SUICIDE SQUAD

 

This project was for the Adaptations unit for the Media Studies Diploma (Level 3) course, in which we were placed into groups to put together a pitch for a televised adaptation of an existing media product - and to then create a 5 minute proof of concept video based off of the initial pitch.

 

While the majority of the group members were initially opposed to the chosen adaptation: ultimately the subject material provided us with a lot of creative freedom with where we could take the characters. 

With Suicide Squad being a super hero adaptation, meeting the conventions of that kind of media product initially seemed far too ambitious for the restrictions of being a college made product.

The decision to tell an origin story allowed us to show a more grounded and humanized representation of the characters while still keeping a recognizably comic book-esqe visual style to remain faithful to the source material. We also had to keep in mind the amount of violence we were allowed to showcase so we made sure that our pitch stated a specific time and television station that would be appropriate for the amount of violence showcased.

As for my role in the group: I took on the work that was required of me and completed it to a good standard. I took leadership when script-writing, understanding and challenging the ideas of my group members, as well as suggesting ideas of my own (for example the idea to intertwine the story-lines of each character). I also took leadership while filming my designated scenes, coordinating with the actors on where exactly to be positioned and making sure the emotion comes through their facial expressions.

 

The editing process was my first introduction to using Premiere Pro, which proved to be an extremely intuitive editing software to work on. I became quickly familiar with it's interface and was able to utilize it's features to great effect.

For example, the streamlined masking effects were put to use specifically in the scene where the hooded figure appears on the bench as a pedestrian walks past. I was also able to programmed digital pans of clips (e.g. the car's headlights shot) to create constant movement to help keep a steady pace for the film. I also made sure to emphasize each character's portion of the video through having a distinct colour for each character, as the deliberate lack of dialogue in the video gave opportunities to tell the story through visuals rather than words.

 

That being said, sound was possibly the most vital aspect to the film: as I put a lot of time into mixing different ambient sounds, such as footsteps or appropriate white noise; as well as recording an original score, specifically for the film which focusing on ambient drones and tremolo picked guitar leads to create the specific foreboding and trance-inducing tone of the project.