Camera work research

For filming our final piece, it is crucial that I learn all of these techniques for filming. When filming I will take into account these shots and keep on referring to them when shooting our task.

I may even make posts about them so I can show that i'm improving my skills and talk about what I have learnt from these experience.

Previewing film openings and getting ideas

For our opening we want to use a narrative over the top, whilst reatianing a story about soemones life. We aim to use many establishing and detailed shots to set our scene

Films that have ideas we like

-Zombieland - Narration

-Shaun of the Dead - Some of the shots / also British
-Inbetweeners - The narration / relatablilty / far less humour
-Walking dead - The idea of the empty but scenic opening shots

Yes, these films maybe in the thriller/zombie concept. But we're taking ideas not the overall genre
Another inspiration is Me before you, another drama in of which we plan to similarise with. We didn't copy it as we didn't know it existed till someone referenced it to us after previewing it. however know owning this knowledge we can go of a drama which follows a similar opening to us of which we can share and differ on conventions.

Idents

For our final piece we (I and Liam) will need a logo in which our film is represented by. Like warner bros. They have their iconic symbol which pops up before the film to give the audience connotations of how good the film really will be. Seeing as our final task will be a drama we will find an ident that fits.
This cat ident was our first draft, simply because its simple, unique and catchy. However after feedback and discussion people told us a "fat cat" wouldn't really be representative of a drama simply because it's to humorous.

What I can learn from this is that the ident is crucial for the audience to establish the genre and capability of the film, and if that your ident is not in any ways similar to your film then it could reflect badly on the company.

Obviously we can't use official idents, as the ident needs to be unique and one of our own. So what I will do is some research into the kind of ident you'd expect to see for a drama genre film.

Meet the Team

 For our final product (The 2-3 min opening sequence of a film) I myself are pairing up with Liam Heath, having split from our group of 4 as 3 is the maximum members you can have. Luckily for me Liam is a computer wiz having studied IT and owning Premiere Pro at home Liam will be a necessity for our groups edit, I however didn't study IT, but I do have very Arty skills, despite not taking Art as a GCSE nor A-Level.


In our group we have to split 3 roles, obviously not easy in a group of 2. Which is why we have chosen to share an aspect being Sound or Audio. We made this decision as we felt it was both of our weakest link in media, therefore to share it would allow us both to learn together to progress from the shambles we called our prelim task.


Profiles:

Aidan Walker

Cinematographer-Director

Watches comedic films;

Inbetweeners- Meet The Spartans etc.

(Also a huge Star Wars fan!)

Arty, studied drama so has knowledge in the film area already

Likes to play sport in free time

Liam Heath

Editor-Producer

Watches horror films:

Saw - Childs play etc.

Very technical good with PC's having studied IT should be at an advantage

Likes to skate in free time

So as you can see, we should be quite the team both having some skills of which media will ask of, Me having the qualities to enhance our actors performance having studied Drama, and Liam who will be a computer Wiz having taken IT.

My role for the final task

For the final task I will be taking on the role of the Camera man. This is obviously a key role to be as I will be responsible for the types of shots and angles. When taking photos I will have to bear in mind factors like the edits to the shots or clips I take. Having worked previously with camera work when I used too make videos for fun, and having my own instagram (which i'll link to give evidence). I will be hopeing to take these photography abilities with me into the filming I do. For me having the role of the camera is a tough one as there are many editing and camera based aspects like the composition ill have to bear in mind when producing these clips for our final task.

Going off this post you can now expect to see more updates of our final task planning and more evidence of me learning the top techniques for filming.

Idents of big companies

An Ident is a sign/logo shown in the opening sequence or trailer of a film to signify who the people that made it are. Its essentially just a visual stimulation so that people can identify the channel/company, which can also help people deter the films quality.

The idents design is crucial as its the main form of appeal towards the viewer, whilst representing the company, carrying its messages.
As its the brand of the company its vital the company stays on the good side of the viewer. Because of this many companies through the years have made major edits to their idents.

W.Disney Ident in the 90's

W.Disney Ident today

Take Walt Disney, a company who base films for the younger audience. Their ident used to be very bland and unappealing to the younger viewers. So after years of research, the ident was made more realistic, and more brighter in your face, the sign of the castle obviously to signify princesses and things which appeals to the younger audience. And because of this one little touch to the ident, Walt Disney draw thousands of people to the cinemas at the release of a new film. Where they flash their ident just so the audience know, they're in for a classic. But thanks to the tweaks, Disney is known to produce films which are fun for all the family, and instant classics.

Timeline planning

Incredibles | Opening sequence timeline

This timeline here is an example of The Incredibles opening. Timelines are very useful for the opening sequence as they allow full planning so that the editors know what to put in the film and at what point. So basically every small detail is put in the timeline so there are minimal errors. This kind of planning is effective and ensures the editor of what to put in and when, so that the intro flows smoothly.

AS Coursework

Task
Our final task is to film a two minute long clip of an opening sequence to a new film. Where we will analyse other films and follow there conventions to make ours similar to some of the top opening sequences on screen.

This task is out of 100 and is broken down into 3 categories:

• 20 marks. Research and Planning
• 60 marks. Construction
• 20 marks. Evaluation

Preliminary Task | Final product | Evaluation

This is our final product for our preliminary task. I helped with the all aspects as we were let off and worked as a 4. My major focus was the planning of the actors and there posture as I took those skills from GCSE and adapted them into filming Media, But for our final With Liam Heath, I'll be doing camera and sharing sound.

Considering it was our first major bit of practical, I feel it went rather well. in this Piece I worked with Ruben Haywood (Camera) Dylan Fielding (Editing) Liam Heath (Sound) We had a mixture of shots and techniques which were effective. However It was rather jumpy, there was little dialogue and at some points you didn't understand what was happening and perhaps the skating dragged on a bit. Considering we had to ditch our first idea due to the lack of props which obviously for our final task we will be on top of. Some of the camera work was a little shaky, and the cameraman was visible at one point during the filming, which obviously we will focus on when filming the final. The exchange of dialogue was very vague and it was hard to tell what was going on over the sounds of the pool table and skateboards. There was also little sound effects or editing such as a title, credits etc. Which could have been involved to give the audience connotations of what the film was about, however that was what was intended by lack of titles as the skateboards and way the characters were dressed were signs, which all signified different things, to give the viewers an incense to what the film is about. Obviously this task isn't an opening so it will be very different to our final. And what we can learn is the lack of sound is an issue as it makes the film awkward in some scenes and sometimes, audio can be crucial for the genre or effect of the film. For us Mise-en-scene was big for us to involve and to do this we uses large quantities of establishing shots. And deliberately made the rooms the way they were, like the messiness of the bedroom.

For the camera work Ruben was very effective, he managed to keep the camera as still as he could and used a variety of effective shots and techniques such as 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot. Overall the filming was very good. There were minor errors but they were barely noticeable.

Dylan then proceeded to edit the film by cutting clips and piecing the film together to make sure it ran smoothly. this was important to Dylan as he spent lots of time ensuring the film had little flaws and errors. There weren't to many effects which can be improved on but considering it was his first major edit Dylan did rather well.

Liam on the sound was good, he bared in mind the realistic sounds like the cue hitting the ball and the noises of the door. An effective sound was the skateboards as it set the tone of the film. The only issue was the lack of over sound like music, which did lose its effectiveness in a way as there is little noise or sound effects. 

I helped in all these aspects but i mainly focused on the planning, such as where it was to be filmed, what the actors were to dress like and what they would say. For me the dialogue wasn't too amazing and there is definite room for improvement. But I felt the planning was very good, the scenes for the shots really helped Ruben get good shots, the actors were dressed in stereotypical skate clothes which was my intended idea. I made sure that the actors didn't focus on the camera as you would lose marks and the audience would notice, so my job was to make sure they stayed in role and avoided the camera. I mainly told them to act how they normally would as they are skaters anyway, and it would be hard to imitate the stereotypical skater dudes without causing smiles or awful acting which could have reflected on us badly.

Overall though, I feel the film went fairly successful. There is room for improvement which there obviously will be as its our first time doing things like this so we wont get it bang on perfect. But if we can take and improve our errors and perfect minor errors, we can use these skills to perfect and make our final task so much better, so that we can get the best marks possible whilst avoiding errors we could have made had we not done this task.

This task has helped me increase my skills in all areas and between now and my final I will be taking time to improve my filming and skills to get the best outcome for my final.

Planning for the final task

For our final task we have been set the objective of filming an appealing opening sequence of a new film in which we will be using all our skills we have adapted doing our preliminary task. For this task I will be working with Liam Heath and we have drafted 3 ideas we feel will appeal as an opening sequence.

1. Thriller
2. Drama
3. Horror

The reason we have chosen these is because in today's media there are many new released horror films in which we can evaluate and use to plan. Thrillers because in the news all sorts of spooky happenings have been occurring (clowns), so we thought that'd be a good fit. Or a Drama as they're all over our TV's these days and they appeal to the majority of the viewing audience.

In our most recent lesson we went through art of the title where we could see what was necessary in a good film opening, and that's when we decided to do a Drama based film as they seem to be the more appealing films of the lot. We reviewed a scene of the film "Shaun of the dead" where he walks to the shop. We feel this scene is effective for our title as our story is going to be based on one guys life and will have an narrative over the top similar to the Inbetweeners except less explicit and more serious.

Wordbanks

Wordbanks are a bundle of word all related to one topic, in this instants I have chosen one to do with movies. This can help me plan what to use in film as it is related in some way.

Preliminary Task

For our final task where we will film a 2 minute opening sequence with our own idents, we have been instructed to film a short 2 minute clip of a scene involving an exchange of dialogue, a character moving across a room and an opening of a door. This is our preliminary task which is essentially preparation for the final task where we work with shots and techniques where we will be assessed on for our final task.

Here is a storyboard example of what our film for the preliminary will be. I will explain the shown scenes in this storyboard, however do bare in mind this storyboard will only be about 50-75% of the overall film we will take.

Storyboard pic 1: A low angle shot of a smartly dressed character walks across a corridor in which only the legs and a briefcase prop are seen. This will be the opening shot.

Storyboard 2: We see our second protagonist but not fully, only the shoulders and below can be seen and the shot focuses on the mans hand to create an effect of mystery, there will also be cigarettes on the table to show the characters position in the film.

Storyboard 3: Several shots of our main character, one shot taken high angle from a security camera view to give the sequence genre. The camera will then flicker to give the effect of the security camera, this shot will be followed up by a tracking over the shoulder shot, where the character can be made out where their identity is still unknown.

Storyboard 4: The shot still focusing on the table and what our second character is doing. The dark room will then be lit form the door as it opens and a silhouette of our other character will be scene in this shot reflected on the table.

Storyboard 5: We follow our character walking across the room where the briefcase is forcefully put on the table and opened to reveal a whole load of money to give away an idea of what the film is about causing viewing minds to denote the scene and use the several signs.

This will then be followed by a chain of dialogue in which is covered by an arc shot (still hiding character identity) where after 30 seconds our shot blacks out.

Storyboard 6: One protagonist walks out of a door covered by an establishing-long shot. The character coming out is unknown but we learn that the building belongs ot one of these men as its protected by a man stood outside the door who will be given strength and power by a low angle, long shot.

Aspects of Composition in Media

Composition is a very hard term to define, but there are many aspects to the term hence why, Composition is seen as a set of rules to be followed or ingredients to cinematic success. It's similar to a chef and his/her preparation to a meal, here are 5 key elements of composition that I feel are most important.

PATTERN

In todays world there are patterns all around us if we can learn to see them that is. When the pattern is emphasised or highlighted breathtaking shots can be achieved, as can high lighting if the pattern were to be broke.

SYMMETRY

Depending on the scene or presentation of the image, symmetry can be a must or an absolute no go.       

Symmetrical shots with strong composition and a good point of interest can lead to a fascinating image. However, without the strong point of interest the shot can be predictable. Its better to experiment in these circumstances to see which shot works for you best. These shots only work if both sides of the image are exactly the same.      

TEXTURE

Images can be divided into two dimensional thing when texture is used, as the shot then looks like its come to life and is basically three dimensional.

Texture only works when light hits the given object at a interesting angle.

                                             

DEPTH OF FIELD

The depth of field shot is very similar to Bokeh. However this shot depends on the depth of shot as the composition is drastically impacted by the depth.

The shot can isolate a subject from the back and foreground (if a shallow field of depth is used), or it can put the subject in context by revealing its surrounds in a larger field of depth. 

Take horror movies for example when our main protaganist is facing the camera with a blurry image of our "killer" in the background shot.

LINES

Lines can be very powerful elements in an image, simply because they have the power to draw the eye to key focal points of the shot and impact the 'feel' of an image greatly.

Diagonal, Horizontal, Vertical and Converging lines all have different impacts on images which should be spotted and utilised to strengthen and impact the image.






This is important for me to learn, because it therefore means that when filming or taking a picture, for my media, I can refer back to this to enable the most effective piece I can do.

Aspects of Photography in Media

Rule Of Thirds

Rule of thirds is one of the most well known rule of photographic composition.
Rule of thirds is a very basic principle, it breaks the photo down to 9 small rectangles and what is does is pinpoints important parts of the image the lines are also very useful for positions in your photos.
There is a theory that if you were to have the subject of interest along the intersections your photo becomes more balanced and the viewing audience will interact with it more naturally.

Bokeh

Bokeh is a type of camera shot where all focus is removed from the background image to enhance focus on the main subject of the image the image blur is dependant on the length or the focus of the lens used in your device. It creates a spectacular image in where the viewing audience is only able to denote a small proportion of the image. 

Bokeh is important as it takes all focus off of the background image and focus' you on the main object, this will be important when taking snapshots of actors so we can focus on the actor and nothing else. it could also be an effective way of filming which will be important for filming.

Art of the title

Art if the title is a website full of thousands of movie opening sequences, we research this because it is helpful planning for our overall final piece which happens to be an opening sequence. It can help us find similar genre film openings so we can evaluate, and take key ideas to improve our opening.

It can help us with our planning, especially if we watch similar genre openings, just like you before me etc. I can use this site to now increase my deconstruction of openings.

Photograhy aspects in media

Film Cover Analysis

For Media Studies we have been set the task of evaluating and analysing film covers using a variety of techniques. These include semiotics, denotations and conotations.
Semiotics: Sign = Signifier
                           Signified

Sign: Anything that conveys meaning.
Signifier: Things that give meaning. I.e Word/image
Signified: What is evoked in the mind - mental concept.
Denotation: What you/the audience sees.
Connotation: Meaning that the audience brings to the image.

The GAMEPLAN
(Analysis)

Match on Action

Match on Action is a type of film where the camera shot switches between two views but stay in tact so the follow up shot keeps in play with the subjects actions. For example, a man walking up to a door and turning the handle. This type of shot is used to enhance the actors actions and what and where they are. The shot is effective because it allows various amounts of shots without the viewing audience loose track of whats going on.

Here is an example of Match on Action. And one of our own filmed by Liam and Dylan     

The 180 Degree rule

180 Degree rule example

The 180° rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another . When the camera passes over the unseeable line between both characters, it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a reverse angle. It's also a very similar technique to shot/reverse shot except it doesn't cross the line and uses a variety of shots and angles unlike shot/reverse shot, which sets the scene and focuses on characters reactions.

As you can see in this image there are a variety of cameras one side of the two actors, Camera D however is out of line as it ruins the shot and looks funny to viewers as it means both characters would be looking the same way, showing a minor error which can have big impact on films. The other 3 though, are all on one side of the line and give you the ideas of the shots you cant take with this technique,the camera can go as close/far and around the people as it likes, as long as it doesn't cross the 180 line boundary in-between the two characters.

Here is a film example of 180 degree rule from the STAR WARS series the episode: A New Hope. But what it gives us is a range of different shots, whats going on and character reactions without crossing the imaginary line through the middle. However, there is a section at around about 20 seconds where the characters swap sides of the shot, this doesn't break the rule because the camera doesn't cross the line as the shots are either angled just behind so its not directly behind or not their so it can continue the rule from the new perspective staying in rule guidelines.

Here is an example of our own 180 degree rule

Types of Camera angles in Film

In the film industry there are a variety of camera shots/angles editors use to gain effect in their films. What I am about to show you is the variety of Camera angles/shots and why they're used and how they are effective in the filming industry.

BIG CLOSE UP

Taken from: STAR WARS; Return Of The Jedi

The first shot is Big close-up this shot is basically used in film to introduce us to a character, get their facial expressions and get us the characters emotions. It can also be used to see the characters reactions when in confrontation with another character. It's also used to show the physical features of a human or object, what it does is make us aware of specific detail or create tension dependent on the type of scene or film genre for example in thrillers.






CLOSE-UP

The angle close-up is a head only shot where we are met by the characters face where we connotate the characters emotions and why the character is presented the way they are. This shot is most commonly used when a new character is introduced, so that the viewers can analyse the character to know what's in store. It's blurs out background to focus on the object/character to make us either feel comfortable or uncomfortable with them. It's also a very common shot in romances


MEDIUM CLOSE-UP

 STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Back

Most common in dialogue scenes, the medium close-up camera angle takes us to a new level where we are given more than the face, but the background, where we can see what the setting is all about, in these shots background detail is minimal to keep your focus once again, on the character. However these shots have minimal detail because it's most likely you've already been inducted into the surroundings, and this way they can take your attention and put it into the dialogue. This is effective if the scenes dialogue is essential to the storyline.

MID-SHOT

STAR WARS: A New Hope

Don't get this shot confused with three shot (explained below) but what this shot does is focus on the waist up, just like the human eye would do at first glance. The purpose of this shot is to give us the idea of a characters body posture, expressions and not too mention the background which is crucial in films, the mid-shot is used very commonly and can be used when characters are in dialogue, or giving  information. In this context shown we can see its used to start a new scene and give us an idea of where our protagonists are. (If you want the feel of mid-shot ignore the two wide characters and focus on the man in the middle)

MEDIUM LONG SHOT

STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Back

Medium Long Shot is very similar to Mid shot, except that it reveals far more to give the viewer an idea of the setting whilst retaining focus on character, in this angle we can get an idea on the character in the way they're presented and the way they present themselves. It can be similar to Two shot as its mainly presented with one or more characters, However the main purpose of the shot is to emphasise the background image.

LONG/WIDE SHOT

This shot shows us whats going on in the film and presents us with either many or none figures, but the main purpose of the shot is to show the surrounding shot where the viewer can the connate to analyse what the scenes all about and where the shot is. These type of shots are very common in opening sequences where they give audiences the context of the film they're about to watch, for example this image is taken from the opening of STAR WARS; A New Hope.
It's a full shot to remain focus on character but like Medium Long shot, it makes you look deeper into the film.

STAR WARS: A New Hope

TWO SHOT

STAR WARS: Force Awakens.

Two shot is a camera angle in which the shot encompasses over a shot of two people. The two subjects don't necessarily need to be together, as there are many shots where one actor is in the foreground (look at Over Shoulder Shot for example). These type of shots are used to establish the two characters emotions, they also help you learn the relationships between the characters, the shot can also be involved to include an introduction of a new character. Two shot doesn't necessarily have to be a still shot, it could follow the characters along from behind and still be a shot, simply as long as two characters are presented.

THREE SHOT

STAR WARS; A New Hope

Three shot, very similar to Two shot just there is one more character. These shots however, are very common within conference scenes or when characters meet, it can help the viewers analyse the status of the group and what their intentions in the film are. There is very little background view to prevent audience eyes from wondering and focus specifically on character faces, so that you can learn the characters and adapt to their emotions.

HIGH ANGLE SHOT

STAR WARS: Return Of The Jedi

High Angle Shot is a camera shot from above specifically used in Horrors or Action films. The shots intentions are to emphasise the danger of circumstances (as shown below) or make the character look weak and vulnerable, it's all dependent on the moment of the film. They can make the film more dramatic, it's general effect however, is to weaken the subject and emphasise the danger. In this case its essentially used to hide the boardwalk and show the creature below to give us an idea there is no way out for the character emphasising on the point of vulnerability.  

LOW ANGLE SHOT

STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Back

Low Angle Shot is a very psychological shot where the influence is to give the focus character hierarchy and superiority, and intentionally create fear in the viewers so that they can see, this character is the real deal. The camera is positioned so that the Camera is angled below the sight of eye-line.  

OVER-THE-SHOULDER

STAR WARS: Revenge Of The Sith

Over-The-Shoulder shot is very common when two characters are in are in dialogue, it's a shot taken from a characters perspective where the lens can focus on the opposite characters reaction, as seen in the image, this is an example except its rare for both characters to face the camera.

Shot reverse/shot

For our Media Studies, we've been set the task of using the preliminary task of filming a shot reverse shot camera technique in which we will have to use in our final piece for this exam, to get an idea of what kind of shots are in films I have uploaded a little clip of  a top film to give me the idea of what the kind of shot, shot reverse shot is. Here is an example of a shot/reverse shot clip from the series Star Wars in which all the variety of shots are shown.

The shot reverse shot technique is used mainly in filming and is very key for pointing out small things during crucial scenes. Shot reverse shot is basically an idea where when two characters are having conversation, it's all in one shot. But in fact is filming characters reactions/faces one shot after another to get the idea of how they respond to whats is going on and keep you focused on the actor.
There are no cameras that will film the face side on as it gives less effect, whereas if you have it angled in front, you get a clear view of the actors face.

There is also a master camera, which is the least used one in these kind of scenes, but it gives you a direct overview of where the characters are, what they're doing and how. The diagram shows how these cameras are set up.

This image is from Star Wars, and its one of the angles used in shot reverse shot, for when one or more characters are talking, it focuses on the character and their reaction to the conversation. It's effective because it allows you to focus on the character and not get distracted whilst watching the film so you don't miss any key moments.

Here is an example of our shot reverse shot.

My task is to create a short film piece with the shot reverse shot technique, in this piece I will be working along side Ruben Haywood, Liam Heath and Dylan Fielding, in which we'll have a small conference between two actors and will start of the piece 

An insight to Camera angles and Techniques

5 Favourite films and why I enjoy them

MY TOP 5



STAR WARS: Revenge Of The Sith

1. This is arguably my favourite film, for many reasons one being the fact it was one of the first films I ever saw, and the sci-fi aspects of the films for example all of the fighting scenes and the lightsaber duels, these really made me watch in shock, because no one had ever had an idea like this before, in the whole series we meet a man named Obi wan, the good guy, the next big thing, training Anakin, who has replaced Obi in the next big thing. But Obi wan has to be my favourite character, purely because, he's the wise old man character and they've always been my kind of characters. But what makes this film so special is that its a one of a kind and the story line for me has to be the most thrilling of the series as its when Anakin becomes the bad guy and no one suspects it because he never has signs of it in any of the films. There is just too much about the film to say hence why it has to be my favourite, Disagree? Then why don't you see it for yourself?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2.Is Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire, this has to be my second favourite and most favourite Harry Potter of the series. For many reasons, first of all its the most appealing of them all and for me its the most action packed. The reason this film is on my top 5 list is because throughout growing up Harry Potter was slowly releasing films and books and I always used to read the books non stop until the next episode was released. People associate Harry Potter with a nerdy audience but I really don't see that, its an absolute classic, its full of it all! Action, Romance, Drama and a little scary side to it, not to mention the fact that its based around a fantasy. Another aspect HP appeals is because of Emma Watson and in this film she becomes good looking and makes it more interesting because Hey, who doesn't like a good looking girl? But back to point Harry Potter is made to enter a 3 man tournament in which he becomes the 4th despite being far too young to enter, which leaves not only Hogwarts but wizarding fans as to how he does it, and this leads to our main story which for me is the most key and important episode as it is full of everything and explains all your unanswered questions and the creative fantasy of J.K.Rowling makes this one of my top 5 films.

Ted

3. How could you not expect this classic to be here? Ted is literally, probably and undoubtedly the most hilarious comedy film about. The fact that there is a talking bear is pretty funny in its own mind, but this bear is literally an adult, pulling girls making money to driving a car. All sorts of things the American man today dreams about. However our film isn't just a superstar teddy bear, there is also the mix of well known top celebs such as Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis (who lets be honest is a rather good looking lady and she makes it another reason to sit and watch), and best till last, Seth McFarlane the man behind family guy, the man behind the humour. And this perfect combo of actors makes it the perfect movie to watch whenever you're in the need of a laugh. However in the film we're given the lives of two people so the film doesn't become too tedious, and mixes up the film and gives us our fantastic relationship between man and teddy-bear. But likewise again. It has to be the best comedy film I've ever seen and if you haven't, let me just say, you're missing out.

The Inbetweeners movie

4. You're probably  thinking, how is this on my list considering the films an 18. But that's what today's all about. Us teens can't stay away the 18 makes us want to watch it because it means we cant. but after seeing the inbetweeners we do see why this film series has been rated 18. But to watch such a classic comedy about 4 school odd-bods is utterly hilarious. Yes you take away some knew and interesting vocab, but the film is worth a watch. The boys go on a "lads" trip to Malia, in expectancy to get "sun, sea, s*x, sand, booze, s*x and many more things "it definitely is a must watch, just because every heart-felt and sad moment they turn into a comedy act. The one negative which makes this not so high on the list is due to a set scene involving two of our characters. But asides that, this film is a major step up in comedy, and considering its 4 year age, the film is still majorly upbeat and Will's character playing narrator couldn't be any better, putting this one as a strong contender in this list.

STAR WARS: The Phantom Menace

5. Yes, another Star Wars. Except this is the first, the creation, the opener, the key to arguably the best film franchise the world has embraced (well, that's my opinion anyway). Star Wars The Phantom Menace was a big start to a massive journey in George Lucas's biggest film series yet. The first one is an absolute classic and what draws you in is all these new things you've never seen on TV before. It had it all, fights, violence, and racing, what kind of Sci-Fi offers this? Star Wars. What drew me to star wars though was the addition of some new and unique things, such as tartan Jar-Jar Binks (as shown in pic) for me as a young child this was insane as it was new and aliens were so cool back then. But now I look back on this movie and see a sheer classic that any man, boy or child could spend his Sunday watching. There are just a lot of cool space like effects that intrigue you let alone the catchy background songs in certain situations. But if you're ever lacking in films, The Phantom Menace is for you, simply because you'll become so engrossed you'll have to flip out the wallet to splash money on the other 6 films. Star Wars: TPM at number 5 and will always be there considering the age of the film and the fact no matter how many times you watch it or how old you are, it never gets old.

About me:

Hello everyone,

 I've chosen to do Media for one of my A-level courses, my name is Aidan Walker. The reason being as I'm very interested in what the course has to offer,and can help me access my choices in my future much easier and give me some new ideas in what I would like to do. And the whole idea of media fascinates me simply because it's rather new and there are multiple views on the whole thing so it would be nice to see what makes Media what it is. I also have chosen to study it, because I hope to pursue a career that is media related, something like a presenter, whether its football on Match Of The Day or news on BBC One, It's always been a lifelong dream to pursue a career in the Media side of life. In this course, I would be delighted to come out of it with an A, However, considering I've never done media before, a B for me would be ideal.

Another reason I have chosen to do media is because I'm intrigued to see as to why social media is so popular today and how it manipulates today's audiences, and find out what makes some things stand out more than others. And why some producers use set signs in their films/music videos, and why some of us see things different to others and the all new meanings Media gives us today. 

 I feel i'll be very suited to this course as media is always in my day to day routines, for example some of my hobbies like playing Xbox with my pals, watching TV to keep up to date with things, more of my hobbies include playing sports like football or going out with my mates to strike the odd knuckle(football). I also really enjoy History, which I also have chosen to do for my A-levels. I am also a big fan of the team Manchester City whom I've supported since I learnt about football.

Things I dislike however have to include any food items to do with tomatoes as I absolutely hate them, as well as not being punctual (On time etc).

Introduction to my blog and media course