Final Post

This blog is now complete and ready for assessment.

Question 7- What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from the preliminary task to the full product?

In the preliminary task we had to plan and prepare for filming our task, we had to storyboard our film, organize costumes, actors and locations however because this task was only to film a short interview it did not take much planning, however it was good practice for filming angles and different shots. Compared to the main task however, the organisation of props, costumes, actors and locations in addition to the initial storyboarding and target audience research, this was crucial in order for the film to have been created how we wanted it to, if we had not organised these things the film would not have fitted with our genre and our target audience would not want to watch it. In addition to this organisation of time helped us achieve our goal, by using our blogs to set target dates for when certain areas of planning or filming would be complete we managed to stick to a schedual.
When filming our sequence I took what I learned from the preliminary task and developed it for example using hand held shots to show panic and filming close ups by placing the camera on a tripod and zooming, as well as filming from different angles and including match on action. In addition to this the way we edited our sequence made the whole product look professional whereas our preliminary task looked amature, this is evidence of how much we have developed our skills. We added titles in suitable fonts and sizes, cropped and cut out shots, added jump cuts to ensure the audience knew the genre was horror, also added sound which was unusual music adding to the horror effect. When we planned the preliminary task we did not take into as much consideration the target audience and their opinions however for this final product we needed to make sure the film was suitable for our audience and that they would like our ideas so as we could make money from the film. We did this by setting up a focus group on a website that is easily accessible and popular in our target audience ages range. The biggest thing I have learned from undertaking this project is probably how to organise the actual production of a company and how much planning and time it actually takes. In addition to this I thoroughly learned how to use new technology such as the filming cameras and editing software such as Premiere pro. When editing the final sequence, we formed jump cuts by trimming and moving clips, also added music where appropriate and titles in suitable styles. Also I have learnt filming techniques such as the importance of holding a shot steady hand-held and using a tripod so there is a clear clip where appropriate, plus framing a shot including things we want the audience to see and how much of the frame this fills and excluding elements we do not wish the audience to see, for example when filming in college we did not wish for the audience to see other students or signs or posters that would make the film look unprofessional. We used a variety of shot distances to keep the audience attention and to build up tension. Selecting suitable mise en scene was vital to ensure the genre of our opening sequence fitted with the storyline, so we chose colours, costume and locations etc very carefully however one downfall was due to transport issues we could not film in our desired location so we had to film on college site. We edited the sequence so that elements of a horror genre were included however we created enigma codes to make the audience want to watch the rest of the film and find our what happens. The music we used was slow with fast shocks of sound which fitted with our genre and jump cuts with regards to editing in our sequence. We also created the titles in colours that are usually associated with horror films or gruesome things (red and black).

Question 6- What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

When planning our product we used facebook and mobile phones to get in touch with our focus group when researching about our product. We also used these devices when organising filming our product.


 When creating our animatic we used digital SLR cameras to take photographs of the images I had drawn, we uploaded them by inserting the SD card into the computer then uploaded the images to premiere pro which we were then able to turn into a video. We converted the file to a flash video which we then uploaded to youtube. After this we were able to post it on facebook and receive opinions from our focus group. 
















The use of blogging helped me keep up to date with my work and keep notes on what I have learned, this helped me to revise skills and progress as a result. Blogging also helped me to present my work in a clear, understandable way also in order and nothing was lost which was helpful. Blogging really helped me when forming my evaluation as I could upload different types of media such as videos I had filmed from youtube.


We used websites such as www.artofthetitle.com and youtube to help us learn more about what a title does. We analysed some of the sequences from famous films of the genre we were looking at creating our own in; this really helped us and also gave us ideas for our own sequence, this helped to make our product look like a real sequence.

The new technology we used helped us to achieve our final product as the Sony DV camera was small and compact which made filming hand-held shots easier and made general transport of the camera easier, thus giving us more freedom when choosing locations. The On Location and Premiere Pro software was extremely easy to use and made the process of editing a lot quicker compared to editing the sequence without digital technology.

During filming, it took a while for us to get used to using the equipment, it was temperamental as the battery life did not always last throughout our filming time, however I feel we used the time effectively and got a good result. We learnt after our first film shoot that we had to start recording a few seconds earlier to avoid the computer software cutting it out and us loosing parts of clips. 

Question 4 & 5 How did you attract/address your audience?

The demographic target audience for our opening sequence is  B, C1 and C2,  as it is a low budget film we cannot afford special effects so we have included enigma codes as this appeals to more higher class audiences, it requires them to think more about the plot of the film, it is more niche. Mixed Gender that like horror films and are quite intelligent so they can understand the twists in the plot which most horrors include.

The psychographic audience are individualists, again because this is a low budget opening sequence and enigma codes are used to create a sense of narrative.

To attract our audience we used enigma codes, this audience liked this because it intrigued them and made them want to watch on to see if their questions about the sequence are answered in the film. We also used slow editing mixed with jump cuts to build up tension and suddenly make the audience jump. I showed our final sequence to a group of 17 year olds of mixed gender and thought the response was positive as they recognized qualities of a horror type genre and liked these factors in our sequence.  I was pleased with their shock from the jump cuts we included. When showing members of our focus group our final sequence I was pleased with their shock from the jump cuts we included, also the audience were tense and thought the music was eerie.

 You can see the responses in the videos I have embedded below. The audiences emotional response was great, they enjoyed the sequence however I was expecting them to ask me more questions after viewing the film as a lot of enigma codes were used. I think the audience took a preferred reading to our text which I am very pleased about as they were attracted to the features we included to make them like our film, such as the music, jump cuts and props.







All in all, I think the audience had a preferred reading of the text, some oppositional as they challenged the exact genre of our sequence. Most of the audience identified factors we included to attract people their age and some really enjoyed these factors.

Question 3- What Kind of Media institution might distribute your media product and why?

We are looking at a more independent distribution company that has experience with working with more intellectual films in addition to some slightly mainstream films therefore they have the power to get our film shown into lower key cinemas such as the electric and mac arts as these appeal more to our target audience as they don't show many mainstream films. They show more intriguing films such as 'Neds' and 'Biutiful' which means our film will fit in because we included a lot of enigma codes We have chosen Entertainment Film Distributors to distribute our film as they distributed the film Dawn of the dead which has similarities with out own film.
This distribution company also has experience working with films such as Scream 4, Final Destination and Saw which also tie in with our film as it is of a horror genre, however they also distributed films such as 'A little bit of heaven', 'The Lincoln Lawyer' and 'Piranha 3D' which are all a bit quirky (like our film) yet mainstream as the company managed to get these films shown in mainstream cinemas such as Vue etc. therefore there is a possibility we could have our film shown in mainstream cinemas and make more money. The benefits of using this distribution strategy would be attracting out target audience more by use of internet advertising as this is cheaper and the most likely way a lower budget distribution company would choose to advertise. The internet is also a popular method of advertising for all distribution companies as there are a range of interactive choices and ways to design your advertisement to attract the right target audience, plus you can choose which websites your target audience are most likely to visit and target these to display your advertisements. In addition to this the 'word of mouth' method is always the best way of advertising as people trust what friends/ family say more than an article/ television advert, this is also a low cost way of advertising.

Question 2- How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The way we have represented women in our opening sequence is by using factors of residual ideology.

We did this by using close ups on the females face during filming to make the audience get closer to her and see how young and vulnerable she is, this works for a horror film as the audience knows the victim and will empathise with the victim throughout the film, also because of the fact that, during editing we made sure that she gets the most screen time. This is also the stereotypical character you would see in a horror film which helps the audience know the genre. This challenges residual ideology as the female is the main character and she gets the most screen time.

The audience can tell its winter due to the character wearing warm clothes. We did this to set up Barthes enigma code as to why all of a sudden panic has struck, the audience may get an apocalyptic feel from the sequence.  The close ups of sections of the costume suggest that the female is young. Her face looks tired and her make up is worn, this also adds to the enigma code as to what has happened to her. In addition to this emergent ideology is used by including boots and a coat in costume to show how we have not represented our female as a sexual object, this tells the audience she is a strong character, yet still vulnerable. The absent representation of men also adds to the enigma code as the audience wonder what has happened and why hasn't a male (residual ideology) saved her or is shown trying to help her.

The other locations we used were a big hallway making our female character look small, emphasising how vulnerable she looks. The way the girl runs in this shot shows panic and this long shot focuses on how the woman runs, representing emergent ideology because it makes the audience feel worried for her because she may not be able to protect herself as well as a male could.

The message we communicated by use of costume is that we are challenging stereotypical women in horror films as the eye make up is dark and the piercings and hair style is not fashionable. This represents emergent ideology as we are going against the typical, damsel in distress, femenine representations of females.

The titles are bold, in capital letters and not in female orientated colours therefore the film is obviously target mostly at males, males are seen as big, strong figures, so bold, capital titles attract males as this is our main target audience, as well as strong maybe 'tomboy-ish' females. This may represent the female as not very feminine because the sequence was obviously built to attract men to the horrible images not women to the characters femininity.

Evaluation Question 1- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of a real media product?

Our film is recognisable as a real film opening sequence because the first clip the audience see's is the 'UK production Council' titles therefore the audience immediately are clear they are watching a film.

Our sequence includes introducing titles, time and date setting, a production company and evidence of a story line/plot. All these elements represent gender in either residual or emergent ways. 

As all films include an opening title for the production company the audience automatically know because of this title they are about to see a film, depending on who the production company is usually determines the genre and target audience of the film, for example 'Disney' is for children and the genre is typically comedy cartoons. As you can see the colours used indicate these conventions. 

 

The genre of our film is recognisable because we used similar colours and fonts for the titles in our opening credits as another leading horror film: 'Dawn of the Dead'. The bold titles

As you can see our titles have qualities the majority of people associate with horror/thriller themes. Therefore our audience is informed of the genre of our film.

We have challenged the convention of continuity editing by including jump cuts. Mainstream Hollywood films all include continuity editing and as our target audience is a slightly lower grade compared to Mainstream we decided to make our sequence different. 

This is a screen shot from a series of jump cuts which inspired us to include them in our own sequence from the film Stardust.

Final Product

This is our final two minute opening sequence of a horror film.

Update

We have decided to use everyday clothing for costumes to give an apocalyptic feel to it. It also tells the audience when this film is set, the clothes are currently fashionable therefore the film is very modern.

Update

We have decided to change parts of the film, during the editing process we have found that the clips don't fit together as well as we'd hoped. We will show these new clips to our focus group before editing to ensure the clips are suited for our target audience.

Filming Update

We have had to re-film certain clips as some problems occurred such as lens caps in the way or other people in the background. Whilst re-filming we were particularly careful about the angles we used and made sure the lens cap was tucked away.

Audience Research Update

We uploaded all the clips we have filmed in a video with the music, unedited and showed to to our focus group and asked for feedback. This really helped us move forward and gave us confidence with editing.

Sequence Editing

This video demonstrates the clips in the process of editing.

Planning: Filming

We are using myself and Oli Chance for the characters in the film as we are all on the same free's in college thus we have more time. The locations we are using are mostly in college, rooms such as the photography studio as it is dark with plain backgrounds, also the hallway as it has plain flooring.
Shot list for filming tomorrow:
Match on action walk through door.
Running through corridor.
Zoom in on Oli in the corner.
Record screaming sounds in the woods outside.

Planning: Filming

We are using myself and Oli Chance for the characters in the film as we are all on the same free's in college thus we have more time. The locations we are using are mostly in college, rooms such as the photography studio as it is dark with plain backgrounds, also the hallway as it has plain flooring.
Shot list for filming tomorrow:
Match on action walk through door.
Running through corridor.
Zoom in on Oli in the corner.
Record screaming sounds in the woods outside.

Audience research: Animation

Update

Unfortunately one of our group has dropped out. This means that all the work is left up to me and Dan now and Luke will no longer be taking part.