jordan howell as media evaluation 2012
DESCRIPTION
This is my evaluation for my AS Media coursework 2012.TRANSCRIPT
EvaluationBy Jordan Howell
This helped me a lot, as I learnt these techniques and then could apply them to my main task.
Preliminary
180-Degree Rule
Shot/Reverse Shot
Match On Action
During the preliminary I used:
Main Task
Titles and opening of a new fiction film
Maximum of
Two Minutes
Here is my finished opening sequence.
Codes And Conventions
Genre - Thriller
Location - Woods
Lighting - Dark
Character - Villain
Character - Victim
Soundtrack – Suspense Music
Text – Squared Writing
I believe that I stuck to/used the
codes and conventions of
thrillers as I showed in my
research, I felt that I needed to as if it was too unique it
wouldn’t attract my target audience.
It is recognizable as a thriller, because of the things below.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Codes and Conventions 2
I used a Establishing Shot to give the audience the location of the scene.
I used a Point Of View Shot(Hand Held) to make the audience feel like their in his mind. In my research I found out that this would be effective so I applied it in my opening sequence.
I placed the character (victim) in a vulnerable place (the woods). I did this to make them seem defenseless, weak, an easy target etc
The Villain is in dark light so the audience don’t see their identity, I did this to keep some mystery to it and keep the audience guessing.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Codes and Conventions 3In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Challenges By:
No Weapons
No Jump Cuts
Rewind
I put no weapons or dangerous objects in the mise-en-scene, normally these would be used to alert the audience, but I didn’t want to do this because I didn’t want to give away any clues.
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I put no jump cuts in, although I wanted to create uncertainty, I didn’t think I deeded jumps to do this, as my idea I feel was strong enough without it.
I put a rewind in mine, where as the code and conventions for thrillers is to put a flashback or a flash forward in it. But a rewind lets the audience go back with the character, and this is a feeling I wanted to create.
Codes and Conventions 4In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
There is no dialogue
This challenges the codes and conventions as the films I
researched had dialogue in too add a certain impact to the audience.
I felt I could create that effect without the dialogue, in the way it is
shot and with non-diegetic sound I think that it went well, and I am happy with not putting dialogue in my
production.
Media Institution - DistributorWhat kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
How similar films are distributed
Available to a wide audience
DVDCinema
DownloadsWatch Online
Cheap and Easy to access
Distributed differently when the film has
been shown for a long
period
More Publicity
Money made form ticket
sales
High Budget FilmsSold to institutions
The film can be watched over and
over
Continually generates
money, even after the film is
popular
Television
Internet
Media Institution – Distributor 2What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I researched film distributors for thriller films and from my research I
discovered
When a Stranger Calls
TakenSilence Of The
Lambs
Touchstone Pictures
20th Century Fox Orion Pictures
Distributed on cinema and DVD formats
Media Institution – Distributor 3What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I think my film would be distributed by
touchstone pictures.
This is because they distribute films in the same genre (when a
stranger calls.)
It would be distributed in cinemas and then
alter on to DVDs.
Universal might also distribute my film.
They distribute high quality films, and make a lot of money.They distribute a
variety of genres which include thrillers.
It would be also be distributed on cinemas and DVDs.
Media Institution – Distributor 3What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Opportunities Within the Industry
Franchising is a way of making huge profits, this is something I would be keen to do as I think it gets my product across to the audience in more ways.
Silence of the lambs
Merchandising is another way of distributing/getting more people to watch my film. It attracts people
and also makes money.I could also use promotional items that would generate more interest
in my product and the mass market would walk pass them and then
want to see the film.
Promo Posters
Legal downloads is a quick and easy
way I could distribute my film. However, illegal downloads would loose me money.
It could then become a viral which will generate
interest and its free.
Target AudienceWhat would be the audience for your media product?
Gender Age Personality
Although males and females will like my opening
sequence, I think that males will like the mature
themes/violence/action in my film more than females,
although looking at it, females might be more
likely to sympathies with the character.
I am targeting an audience aged between 15-30. This is because young audiences would not understand my
plot, and would be disturbed by the themes running
through out . This is also the case for elderly audiences, they may be offended and not interested in the film.
The 15 certificate I gave my film is for the
following reasons.
The film contains mature themes,
unsuitable for young audiences.
The plot may be difficult for people under the age of 15 to understand.
The film has violence and is
intended to frighten the audience.
Children will not enjoy my film.
Likes being scared but also taken on a journey through the film. If someone hates being scared/thrilled they will not
enjoy my film. Although most personality's will enjoy it. I think that people who like being scared will enjoy it
more. My research helped me understand who to market at.
Audience AttractionHow did you attract/address your audience?
Males watching my thriller film
may feel the need to protect the
vulnerable character, as if he was
a “mate” or “buddy”. This is due
to the angst and apprehension
they will be feeling because of the
situation the character is in.
I realised that when the audience feels the same emotions as the character, they then address the character on a personal level. So there for using point of view shots I can attract my audience. I felt that this worked well.
The camera shots I used are
quick cuts and add to the thrill
of my opening sequence, in
my view using this makes the
audience gain more feelings
during my opening sequence
and makes it less dull
therefore attracting them.
In my first couple of shots I straight
away place the audience into the
characters shoes with a point of view
shot running threw the woods, this
creates interaction with the
audience and the character and
gains there attention for then the
rest of my opening sequence to
hopefully hold there attention.
Audience Attraction 2How did you attract/address your audience?
Before releasing my product I would produce posters and trailers to gain their interest to watch it. To do this I would have to use unique/interesting shots on them giving hints to the opening sequence.
I attracted them by placing them in a location that they
don’t want to be (the woods) which has bad connotations.
This then starts to create the feeling of being scared to the
audience which is what I wanted to do.
I addressed my audience by making them part of the film which enhances there emotions and feeling about the
character in my opening sequence due to the added feeling of it could be them.
Which then ties in to the point before. By using point of view
shots in the woods, I am forcing them in to a place they don’t
want to be in. Enhancing the fear factor of my film.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Technologies
I used a Kodak Playsport (Zx3) to film my
production. This camera is very durable (waterproof, can be dropped, very compact) and this attracted
me to using it as being on set (in the woods) one slip and the camera could break ruining my production.
There for teaching me not to rely on technology solely, and to think before the production what could go wrong and put procedures in
place to stop it happening.
This produces 1080p quality video (full HD) which delayed me when transferring video from camera to Mac as the files where bigger than
other peoples, this taught me to add times like this in to my planned
editing time in my schedule.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Technologies 2
Hamastar 63 tripod
•Carry case – Easy to transport, meaning I could take it to more excluded areas (i.e.. The woods)
•Small-I realised that I should have got a taller tripod as I had to use my hand to film the high angled shots
•Rotated- I learnt I needed a rotating head, so I could use camera movement techniques. Therefore enhancing my video
Lithium Batteries•Long battery life- this meant that I could film more footage to take to editing (a full movie films 4 x the amount of footage they use). So I leant that I needed a good battery.
•1 battery- although it had good battery life I was filming 1080p (high quality) so I learnt that I should have two batteries next time, as it nearly run out during filming.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Technologies 3
32 GB SD Card
•Space- I learnt that I needed a lot of memory space to film on as I wanted to film ore than I needed so I had a better chance of getting the right shots
•Get it right- I got the wrong SD card first and t didn’t fit my camera which meant I had to delay my shooting day which was frustrating. So I learnt to always check, as technology don’t work well with some other products.
I learnt that by overloading my production with effects it made it look amateur so I cut down the amount of video effect to then enhance the natural sense of my production, thus making it more professional.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Technologies 4
Apple ImacI learnt how to use an Imac and Imovie before starting using them in my production which helped me gratefully, as I relaised that I should learnt to use technology before I start using it to then make my skills better with the specific technology. Also I learnt that newer is mostly better in technology sense as we used new Imac’s which were fast and had more features to use. Which made post-production quicker process in my time schedule
Apple ImovieI learnt that Imovie has a lot of great features, and without the training it would have been a much more complex task to edit my production. Although I also learnt that technologies can fail as Imovie/the Imac deleted my quarter edited video at the start of post production, which meant I had to re edit the start which took away valuable time, which again made me learn not to let technology do all the work, and that they can fail.
Apple Ilife Sound Effects
I learnt that technology have improved using this software as it had great sound effect to use, including the suspense music I put in my production. But also learnt that I still need to make my own, as I created heavy breathing instead of using the sound effect of here. As they cant get It all right, and this sound effect sounded fake so I re-recorded it.
Advantages Disadvantages
Enhance my production
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Technologies 5
Expensive
Can make it quicker
Can make it more complicated
What advantages and disadvantages I have learnt.
Can make it easier to produce
Can make it better for the audience
Not always reliable
Can be overused
This helps me for future production’s where I can use
this knowledge.
Social GroupsHow does your media product represent particular social groups?
I purposively didn’t show the identity of the main characters in my opening sequence so more people could relate to the “unknown” character, and get scared that they could be that unknown character one day.
Social GroupsHow does your media product represent particular social groups?
But I also purposively clothed my character in a specific way which then gave hints to there social class. Working/Lower class
Black Hoody – follows the newspapers views of hooded youngsters
causing trouble. So although a victim
represents a darker side
Jogging Bottoms – which are
associated with “chavs”, and
upper class people wouldn’t wear
them.
I have represented the working class/lower class social group as they are stereotypically seen as the people that can get in these situations.
I have also represented them as in the woods, places where lower/working class people hang out. It isn't stereotypically seen as luxurious or pleasant to be there.
PreliminaryLooking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I showed a link to my preliminary in the first
couple of slidesI had to learn techniques in my preliminary which I then took forward to my main task like:
Shot/Reverse
shot
Match on action
180-Degree Rule
I used these techniques as a basis to then expand on in my main production
Preliminary 2Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that the biggest thing I got from the preliminary is confidence.
This is because having experience using the equipment meant I didn’t have to worry about not knowing how to work them.
Camera
Imac
Imovie
Also the experience of using actors/ locations also helped me, as I felt more in control while creating my opening sequence than in the preliminary
The experience in knowing the stages of production helped me In my final production, as it could run quicker and smoother.
Preliminary 3Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I learnt the stages of the production, and that you need to plan a lot before starting the production which will then make it smoother.
Story board – I only produced a vague one for me preliminary which I felt made it harder as there was not a solid structure of my production.
During filming (preliminary) I learnt that storyboarding is a good way of testing out ideas before I got to the filming stage .
I researched more into the thriller genre after my preliminary so I knew what I need in my production.
What I learnt from the planning stage:
Preliminary 4Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
What I learnt from the production stage:
The camera work in the final production is much more developed then in the preliminary because I felt more confident using the camera.
The 180 degree rule for example was applied a lot smoother, and was more effective in my production than preliminary.
I also learnt that a variety of shots create a variety of atmospheres, for example short clips in succession can be disorientating. This meant I could apply the effect’s I wanted.
I also learnt a lot more about editing on Imovie which made it simpler to use in my final production.
Successful?General Evaluation
How successful is my final product:I think the final product is a success
This is backed up with the response from my questionnaire I handed
out at the screening
The brief was to plan
research and construct
a media product, which
I have done.
I feel I have used a lot of conventions from the thriller genre (discovered through
detailed research). As well as challenging such conventions.
People that watched the film said they liked the idea and the quality at which it was
made. An said they think they would enjoy the whole film.
I think that there are things I
could have improved. Like
smoother camera work.
But still think overall it was a success.
Audience FocusGeneral Evaluation
What my questionnaire told me
The feedback I received was very positive
“The ending left me wanting to see more”
“The soundtrack created suspense”
“The titles were very effective”
“A bit confusing”
“Thrilling Stuff”
Average ratings were
very high, ranging
from 7 to 10
Overall I found my questionnaire very helpful it helping me to evaluate my production
QuestionnaireGeneral Evaluation
My questionnaire also showed me that I did attract the
audience to my opening sequence
Due to comments like“Made me feel
involved in the movie”
Giving me proof of success in this section
of my production.
Can Work On
There is a footsteps audio effect that sounds very amateur, I would take this out If I did it again as I don’t feel it adds anything to my
production.
There is also a heartbeat audio effect which I
don’t like as it feels like it doesn’t have to be
there. I think silence would be much better in its
place as the audience can be thinking during it.
But still overall I think it went really well.
No Dialogue
I put no dialogue in my opening sequence as I
didn’t think It needed it. I felt I could create the
intended feelings to the audience without using
dialogue.Although a hard thing to do, I felt that it was
very successful and I am glad I took that risk.
Dialogue might give something away in my
production so it keeps them guessing.
Point Of View
By using point of view shot’s it get the audience
involved in the film which I feel works very well
They can then feel like they are in the situation
and overall in thrillers/horrors this is what I
think you should do
The involving the audience should enhance their feelings as it makes it more personal as it could be them and if it was them they are seeing what it would be like.