Workshop: recording ambience and room tone

Workshop: recording ambience and room tone

For this task we were looking at ambience and room sounds. in pairs , we had to select a moving image sequence with background  noise, ambience and room tone that we could as a group recreate. For this workshop I worked with Sabrina Yaaqub and Cynthia Ankunda. The film sequence that we picked was a scene from twilight, a scene with the two protagonists in a forest. And we decided to go to the forest a record the sounds in there then add it to the film sequence to increase its realism and its mood and meaning.

For recording sound we choose to record using a microphone, because we thought it would be more sensitive to sound.

Improvement

From the task I learnt quite a bit such as every space has a sound of some sort. However in relations to improvement we had some technical problems it turns out when were recording that we didn’t turn on the microphone. However seeing that the actual recorder was on it did pick up some sorts of sound from the microphone. Next time when doing this task we will make sure that the microphone is actually on. 

Workshop Diegetic Music

Workshop: Creating diagetic music

For this workshop we were looking at diagetic music/ we had to find a short moving image scene that contains diagetic music such as radio, nightclub, record player, phone ringtone ect. Or a film sequence that we could add diagetic music to.

Once we picked the film sequence we had to mute the scene and add or replace the music that was originally there with a different diagetic soundtrack. The music that we choose had to change or add to the mood and meaning of the scene. I did a few film sequences for this workshop because I wanted to be as creative as possible with diegetic music. The film sequences that I picked is Casper the dance scene, Queen of the dammed, the club scene, and A Cinderella Story a dance scene. I picked these scenes because there were a lot of chances to add diagetic music. 

After I picked the film sequence I moved on to editing, in Reaper and made it sound diagetic. For the first film sequence that I looked at I changed the volume of the music at sometimes it was loud and when talking intervened I lower the music. So that the mood and meaning was still conveyed in the right sense. For the second film sequence that I looked at the music was quite loud because I wanted to create a heavy rock atmosphere then again when the talking came in I lower the music then towards the end of the film sequence I loudened the music to give a dramatic and effective effect. And for the last sequence I looked at the volume of the music was very low and soft to convey a romantic mood and meaning.

Improvements 

Seeing that I have done a variety of workshops I’ve learned some good skills, which is why I wouldn't change or improve anything. I feel as if I did this task good and I found it very enjoyable.

Narrative and Genre Evaluation

Evaluation narrative and genre

For this task in small groups we had to develop and come up with a straight to the point scenario that lasted between 90-120. The scenario had to have a set up, development and resolution. For this task I worked with Sabrina Yaaqub and Cynthia Ankunda the storyline that we came up with to explore the genre and narrative is about a group of friends at college who are surrounded by a series of killings that have been happening at their college.  Then suddenly people in the group start to get killed themselves. It is revealed that two of the friends from the group are in fact the killers. We also picked a narrative that was also simple and straight to the point.  We thought that it would be better to have a simple narrative rather that a complicated one simple because sometimes a simple narrative is more effective and efficient.  The genre of the film sequence is drama and thriller it is clear that this is the genre due to certain aspects in the film sequence in particular the mis-en-scene. To convey the genre we thought carefully about the environment for example for one of the friends that are getting killed we decided for this too take part in the smoking hunt, simply because it was secluded therefore portrayed a thriller like atmosphere.

We also used props such as the phone towards the film sequence, for example at the end we see one of the killers talking into the phone. we used this prop to convey to the audience that there is more that one killer which again brings up the thriller and drama genre. Costumes for the killer were really necessarily seeing that we different feature the killers, in the shot simply because we wanted their to be a sense of mystery and to get the audience guessing who the killer was.  However for the victims their costumes portray the type of characters they were which added to the narrative of the film sequence.  In addition the shots that were used in the film were extremely good, we used shots such as long shot to show the environment, close up to show the persons facial expression and we also used a shot were we faced the camera up towards the sky or celling to not reveal the murders or killer.

Improvements

Overall I think this task was a success because we used a variety of shots that conveyed the genre greatly. But also because we took into deep consideration of the mis-en-scene which helped to make the film successful. 

Audience Profile

                                                                      Audience Profile
For the audience profile I have done two people from the audience who I think would, be targeted to this film. I have done two audience profiles because  I feel gangster films cover a wide range of audiences.

Name: Omarian
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Jamaican
Nationality: British
Location: London- Brixton
Interest: Video games, Friends, Family, Tv, Music: RnB and Rap
Tv shows and Movies: EastEnders, Adulthood, Fast and furious, Kidhood
Occupation: Unemployed
Educational Background: Secondary School
lifestyle: those who come from perhaps the poorer side

For the target audience i picked features which i think, a person from the audience would mirror. I picked the name Omarian for someone from the target audience, because in the past I have watched gangster films and someone was called by that very name. But name isnt relevant in terms of target audience. The age that I picked for the target audience is 17 I picked this age because I fell as if gangster films are aimed at a younger audience, because younger people can relate to some of the issues related in the film such as being pressured into that particular lifestyle. The gender that i picked for the audience is male, i picked this gender because i think gangster films are primarily aimed at males. Whenever you watch a gangster film the main characters are mostly boys which makes me think the target audience is men. The ethnicity that I picked for the target audience is Jamaican I picked this ethnicity at random. I think when it comes to ethnicities this also isn't relevant because people who are in gangs are of different ethnicities, but maybe depending on what type of gangster movie it is could attract specific ethnicities. The nationality that I piked for the audience is British , I picked this also at random  I think people of different and all sorts of ethnicities would be attracted to gangster films it just all depends on what type. The location of the audience I said was London in particular Brixton I picked this specific part of London simply due to the fact that I know a lot of gangs are located in this particular part. however their are other parts and countries which do have gangs. The interest that picked for the audience were things such as Video games, friends, family and Rnb and Rap music and education background of secondary school i choose these particular interest because some people in gangsters in films don't tend to have an interest in education but in recreational things, which is something some people from the audience could also have an interest in to. The shows and movies that i choose for my target audience were things such as Eastenders and Adulthood, i picked these shows simply because they feature some gangs in them but also youths so again people from the audience can relate. In addition the lifestyle that I choose for the audience is those who come from a poor family  or those struggle financially. Mostly in gangster films people who are in these predicaments end up going down the gangster road because they need money to support not just themselves but their family or they get mixed up with the wrong crowd due to these struggles.


Name: Lissianna
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Nationality: Mexican/Spanish
Ethnicity:
Location: Mexico
Occupation: Part time Sales Assistant
Income: 8-10,000
Education: College- Studying sociology and Journalism
Interest: Fashion magazines, Tvshows such as Teen Wolf, Arrow, Supernatural, Films such as Fast and Furious, Taken
Lifestyle:

The name that i picked for someone from the target audience is Lissianna, i picked this name at random as the name of the target audience isnt necessary. The gender that i picked is female, previous i picked male for the target audience but this time im picking male because i think both genders are targeted through the conventions used in gangster films. i think even though gangster films are male dominated their always is that one girl who is featured in the film, which maybe some people from the target audience could relate to the female character. The age that i picked for the target audience is 18 i picked this age, because i think gangster films are primarily aimed at youths and secondarily aimed at young adults who have or are going through similar things.The nationality, ethnicity and location that i picked for the audience is Mexican and located in Mexico, i picked this nationality at random because i don't think the nationality of the audience is crucial, but i do think depending on what type of film it is could target a specific nationality. For example Adulthood i think aims at a black British audience. The occupation and income that i gave to the target audience, is a part time sales assistant job and income at 8-10,000, i picked this occupation because most students studying have a part time occupation. The educational background that i gave the target audience is College (university) and studying sociology i picked this major because, maybe someone studying this would be interest in gangster films to observe aspects such as the characters behaviour. Lastly the interest of the audience i choose was fashion magazines, Tvshows such as Teen Wolf, Arrow, Supernatural, Films such as Fast and Furious, Taken. I picked these particular interest because people or youth of this age tend to be interested in these types of interest.

Workshop: interview recording

                                                  Workshop: interview recording

For this workshop in groups of 2 or 3 we had to plan and record a brief and straightforward interview. These interviews had to be recorded in different locations, using different audio hardware recording equipment. The point of this task was to see the effects and difference of recording in different locations. In relations to our plan we had to compose a minimum of four questions to ask our team mates which had to have a relation to plans for the future. For this task i worked with Cynthia Ankunda and Sabrina Yaaqub. We decided that we would all have chances at being the interviewer and the interviewee.

For the interview we had to record the interview in different places and use different types of recorders. the first location we had to interview in was the classroom and we had to use the voice recorder. We then did the interview in the radio studio using the studio microphones. Then lastly we went outside and recorder their using an external microphone.

classroom : For this recording the interviewer was Cynthia, and i was being interviewed. The software that we used to record our interview is, Reaper. When recording in the class room the technical quality was good, we were able to be heard clear. Also seeing that the classroom was quiet this added to the mood of the interview, it provide us with a serious and interview feel like scene. Overall i think this location was second best to all the recordings we had done. The recording device that we used was also a good feature of the recording,  the voice recorder was very easy to function so made recording quick and easy to do. Also the voice recorder focused more on the voice of the interview that any of the room noise, or noise within the environment area. so this also supported the meaning and mood of the recording because it conveyed a professionalism.

Radio studio: For this location and device recording, The interviewer was myself and i interviewed Sabrina. In my opinion i think that this was the best location for recording the interview. I say this simply because the radio studio is sound proof so it doesn't pick up any noises outside of the interview. Also was more efficient because when interviewing both the interviewer and interviewee were able to have our own microphone, which i think helped with the quality of the recording.  The positive effect of the location and recording device is that is conveyed a sense of professionalism. Their aren't really any negative effects involved to this location or device, maybe in the sense of realism recording in the studio doesn't really give you a feel of the environment in the interview.

Outside: For this location Sabrina Yaaqub interviewed Cynthia Ankunda. I think that this interview went left well out of the three. I think this due to aspects outside such as the weather. today was very windy so cause some difficulty when recording the interview. I think when professionals are recording footage outside or an interview, i think difficulties that they might have in weather connivence, background noise especially and perhaps technical quality. The negative effect of the recording device is that it seemed to pick up, a lot of background noises i think this was because it is high sensitive to sound perhaps.