Final Draft

Final Draft
Dear Examiner, here is my final draft for my AS Media Thriller coursework. I hope you have enjoyed observing the progression of the quality of my work from the beginning to the end of this blog. Thank You - Ed Barker.

 

Kin Final Draft

KIN Final Draft
On the 25th of January, Csenge and I uploaded the final draft of our opening sequence of 'KIN'. The draft is relatively similar to our previous drafts however with this final version a new recording of sound has been implemented in order to make the audio clear in the final exchange of dialogue between Ivan and the two Tonies. 
 

Kin Third Draft

Kin Third Draft
This is the third draft of my thriller KIN. Csenge and I plan to release another draft which will helpfully rectify the sound problem in the dialogue exchange.

New Actors

New Actors
Following on from our feedback given from our teacher, Csenge and I immediately set about in trying to cast older actors for the two Tonies. After a short period of repetitive unavailable actors, Csenge and I were able to cast my father, Andrew Barker (left) as well as his friend Rusai Bostan (right) to fill the roles of the Tonies. The pair were very keen on starring in the film and were comparably vastly more enthusiastic than our actors for our first draft.

After speaking with the actors regarding their roles within the film, they were each able to source their own costume for the film, with the only requirements being that they wore black, non-distracting clothing. Whilst their final costumes may not reflect my costumes post earlier in the blog, I believe the final result was equally realistic, and helps to convey the characters' role before any dialogue is actually spoken.

Updated Storyboard

Updated Storyboard

This is the updated storyboard Csenge created using Gimp. We would regularly evaluate each others ideas and improvements in order to identify any problems that could occur with any changes made. We both thought this was a good idea as it would include the various new shots Csenge and I implemented into our first draft. This new storyboard is now a completely accurate depiction of what the opening sequence will resemble. 


Whilst a few changes have been made in correspondence with our first and second drafts, this storyboard still resembles my 'Storyboard Breakdown' post from earlier in this blog. Similar to our first storyboard, this updated version still details the various shot types and angles we will be using for our final draft, thereby serving as a reminder for what we want our final piece to resemble.

Targets for the next draft

Targets for the next draft
After publishing our first draft, Csenge and I were able to identify several improvements that could be made to our thriller for the second draft. With the help of our peers and our teachers, Csenge and I were able to create a list of improvements, each of which should bring improved quality to the opening sequence. Below is the list of improvements and targets Csenge and I would try to correct for our next draft.

• Include the final two scenes of the opening sequence, including the dialogue between the two Tonies as well as the listening of the voicemail afterwards.
• Shorten the multiple shots of Ivan walking to the two Tonies, as this prolongs and weakens the mystery created by the first few shots. 
• Include dialogue to add layer of sound
• Feature more close ups of our characters
• Ensure each shot is free of 'wobble'
• Move all titles to bottom left
• Weather continuity needs some work
• Trim the shots of Ivan walking to the exchange
• Use older actors for the Tonies

First Draft Evaluation

First Draft Evaluation
On Friday the ninth of December, Csenge uploaded our first draft of our opening sequence for 'Kin' to YouTube. Overall I believe we are each pleased with the end result however we have each been able to identify several areas which we will aim to improve on for our next draft. In the remainder of this post I will be evaluating our first draft, detailing both the strong and weaker aspects of our opening sequence.

Strengths
Here I will provide a brief list of the stregths Csenge and I have identified within our first draft, as well as a detailed explanation on some of the key strengths. After completing our first draft, Csenge and I both agreed that overall, the draft is of a decent quality for our first attempt. We believe that the strongest aspects of our piece are the variety of shots and titles. Whilst each of these could be developed, I think they will very much influence our final draft, meaning we will likely directly recreate them for our final draft.

Our peers also commented on the costumes used for the characters within the scene, stating that they immediately informed the viewer of each character's role within the draft.

This is an example of our titles, we used the Century Gothic font as we felt it was fitting for the urban, natural setting.                                  

                                                 
Complete list of strengths:

• Use of titles
• Variety of shots
• Editing
• Costumes

Weaknesses
However, our draft is not without flaws, as I have detailed in my 'Targets for the next draft' post. Overall, the problems Csenge and I would most likely to solve are: The age of our actors, the inclusion of our the final two scenes, including dialogue, ensure the weather of our scenes remains consistent. Below I will list some possible solutions Csenge and I will use to solve these problems.

Firstly, the problem of casting actors can be solved easily by casting actors who are known to be reliable to turn up without excuse. As well as this, Csenge and I will be re-shooting over the Christmas holiday which is usually a time where not many people are working. This makes it easy to cast actors who are going to be reliable enough to turn up as they are less likely to be busy. This will, in turn, allow Csenge and I to include the final two scenes of the sequence as they require our additional characters 'Tony A' and 'Tony B'. During the meeting between the three characters, dialogue will be exchanged in order to add another layer of sound as well as a development for the story.

Secondly, the inconsistent weather throughout our first draft will be improved by Csenge and I filming the entire sequence on one day. Preferably, we would like to film on a foggy, misty day as this not only creates atmosphere, but also limits varying levels of sunlight, meaning we would be able to film for several hours without the shots seeming inconsistent. However, if we cannot film on a day with these conditions Csenge and I will aim to film on similarly lit days at similar times, meaning any potential inconsistency is limited.

First Draft

First Draft

First Draft - Editing 9/12/16

First Draft - Editing 9/12/16

Today was our second and final day of editing which involved applying the final details to the first draft. Overall, the process of editing the first draft has been relatively simple, and will serve as a precursor to our final draft.

Whilst our final draft will almost undoubtedly take longer to produce, this first draft will still provide me with many of the technical skills I will need in order to ensure our next draft is of higher quality.

First Draft - Editing 7/12/16

First Draft - Editing 7/12/16

This was our first day of editing which mostly involved placing our footage into the correct order, as well as cutting or trimming certain takes and shots. 

We also copied our files to our own drive, meaning there is now no chance of any footage being lost or deleted.

First Draft - Filming 6/12/16

First Draft - Filming 6/12/16

Today, we were able to capture the remaining shots needed for the first draft, as we now had two actors willing to play the roles of the two Tonies. Whilst the actors expressed their reluctance to speak in the film, they still served as threatning, intimidating targets for Ivan to walk to. When filming, the fog surrounding the sidings was a pleasant surprise as it made the shots and the film as a whole a more mysterious and intruiging.

However, this meant that we now had to re-film some of the shots captured on the Sunday, as they would appear inconsistent otherwise. Despite this, the total film time was short meaning little time was wasted.

First Draft - Filming 4/12/16

First Draft - Filming 4/12/16

Today was our first day of filming for the first draft of our opening sequence for KIN. Due to none of our desired actors being available on the Sunday, Csenge and I decided to film the 'walking' segments of the sequence as they did not require actors other than myself. Overall, the day was very successful as we were able to gather many of the atmospheric shots we needed of the surrounding environment. This meant that on Tuesday, the second day of filming, we only had to take shots of our actors, meaning less time was wasted.