Evaluation for soundtracks

At the start of this unit, we had to do 3 workshops. In the workshops we had to complete strip the scenes of their sound and redo all of the music, dialogue and sound effects. The movie that I done was a scene from Mean Girls, one from Paranormal Activity and one from The Wire. These all had different aspects to them and each came with their own strengths and weaknesses.

The first scene that I redone was a scene from Mean Girls when they are in the canteen talking. For this scene I took off all of the sound and rerecorded the dialogue. Before doing this, I listened to the script to make sure that I got it right when it came to recording it. As there was two people in the scene, I used the help of Audrey to do one of the voice overs. I also used foley sounds as I recorded the college canteen to make it sound more realistic instead of getting the sound off of the internet. I think that this was a better idea because if it was something from the internet it wouldn't have had the right atmosphere as something that was recorded by myself. When adding the voice recording to the scene, we were watching the scene as we recorded it so that it matched up as best as it could. However, in certain parts, the dialogue didn't quite sync in with the timing of their mouths moving.

In the canteen recording, you can hear conversations happening in the background which are a little bit loud which makes the voices of the two girls a bit quite. When editing the scene I think that I could have made certain parts of the foley sound a bit quieter by adding in volume envelopes so drown out the background conversations to make the main conversation the headline.

The second scene that I redubbed was from The French Connection. This was a non dialogue scene so all I had to do was put sound effects on it to make it sound realistic. When it came to editing this scene, I first listened to the original thing to hear where the different sounds and where to put the new sound effects in exactly.

For some parts in the second clip that I redubbed, I used different sound elements to make the scene look more realistic. For example, I used editing volume envelopes when it came to a part of the sound effect when the car scene changed to a train on the track. I used the sound envelope to make the car fade out for the train to fade in at the same time.

After watching the completed scene that I had done, I noticed that something was missing. Before the gun shot, the policeman can be seen moving his mouth as if he was shouting at the man that he is chasing telling him to stop. I think if I had the chance to redo it again, I would add a little more sounds to make it that one bit better. 

Create a proposal for both of  your soundtrack productions  that must explain in detail information about the following:

Brief description of sequence ( e.g name of film , length of sequence )

The name of the first film I am going to do is Mean Girls and the length of the sequence I am doing is 48 seconds.

The name of the second film I am going to do is called The French Connection and the length of it over 3 minutes but I am only going to do about 30 seconds.

Client  ( the director of your chosen film scene)

The director of Mean Girls is Mark Waters
The direction of The French Connection is William Friedkin

Sound Fx information
I am going to use 'live location' when doing the sound effects. I think that because my scene is set in a canteen, I want to try and record the college canteen to make the scene sound more realist when i put the sound in. In the scene the canteen looks and sounds like there us a lot of people in, which is the same as the college canteen.

For the French Connection I am going to use different types of sound effects from freesound such as car noises, gunshots, screams 

Spoken word information

Why don't I know you?

I'm new. I just moved here from Africa.

- What?

- I used to be home-schooled.


Wait. What?


- My mom taught me at home...

- No, no.


I know what home-school is.

I'm not retarded.


So you've actually never been

to a real school before?


Shut up.


Shut up.

- I didn't say anything.

- Home-schooled.


- That's really interesting.

- Thanks.


But you're, like, really pretty.


- Thank you.

- So you agree.

- What?

- You think you're really pretty.



- Oh, I don't know...

- Oh, my God, I love your bracelet.


- Where did you get it?

- Oh, my mom made it for me.


- It's adorable.

Personnel 
To complete the first film scene sequence, I will be working with Audrey to help me with one of the character voice overs. However for the second one I'll be doing it by myself. The second scene doesn't need anybody to speak on it as it is a non-dialogue scene.

Recording locations,equipment and software 
To record the voiceovers, I will be using an Apple Mac laptop and I will be using the software Garageband to record. I will be going to an empty classroom so that I don't have any distractions or background noise

7.2 Ethical and Legal Constraints in the Creative Media Sectors

Legal issues in the media media industry:

Copyright is bid issue the media industry faces. Legal protection is advised so that their original material can't be used in somebody else's name or brand. However, copyright can only be applied on the application of the idea, not the idea itself. It is also illegal to discriminate anyone on the terms of their race, sex, disability etc. when you are recruiting in the workplace. National security is another legal issue that filmmakers face. Filmmakers and producers must be aware of certain laws such as the official secrets act 1911 and the prevention of terrorism etc.

What are social issues?
A social issue (also called a social problem, social conflict, or social illness) refers to an issue that influences a considerable number of individuals within a society. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's social issue is the source of a conflicting opinion on the grounds of what is perceived as a morally just personal life or societal order. Social issues are distinguished from economic issues; however, some issues (such as immigration) have both social and economic aspects. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_issue 

One social factor in the film industry is that there is a Lack of government grants for short films. Government grants are an important contribution to indie filmmakers as well as big productions but there appears to be a reluctance to invest in short filmed content. Perhaps this is because turning a profit on a short is seen as impossible, and it’s not an export format that can earn money at the box office but, short films are today’s most important communication tool. Some might argue that the feature film as a format itself is becoming extinct. Well, there’s a reason for it, but that doesn’t mean that short filmmakers should be punished and not supported to preserve the status-quo. In fact, shorts can bring a lot of public interest to places, people, products and so on. This is where a profit can be made. Another social issue in the film industry is the fact that Film crews not knowing their legal rights. A majority of filmmakers have no idea what their actual rights are as workers or even on the intellectual copyright side. This poses a challenge as there are people out there that can abuse this lack of knowledge to get their way. Unfortunately some rogue producers have treated their crews badly, paid them virtually nothing and even endangered their safety by breaking all these rules. People are scared to come forward, don’t know how to deal with these problems or are too afraid to stand up to abusive practices.

The professional body codes of practice is issued by a professional body or association and set for their members to comply ethical standards. The code of practice is usually a set of written guidelines agreed on with the members of the media profession, for example the BBFC, British Board Film Classification, could write a set guidelines that film companies need to comply by.

Representation of gender:
In light of the record-breaking opening of the female-led action film Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the New York Film Academy decided to take a closer look at women in film and what, if any, advancements women are making. After reviewing the data, it is clear that Hollywood remains stuck in its gender bias. Of course, it’s not all disparaging news and there are a number of female filmmakers, characters, and emerging talent challenging the status quo. In addition, in the independent sphere, women made up roughly half of the directors at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, yet still struggle when it comes to films receiving a wide release. By shedding light on gender inequality in film, we hope to start a discussion about what can be done to increase women’s exposure and power in big-budget films.

The Broadcasting Act 1990 is a law of the British parliament, often regarded by both its supporters and its critics as a quintessential example of Thatcherism. The aim of the Act was to reform the entire structure of British broadcasting; British television, in particular, had earlier been described by Margaret Thatcher as "the last bastion of restrictive practices". The act came about after the finding from the Peacock Committee. It led directly to the abolition of the Independent Broadcasting Authority and its replacement with the Independent Television Commission and Radio Authority (both themselves now replaced by Ofcom), which were given the remit of regulating with a "lighter touch" and did not have such strong powers as the IBA; some referred to this as "deregulation".

The Obscene Publications Act 1959 applies to television and covers material which is obscene, whether it is in a person's possession or it is published or broadcast. The definition of obscene is "likely to deprave and corrupt" the audience for which it is intended and includes not only sexually explicit material but material relating to violence and drug taking. This offence is more likely to apply to research material than material actually transmitted because of the stricter tests relating to harm and offence under the Communications Act 2003 and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code. http://www.channel4.com/producers-handbook/media-law/other-laws-affecting-broadcasting/obscene-publications-act-1959

The Official Secrets Act 1989 makes it a criminal offence to obtain or publish any information from a serving or former member of the security and intelligence services or from certain categories of civil servants or public contractors where that disclosure would be damaging. There is no public interest defence. If it is anticipated that a project will stray into this complex area of law, referral to your commissioning editor and programme lawyer should be made immediately.

The Privacy law refers to the laws that deal with the regulation of personal information about individuals, which can be collected by governments and other public as well as private organizations and its storage and use. Privacy laws are considered in the context of an individual's privacy rights or reasonable expectation of privacy.
The Video recordings Act 1984: In making decisions under the Act, the BBFC was required to consider 'whether or not video works are suitable for a classification certificate to be issued to them, having special regard to the likelihood of video works being viewed in the home' and to consider whether a video was 'not suitable for viewing by persons who have not attained a particular age' or whether 'no video recording containing that work is to be supplied other than in a licensed sex shop'. The Act also required that tapes, disc and packaging should be correctly labelled with the BBFC certificate and an explanation of that certificate (e.g. 'Suitable only for persons of 15 years and over. Not to be supplied to any person below that age').

Case study:

The Human Centipede 2:

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has denied The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) an 18 certificate for fears it poses a "real risk" to cinema goers. The BBFC refusal means it cannot be legally supplied anywhere in the UK – even on DVD or download. In the sequel, a man becomes erotically obsessed with a DVD copy of the original film – in which the victims are surgically stitched together mouth to anus – and decides to recreate the idea. By contrast, the BBFC report on Full Sequence stated that the film's content was too extreme for an 18 certificate and was "sexually violent and potentially obscene". The board members felt that the centipede of Full Sequence existed purely as "the object of the protagonist's depraved sexual fantasy". They criticised the film for making "little attempt to portray any of the victims... as anything other than objects to be brutalised, degraded and mutilated for the amusement and arousal of the central character, as well as for the pleasure of the audience" and stated their opinion that the film was potentially in breach of the Obscene Publications Act. The BBFC stated that they would not reclassify the film in the future, as "no amount of cuts would allow them to give it a certificate".

ASSIGNMENT 1 : Moving Image Soundtrack Report

Children of Men: Car Scene

Dialogue:
The conversations in the scene were very realistic. This shows that they all have some sort of connection with each other and that its not just staged. When the action starts to happen with the people on the bikes, you can hear the panic and fear in their voices, this adds to the plot and makes it sound more naturalistic. This scene uses functional dialogue; this means helping us understand what's happening in the scene. For example, when the driver of the car was saying "we're not going to make it" repeatedly while driving towards the rolling back car. Also when the police are driving past the car, Theo is heard saying "it's the cops, it's the cops". This is functional as we can see them driving past at the moment.
Music:
The music in the scene creates a more laid back feel to it in the beginning, however it becomes quite erie throughout the scene. As the car ride goes on, you can hear the radio in the background playing country pop type music and it plays throughout the whole scene without pause, until it gets to the end of the scene where it gets drowned out. The music in the scene would be diegetic as it goes along with the scene very well throughout the whole thing. The establishing sound in the scene is the snoring, the woman on the radio singing and the wheels driving. This creates a calm atmosphere to begin with. The music from the radio also creates pace and rhythm.
Sound Fx:
There are many sound effects throughout the scene. In this scene most of the sound effect would be synchronous as we can see where the sounds are coming from. In the opening, you can hear the sound of Theo snoring; this is the first thing we hear. We hear the wheels on the road as they are driving down the road. When Theo and Julianne are playing with the ping pong ball, you can hear the sounds that their mouths are making when the spit it out and catch it. When the madness starts to happen, the noise from the first car crash is a poignant sound, also the revving of the engines from the bikes make an impact on the scene as the contribute largely to the fact that something crazy is happening. after the gunshot, you can hear the sound of blood splatting against the car. After the gunshot happens, you hear ringing sounds - this may symbolise that the war is over. At the end of the scene when the car is driving away, it is ended with birds chirping; this may symbolise a few things such as the fact that they got away from the police and the madness or the fact that a few people have just died.
Overall sound mix:
The overall sound mix is louder than what it would usually be. This scene uses hyper-real sound; this means that the sound goes beyond from being realistic. For example, when the glass is breaking, it appears to be louder than if it was happening in the real world. This could represent that there is huge danger happening or in this case, that it has just happened.
Mood and emotional content:
The music in the background is emotional. The woman on the radio is singing about her lover, which is convenient as there is an ex couple travelling together in the car at that moment.

The Shawshank Redemption: Roof Scene

Dialogue:
The conversations throughout the scene is very realistic. This scene uses voice-over to explain what is happening in some parts of the scene. We can see that this scene uses realistic dialogue as there is a differences between the conversations of the guards and the prisoners. This scene uses a bit of functional dialogue. This can be heard when the guard is dragging the prisoner to the end of the roof about to push him off, we can hear the words "you gonna push him off the roof"
Music:
The music in the scene would be considered as non-diegetic as it doesn't play throughout that scene and is only played when the scene is coming to an end. This type of music can be seen as the film score as it has been put in to suit that particular moment. Playing the music at the end of the scene symbolises that there is happiness and that something good can happen after a not so good situation. This creates a mood and atmosphere of the scene. It also has a warm tone to it. In the scene there is music at the beginning when the voice-over is happening but it takes a pause when the dialogue come in. This can be seen as that the full focus needs to be on the dialogue and not the music. The music only happens when the voice-overs are heard.
Sound fx:
The sound effects in the scene would be the sound of the tar when the prisoners are doing the roof. It doesn't sound like a pleasant noise; which may give the effect that it's not a nice job to be doing. You can also hear the of the gun being ready to fire when one of the prisoners goes to the guars. This makes us think that he is about to get shot at that moment.
Mood and emotional content:
Near the end of the scene when the prisoners get a break to drink the beers, it becomes a bit emotional as the voice-over and the music comes on as it represents that something good is happening to them for once in a long time. The Sound of the beers in the bottles may represent freedom as the now have what they want. When one of the workers goes to the other to offer him a beer, it represent friendship between the two of them.

Definitions of key words

Dialogue:
Anti-realistic: something that isn't realistic, for example, in the grand Budapest hotel, the was they were talking was a bit unrealistic.
Naturalistic: something that is realistic.
Fictional dialogue: this helps you to understand the scene properly, for example, in the car scene in children of men, the woman in the back said "we're not gonna make it".

Music:
Diegetic: this is when the music goes along with the scene, for example, when the radio was playing in the car while the people were talking.
Non-diegetic: this is when the music doesn't go with the scene and it just plays over the dialogue.
Genre: this is the type of music that it could be e.g. if its classical, pop, r&b.
Establishing sound: The sound at the beginning of the scene
Sound motif: this is the sound that goes with a certain situation.
Mood: this is when the music could be sad, happy or scared.
Score: the soundtrack where the music is created specifically for the scene. For example, in 'it follows'
Tone: when the music is light, dark, warm or cold

Sound fx:
Ambient: this is to do with the background sound
Synchronous: this is when you see the cause for the sound.
Non-synchronous: this is when you can't see the cause for the sound
Hyper-real: is the realistic sound but it becomes almost beyond being realistic.
Sound bridge: this is noticeable when the scenes are changing and the sound effects goes from one scene to the other.
Sound mix: the overall sound of everything happening in the scene.
Emotional realism: this is any sound that gets you into a characters head. This usually matches the emotions of the character.

Evaluation

Aimee-Jade Bryan

Media

Original Film Postproduction: Evaluation

When Time Comes Back.

While making our short film ‘When time comes back’, there were many production stages that I was involved in. One production stage that I done was being one of the actors in the film, although I wasn’t in it for much of the film, I still had a small part. I was also part of the camera crew during some of the scenes that other people were in. I had to make sure that the camera was steady and looked professional while filming the scene and make sure that there were scenes from different angles.

My individual contribution to the making of the film was some of what the some of the wardrobe choices. For example, the shirt that Fabian was wearing was my idea when Jordan was speaking him to make it look like he has actually gone to the future and is smarter when he gets there. Also the sheet that Jordan put over him was my idea; I felt like this made him look more authoritative as he was the headman of the chamber.

The creative and technical

Regulatory Organisations in the Creative Media Industries

Which media sector does the body regulate?



How does each body enforce it's regulatory powers?



What are the consequences of no adhering to the regulator's rules and codes of practice?



Why is it so important to have regulation in the media industries?