Question 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

The term new technologies covers a wide and vast range of different meanings. However, in general,  it means the different types of electronic communications that have emerged and developed from computer technology.  As a society we are constantly moving into a digital age through the use of such things as computers, laptops, software, cameras, televisions, high definition and many more. Today's society has moved away from using old technologies such as newspapers, books, CDs, and videos and is always inventing new 'state of the art' equipment that is used by a majority of people.   

Above is a montage of all the different new technologies I have used during this project.

1.     Youtube - This website has been very helpful through the whole process of making our short films. It allowed us to look at previous examples of short films that had been uploaded and to look at a wide range of different genres. In addition, as well as looking at other people's individual work it was also a place where we could upload our own work.  We put video evidence of the different tasks we had completed such as our pre-production lighting experiments along with short clips from production. Our final short film will also be uploaded onto this website where we can receive feedback.  Today, without ''Youtube' the sharing and displaying of videos would be impossible unless shown at a cinema to a previously arranged audience. 

2.     Sony PD150 - This was the camera we used to film 'Karma'.  It was a very expensive piece of equipment and one that we had never used before.  This meant that before filming, Liam our camera operator, had to prepare and familiarise himself by doing practice shots.  This new technology allowed  our short film to have a professional look. Without, digital cameras we would have had to film using a photogenic camera that takes a rapid sequence of photos on a strip of film. 

3.     Flip Video Camera - Last year during our project of an opening sequence we used a flip video camera; this meant that we were all very confident using this equipment.   It is very simple, quick and effective. We used this camera to film all our evidence that we wanted to upload onto Youtube, for example our audience feedback could quickly be recorded using this video. If this new technology hadn’t been invented then showing evidence of group work and audience feedback wouldn't have been done as easily and instead we would have had to keep a log by writing down our progress as well as given questionnaires for audience feedback, which is much more time consuming. Just like with the Sony PD150 if this technology hadn't been invented we would have had to use a photogenic camera that takes a rapid sequences of photos on a strip of film. 

4.     Scanner - Using the scanner was a great way of uploading our pre-production work onto our Blogger sites. We used the scanner for documents that couldn’t be done using the computer such as the storyboards; this was due to the fact that they had to be hand drawn. Without this technology we wouldn’t have been able to upload and publish some of our pre-production documents which in turn meant we could have lost marks. 

5.    Mobile Phone - At the start of our production all members of the group exchanged numbers with each other. This turned out to be very useful when it came to production as Emily, our director, could easily arrange days for filming. It was also a quick way to make sure that our actors were available as they attended different schools for some lessons.  We also used our mobile phones to take photos and send the pictures to each other to be used for Blogger work.  Without mobile phones, organising filming and group meetings would have been very time consuming and much more difficult to arrange.  In addition without any digital technology we would have had to write letters to each other to plan dates, times and places to meet for filming, which in turn would require a reply!

6.     USB - These were very useful when it came to sharing work within the group.  For example, rather than everyone having to scan the storyboards, which was time consuming, it meant that only one person needed to and we could copy them quickly onto our USB memory sticks. I also used my USB as a backup for all my documents on the computer, meaning if I lost them in hard copy I had a spare and wouldn't need to panic! If it wasn’t for the development of this new technology then sharing and copying work would take up a lot more time that could be spent on other more meaningful tasks. In addition, we wouldn't have been able to share work and individually would have had to reproduce the documents.  

7.     SLR Camera - We used this camera a lot throughout pre-production and production. It was used to take all our location recce photos which where then merged together to create one large picture. During production we used it to take photos of our actors to enable us to look out for continuity in clothing and also to have photos of us as a group setting up the equipment and being on set of the location.  I also used the camera to take my photo cards for the short film, the camera created a high quality professional finish to the photos that wouldn’t have been created using a normal digital camera. Without this technology it would have been very hard to show evidence production and location to the Director.   We could have used an 'old fashioned' camera that uses roles of negative film to develop our photos but the negative side to using this type of camera is that you can't preview or delete your photos, meaning you have to think carefully before taking you photo as well as the cost of having to have the film developed.

8.     Blogger - This is an online website that we all signed up to and is used as a website to publish and display all our work.  Through using this website it allows us to personalise our page, choosing different designs and layouts for our work. During this project we have to meet a number of different criteria and through blogger we can display these tasks easily and effectively through different posts, which can be easily marked.  Through the use of the Internet and blogger it meant that we didn't have to carry around all our work and it was all saved online, which is easily accessible.  If we didn't use Blogger then we would have to display our work on paper and create a portfolio.  

9.    Adobe Premier - This is the programme and software that we used to do all our editing; all our edit suites at school have this installed. This allows us to create a professional short film where we can save, edit and add effects to our short film such as sounds and lights. This new technology has allowed us to create a professional looking short film that would have previously only been used by professionals and would have been hard to come by.  Without this new technology we wouldn’t be able to edit our short film.  Had we used a photogenic camera that takes a rapid sequences of photos on a strip of film, we could have edited our film through razoring the strip of film and then sticking them back together. 

It's clear that without these new technologies our pre-production and production work would not be the same qaulity. We wouldn’t have high quality photos that we can use for our postcards or to use of location recces for evidence.  The Sony PD150 and the small flip videos used to show group tasks and audience feedback allowed us to present high quality filming. It is fair to say that without these new technologies our whole project would have taken a lot longer to complete and sharing our work with others would have been more difficult and much harder.

As a group these new technologies have enhanced the quality of every aspect of our project. Without realising it these new technologies have become part of everyday life.  When I think of the equipment my parents would have had to have used to make such a film I consider myself to be very fortunate to be able to use such professional and modern equipment.  Doing research into photogenic cameras that use strips of film it is obvious that the process was very time consuming and probably expensive and directors wouldn't have had as many options to experiment and the freedom to make mistakes as we do today. Even though these photogenic technologies seem very outdated there are still examples of people using this equipment today.  

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

After finishing our Short film, Postcard and Film Review we then had to receive audience feedback on our products. The aim of our feedback was to ask a range of people including our target audience, classmates and teachers.  Through receiving this feedback it allowed us to hear other peoples views on our products, including positive comments, areas we could have improved and what when wrong!

Short Film Karma

The first set of audience feedback that we received was from our classmates. As a class we spent a lesson watching each others films while making notes, we looked out for what we liked about their film, areas we didn’t understand or could have been improved and overall positives. After collecting and finalising our notes we then went away and filmed individuals opinions on our short film.

As a group we decided to ask a series of questions for the other groups to answer.  It was important that during evaluation of our film that everyone was critical with their opinions, this made it easier for us as a group to pick out improvements that could be made. Overall we found the feedback extremely helpful; they commented on points that we hadn’t thought about previously as well highlighting problems we had mentioned during post-production work. There were many positive comments made that showed they enjoyed our short film. For example, they agreed with the choice of location as they felt the school setting was appropriate for a social realist film where they had an understanding of this environment.  It was also clear that everyone liked the choice of music and the way we had manipulated and arranged them in our film. They commented on the opening scenes where we had used two pieces of contrasting music along side each other to create a motive.

However, there was also a reoccurring negative, which was with the ending. It was clear that there was confusion with the last few scenes and they felt this could have been improved.  Some said they would have liked to have seen more scenes showing LucieAnne as a bully to reinforce her character. Finally some said there was a lack of extras, this was a problem that we faced due to filming in school hours. We had a limited amount of people we could use who where available to film at the correct time.

I feel that if I was to do this project again I would try to develop the protagonist character with more depth. I would also add more scenes showing LucieAnne as a bully as well as more scenes reflecting that she comes from a troubled home life.  This would make our tag line stronger. In addition, I think that by developing the character would improve the ending and make it clearer to the audience. Finally I would have liked to use a wider range of camera angles, for example, in the science scene and alleyway. I think this would have created more suspense and anticipation for the audience when watching. 

After asking our classmates we then had to receive feedback from teachers. We asked Mrs Wright, a Key Stage five Pastoral Leader within the school environment, who, unlike our class mates,  has no experience with media.  However, she does have an interest in short films. It was interesting to hear her opinion, compared to our classmates.

Her feedback mentioned many positives. She thought our genre 'Social Realism' was effectively reflected throughout our film through the different locations.  She also liked the storyline, choice of music and the clear dialogue. However just like the feedback we received previously she also agreed that the ending was confusing, she found it unexpected and felt the storyline with the hoodies could have been developed.

Through this feedback it has reinforced to me that the ending of our film is our weakest point. I have learnt that to improve our film we needed to develop our protagonist character LucieAnne in more depth, and add additional scenes. I was pleased that they noticed the use of music and how it was constantly changing to reflect different emotions and create an atmosphere. I was also pleased they commented on the good acting skills of LucieAnne as this was her first time starring a in short film.   

Although we were able to get feedback from our classmates and teacher we were unable to receive feedback from our dominant target audience - professionals from the film industry. Their opinions would have been most valuable to us; they would have been able to provide a wide range of knowledge and share with us the vital improvements necessary for us to get our short film noticed within the professional industry. It would have been interesting to hear their opinions.  However, it was important to us to value the views of the general public who eventually could have viewed our short film and would then be our target audience.

Postcard and Film Review feedback

As well as our short film I also gathered feedback for my postcard. For my postcard I received a lot of audience feedback firstly for my 3 different designs and then my final 3 designs that I had edited. I collected a wide range of feedback and the clips below are just an example of some I received.

Through my feedback looking at how effective my postcard is I learnt many things. Ryan has mentioned that I have used a wide range of conventions throughout my postcard, he picked up on the use of the title and tag line as well as the use of the photo and how it has been edited.  He also mentioned the use of conventions used on the back of the postcard where I had used the correct lay out. I feel that if I was to do this again I would move my title and tagline all the way across the bottom to make slightly bigger.  I feel they weren't prominent enough and wouldn’t be remembered as much as the picture. I wouldn’t have changed anything about my back as I feel it was very effective and followed all the conventions of a professional product.

For my film review I again received feedback on effectiveness as well as the over all product. Matt has commented on the layout, which follows conventions of the magazine 'Sight and Sound'. I have used a photo as my main focal point and included vital information. I originally planned to add a short synopsis to the bottom of my film review as this was a convention that was commonly used within reviews however, I decided against this as I have included the same information within my writing content. I decided against putting it on is I felt it would be repeating information already commented upon. If I were to do my film review again I have learnt that I could improve upon my technical language and include more critical analysis.   

Finally by using audience feedback I have found that it’s a quick and easy way to get different views and opinions. It was clear to understand the positives and negatives from my products as well as our group short film and areas we could improve upon. Looking at all the information I have gathered if I were to do this task again I would definitely change the ending to our short film to make it stronger and more effective. However, for my own individual tasks such as my postcard and film review I would only need to make minor adjustments as they both received positive feedback.

Question 2 - How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

Postcards

My ancillary task consisted of three different postcard designs that I later developed into three different postcards of the same design.  Below are screen grabs that gave me ideas for my first three postcard designs, why I chose to use them and my final design. For my designs I wanted to convey the theme of the film yet still have an element of suspicion to the postcard. 
I wanted to create three different designs, which were a combination of stills from the film and additional pictures taken during production. Even though I had designed three different ideas they were all located in the same section of the alleyway.  I decided to pick this location as I felt it was the most significant and represented the character's softer and worried side compared to her hard exterior.

In my first design I planned for LucieAnne's expression to show elements of worry, startled and anxious. I wanted the expression to draw the audience in and question why and what is causing the expression on her face.  For my second design I wanted a picture of LucieAnne as she is walking up the alleyway, which could be taken as a still from the film. I wanted the image to make the audience wonder and question what she is walking away from and what had happened previously to this picture.  In my final design it was showing just the alleyway where we filmed and then to edit the photo in Photoshop and add in signs, which showed the name of the film and represented that Karma is anywhere and everywhere you go.

This still from our film shows where I got the idea for postcard design 1. This is a very similar image to the one I used for my final design. I really liked the emotion in her face and I thought it would catch the audiences attention. 

This still taken from our film was where I got the idea for postcard design 2; you can see the location of the alleyway along with a full length image of LucieAnne. 

After completing all three of my designs I decided to go with my first design of LucieAnne looking over her shoulder with a worried expression. Even though I liked my second design I didn’t feel that the picture would grab the attention of a passerby and make him or her want to see the film. For my third postcard I could clearly picture what I wanted it to look like however, in reality when it came to experimenting and trying to edit and add in the sign post it was a lot harder than I first thought. I decided that it was a lot of time wasted when I had another design that was much stronger.  I finally chose my first design for a number of reasons. I personally felt that this was my strongest design and to make sure it was a design the public would also like I asked my target audience for feedback.  They  agreed with me! I also felt that for a marketing campaign, the image conveyed mystery with nothing being revealed or given away. After deciding I was going to use my first design and I then edited my photo using Photoshop.

Postcard 1

For this postcard I changed the settings to black and white and added in red hints to add warmth to the image. I also changed the level of lighting and decided to change the image to make it slightly lighter in order to make the red more noticeable. For the writing I chose white with a red glow to match the red hint I had added. Even though I liked the black and white effects I didn’t feel that it was eye catching and I preferred a different style and font of writing.

Postcard 2

In this image I used the highlight and shadow tool where I was able to intensify the shadows in the photo. I also changed the colour levels and increased the cyan and decreased the yellow levels. Even though I preferred this to the black and white effects I felt that it had a cold and dull element to the picture, which wouldn’t be suitable for a marketing campaign and I wanted an image that would attract an audience.

Postcard 3- my final design

For this photo I used the channel mixer and changed the yellow and red colours. I also added an 85 filter to bring warmth to the over all image. Even though I was trying to create a look of mystery and coldness in her emotion, I felt that the photo needed to be warm as it brings the image and character to life, for example it highlights her facial features such as her lips and cheeks.  I feel that adding warmth to the photo has been very effective, I think it gives her a look of innocence as well as mystery with her expression. I also think the writing is effective as I have used a simple but bold front that draws in  attention but doesn't take away focus from the focal picture.  To make sure it was a design that the public would like I asked my target audience for feedback on which design they preferred and why, I chose to ask my target audience as they are similar ages and stages in their lives who can relate to the film and its messages. My most dominant audience is people who attend film festivals and have a large interest in short films. Thinking about this I had to make sure my post card followed conventions and was attractive to my target audience and to individuals within the film industry.  

When combining my postcard with my short film there are a number of conventions that have been shared. For example, in both my postcard and film I have included the title, production company, main roles within the group such as directors, camera, lighting and production designer. I have also used a similar image for my postcard as a still taken from our film. 

Film review

For my final film review I decided that I wanted to create an article that would replicate one from magazine 'Sight and Sound'. I decided to choose 'Sight and Sound' as they are recognised as a prestigious, respectable and high end film magazine that is distributed monthly, and brought by those in the film profession. Even though you typically find feature films in this magazine I would expect to see our short film review as part of a ‘short film special addition.’  I decided to go with an article from 'Sight and Sound' rather than 'Empire' or 'Newspaper' as I felt it had much more content and was overall more serious and less comical.  I also feel that this magazine would have a better audience for getting our short film noticed in the film world and was a place where business or investors would be more drawn to.

At the top of my article I used my marketing postcard as the image conveyed mystery however, nothing is revealed or given away, hoping this would lead to the audience reading the article.  I followed the conventions of a 'Sight and Sound' article and had information in the top left hand corner including, director, actors, certificate and duration.  Following the conventions of a typical film review I then went on to a short introduction into the film and introduced the characters and main actors.  Then I went on to giving the location of filming, how it was filmed and the different equipment used before mentioning the criticisms and positives of the film.

In my review I tried to make to make sure the reader was getting a good in depth of understanding about the film, along with the director's aims, whether these were met and the messages Emily was trying to convey. I decided to talk about not only the role of the director but also the camera, lighting and production design pointing out their positives and also improvements that could have been made.  I also talked about the opening few scenes and how they are used to portray the message of LucieAnne having a troubled home life which led to her becoming a bully.  I think the opening scenes are the strongest as the audience can identify and build and understanding of LucieAnne as a character.

Below is showing how I tried to make the film review and film join together. I have drawn arrows showing the title of the film, the information showing roles within the group, location and ideas for the picture used in the review and finally showing how and where I have mentioned her troubled home life which is reflected in the film through the first opening scenes.

Overall I feel that my film review is effective as I have used a number of conventions that are used in professional magazines. I have used the correct layout and included a picture and vital information to give a short overview.

 


Audience Feedback on the effectiveness of my Postcard and Film Review

This video clip is an additional task that I completed. I asked Ryan and Matt, both media students, for their opinion on how effective they thought my Postcard and Film review was.
As a group we all discussed each others products and wrote notes, after discussion we then filmed each other opinions. 

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

After completing my short film, Postcards and Film Review I think had to think about if my work used, developed or challenged forms and conventions of real media products.  I looked at each example individually shown below.

Short film- Karma 

Shot 1

I think that this shot meets the code and conventions of a short film because it is a quick establishing shot that you would expect to see at the start of any film whether it is a feature or short.  It instantly gives the audience an impression of the background and class she comes from.

Shot 2

I think that this shot used conventions from real media products. This is because we had to use reflectors when filming to add more highlights to her face and reduce shadows. The use of additional lighting and reflectors is used in nearly every scene during a film as lighting is one of the most important aspects of producing a professional and good quality film. 

Shot 3

I have chosen the frame of the title as I feel it met the code and conventions of a short film. We decided to place our title near the beginning of our film as you would expect. We also met the conventions through the simplicity of the title using a plain black background with white writing.

Shot 4

In this still I believe we both develop and meet conventions. I think we have achieved this by producing and establishing a shot that instantly informs the audience of the location of the next scene and shot. However, it develops the conventions and this scene is giving two messages, firstly why LucieAnne is late for school and also establishing the location.  

Shot 5

This shot use conventions of real media for a number of reasons. Firstly, from the expression on LucieAnne face it is clear to the audience that something is bothering her however it’s unclear what is attracting LucieAnnes attention, which in turn creates suspense and sustains the audiences attention.  The use of conventions in this scene creates mystery and causes the audience to ask questions. The mise-en scene shows the isolation and bareness of the location adding to the mystery and tension.

 Shot 6

This frame is showing a jump cut that we used in this scene. We decided to do this to bring impact, emotions and a fast pace associated with the drama and stress of being bullied. 

Shot 7

I chose the screen shot as I feel it meets the codes and conventions of a short film.  Through the camera angle it gives the audience an opportunity to look through the eyes of the bullied student looking up at LucieAnne who looks powerful and dominant.

Shot 8

I have also chosen this shot to represent creative angles we have used which I feel develops conventions of existing films. Our film does use conventional basic shots and camera movement however, we wanted to explore the use of using different camera angles to make it interesting to watch. We also felt that it was important in these scenes to be creative as there is limited speech and character interactions throughout the film.

Shot 9

Through this shot and the ones following I think we have developed and used convention of the real media. I feel we use the conventions through reverse shot, a common filming technique used to show conversation between two characters. I feel we develop the conventions by using the different camera angles.  Firstly, we get the point of view of LucieAnne looking down on the student which is then quickly changed to a view looking up on LucieAnne. These fast changes quickly show the changes in opinions and views between LucieAnne and the Student.

Shot 10

I think this shot challenges the conventions of existing media products because the image is the least important part of the shot and the voice over of LucieAnne and her father is the main focal point to this shot.  The image having no immediate relevance to the voice over, I feel develops conventions of short films as we are gathering information on her family life and nothing about the shot itself.

Shot 11

This is one of the first shots we see of LucieAnne. The frame is developing her character to the audience through her expression and mise-en scene, such as her costume, hair and use of props such as headphones. This is using convention of real media to develop the main character personality to the audience.

Shot 12

I chose this shot as it portrays LucieAnne’s innocence through her character movement and facial expressions.  I think this shot uses conventions of a real media text as it is used to develop her character, which is seen in most films.

Shot 13

In this shot I feel we have kept to conventions of existing products. It’s a simple shot used to show LucieAnne personality.  We get to see her friends for the first time and their reactions to LucieAnnes behaviour.  This again can be seen as an establishing shot to introduce her friends and normal everyday life which is commonly seen in short films to help the audience have a better understanding of LucieAnne’s lifestyle.

Shot 14

I feel that the title pages and credits use conventions of real media as we have chosen to quickly show the titles in appropriate places, mostly between two different scenes.  For the credits we have used fast paced music, which matches the speed of the credits moving along the page.

Shot 15

I think that in this shot we have challenged the forms and convention of real media products.  The boys are representing the students bullying our protagonist LucieAnne.  It is unusual to see boys as the bullied as you would stereotypically expect them to be girls.

Shot 16

I think that this shot is conventional as it is showing how we have used a wide range of different shot sizes in our short film. We have used this shot to show the audience LucieAnne actions.  This shot is through the eyes of the student being bullied so we see a different perspective.  

Postcard

As you can see I have tried to design and create an example of a professional postcard shown above. For the front of my post card I believe I have used forms and conventions of real media products. Before designing my postcard I did research into different example that already existed for short films. I looked at the layout, pictures used, tag lines added during editing as well as production logos. When creating my own design I tried to follow these conventions so my postcard would reflect a professional standard. To make sure this was achieved I took my picture using a high quality digital SLR camera. For editing I used the software 'Photoshop' that is used by the professionals.  I decided to have the title of my film in the bottom right hand corner and a short tag line directly beneath, but the main focus of my postcard was the image.

For the back of my postcard I have used and developed forms and conventions of real media products. After looking at the conventions through my research it was clear that there were a number of different pieces of information that needed to be present on my postcard. I followed these conventions by including vital information such as, short film synopsis, space to write viewing times and other information wanted, the director, camera, lighting and production designer.  I also included lines to write an address and website for the film. I feel I have developed the forms and conventions by adding our production logo in the space of the stamp. Although I didn’t notice this on any of the postcards I looked at, I felt this was a good way to advertise our production company.

Film Review

I think that throughout my film review I have used conventions that reflect real media products.  Before starting my film review I looked at many examples of film reviews that came from a range of sources such as, newspapers, magazines - both industrial and commercial and online reviews.  I decided I wanted to produce a review that reflected 'Sight and Sound' magazine; which meant I studied their articles in much more depth to get a good understanding of how to produce what a similar film review.

 After looking at many reviews I tried to use as many convention as possible to replicate their ideas and articles. To start with I used the same conventional layout, I decided to have the picture as my main focal point and then write in columns directly underneath. I have used conventions of having important information at the start of the review such as director, duration, certificate and cast. This is used for all film reviews whether short or long. In addition, I have added information down the right- hand side, which would be used to fill the space on the page. I have also added a line between the two different pieces of information to show they are separate articles. Overall, I feel I have used convention throughout my review.   

Post 20: Final Products

Postcard



Film Review

For my film I have decided to give our film a certificate of 15. The main reason behind this was the use of swearing during the opening scenes.  The British Board of Film Classification states that films with a certificate of 15 will have ‘frequent and strong language.’ I feel that without the swearing our film could have been given the certificate 12, as it doesn’t show any violence, nudity or inappropriate language. For this certificate choice I used the website British Board of Film Classification, on here they indentify the guidelines for different certificate. The link below shows the guidelines for a 15 and a 12 where you can see the difference between them and how our film could be a 12 if it wasnt for the swearing.
Guidelines for certificate 15  
Guidelines for certificate 12

 

Karma Short Film

When we uploaded our film to Youtube we noticed that it had changed the format, we shot scenes in a 16:9 format however this has been changed to 4:3. In our copy at school used to show our target audience the format is correct. 

Post 19: Post-Production Report

After filming we straight away moved on to logging, capturing and editing our short film. Even through filming over a number of different days wasn’t ideal it did have it benefits when it came to editing. This was because after we had finished filming a few scenes we then had time to start logging our footage, which in turn became helpful on our last day of filming as we was able to film and finish editing our short film all in one day.

As a group we did experience some problems, our first major problem was after filming the first two scene we realised that the sound hadn’t been recorded meaning we had to then re-film this footage. However after doing these scenes again we was able to start editing. As a group we decided to take it in turns to log, capture and edited, we felt this was a good idea as one person is on the computer while the other sits around. This also worked in our favour has we could individual continue with editing during free periods. The first decided I made was during editing scene 1 and 2. Emily our director has already selected our music and I decided that these first scenes should have two different pieces of music; the first was a mysterious slow piece while the other was a loud rock piece, which repressed her iPod music.  I had never seen this on any previous short films however I feel that it worked really well. I decided to use two contrasting pieces of music; this created a motive throughout our short film and was used to show the different side and personality to our protagonist character. After finishing these scene I then showed it to the group and asked for their opinion, they all agreed and liked the idea of having the two different pieces of music as it added suspense and atmosphere to the scene. 

The music however did cause us many problems, as we had used so many different pieces of music along with atmosphere noise. This meant that the sound levels where off and constantly changing, this was because we had changed them to fade in and out to mix the sounds together. To over come this problem I had to spend a lot of time looking at each individual sound level. I found that moving the sounds dotes wasn’t accurate enough, meaning I had to type in the sound level numbers to make sure they stayed constant throughout the film. 

This shows how I changed the sound levels for the music and how I over lapped the two pieces of music. 

During editing we also came across some other problems such as continuity.  The first problem we found was in the open scene with the shots of the letterbox and the house. When we placed the shots next to each other it was clear that the camera position had been moved slightly however was very noticeable, to over come this problem we decided to add a title in between these two scenes.  We found that during the classroom scene we had problems with the teacher and he positing, for example in one shot his back was toward the white board but in the next he was facing the board. To try and over come this problem we decided to add a fade between the scenes however we didn’t feel this looked correct so after playing around we decided to delete a shot, which resolved the problem.

Just like in our AS project we added dissolves and fades between scenes, which helped the movement between the end shot of one scene and the beginning shot of the next. We also used lighting effects in one of our shot as a shadow had caused the protagonist face to become a lot darker than in the previous scene. This was quickly fixed by increased the lighting and reducing the shadows.  

Above shows the shot where we had to add additional lighting using the light and shadow effects, I think that it was effective and you wouldn't be able to tell we used an effect if you didn't know it was there.

This image shows how we added dissolves between scene as well as additions shots for the credits, we used the same process for the titles at the beginning of the film.  

Overall I think editing was completed quickly for a number of reasons, we all took it in turns, which helped reduce our workload, and we had experience of using the edit suits. I feel that last year our lack of experience on the edit suits slowed us down.  Even through we all took it in turns on the edit suits we always made sure we consulted the group on progress we had made and any ideas we had, this meant we all had our say in what was happening and was all very pleased with the final film. 

Below is our logging sheets that made capturing and editing much easier and quicker, we completed this for even shot we filmed.

Post 18: Production Report

In the days and weeks leading up to filming it was important to plan what days we would be filming, due to the fact we was using students from school this lead to us filming over a range of days either during free periods or after school.  This did cause us a few problems as our lead actor couldn’t do some of the days we had planned however this lead to an increase in organisational skills as we had to plan filming dates in advance.  When we finally came to filming we decided to start at the beginning and shot scene 1 and 2. There was a number of problems we had with these two scenes such as the alley way is positioned directly next to a primary school, when we came to film it was obvious that it was break time from the increased back ground noise. This was unwanted background noise that would create a problem as the time period was meant to be reflecting early morning. Another problem we had was the number of parents collecting their children from nursery, this lead to people constantly being in shot meaning we had a lot of waiting around to do.  However this wasn’t the worst of our problems as when we returned back to look over our footage we noticed that no sound had been recorded, this was very frustrating however there was nothing we could do about it and we would just have to film again.

When we came to filming scenes 1 and 2 again we found that we had a better understanding of what we had to do and as a group be was much quicker and better organised than previously. After making the mistake of not having sound the first time this lead to us constantly checking the sounds levels from now on. This wasn’t the only problem we faced for example, when filming scene 1 we had to remove my dog from inside the house as all the movement lead to loud barking which we didn’t want. We also had to do a lot of waiting as there was a great deal of unwanted background noise such as trains, airplanes, cars and a removal lorry parked down the road.  However in the time spent waiting we used it, as an opportunity to rehearse shots making sure Emily the director was happy with the shots and character movement within the frame.  Rehearsing the shots was also helpful for Liam using the Camera to practice and see if he wanted to use zoom or was going to be panning.  When filming scene 2 we quickly began to notice we was getting lens flare from the sun, this lead to use having to reposition the camera and use a reflector to block the sun.

When filming the classroom scene we needed to use extras to make it look realistic, this lead to use having 4/5 extras in our class scenes. As a group we had to decide whether having this small amount of extra was enough and would portray a class of students, we quickly decided that it would be convincing as in sixth form you have smaller classes than normal. Being a classroom meant that we had to use props to decorate the room. As I had the role of Production Designer this was part of my job and it was my responsibility to make sure we had all the right props we would need for example, scene 8 in science I asked to borrow text books, work books, pencil cases, practical equipment such as liquids and test tubes.  When filming in the alleyway for the second time we had a continuity problem with weather, our first scene in the alley way had been a sunny warm day however this day was on contrast and was rainy and cold. This lead to use having to be very careful with all the expensive equipment making sure it didn’t get wet, we placed an umbrella over the camera but had to be careful not to get the sounds of the rain hitting the umbrella.  Even through the weather continuity was bad it wasn’t as noticeable when we came to edit.

After looking over our shots we noticed that had all off them created a sense that Lucieanne was the victim of all the bullying rather than her being a bully as well. This meant that when we filmed our finally scene we really wanted to enforce that Lucieanne was a bully herself. From the script and story board Emily had originally planned for Lucieanne to push a student on the floor however as a group we decided that this was a bit to violent so we changed it too having her push a student into the wall as she walked passed.  For the scene in the Corridor we again had to change the location from Technology to English, this was because the technology corridor had too much background noise that we didn’t want. 

As part of my job I was in charge of looking out for continuity, this was a massive skill that I developed during filming and editing. From our AS task I understood continuity however this year I developed my understanding in much more detail. For example it was important that when we was moving to a different shot that Bryony our main stayed in the same position or that we rewound the camera to see her positioning from the shot before. It was also important when we used extra that I was watching there movement to watch out for continuity, this was partially hard in some scenes such as the alleyway as it was a walking scene, which we had to do many takes for. As I group I feel we worked really well together we helped each other out when we could, and gave suggestions on ways we could improve a shot. For example different camera positions or having to alter the script slightly.

Below is a video taken during production looking at character LucieAnne's costume, hair and make up. We took this video so we woudnt have continuaty problems throughout the rest of our filming.

Post 15: Reflecting on theory

From previous post I have looked at three different theory and how they have effected on the media world, these three theories where Genre, Narrative and Audience. Each theory holds different views and opinions on the effects of media, which I both agree and disagree with. In this post I am going to be looking at how these theories can either be applied or not applied to our short film scripts and plans that we are making for production.

Genre Theory

If we look back to Post 4 that I completed looking at Genre theory as a media concept, we can see that I looked at theorist such as Chandler, Robert Symth, and McDougall and their varying ideas of what Genre theory is. To sum up quickly what genre theory actually is, is virtually impossible as everyone has their own ideas, opinions and interpretations that are debated widely by critics and audience. However, genre theory is looking at how texts are placed into different categories or lists, which is then used as a way of analyzing the text hopefully making it easier to differentiate between different genres.

Within each genre there are many conventions that are used by producers, which are used to help the audience establish what genre they are watching. These conventions should then become markers that are identifiable to the audience such as, narrative structure, themes, location, lighting, music and language. 

When looking at our short film that we will be producing we’ve had to look into different conventions that the audience would except or associate with the genre of Drama. The Genre Drama looks at real life situations and in our short film it is focusing on teenage life. An example of a convention that we have used is in our short film would be the dominant theme of bullying. This theme is something that nearly everyone can relate to in one way or another; within our society it’s a common topic, which is often reported about. This means the audience will be able to relate to the theme easily as they will already have a good understanding. 

 

Another example would be our location we have chosen to film in many locations such as outside a house, Alleyway and school. All these location reflect a real life day-to-day routine, which again reflects our genre as drama as its realistic. When filming we have chosen not to add any additional filters such as an 85 lens which would brighten the location as we are trying to create a location and atmosphere which reflect the girls life and the sadness she is feeling. We have chosen to use all of these conventions because as a group we feel these will have the biggest impact on the audience, we feel they will be able to easily detect the conventions within our short film and will appeal to our target audience.

Previously I have mentioned that producers need to be creative making sure they aren’t just copying another film with the same conventions. This means that they have to think of new and exciting ways to put the traditional conventions across to the audience but in a new and exciting way. As a group we have looked at examples of films that share the same conventions we are trying to create. One example is Harry Potter, here we looked at how though different conventions such as lighting, sound, camera they had create an intense action scene in an Alleyway. After looking how they had created this scene we then had to be creative ourselves making sure we weren’t copying the Harry Potter scene but using the conventions in our own thoughts and ideas.  

Below is a link to Post 4 on Genre Theory as a media concept which looks at media concept in a lot more detail. http://carolynthornton-a2-ms.blogspot.com/2010/09/post-4-genre-as-media-concept.html.

Narrative theory

When we are regarding at Narrative theory we are looking at the way in way in which the story is told either fictional or non-fictional. There are three very important theorists that are associated with Narrative theory and these are Propp, Todorus and Strauss. They each had their own ideas and explanations of what narrative theory is.

If we first look at Propp he was a Russian critic from the 1920s who analyses fairy tails. He claimed it was possible to clarify characters and their actions into clearly defined roles and actions.  He believed that there is only 8 possible characters in a story and there is only 31 different functions or situations that can take place within a story. The link will take you to all character and functions proposed by Propp.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Propp. In reference to our own short film I can say that we have used his character and functions that he proposed. When looking at the characters we have used, we can say we used the Villain played as our main character LucyAnn, the princess or the pries would be the younger students that gets bullied or the hoodies that bully Villain (LucyAnn). When looking at the functions we have used absentation, villaniny or lack, mediation and punishment. By using these conventions supports Propp’s ideas that all stories have some form of Characters and Functions that he suggested.

Another theory to look at is Todorvo who was a Bulgarian theorist. He suggested that most narrative start with an equilibrium in which life is normal and happy. This is then disrupted by and outside force and Disequilibrium takes place, this is then resolved and a new equilibrium takes place. When looking at our own short film I don’t think we can apply this theory. I believe we could apply the start of the theory such as Equilibrium where LucyAnn lives her life as normal which is represented, then moving onto disequilibrium we could apply this to when the audience realize that LucyAnn is actually being bullied herself as well as being a bully to others. However we cant apply the new equilibrium as I don’t believe our short film has one, I think if there was to be a new equilibrium it would be LucyAnn stops bullying other people and she is not bullied herself by others.   

The final theorist to look at is Strauss; he was an anthropologist who looked at how stories unconsciously reflect their values and beliefs on their audience, which are expressed in the form of binary opposites. Examples of binary opposites are Good vs. Evil, Rich vs. Poor, Hero vs. Villain. In our short film I think we have represented a few Binary opposites such as when LucyAnn pushes over a younger students here we could say the opposite was Good vs. Evil. However I think this is the only example where binary opposites apply. This is communicated through the mise-en scene and the clothing and props used by other characters. For the younger student her clothing with represent a stereotypical ‘geek’ like student and for props she will be carrying books representing to the audience that she is a hard working student. This will be the opposite to LucyAnn by which time the audience will know that she doesn’t follow rules and doesn’t does any interest in her education. 

Audience Theory 

When we look at Audience theory we are looking ta many different models that have developed from different time periods such as the Hyperdermic model, Two step flow, Uses and Gratifications and Reception Theory. When we first looked at Audience theory as a class we divided into groups and each looked at a different model. These presentation can be found on the link, these shows in depth research into each model. http://klsmediadepartment.blogspot.com/2010/09/audience-theory-student-powerpoints.html

The first model is the Hyperdermic model, which was produced in the 1920s, it proposes that the audience receives information passively as it is transmitted via the media texts, without any attempt to process the data. The audience’s experiences, intelligence and opinion are irrelevant to the reception of the text. It also states that behavior and thinking is easily changed by different media texts.  When looking at our short film Emily the producer by passively want to transmit the message and effects bullying can have on others as well as on an individual level.

 

The next model is the Uses and gratification model that came in the 60s, this model proposes that the audience is far from passive and that audiences consume text for different reasons and ways such as, a Diversion and a way to escape problems. Personal relationship for emotional interaction, Personal identity for learning behaviors and Surveillance to gain useful life information.  In terms of our short film I hope that audience will activity take away Surveillance, I hope they will have a better understanding of what its like to be bullied and the many possible reasons behind what makes a person a bully in the first place. This is shown at the start of the film when we hear an abusive father shouting at LucyAnn, later we see herself as a bully to younger students and class mates and finally the audience will see that she herself is a victim of being bullied.

The third and final theory is the Reception theory, which proposed that individual circumstances would affect the reading and interpretation of the texts such as age, gender, class, and race. Its also believes that text are encoded by the producer and later decoded by the audience. For example Emily is the producer in our group and her individual ideas and believes will be encoded in the script however, audiences will later decoded and take away their own meaning of the script. This could either be the same ideas as Emily had or they could have interoperated the ideas differently.

Post 17: Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews Part 1

Following the professional industry we have been asked to create a film review analyzing our short films. To get a good idea of what conventions are present in a film review, I have looked at many different examples. Traditionally film reviews are used as a way to assess or criticize new releases, which in turn helps the public, decided whether they want to go and see the film.


Industrial magazines

The first industrial magazine I have looked at it called Sight and Sound; this is a British film magazine that is released monthly. Typically you would find reviews analyzing long feature films and not short film such as the ones we have created, however you can find reviews on short films as part of special selection dedicated to short films. After looking through the magazine I have come across an article review called Frozen directed by Juliet McKoen. After reading and evaluating the article I have noticed many conventions, for example the structure

• Introduction
• Introduce the characters
• Location of where filming took place
• Over view of the film
• How they filmed and what type of equipment they used
• Comparing the film to previous work by the Actors and Director
• What the generalist doesn’t like about the film but then moves on to good points

Over all the layout of the review is also very important, they have used a picture of Juliet McKoen to draw in the audience. They have used very formal professional language which is reflected throughout the whole review. The choice of language is also important to think about and try to promote the film for example; they have mentioned the film is prize winning reinforcing to the audience that the film is worth seeing. They have also mentioned the use of state of the art high definition equipment which reinforces the quality of the film is very high.

This is an example of a film review taken from Empire Magazine. That is designed more for the general public rather than individuals in the professional industry. 

Newspapers

As well as industrial magazines we can also look at reviews from newspapers such as The Independent and Guardian. I have noticed that both newspapers have recently reviewed ‘The Kings Speech’; this has been very helpful as I can compare and contrast both newspapers against each other. In contrast to Sight and Sound the Independent takes a completely different spin on it, the language they have used is much more relaxed and they don’t use as much technical language which in turn makes its much easier to read. This works well with the type of audience that will be reading the article for example, readers of Sight and Sound are most likely to be in the professional industry and will have a better understanding of the technical language used in the review. On the other hand readers of The Independent and Guardian are more interested in the story and plot rather than what goes into making the film and equipment used.

Looking at The Independent review I have again noticed many conventions such as

• They focus on how the film reflects British culture.
• They give an over all positive feel of the film.
• Reinforces heritage which is represented in the film.
• Plays upon the story line.
• Rather than looking at parts of the story line it tells the reader the whole story.
• Picks up on the good quality acting and how they should be awarded.
• Use of picture taken from the film.

The Independant Film Review

However looking at The Guardian review, even though still coming from a newspaper it again looks at the film from another angle and uses a different style to analyze. The conventions that I have picked up on are

• The uses of modern language much makes it much easier to read for the audience.
• Use of picture taken from the film.
• Focuses on the good plot and praise it.
• Has a comical light hearted feel when reading the review.
• Again focuses on how good the film was and how it should be rewarded with awards.
• It has a small element of technical analyze however isn’t in a much depth as Sight and Sound so does intimidates the reader

Online Review

We can also look at film reviews from online websites such as those from Filmguru. Net. These are short online reviews that get straight to the point and use relaxed language of any audience. The conventions I have noticed are

• Outline of plot and storyline
• Camera work they have used
• Acting being inspirational
• How the director planned the locations for rating certificate

http://www.filmguru.net/shorts/2008/080601.html Here is the link to have a look at the online review by Filmguru.net.

Short Film Reviews

After looking at film reviews for long feature films it was interesting to see the difference for short films. Even though my own film review could feature in an Industry magazine such as Sight and Sound and be part of a ‘Short film Special’ I was interested in seeing if short film reviews followed the same conventions as film reviews for feature films. This lead to me doing research on the internet and I came across the website FIlmGuru here they have a range of different reviews from a range of years and all from different genres. I have noticed from looking at a range of reviews that they have the following conventions. They quickly introduce the film and the Director and give a short synopsis of features actors and the genre. In addition they mention work previously produced by the Director and how it compares to their previous works. Finally they explore any effects that have been used as well as lighting and camera work. After looking at these reviews it has helped me to gain a better understanding of the different conventions that I will have to use when writing my own film review and how they differ from feature to short films.

Example of Short film review from FilmGuru
Another example of a Short film Review

My film Review
After looking at many different type of review and the different conventions they have used I have decided that I would like to follow in the footsteps of Sight and Sounds. I would like my film review to follow the same conventions and consist of a Synopsis and a short film over view, who is playing the main character, who directed and produced the film, the positive and negatives of certain scene that could have been improved.  As well I would also like to include a cast list, lighting, camera and creative director.  I would like the language to be professional and have some technical elements which would appeal to both those in the professional industry but also the general public, I would also like a picture either taken from the film or an additional photo which will help draw in the audience.

My Film Review:

Karma, being the first show case film of Director Emily Downer, consistently reflects the time, dedication and creativeness that went into producing this short film. Shot in and around Kings Langley, a small friendly village in Hertfordshire ‘Karma’ explores the daily routine of LucieAnne , a mischievous and troubled teenager. From first impressions it appears LucieAnne gets pleasure and reward from causing pain and unhappiness to others, but it soon becomes apparent it is not all as it seems.  During an interview with Emily, she explained how she hoped the film would explore what happens behind closed doors and the true reasons behind LucieAnne’s hard exterior.  After production it is clear that this is not represented as clearly as Emily had hoped.  From the first scene we get a small insight into LucieAnne’s home life of living with her verbally abusive father however, this issue is not further explored or developed throughout  the film.

Emily wastes no time in getting straight to the plot.  It is clear from the beginning that living conditions for LucieAnne are far from normal, which instantly creates a sense of empathy towards her character.  But, it soon becomes obvious that it is not as simple as you are first led to believe as Emily’s twisting story lines soon brings you to the wrong conclusion.  Your first impressions of the sad, lonely and unhappy LucieAnne are soon changed to a more suitable and stereotypical image.  This leads me to ask is the age and costume of the main character LucieAnne appropriate?  From a director and production designer’s point of view I would have preferred to have seen LucieAnne as a younger student dressed in school uniform which would help to reflect the stereotypical bullying that tends to occur at a younger age.  

Frequent clips of a more brutal, intimidating and spiteful LucieAnne raises questions as to the reasons behind her disruptive and unpleasant behaviour.  Could it be her home life?  Damaging past events that have shaped her as she grows up? Her personality? Or just nature versus nurture?   It soon becomes apparent that the only form of escape for LucieAnne is the director’s clever use of the music which represents the changing genres of the film along with her changing moods and emotions.  This is cleverly developed through the sound design and the choice of music in the opening scenes where this motif has been created.

Her loneliness is intensified through the location of the alleyway.  `the long and narrow alleyway shown when LucieAnne is walking to and from school could be implying and reinforcing her loneliness and lack of companionship.  Throughout the film we see quick sharp camera work with a good range of frames and movement.  However, l feel the film the third scene located in a science classroom could be improved letting the film down the third scene. This scene does not flow with the rest of the film.  The use of close ups on LucieAnne and her classmates could have easily enhanced and recovered this scene. 

Even though filmed on a low budget and with some amateur skills, Emily has successfully created an attention grabbing and motivating plot that leaves the audience asking many questions.  The overall final message behind the plot, depending upon your point of view, is open to many interpretations.  Could it be suggesting ,‘Do unto others as they do unto you!’ or more simply, ‘What goes around comes around!” and therefore, we all get what we deserve in life!

Audience Feedback 

After completing my film review I wanted to receive Audience Feedback to see if i had followed convention and to ask for their opinion on positive and negative. For this audience back I used Alice, she isn’t a media student however we had a discussion and I informed her of what are typical conventions you would expect to see in a postcard. Even though she is part of the school environment and isn’t my target audience, she has an interest in short films and her views are still appreciated.  To make her feel more comfortable she has written down her ideas previously to being filmed.