Thursday 24 September 2015

Ex_machina research


Producers/ production companies:

Eli Bush...executive producer
Caroline Levy...line producer
Andrew Macdonald...producer
Allon Reich...producer
Tessa Ross...executive producer
Scott Rudin...executive producer
Jason Sack...associate producer
Joanne Smith...associate producer
Jarle Tangen...line producer


Director:
Art Direction by 
Katrina Mackay
Denis Schnegg...supervising art director

Set Decoration by 


Michelle Day

Costume Design by 


Sammy Sheldon...(as Sammy Sheldon Differ)

Screen writer:

Writing Credits 


Alex Garland

Actors/actresses:

  • Alicia Vikander as Ava
  • Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb Smith
  • Oscar Isaac as Nathan Bateman
  • Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko
  • Symara A. Templeman as Jasmine
  • Elina Alminas as Amber
  • Gana Bayarsaikhan as Jade
  • Tiffany Pisani as Katya
  • Claire Selby as Lily
  • Corey Johnson as Jay the helicopter pilot

Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
  • Chelsea Li
  • Ramzan Mia
  • Caitlin Morton
  • Deborah Rosan
  • Johanna Thea
  • Evie Wray

Budget:

$15 million


Screens shown on:


4 screens- in the preview weekend.
1,255 Screens- in the USA on the opening weekend.
2,004 screens- at its highest.


Box office figures:


Budget:

 $15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

 $250,000 (USA) (10 April 2015)

Gross:

 $25,440,971 (USA) (28 August 2015)


Music:

01. The Turing Test
02. Watching
03. Ava
04. Falling
05. I Am Become Death
06. Hacking/Cutting
07. The Test Worked
08. Skin
09. Out
10. Bunsen Burner
11. The Lab *
12. Masks
13. Ava Undresses Demo Version 1 *
14. Session 2 *
15. Mary Experiment *
16. Ava Turns to CCTV *
17. Climbing the Waterfall *
18. Ava Undresses Demo Version 2 *
19. Reversing The Test *
10. A Beginning *

* = Bonus Tracks


The musical score for Ex Machina was composed by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, who previously worked with Garland on Dredd (2012). A soundtrack album was released digitally on 20 January 2015, with an LP and Compact Disc UK release in February 2015 by Invada Records. Additional songs featured in the film include:


  • "Enola Gay" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
  • "Get Down Saturday Night" by Oliver Cheatham
  • "Husbands" by Savages
  • "Piano Sonata No 21 D. 960 in B-flat Major" (first movement) by Franz Schubert

Marketing:

Teaser:


Trailer:


Official posters:

Ex Machina (2015) Poster


Fan posters:




SFX:

Special effects 

During the filming there were no special effects, green-screen or tracking markers used. This was all done post-production when the editing began.

Special effects:

  • Double negative
  • Milk visual effects


Issues:

No known issues found. 

Saturday 19 September 2015

Camera Angles

Over the shoulder shot:



This shot enables the audience to view the action or an object from over the shoulder of a character. It also allows the audience to see the characters expressions from over the opposite characters shoulder.

High angle shot:



The high angle shot is when the camera points down at the character, it gives the audience the sense of the characters vulnerability.

Low angle shot:



This final shot is when the camera is pointing up at the character or object. This gives the audience a sense of the characters power and can make the audience feel vulnerable.

Friday 18 September 2015

Camera Movements

Zoom:



The zoom movement allows the audience to see the full image of the character or setting. If used correctly this shot can also be seen as a tracking shot.

Tracking shot:






















The tracking shot is a simple movement of the camera backwards or forwards. This is used to draw the audience into the action.

Crab shot:



The crab shot follows the movement of the character or object to allow the audience to keep pace with the action.

Tilt shot:





















This shot is a simple movement of the camera upwards or downwards on a axis, it is used to create a sense of height or power. This makes the audience follow the characters view of the action or object.

Arc shot:





















The arc shot makes the camera move in either a full or semi circle movement around a object or character. It enables the audience to see the reaction of the characters which increases the intensity of the narrative.

Crane shot:



This shot enables the director to follow the action in a vertical direction. This makes the audience see a higher and bigger point of view of the scene.

Panning shot:

















 




Finally the panning shot is when a camera is mounting on a tripod and is moved from left to right, it is used to follow a moving object in the frame. This allows the audience to see all angles of the scene and engage more with the characters expressions.

Camera Shots

Close up:



This shot normally makes the viewer see the face of the character, this will make the attention focus on them and their expressions.

Extreme close up:




This shot makes the viewer see the reaction and expression on the characters face, it shows more detail than others.

Extreme long shot:



This is normally a long shot of a place/setting showing the background in depth. This will help the viewer understand where the show is being sot.

Long shot:



This shot follows an establishing shot and is meant to show the full body of the character, which allows the audience to see the relationship between the character and their environment.

Mid shot:



This shows the audience the character from waist height. This allows the audience to become more familiar with the character and their motivations in the narrative.

Two shot:




This is when two characters are filmed together in a conversation showing the audience their relationship to each other.

Point of view:



This final shot is allowing the audience to see what the character is looking at. This will engage the audience with the characters motives.

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Who are you?

Who are you?

I think I belong to the ‘Mainstream’ group because the makers description suites me and my personality best.

The description:
Being creative is firmly in the Mainstream today. From photography to art, craft, music, film and blogging – everyone is curating online! Everyone is a creator now, and Makers are the new Tumblr Kids as everyone is creating original content online and sharing it on social media; while many are also getting hands-on creative at home. So from DIY furniture and art to animation, there’s an explosion of creativity across the Mainstream – just don’t confuse it with Leading Edge career Creatives, these guys are doing it for themselves!

This suits me because I enjoy art and creating things. I also like listening to music in the charts such as Sam Smith, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. I watch a lot of films which makes me part of this category. I spend a lot of my time on social media and networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. All these reason are why the category ‘Makers’ identifies me in the best way.
The media figure I think is similar to me is Rita Ora.  I think this because when she performs she likes to be original and make her own outfits. She is very creative and imaginative with everything she designs or makes for her outfits, sets or even her albums/videos.


Seeing Rita Ora’s style and fashion does make me want to be original and creative with what I wear/create. She is a very unique person and likes to be herself and express her personality in how she dresses, which is what I like to do.

My own representation:
I am a chilled, enthusiastic and creative person. I love ART and love things like music, film and social media. A lot of my time is spent on watching films, listening to music or scrolling down social media sites. The clothes I like to wear are long cardigans, skinny jeans and plain t-shirts. I love wearing trainers and I’m not too keen on wearing high heeled shoes that often. I love wearing jewellery especially rings and bracelets from Pandora. I don’t regularly wear necklaces however I sometimes wear one for special occasions.













Film Production

Film Production

Development:
The process of finding a story. Ideas for films come from a variety of sources; they can range from novels, real life events to computer game adaptions. Once you’ve got an idea you’ll need someone to write a pitch for you which you take to a film producer in an attempt to get some funding to make your film. Even at this very early stage you need a very clear idea of who you’re aiming your film at so you can include elements that will appeal to them.

Pre-production:
Once you’ve got funding you establish your budget and can begin to get a film crew together, you can storyboard the script. You also need to break the script down into individual scenes and identify all the locations, props, cast members, costumes, special effects and visual effects needed.

Production:
The process of ‘making’ the film. Provided you’ve done your job properly in the pre-production stage making the film should be straight forward. ‘Film’ is very expensive and difficult to store so an increasing number of film makers are using digital cameras to save money.

Post-production:
During this stage you take all the ‘film’ you’ve shot and give it to a film editor. They will then begin putting it together. Special effects will be added, a soundtrack will be added, any missing dialogue will be re-recorded and added resulting in a ‘rough cut’. This will be shown to the director and a test audience who will offer feedback. Often this causes scenes to be filmed and added or removed.



Writer:
To take either a pre-written story, or even a native story idea, and translate it into an effective screenplay is the primary role of a Screenwriter in the Film industry. Having said that,there is much more to this process than meets the eye. It is not as straightforward as writing a normal story, for the simple reason that the communication is audio-visual, and not literary.

There are some very important aspects that need to be carefully observed. Some of these aspects may be generic to good story-writing such as character development, believable characters, story and engaging plot points, regardless of the story-telling medium.


Producer:
Producers have overall control on every aspect of a film's production. They bring together and approve the whole production team. Their key responsibility is to create an environment where the talents of the cast and crew can flourish. Producers are accountable for the success of the finished film. They steer the film from beginning to completion and beyond. The Producer is often the first person to get involved in a project. Or they may be the agent-style Producer who focuses on the deal. The many responsibilities of the Producer span all four phases of production. In the Development stage, Producers are often responsible for coming up with the idea for a production, or selecting a screenplay. Producers secure the rights, choose the screenwriter and story editing team. They raise the development financing and supervise the development process.

Casting director:
In pre-production, Casting Directors work with both the Director and Producer to assemble the perfect cast for the film. As a result, Casting Directors must have in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of new and existing acting talent.They are responsible for matching the ideal actor to each role, based on a number of factors, such as the actor's experience, ability, reputation, availability and box office appeal. Casting Directors also work closely with Production Accountants to prepare the casting budget. They organise and conduct interviews and auditions for each part, and are also in charge of offering each Actor an appropriate fee to appear in the film. They also draw up and negotiate the terms and conditions of contracts with agents.

Director:
Directors are responsible for creatively translating the film's written script into actual images and sounds on the screen. They are ultimately responsible for a film's artistic and commercial success or failure.Directors may write the film's script or commission it to be written, or they may be hired after an early draft of the script is complete. They must then develop a vision for the finished film and work out how to achieve it.During pre-production, Directors make crucial decisions, such as selecting the right cast, crew and locations for the film. They then direct rehearsals and the performances of the actors once the film is in production. They also manage the technical aspects of filming including the camera, sound, lighting, design and special effects departments. 

Film finance:
There are two types of Financial Controllers:
1. A large production company, studio or broadcaster may employ a Production Accountant or qualified Accountant as a Financial Controller, to manage the finances of all of the company's activities, including those of individual productions. 
2. On larger productions, a freelance Senior Production Accountant may work as a Financial Controller to oversee the work of the Production Accountant and Accounts team.
The role of a Financial Controller is very challenging. They are responsible for controlling the accounting, taxation and financial analysis for all of the work a company does, including development, production and distribution.

Camera operator:
Camera Operators carry out the Director of Photography’s (DoP) and Director’s instructions for shot composition and development. They are usually the first people to use the camera's eyepiece to assess how all the elements of performance, art direction, lighting, composition and camera movement come together to create the cinematic experience.
Camera Operators usually start at the end of pre-production and attend technical recces with other Heads of Department. They work closely with the Director of Photography, Director and Grip, and are responsible for the First Assistant Camera (1st AC), Second Assistant Camera (2nd AC) and the Camera Trainee.

Editor: 
Editors are one of the key Heads of Department on feature films, responsible for First Assistant Editors, and on bigger productions, Second Assistants and Trainees. The Editor works closely with the Director, crafting the daily rushes into a coherent whole. To ensure that the story flows effortlessly from beginning to end, each shot is carefully chosen and edited into a series of scenes, which are in turn assembled to create the finished film. Editors work long, unsociable hours, often under pressure, in an edit suite. They are employed on a freelance basis by the Producer(sometimes with the approval of the film's financiers), based on their reputation and experience. Editors often work on television drama, as well as on feature films.  The Editor works closely with the Director before shooting begins, deciding how to maximise the potential of the screenplay. Editors check the technical standards, as well as the emerging sense of story, and the actors' performances.



Production designer:
Production Designers are major heads of department on film crews, and are responsible for the entire art department. They help Directors to define and achieve the look and feel of a film. Filming locations may range from a Victorian parlour, to a late-night cafĂ©, to the interior of an alien space ship. The look of a set or location is vital in drawing the audience into the story and making a film convincing. A great deal of work and imagination goes into constructing the backdrop to any story and choosing or building locations and/or sets. Production Designers begin work at the very early stages of pre-production. They may be asked to look at scripts to provide spending estimates before a Director is even approached. On first reading a screenplay, they assess the visual qualities that will help to create atmosphere and bring the story to life. 


Marketing:
Marketing and Publicity Manager- The Marketing and Publicity Managers' main responsibility is to convince the public that this is a 'must-see' movie. Once Distributors have identified the target audiences and potential revenue, the marketing campaign should reach target audiences before and during film releases.  
Marketing assistant-

Marketing Assistants are involved in the development and implementation of marketing projects and schemes related to film releases. They report to the Head of Marketing, or to the Marketing and Publicity Manager, and assist in creating and planning various on-going campaigns. Marketing Assistants often coordinate market research projects, and use the data to help assess current the effectiveness of campaigns and to help with future marketing schemes. 

Marketing manager:

As a marketing manager you would plan the direction of all marketing activity on a campaign. You would use your creativity and expertise to think of new ways of delivering your message to the customer. You could be in charge of a number of campaigns and manage and motivate people in the marketing team to make sure that each campaign is successful. 

Exhibition:
An event at which objects such as paintings are shown to the public, a situation in which someone ​shows a ​particular ​skill or ​quality to the public, or the act of showing these things: The photographs will be on exhibition until the end of the ​month. There's a new exhibition of sculpture on at the city gallery. The athlete's third, and winning, jump was an exhibition of skill and strength.