Lucy Pevensie - is the youngest Pevensie child. She is the first of them to discover the land of Narnia when she slips through the magical wardrobe in the professor's house. When Lucy tells her siblings, Peter and Susan refuse to believe her and are convinced that she is just having a game, while Edmund persistently encourages and teases her about it. After the restoration of Narnia, Lucy is crowned Queen of Narnia with her sister Susan, and becomes known as Queen Lucy the Valiant.

- This is a character from Narnia that is similar to the character Ben in our children's film sequence.

Ben's Mystical Box Video

This is the final video of our AS Childrens Film
We are pleased with the video, given the amount of time we had to make and edit it.
There are a few minor faults with the video, that we would improve if given more time;
-Some of the voice over/soundtrack is not always 100% in sync with the video.
- We could have edited the brightness and contrast if given more time
Overall we are all very pleased with the outcome of the video and have enjoyed making it.

BEN'S MYSTICAL BOX

TO CLARIFY THE TITLE OF OUR CHILDREN'S FILM SEQUENCE IS 'BEN MYSTICAL BOX'.

STARRING : LONDIE NCUBE AND BEN SHIMMENS

CAMERA WORK : LEWIS SHEPHERD

SOUND EDITING : ALEX IRVINE

DIRECTED BY : BEN SHIMMENS

EDITED BY : BEN SHIMMENS & LEWIS SHERPERD

SOUDNTRACK MADE BY : LONDIE NCUBE & ALEX IRVINE

Voice Over - Ben's Mystical Box

We decided to do a voice over for our film as it didn't have a lot of narrative in it and this would make it easier to understand. We used a microphone to record the voice over. We had no difficulties doing this although when it came to editing it was hard making sure everything was in sync. The purpose of the voice over was to tell a story to the audience and to connect with the viewers. It was also so the audience were not confused by the sequence and they were up to date about what was happening. There is not a lot of speech in the sequence because it gives a sense mystery and we thought it would relate to children more. Overall we were happy with the voice over but we cut it at some points because it was lengthy and we thought it was too dominant.

Analysis of Flushed Away

The opening sequence starts with an introduction to the main character. The mood and atmosphere is cheerful. You can tell from this opening sequence that it is a children's film. The film is created using stop motion but is continuous and maintains a flowing sequence throughout. In the sequence there are quick shot changes and some techniques are repeated throughout the sequence. These include pan shots and zooming out of a shot. All events are in chronological order so it is not confusing to the audience which is ideal as it is a children's film. The audience is introduced to a setting at the start of the film and it is maintained throughout the opening sequence and we get to know it quite well which indicates that it is a key setting for the film. It's a short opening sequence but very effective. I think it will help our group with our sequence because it gives away that it is a children's film and effectively introduces the key setting and characters to the audience which is what we need to do. It is a fun film to watch, with voice casts including Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, & Ian McKellen, it is nice to see the little touches for the adults to

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5N_TnsREXo

Script for Childrens film - Ben's Mystical Box

Beginning -
Ben was 11 years old and clueless of the world. He was a happy boy. Ben loved the outdoors, he loved the fresh air, the blooming flowers, full of life and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. Ben's woodland walk was his favorite place.

Woodland Walk - Ben was curious of the wonderful treasures of life. He was determined to learn something new every day. This day Ben was sure that he would discover something new, and he was right.

Finding of the box - Ben's discovery of the the box would take him on an adventure he never thought possible. Part of him was just being a kid when he got into the box, but another part of him was sure that there was more to it. When he found the box to be magical he was astonished but more confused and everything seemed a blur. Ben was left with no answers.

Corridor - Ben just wanted someone to explain what had gone on. He was stranded in a deserted school. This is where Jewel comes into the story.

*This was a draft script and we used as a guideline for the voice over and it helped us know what we needed to say but the actual script is quite different and more continuous and flowing.

Filming

Day 1:

Today we took the camera and tripod onto the long road site. We found our settings that we thought were appropriate for our film. 'Ben's Woodland' walk was the setting we agreed on. It was related to the film and was within the long road site. We also filmed in the corridor of C Block. It was difficult trying to find settings as we couldn't go out of the Long Road site. When we found the settings we had more of an idea about our opening sequence. We didn't really use the tripod and i think looking back it would have been better if we did.

Day 2 :

Today we found a box so we had to film all the shots that we couldn't do without the box. Our only difficulty today was change of clothing. Although there was nothing we could do about it the shots looked weird as the characters had changed clothes.

Day 3 :

Today we just had to make sure that all our filming was done and film any remaining shots that we needed to. It was the last day we needed to film. We had difficulties trying to film in the corridors today as there were a lot of people walking through.

Juno (Music Video - All I Want Is You):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20PQBtyfNZY

Narnia (Wardrobe Scene):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rWwpFAz-cg

Sony BRAVIA bouncy ball advert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_51UcmBbBY

These are some of the music videos we looked at for some ideas. Some of them had good animation that we thought we could use in our sequence and some gave us ideas on our plot. Many of them were not directed at children but had ideas that we thought we could adapt and use in our opening sequence.

Ideas for Opening Sequence

Ideas for opening sequence:

First Idea:
This idea would start off by giving the viewer an idea of horror with a main character running through a forest. This would then flashback and start telling the story, changing the mood to happy and relaxed. There would be four main characters as children in the film and the genre would be adventure.

Second Idea:
This idea would involve doing some sort of parody of the Ghostbusters. We would be running through the school with supersoakers attached to backpacks in the form of guns. We haven't really developed this idea, but thought it might make a good opening sequence for a funny children's film.

Third Idea:
Our third idea was along the lines of having a board game such as Monopoly, come to life and make imaginary creatures chase us around the school. Once again, this idea has not been fully developed so we are not 100% on it, but thought this would be another funny idea for a children's film.

Mr Magoriums Wonder Emporium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRvR6zYmF54&feature=related

For the first two/three minutes of the film, there are animated titles. These are a direct clue that this is a children’s film. The animations and the music in the background work well to set the mood. The titles at the start of the film give the viewers minor clues to the narrative. The animations then fade out and into the first shot. This effect means the viewer is only shown part of the mise-en-scene but gradually expands to give the full picture. This is quite effective as in doesn’t give you the full picture straight away. The shot change after this drag on a lot longer as it is a pan of a bouncing ball. The narrator in the background introduces the story and relates to the viewers by talking directly at them. The voice of the narrator is child-like and he uses colloquial language. This means the audience (children) can relate to him more. He tells the story and talks about the main characters in the film, giving us clues to the narrative. The audience is then introduced to a character as well as his setting and surroundings. We are not introduced to the main characters or setting straight away which mis-leads the audience. The atmosphere seems to be calm. With all the clues form the opening the genre of the film seems to be adventure/ fantasy. There is a continuous and logical flow throughout the sequence. There are no quick shot changes and I think this helps the audience (children) understand the sequence easier. The narrator is also in time with everything that the viewers see. The music is also in time with everything that the viewers see, it goes from high to low remaining in sync with the narrator and the mood and atmosphere. This opening sequence is engaging and maintains a continuous flow through the sequence which I think we need to consider in making our opening sequence.

Storyboard Viewing

Storyboards:

As a group we watched Back to the Future to help improve our story boarding. After watching a short opening sequence of the film we had to storyboard it. This helped us to understand what type of shots we would need to use in a storyboard plan.

We took down notes, on the sound, camera shots, character movement and the significant images. After that we used the information we had obtained from the sequence and split it into significant sections using a story board planner.

Storyboard 1:











Storyboard 2:

What is a Children's Film?:

A children's film is a film that is made specifically for the viewing of under twelves. This means that the content of the film has to very mild and suitable for children. The film has to be appropriate and clearly separate from a family or teenagers film. This means that the film has to be classified as a U or PG film.






What is a U Certificate?
A U film is suitable for everyone, specifically anyone over the age of four. This sort of film should not have any horror in, but if it has, this should be corrected immediatly with something reassuring. There should be no discrimination or drugs, horror should be infrequent and language should be very mild. There should only be natural nudity and mild sexual behaviour, e.g. mild kissing.



What is a PG Certificate?
A PG film stands for parental guidance, this means that a child can watch a film with their parent's consent. The film should not disturb anyone around the age of 8 or older. Discrimination cannot be used unless for historical or educational purposes, Horror should not last for long and sexual reference can be implied in the way of an innuendo.



What is the BBFC?
The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification.They are an independent and a non-governmental body. It is the organisation legally responsible fro film classification in the United Kingdom. They are responsible for the current certificates like PG,U and 12 etc.

Analysis of Lemony Snicket

Characters
Viewers are mislead by being introduced to elves who do not play a part in the film. We are mislead to believe they are the main characters when in fact they are not integral to the storyline. The sudden change from the elves to the actual storyline unsettles the viewers, giving them an uneasy atmosphere.
We are then introduced to the three main characters, who are given a personal profile, which informs the viewer more about the characters. This makes the audience feel they can relate to the characters and the situation they are in. The children also gain sympathy from the audience at this point

Narrative/Themes
The main themes addressed in the opening sequence are; Family, Love, Sadness and Loss, Tragedy and Searching for Truth. There is also a dark and forbidding atmosphere throughout the opening sequence. It makes the audience feel uneasy and unsettles them. The sequence leaves us asking questions about what is to come. This makes the viewer want to stay and watch the rest of the film.

Hello

Hi

We are studying Media AS and our current project is the opening sequence of a children's film.

Firstly there is Ben .. the guy with the glasses
Alex .. the mute
Lewis, we don't know what he is
Londie, yeah well... enough said really

We are going to make the best children's opening sequence in the history of Long Road Media. Ever. Fact! :)