February Feedback

Your web-log is starting to look complete make sure that all the elements of research and planning are evident.  Ensure that creative technologies have been used to present your evaluation.

Complete the evaluation

Put the preliminary task and your production as last posts then the questions

Add any extra elements to planning.

Set targets for what you need to do over half-term to fully complete the coursework

Coursework feedback

Research and Planning - 8

The research and planning is partially incomplete, and does not reflect many elements of planning that I would expect for this task. There is a proficient level of research into similar products, although this does tend to be overly descriptive and lack analysis. However there is no work on identifying potential target audiences, I would have liked to see some work on demographics to explore the potential audience for this film. There is little work on organising the film itself, no mind maps, storyboard, filming schedule etc. Overall this feels like an unfinished blog. 

Main Task – 35

Many technical skills are shown, but generally at a basic level. The film is appropriate for the task on the whole, but elements like the continuous music at the start to make it feel a little like a trailer. Although the shots are well framed and there is some use of camera movement like pans, there is little variety in camera shots, and many shots go on for a long time on a wide, meaning that it looks dull and lacks the depth of a film with sophisticated sequences built up. The narrative is clear through the use of camera/editing, but again it skims over the plot. There are times when the continuity doesn’t work, and a few sound issues with dialogue being cut off when run under different shots. There is good use of shot – reverse shot and a good use of after effects to create a ‘CCTV’ feel.

Evaluation - Q7 - Between the preliminary task and the final product, what have I learnt and how have I progressed?

http://prezi.com/samdhetjw0fq/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Evaluation - Q6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The first piece of technology I was introduced to when started my media work was Adobe Premier Pro. I first began to use this software when I created my preliminary task. When I first started using it, it was quite difficult to get my head around however after a bit of trial and error I became more confident using the programme as I learnt the basics.  When I started my main task, I already knew the basics but the more and more I used it, the more I learnt. I learnt various things such as; rendering, importing images/sound, editing/cutting, transitions and many more.

This is the Adobe Premier Pro interface. The screen on the top right hand corner is where the film is placed once imported and you can edit on either screen as the screen to the left of it can also be used.
The timeline on the bottom is where all of the imported footage is dragged onto to begin the editing. This is where I cropped the footage down and put it into the order as was planned from our storyboard. To the left of the timeline is where I could select certain footage and decide whether to add transitions and any other special effects. Additionally, above that is where all the footage is imported for me to drop down to the timeline. The bar at the top of the page is where all the options are found. E.g. Rendering and Importing.

The second piece of technology I used was Adobe After Effects. I never used this is my preliminary task as I had no use for it however this was an important piece of software to use for my final opening sequence to my film.
I used this mainly for the logo being created for our production company. At first I did not know how to use it and because the teacher had never used it before I had to use youtube to figure out how to use the programme. The youtube videos were very complex for beginners like myself but after watching a few videos of people creating logos I began to develop an understanding for the software.

As you can see both of the pieces of software look very similar so in fact, it wasn't that hard to get my head around. There were only a few minor differences. One of which being that after effects was mainly aimed at the animations, transitions and whole creating of certain area's of a film e.g. Logo, Titles as oppose to the actual creation of the film.

After Watching a few youtube videos I then managed to create a logo which then was imported to Adobe Premier Pro to put at the start of my film.

This is the logo that I created. The production company is named 'Vortex Productions'. The word vortex relates to black holes which is basically the logo of our company. 

Using Adobe After Affects, I created the logo and created the title with a relatable font but I then got more technical with the software as I made the logo have an effect in which it fades in and then fades out again after a short while. I found the image off the internet however I had to edit it a bit to make the colouring darker to really give it that dark effect.

Most importantly, the piece of technology that I used 100% of the time was of course the Apple iMac. This piece of technology was not new to me as I used it at my previous school so I did have previous experience in using the bit of equipment. So when it came to working the iMac in different ways such as confidently accessing applications, opening new windows and accessing safari etc. I knew exactly how to do it which definitely helped in the production of my film. 

The Apple iMac itself is a very stylish piece of equipment with a big screen which definitely helps when creating films etc. As it is a very creative piece of technology which is better than your standard computer as the use of applications are more compatible to these models but also the quality of the iMacs themselves are fantastic, especially when you can work in high definition (HD). 

Another important piece of technology I had to use in this whole process was indeed, the video camera. The video camera I used was called the 'INSERT WORD HERE'. This was a vital part of the process as without this essential device, the film would not have been produced. Before the preliminary task, I had never used a video camera before (besides a mobile phone camera) and I had a vague idea of how to use it. All I knew was how to actually record footage. After a bit of trial and error with a experienced cameraperson (Jodie Heath - My Film Making Partner) I became to become familiar with how the video camera worked. 

When it came to creating the final product, I began how to do various different things involving the video camera. These things include, zooming in/out, focusing on particular objects/people and also the depth of field. Without learning how to do this, I wouldn't of achieved as good camera shots as I did so this definitely benefited my final film product.

Lastly, the final piece of technology I have used throughout the film making process has of course be blogger. The website of blogger is www.blogger.com. This is where I have been posting everything and anything related to my Media Studies course. Most importantly, this is where I have been uploading everything to do with my film, including the actual video of my final film and preliminary tasks. This also includes all analysis, research and evaluations I have undergone in the whole process.

At first I had never used blogger before. When I created my account, I had no idea how to create posts, embed videos or import any sort of images. However with a bit of guidance my familiarity with the website began to increase to the point where I am extremely confident in how to use it and all things I can do to make a good blog. 

First screen as I log in

Second screen to access my blog posts

Evaluation - Q5 - How did you attract your audience?

How did you attract your audience?

I attracted my audience for my film through various different area's within the film such as the characters used, the theme of the film itself and the topics which have been covered.

The characters used are stereotypical in horror-thriller films. Our main character, the protagonist is a teenage girl. In many other horror-thriller films the female character is often a main character who does end up dying in some way or another. I think this attracts our audience as this appeals to the  horror-thriller film audience by the use of this character. I think because the character in our film does actually end up surviving and with some sort of happy ending, this sort of is a unique selling point as not many horror-thriller films have this sort of ending however I think because of the nature of the film, although she survives people still die which obviously, horror-thriller fans love to see but the fact that she survives and finds out who the character is gives our film an edge over other films therefore attracting our audience in which we aimed to attract.

We also attracted our audience through the topics of our film. The film I produced is about a girl who has a stalker who is watching her every move, murdering those around her and leaving her by last by scaring her. Which leads to her finding out who it is. The topics therefore include being stalked by a mysterious character who nobody knows who it is all film as it could be anyone, even one of her closest friends. The aspect of mystery appeals to most audiences who love the thriller genre and more particularly the mystery thriller aspect with the addition of the horror genre. So the audience we aimed at will find our storyline and topics involved very interesting and more attracted to watching our film.

I also think the name of our film attracts the audience. The name of our film is 'Shadow'. 
The use of the word shadow appeals to our targeted audience as the word shadow itself gives the impression of being followed and constantly behind you watching every move which is our storyline. I think this is thought out cleverly as with a bit of thought our story can be mirrored by the name of our film. Shadow itself can be scary and with that aspect of horror and thriller through the name it particularly does attract our audience we aimed at.

Although our film is very much unique with our stalker being found out, it can also be similar to other successful films in different aspects of what we included.
One aspect may be by the use of pov shots. This is very similar to the film 'Halloween' as the opening is purely a pov shot which gives the audience the suggestion that they are watching the film through someone elses eyes which gives the audience that interaction within our film which may also attract them.

Another film that is similar in some aspects is 'Hide and Seek'. This is not really about a stalker as such but the mysterious character in that film is not unveiled until the end where he is shot dead which is very similar to ours as our antagonistic mysterious character unveiled and also killed at the end. Both of which are not shown on screen (knowing of them being that mysterious character) until the very end.

Evaluation - Q4 - Who would be the audience for your media product?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my film is the thriller/horror film lover.

Not just that but also the audience age range is between 25-39 meaning we are targeting the young adults/middle aged audience. The use of younger characters however does add to the target audience of teenagers, preferably the older teenagers between the ages of 16-19 due to the graphic images which are in our film.

Additionally in their lifestyle, their favourite sports are mainly boxing and snooker. Boxing for example can be a very violent sport meaning blood can be the end result and can be gory. Therefore because are film is about the violence and the killing of close friends/relatives the fact our audiences favourite sport is boxing helps aid to the fact we know they will like the film.

Also one of their favourite activities is video games. Video games in particular nowadays have amazing graphics and with the violent games out now shows they love the gore and violence meaning they should be attracted to my film.

The personality of our target audiences

The majority of our target audience describe themselves as 'Barmy', 'Easy to talk to' and 'Barmy'.

This shows that they are crazy people who love to have a laugh and love conversation. The fact that our film is a very crazy, all over the place thriller/horror adds to the attraction to our film.

What our target audience likes

- The fact our target audiences favourite films include; Final Destination, Nightmare on elm street and The exorcist. This shows they love the horror and the blood and the gore which is all included in our film meaning they would be very much attracted to my film.

Our target audience are varied people but have clear tastes and likes which we incorporate in our film. E.g. Boxing which shows violence which is also showed within our film. This shows that our film has the likes and wants that the audience want in these films meaning they would like to watch our film therefore our audience is clear and would have been achieved as our target audience.

Evaluation - Q3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your media products and why?

The kind of institution that would want to distribute my film would be by the likes of Warner Bros.
Warner bros are known for making films in similiar genre's to mine a long with other genre's.
The highest grossing horror film in 2014 was 'Annabelle', this was distributed by Warner Bros.
They grossed $84,263,837 by December 2014.

Distributed by Warner Bros however produced by New Line Cinema, Evergreen Media Group, The Safran Company and RatPac-Dune Entertainment. This is a classic example of what would happen if my film were to be distributes. Warner Bros would distribute my film from my production company, Vortex Productions.

Warner Bros would distribute my film as most horror-thriller films are very similar and although mine is quite similar, it has its own unique factors. Because of the massive success of Annabelle and other films they have distributed, mine would be more or just as successful. So companies like Warner Bros are the likely institutions to distribute my media product.

My media product is similar to Annabelle and other popular horror/thriller films as we have incorporated lots of different conventions into our film. These include having the mysteriousness of the unknown character but also the amount of deaths and the gore within the film. This can be similarly associated with various other popularly distributes films. This means that institutions such as Warner Bros will have full confidence in my media product by becoming successful and gaining a lot of money by getting a high gross amount.