the shoulder shots and panning creates the tention. The green figure is emurged as it runs and hides from one side to the other. As it hides behind the tree, the girl calls out to the person to come out. The non diegetic music turns happy and mystical as the figure slowly reveals itself, it's an elf, he says 'the letter, read it, it will guide you to your next journey'.

CONVENTIONS OF AN OPENING SEQUENCE:
.Morals to the storyline.
.Mood/Atmosphere the opening sequence brings to the storyline.
.Engage audience, keep them interested by having something happen to create an effect.
.Introduction of plot, get a grasp of the stroy.
.Equilibrium- everything's ok at the beginning of the sequence.
.Action, this helps make the story interesting for the target audience and draws their attention to the scene.
.Soundtrack is very important as it can help set the mood and atmosphere towards a particular scene. It can also help with the genre of the film you have chosen for example, mystical tunes show fantasy and mystery like an adventure.
.Credits are important to include at the beginning of the film.
.Outline the character personality, this is so the audience get to know a rough idea of what the character's personality is like in order to fit the storyline together.
.Not always human, fantasy creatures always give more of an interesting vibe to a film especailly children's films as young children often enjoy fantacies and adventures.
.Builds tension, the build up of tention creates an effect for the audience and draws their attention.
.Easy to follow, the storyline needs to run smoothly so the audience can understand the story easily.
.Sets scene/location, this is important so that the main location is introduced in the opening sequence.
.Humour can help bring a happy atmosphere to a scene. Humour is altered in films depending on the film classification, for example a children's film is going to include a child's humour in order to fit their level of maturity.
.Shows genre, it is important to show the genre of the film so the audience can pick up whether the film is an adventure, fantasy or maybe a sci-fi film.
.Colourful/ colour presentation, colours create a good effect for the appearance of the scene. Bright colours are especially important in children's films as they are younger and attracted to bright colours.

Film classification.

 
British Board of Film Classification

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent, non-governmental body funded through the fees it charges to those who submit films and video works for classification. Here, and throughout the Guidelines, video works are taken to include video games, and films and programmes released on DVD or Blu-ray, or distributed by means of download or streaming on the internet.
The BBFC Classification Guidelines reflect all these considerations and are the product of public consultation with children and adults, research and the accumulated experience of the BBFC over many years. The Guidelines,and the BBFC’s practice in applying them, have particular regard to any changes in public taste, attitudes and concerns; changes in the law; or new evidence from research or expert sources; and will be reviewed periodically.



It is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. But a ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

DISCRIMINATION:
No discriminatory language or behaviour unless clearly disapproved of.

DRUGS:
No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse unless they are infrequent and innocuous, or there is a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable for young children.

HORROR:
Scary sequences should be mild, brief and unlikely to cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome should be reassuring.

IMITABLE BEHAVIOUR:No potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. No emphasis on realistic or easily accessible weapons.

LANGUAGE:Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.

NUDITY:Occasional natural nudity, with no sexual context.

SEX:Mild sexual behaviour (for example, kissing) and references only (for example, to ‘making love’).

THEME:While problematic themes may be present, their treatment must be sensitive and appropriate for young children.

VIOLENCE:Mild violence only. Occasional mild threat or menace only.

Popular films such as Toy Story 3 and UP are examples of U rated films currently.








Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.


DISCRIMINATION:Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of or in an educational or historical context. Discrimination by a character with which children can readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable.

DRUGS:
References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.

HORROR:
Frightening sequences should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.

IMITABLE BEHAVIOUR:
No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons.

LANGUAGE:
Mild bad language only.

NUDITY:
Natural nudity, with no sexual context.

SEX:
Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and innuendo only.

THEME:
Where more serious issues are featured (for example, domestic violence) nothing in their treatment should condone unacceptable behaviour.

VIOLENCE:
Moderate violence, without detail, may be allowed, if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy).

Popular films such as Aice in Wonderland and Shrek 4 are currently rated PG films.










Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them.

The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgement, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult.


DISCRIMINATION:
Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole. Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

DRUGS:
Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.

HORROR:
Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, provided disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained.

IMITABLE BEHAVIOUR:
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied, or appear pain or harm free. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

LANGUAGE:
Moderate language is allowed. The use of strong language must be infrequent.

NUDITY:
Nudity is allowed, but in a sexual context must be brief and discreet.

SEX:
Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

THEME:
Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers.

VIOLENCE:
Moderate violence is allowed but should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context. Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and must have a strong contextual justification.


Popular films such as Inception and Handcock are currently rated between 12 and 12a films.









No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.


DISCRIMINATION:
The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

DRUGS:
Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

HORROR:
Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

IMITABLE BEHAVIOUR:
Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

LANGUAGE:
There may be frequent use of strong language. The strongest terms may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.
NUDITY:
Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

SEX:
Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

THEME:
No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

VIOLENCE:
Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification.

Popuar films such as Paranormal Activity 2 and Kick-Ass are currently rated 15 films










In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC’s public consultations and The Human Rights Act 1998, at ‘18’ the BBFC’s guideline concerns will not normally override the principle that adults should be free to choose their own entertainment.

Popular films such as Saw 3D and Piranha 3D are currently rated 18 films.








CHILDREN'S FILM PROJECT


For our project we are looking at children's films, this means we'll be looking at U and PG rated films such as 101 dalmations and Harry Potter which we have written about below on how we classified the film as a PG.

We came to the conclusion that the Harry Potter clip that we watched was rated as a PG.

The reasoning for this being that the clip contained more tension building up to the scary scene, and the fantasy/mystery element of the film seemed complex. The supernatural image given towards Voldemort gives a more thrilling atmosphere for the story which convinced us the film was classed more of a PG as this would be inappropriate for a U.

 

Also, in the screenshot below we see Voldemort rising from the ground edging towards Harry this is shown as very frightening as he looks like the dominant person over Harry. 

The location that the scene is set in, is a dark scary forest. This could be scary for audiences who would watch a U film as it is continuous to build up the tension between the characters compared to a U rated film as, the location used in a U film may be scary but mild and wouldn't last as long.

There's only mild bad language within the scene for example 'he's a bloody coward', the use of this language gave us the impression the film was a PG because although the language is mild, it's doubtful that it would be included in a U film.

The scene gives a serious atmosphere by the way the characters interact, their faces are serious, it blends in with the continuity editing which helps make it realistic, this would be inappropriate for a U rated film as it could influence the young children and even scare them. However it's acceptable for a PG as the fantasy included in the scene would help children realize it's fictional. 

Prelimary video.

TASK: Our task was to create a simple storyboard which included all the shot types needed in the sequence that we have discussed before. The sequence needed to include a conversation along with the other shot types within the preliminary task. However the key aspect being the conversation was very limited in our sequence, luckerly our preliminary task was approved as it still included the various shot types was needed to be included within the sequence.

THE GROUP'S OPINION: We learnt from this task how to direct a small section of a video, we also learnt how to use final cut in a useful and independent way. We found difficulty in shooting the 'filming a conversation' but we have now learnt how to do that and will improve it on our next task which will be the children's film, this task has enabled us to learn the key aspects for filming a storyboard and has helped give us ideas how to film our children's film.

PLANNING OF THE PRELIMINARY TASK:
In order to plan the preliminary task we created a storyboard for us to follow so each of us knew what we had to do, the storyboard included each shot which was included in the task. Storyboards help organise each shot so that we all know what specific shots need to be taken in order for the story to make sense.

Definitions and examples

Establishing shot.
The definition of a establishing shot is the set up of the scene's setting and/or the participants within the scene.
Example: An establishing shot might just be a long shot of a room that shows all the characters from a particular scene. For example, a scene about a murder in a college lecture hall might begin with a shot that shows the entire room, including the lecturing professor and the students taking notes.


Close up shot.
The definition of a close up shot tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots. Close-ups display the most detail.
Example: A close up shot can be indicated by using zoom for example zooming on a character's face. Close ups help show the emotion a particular character is feeling by their expression shown using a close up. 


Match on action shot. 
The definition of a match on action shot connects two shots cut together by having a character finish an action in the second shot begun in the first shot when the camera angle changes.
Example: A match on action shot adds variety and dinamism to a scene, since it conveys two movements: the one that actually takes place on screen, and an implied one by the viewer, since her/his position is shifted. An example of match on action is a shot of the character going towards the door, the camera rotates  to the opposite position so you watch the character walk through the door and into the room. 


Reaction Shot.
The definition of a reaction shot of a person reacting to dialogue or action. 
Example: A reaction shot could be during the middle of a conversation when the camera shot changes character to purposely show their reaction to what's happening around them.


Long shot.
A long shot includes both characters within the scene, it shows the location the characters are at. It also informs the audience of the characters positions which relate both to one another and the surroundings. 
Example: A long shot could be two characters in an office shown having a conversation, it shows their posture and positioning within the scene. 


Filming a conversation.
Filming a conversation consists of both characters within the scene by using an over shoulder camera action. This technique helps blend in with continuity editing.
Example: Filming a conversation could be used whilst a scene includes an interview, this would show both characters in a long section. By using an over the shoulder action we could see the interviewer and interviewee.


The 180 degree rule.
The 180 degree rule is a concept in video and film production, it involves and imaginary line which cuts through the middle of the scene. Changing the position of the camera from side to side or crossing the line changes the viewers perspective in such way that it may cause disorientation and confusion.