ILFORDOptimusPrime Productions

Introduction

•This is a presentation on our practical production unit, where we will assess our work and our ability to work in a team

•Our group comprises of: Josh Corrie (Director + Editor), Ed Cooper (Producer + Script Writer), Ed Lecorgne (Actor + Gaffer) and Andy Young (Cameraman + Assistant Gaffer)

•We all had a hand in planning, producing and generally assisting others in their roles

OptimusPrime Productions

•We named our production company ‘OptimusPrime Productions’

•Not only does this tie in with the electrical and technical side of the production – for example the filming and editing, but also has connotations of being the best (optimum) and the first (prime)

ILFORD• Ed Cooper (our writer + producer) wrote the

masterpiece that is ‘ILFORD’• We got the name ‘ILFORD’ from the film

manufacturer, ‘ILFORD’ – ILFORD is the type of film that the stalker uses in the story

• We chose Coop’s story because the location would be feasible and convenient to film in and around college

• Other stories written by the rest of the group were dismissed because they would have to be filmed outside of college

Audience• ILFORD is aimed at the mass market of

teenagers/young adults•We chose this particular target audience

because we all fall into it ourselves. We thought the story appealed to people at college; it is set in a college with sixteen/seventeen year olds playing the main roles. Nagging teachers are also involved; our target audience can relate to this film

•As the film contains a stalker, we did not think it would be appropriate for a younger audience

Representation of Social Groups•We hope that our film doesn’t give a poor

representation of teenagers•We believe it shows a positive and negative

trait of teenagers; one teen is trying to rescue their stalker, even though the stalker has been creeping them out

•The film also shows that some teens are a bit weird and enjoy stalking people, and when the person they’re stalking doesn’t talk to them they then go and commit suicide

Institutions• A Hollywood institution would produce our film.

It has a fast paced, action packed storyline that would be done justice if it were to be filmed with a Hollywood influence

• A smaller production company wouldn’t have the equipment to perform scenes such as someone committing suicide by jumping off a building

• Alternatively, an Arthouse production company such as Film4 could make alterations to the script in order to make it viable

Addressing Our Audience• As a group we played our finished film to a number of people

in our audience age range• The vast majority really liked it and said it left them wanting

to see more. This is why we finished the beginning of our film on a cliffhanger

• A few people said that they were a bit confused as to what was happening. We believe this is because our story wasn’t very clear; we had to cut certain parts out of it to get it down to the required two-minute length

• If we our film was allowed to be longer then we don’t think this would have been a problem

• People also found it difficult to follow because it is very fast paced – it can be quite difficult to keep up with. It is very fast paced because of all the jump cuts

Learning About Technologies• Since creating our film we have learnt lots of new

skills• We have learnt about new technologies such as

professional video cameras, editing and using sound to improve video

• We filmed our story using professional Sony Handycams, capturing our footage onto mini DV tapes

• We edited all of the footage, trying to cut it down into a two-minute clip. We used iMovie HD to edit our film because it is easy to use but doesn’t comprise on professional features

Ed Cooper

•Ed was the original writer of the story which was to be produced

•During production, he oversaw the filming – making sure that it coordinated well with the original written piece

•He also served as a ‘cameo’ actor – taking up the role of one of the main character’s friends

Josh Corrie

•As Josh’s story wasn’t suitable for a variety of reasons, he became the director of the film

•He was also an assistant cameraman during the production – helping Andy out with various shots.

•Once production was finished, Josh also took up the role of the group editor – using his Apple Mac to create an authentic and professional piece

Ed Lecorgne• Ed’s story was decided against due to the lack

of dialogue in the piece.• We decided roles and Ed willingly volunteered

himself as the main actor for the film. This not only involved learning lines, but also had to incorporate planning meetings with the scriptwriter to make sure that the overall effect wanted by Cooper was realised.

• The variety of our filming also meant that he had to hold the camera in some shots, which helped create POV shots.

Andy “the monkey” Young

•Andy’s script was good, however, it was lacking in a concrete storyline which was the main basis for its rejection.

•Andy was appointed main cameraman, and he was in charge of making sure all of the shots were lined up, with correct lighting, angles and sound. He also worked with the rest of the group, trying out inventive shots to create the best possible final result.

The Finished Product•Looking back at the course of the project, we

feel we have produced a successful film, to the best of our ability

•We feel we have come a long way since completing the preliminary task; we have progressed so rapidly that we want to re-shoot parts of our film that we shot early in the project

• In hindsight, we would have spent more time planning, as this would perfect the story, making the overall quality of the film better