7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Since my preliminary task, I have learnt everything you can at this stage to do with camera shots, editing, mise-en-scene and sound.
I have learnt that no part is less important than another and to create a successful media product you need to have perfected all of them.
I have learnt fully how to construct a suitable mise-en-scene for a genre, for example, in a horror film, your mise-en-scene needs to be dark and dingy so that it makes the viewer feel uncomfortable and tense.
I have also learnt the importance of camera shots as to how a character is portrayed, for instance, a low angle shot is used to make the viewer feel uncomfortable about the characters presence and it is an unusual positioning for the character to be in.
Sound is essential for a piece of media as it is what sets the mood for the piece, eg, in my media product I use slow, piano music as it signifies a sad sense of being and this is linked to tragedy, so the viewer knows what is happening is emotional.
Lastly, editing is key to a good media product because it signifies the continuity of the piece, for example, in a horror, jump cuts are good to use as it makes the piece seem disjointed and awkward, whereas in a drama, straight cuts are better because they represent continuity editing and a fluent flow.
Overall, I have learnt an exceptional amount about the production of a media product and how to use different features for different genres and this development in learning has helped me significantly in my progression from my preliminary task to my full product.
Saturday, 7 March 2015
Evaluation - Question 6 - Redo
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Before I started constructing this product, I had never experienced filming or editing in the past, as I didn't do media for GCSE. I found this very difficult to grasp at first, but I feel that taking this into account, I have done quite well to achieve the result in product that I have.
I firstly found the filming quite difficult as I was unsure of the different camera shots before I had started studying media in September and because of this, I was unable to distinguish what shots were the best to use for my film. I have learnt that a camera is a lot harder to use well than people think and you need to use quality equipment to make your filming of a good standard. I did not have access to this equipment, meaning that particularly when you watch my zooming out shot, it is particularly shaky as I would need a dolly for this to work perfectly.
After this, I learnt a lot about the editing technologies used to edit my filming. We were given the task of using PowerDirector 11 to edit our footage, which was abnormal to what people had previously used, meaning it took a while to figure out how to do a lot. To help me understand more, I used the following YouTube video.
By using this programme, I learnt how to upload my footage, control how long the scenes were by being able to cut them down when needed, how to add music over the top and control the volume of the different sounds, etc. I found this part particularly interesting as I had not used a voice recorder before, so when uploading my voice recordings onto my opening, I found that there was a loud click when each ended, so after learning more about the editing technologies that this editing programme held, I was able to edit this out, making the sound of the voice over's flow as if they're completely natural. This has made my film very effective and I feel that I have done a successful job in creating a good film opening.
I have also learnt a lot about how important the use of transitions are and how to use them effectively so that they allow the film to flow. I found when editing my film, there were loads of different techniques you could use, but the main editing aim of my piece was continuity. I used mainly blurs during my flashback at the beginning of the opening, as they supported the conventions of that, however I then went on to use mainly fades during my film footage, apart from one jump cut which broke the continuity, but this was used on purpose to represent how her life is being thrown around and is not continuous, as one minute she is okay and the next is being rushed to hospital.
Overall, over the period of filming and editing, I have learnt a lot about the technologies and have surprised myself at how quickly I have managed to pick it up after only ever picking up a camera to film something like my friends doing something funny, not a graded media film.
Before I started constructing this product, I had never experienced filming or editing in the past, as I didn't do media for GCSE. I found this very difficult to grasp at first, but I feel that taking this into account, I have done quite well to achieve the result in product that I have.
I firstly found the filming quite difficult as I was unsure of the different camera shots before I had started studying media in September and because of this, I was unable to distinguish what shots were the best to use for my film. I have learnt that a camera is a lot harder to use well than people think and you need to use quality equipment to make your filming of a good standard. I did not have access to this equipment, meaning that particularly when you watch my zooming out shot, it is particularly shaky as I would need a dolly for this to work perfectly.
After this, I learnt a lot about the editing technologies used to edit my filming. We were given the task of using PowerDirector 11 to edit our footage, which was abnormal to what people had previously used, meaning it took a while to figure out how to do a lot. To help me understand more, I used the following YouTube video.
I found this very helpful as it helped me to understand how to find things and the basics of editing.
By using this programme, I learnt how to upload my footage, control how long the scenes were by being able to cut them down when needed, how to add music over the top and control the volume of the different sounds, etc. I found this part particularly interesting as I had not used a voice recorder before, so when uploading my voice recordings onto my opening, I found that there was a loud click when each ended, so after learning more about the editing technologies that this editing programme held, I was able to edit this out, making the sound of the voice over's flow as if they're completely natural. This has made my film very effective and I feel that I have done a successful job in creating a good film opening.
I have also learnt a lot about how important the use of transitions are and how to use them effectively so that they allow the film to flow. I found when editing my film, there were loads of different techniques you could use, but the main editing aim of my piece was continuity. I used mainly blurs during my flashback at the beginning of the opening, as they supported the conventions of that, however I then went on to use mainly fades during my film footage, apart from one jump cut which broke the continuity, but this was used on purpose to represent how her life is being thrown around and is not continuous, as one minute she is okay and the next is being rushed to hospital.
Further to learning about PowerDirector 11, I also learnt about different presentation programmes to use for my evaluation; these include:
- SlideShare
- Prezi
- Emaze
These were all effective in demonstrating different ways I could put information across, whilst making it interactive and easy on the eye, which is proven to make people pay attention better to what is being said.
Overall, over the period of filming and editing, I have learnt a lot about the technologies and have surprised myself at how quickly I have managed to pick it up after only ever picking up a camera to film something like my friends doing something funny, not a graded media film.
Evaluation - Question 4 - Redo
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
As you can see from the slide taken from my pitch, my primary audience would be women, as the film's narrative is mainly focused on a female character who has fallen in love, but has got a terminal illness. The film would be seen as a 'chick flick' as it contains these conventions by the main character having found the love of her life and wanting to spend as much time as possible with him and her best friend, but because of disturbing scenes that some viewers may find upsetting I would say that my film is aimed at a 12A audience.
Age: 12-25
Gender: Mainly females, but men are also a suitable audience, however less likely to be interested in the film and plot.
Media Interests: Drama films
Leisure Interests: Reading, yoga, relaxation methods, pop music
Buying Habits: DVD's, books
Attitudes: Open to any emotion and able to cope with drastic change.
Lifestyle: Quite stressful, therefore using media as an escape.
As you can see from the slide taken from my pitch, my primary audience would be women, as the film's narrative is mainly focused on a female character who has fallen in love, but has got a terminal illness. The film would be seen as a 'chick flick' as it contains these conventions by the main character having found the love of her life and wanting to spend as much time as possible with him and her best friend, but because of disturbing scenes that some viewers may find upsetting I would say that my film is aimed at a 12A audience.
This decision is aided by my research on BBFC and also my research into similar films which have the same rating.
When asking my peers about what audience would be interested in my media product, they mainly responded with a female audience of all ages, as although the film is mainly based on the life of a 15 year old girl who has got to fight for her life, it also focuses around the reactions of her friends and family to what is going on. By doing this, I make it easier for my film to be enjoyed by all ages because there are characters of all ages, meaning that more people are able to relate to what is being told instead of an older person trying to relate to the mentality of a younger girl of a different era to themselves.
Audience Profile:
Age: 12-25
Gender: Mainly females, but men are also a suitable audience, however less likely to be interested in the film and plot.
Media Interests: Drama films
Leisure Interests: Reading, yoga, relaxation methods, pop music
Buying Habits: DVD's, books
Attitudes: Open to any emotion and able to cope with drastic change.
Lifestyle: Quite stressful, therefore using media as an escape.
Evaluation - Question 3 - Redo
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I think that the film that I have created is capable of being produced by a major Hollywood Studio production company. The reasoning for my thought that this would be possible is because similar films to my own have been released by these big companies and this makes me believe that they are able to produce more like it, just with different story-lines.
The main production company that I feel would be suitable to produce my film is Warner Bros. Television. The reason that I feel this is most suitable is because it has already produced films such as My Sister's Keeper (2009) and Sweet November (2001), which are both films that follow the same kind of story as my film, and both films hit it off with huge box office profits, with My Sister's Keeper gaining $95,714,875 at box office and Sweet November gaining $65,754,228. This kind of profit is life changing and means that my film could be made very successful if this production company was to release it, as they have past experience with films of this genre and story.
Another media institution that I feel could distribute my media product is 20th Century Fox. The reason for this is because they have released sad films but mainly action and fairy-tale, meaning that my media product could be one hat breaks the mould and becomes a large hit with this particular company, instead of releasing a film with similar features like they usually do. 20th Century Fox also produced the two films which are currently the highest grossing films ever, with Titanic (1997) which totalled a gigantic $2,186,772,302 but Avatar (2007) just beating it with $2,787,965,087. This makes me feel confident that with film success' like that under their belt, they're capable of turning almost anything into a hit.
The reason why my film would fit in with my preferred film company selection of Warner Bros., is because my film narrative follows similar conventions to those of films that this company has released already and have made a success. Not only this, but also they are a very successful distributor, so are likely to give better advice as to hat changes can be made to make it more appropriate for them, so therefore you can meet all the requirements to be able to release a film with them. However, my film is rated 12A, which means that it does not fit in perfectly with the distributors target audience of 18-34yrs, although is it still possible to make a huge success with a lower age rate, which is proven by My Sister's Keeper, which as shown above, made a huge gross profit and is of the same genre and similar story-line as my film.
The usual process of doing this would be to release my film into the cinema and then further to produce it on DVD. This helps to gain profit fast and could possibly result in my media product having merchandise sold for it which would signify success.
This is all possible because although my product follows a lot of that genres conventions, it still has a different twist to it which makes it interesting to watch.
I think that the film that I have created is capable of being produced by a major Hollywood Studio production company. The reasoning for my thought that this would be possible is because similar films to my own have been released by these big companies and this makes me believe that they are able to produce more like it, just with different story-lines.
The main production company that I feel would be suitable to produce my film is Warner Bros. Television. The reason that I feel this is most suitable is because it has already produced films such as My Sister's Keeper (2009) and Sweet November (2001), which are both films that follow the same kind of story as my film, and both films hit it off with huge box office profits, with My Sister's Keeper gaining $95,714,875 at box office and Sweet November gaining $65,754,228. This kind of profit is life changing and means that my film could be made very successful if this production company was to release it, as they have past experience with films of this genre and story.
Another media institution that I feel could distribute my media product is 20th Century Fox. The reason for this is because they have released sad films but mainly action and fairy-tale, meaning that my media product could be one hat breaks the mould and becomes a large hit with this particular company, instead of releasing a film with similar features like they usually do. 20th Century Fox also produced the two films which are currently the highest grossing films ever, with Titanic (1997) which totalled a gigantic $2,186,772,302 but Avatar (2007) just beating it with $2,787,965,087. This makes me feel confident that with film success' like that under their belt, they're capable of turning almost anything into a hit.
The reason why my film would fit in with my preferred film company selection of Warner Bros., is because my film narrative follows similar conventions to those of films that this company has released already and have made a success. Not only this, but also they are a very successful distributor, so are likely to give better advice as to hat changes can be made to make it more appropriate for them, so therefore you can meet all the requirements to be able to release a film with them. However, my film is rated 12A, which means that it does not fit in perfectly with the distributors target audience of 18-34yrs, although is it still possible to make a huge success with a lower age rate, which is proven by My Sister's Keeper, which as shown above, made a huge gross profit and is of the same genre and similar story-line as my film.
The usual process of doing this would be to release my film into the cinema and then further to produce it on DVD. This helps to gain profit fast and could possibly result in my media product having merchandise sold for it which would signify success.
This is all possible because although my product follows a lot of that genres conventions, it still has a different twist to it which makes it interesting to watch.
Evaluation - Question 1 - Redo
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
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