Homework: Lesson One - Production Skills Audit

1) I would say I am adequately skilled to use a video camera correctly for the basic and intermediate filming.
2) In the past, I have used Windows Movie Maker at an advanced level and Sony Vegas 9.0 at a basic and intermediate level.
3) I find it easy to motivate myself to get a deadline done as I do not want to let anyone down especially myself or my group.
4) I am very productive when it comes to working in a group, I contribute well to ideas and production of what it is we are doing.
5) I would say 5 - because writing a successful screen-play is always going to be difficult, then the burden of filming and editing correctly takes time. If it was a 10 we wouldn't have terrible films and if it was 1 all films would either not exist or just be terrible.

Film 3: High School Musical (2006)

“High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise.”

1) In the opening few minutes we meet our two protagonists. The beautiful girl that the male character falls in love with, then the male protagonist himself. He is quite obviously the high school jock and is obviously the star high school basketball player. Then we see your usual American High School, again equipped with the social classes. We are then introduced to the wealthy, arrogant kids, we can tell that they are villains because the spoiled children are always villains. If this film could have villains.

2) Its signalling for a teenage audience because it has your handsome teenage heartthrob boy and attractive female, it also has the high-school everyone can relate to and the realistic spoilt villains you can relate to.

3) The teenagers are portrayed as ‘cool’ and regular American teenagers whereas the  adults are portrayed as realistic parents or teachers.

4) Within the opening 10 minutes we see two locations, the holiday place and the high-school.

5) The mood like most others is a joyful one, not sad and not overly happy, a modest joyful mood.

Film 2: Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

“Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Joel Gallen, released on December 14, 2001 by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody film which have accumulated in Hollywood over the last few decades.”

1) In the first couple of minutes we’re introduced to our first main character/stereotype, she is an obvious nerd/geek as she has large, thick glasses. As she is a nerd and because of the scenes in the first few minutes she is probably unpopular. After that we’re introduced to the typical red-neck, alcoholic idiot father. Another one of the key elements is the dingy house the girl lives in and how you normally have either the big middle class house or the dim, small working class house where everything’s a mess. In the next 3 minutes we see a joke about the high school social ‘classes’. Where they even mock a key element of teen movies where every high school has its ‘nerds, sluts and ‘jocks’’. We see another unpopular teenager who is madly in love with the unpopular girl however, all his advances are ignored.Then we see the ‘head jock’ and most popular kid in school who has a rival who he competes with. Then another joke on how the hot girls “always walk in slow motion”. 

2) You can tell this is aimed at teenagers due to the fact its set in a high-school and you see the notorious cliques and social groups associated with high-school. Also, because this is a parody/satire movie they always make jokes at other teen movies and even give away key elements of teen movies in the dialogue.

3) Well the only adult we are introduced to really is the girl’s Dad who is portrayed to be your average unemployed, alcoholic Dad who is very ignorant and stupid. The teens in this film like I have already said are your average high-school kids who are socially divided. You have your cool jocks, unpopular nerds and hot girls.

4) The two locations we see in the first ten minutes, the dingy house and the traditional American high school from all teen movies.

5) The mood is one of joy and just a natural school atmosphere. No real sad atmosphere just an up-beat and usual one.

Film 1: The Lost Boys (1987)

“The Lost Boys is a 1987 American horror film about two Arizonan brothers who move to California and end up fighting a gang of teenage vampires.”

1) In the first two minutes we are introduced to a dark eerie carnival scene with eerie music in the background as we start the film to add drama to the opening scene. In the scene we are introduced to few characters, however, we see a gang (and possibly two) on the merry-go-round who start to cause a scene. The one gang are dressed mostly in black look probable villains as they are arrogant and black or darker colours usually

signifies villains. In the following scene, the guard was attacked and probably killed. In the next 3 minutes we are introduced to our main protagonists. Two teenage boys and their recently divorced mother, like most teen movies we have the older ‘hench’ brother and the younger brother who’s not too keen on the move and is rather sceptical. In the next 5 minutes we are only introduced to the grandfather who is quite mysterious and secretive.

2) This looks as if it is trying to aim at teenagers by having villains dressed in dark clothing to imply they are villains. Also by having one of the main protagonists as a ‘hench’ elder teenage boy, it will attract younger teenage girls to like him. The constant mentions of “television” and references of popular channels like “MTV” also attract teenage audience as they were both things popular with teenagers at that time and mostly today.

3) So far the villains have been portrayed as arrogant and cocky, the teenagers have been portrayed as ‘cool’ and well-likable, the grandfather has been portrayed as mad and crazy. However, we haven’t seen enough of the mother to comment on her character, however, I have a suspicion she will turn out to be one of the stereotypical naive mothers who wont believe her children when they report the dealings of the villains later on in the movie until she sees it for herself. However, in the first ten minutes, we haven’t gone into much depth with characters and they still seem rather undeveloped.

4) The only locations that have been shown so far are the eerie carnival/fair-ground and the suburbs and the suburban house.

5) In the first few minutes, the mood is eerie due to the dark surroundings of the carnival which is achieved by the eerie background music that starts up with the start of the movie.Afterwards the movie is fairly neutral although due to music at the end of the 10 minutes it gets a bit more up-beat with some jazz music.