Friday 24 April 2015
Media Evaluation - Question 6
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
Another programme which we used ins Final Cut Express we used this to edit our film and add much and effects to help make the film look good and build tension. We have learn't how to use Final Cut and through practice we now understand it much better. 
When filming our actual film we used a Panasonic HD Camcorder, this camera was a qood quality and an easy to use and understand. It was also small and wireless which meant it was heavy to carry and make the camera less shaky when filming. However the camera doesn't have manual focus which mean that sometimes we lost focus of what we were filming. Another problem which we came across was that camera was very temperamental and we lost all the filming which we had done which meant that we had to re film it all again which look a lot of time. We also used a tripod so that when we weren't filming hand held the camera wasn't shaking and stayed in the place what we wanted it to film.
Another technology which we used was a Zoom Recorder we used this to film the sound when the girl was shot as we struggled to find a realistic hit.
The final programme which we used was blogger, this has been very effective as we are able to see what each other has done very easy. It is also very simple to use and easy to understand and doesn't require much experience.
Media Evaluation - Question 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and
why?
If we haven't had chose Hammer, Warner Bros may have been an option to distribute our film. These were founded in April 1923, and are an American media company that makes film, television and music entertainment. It is one of the major film studios and it is a subsidiary of Time Warner. Warner Brothers have distributed films such as The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and Oceans Eleven. These are all well known films which many people have watched and are not necessarily Horror films. Warner Brothers distribute a range of different genres, this may help with Warner Bros been so well known as its target audience is much bigger than Hammer. If Warner Bros was to distribute our film then we would have a much bigger budget and better camera quality. It would also be distributed to many people on a much larger scale.
Media Evaluation- Question 2
2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In
our film, we created we only used Women Characters, these were the girl, the
mother and the girl’s best-friend. We are going against the stereotype of the male
being the main characters since during most films male characters are usually
the leading characters however in our film the leading character is the girl
who gets murdered.
A film which is similar to our film is Psycho By Alfred Hitchcock. In this film the girl also gets murdered just like in our film. In other films the main characters are usually male as they are the most violent so our film is again against the typical stereotype.
We also we go against the typical stereotype as most children in films have a mother and father whereas our film the girl has never really met her mother as she was left on a street corner at 2 weeks old.
Our film also goes with the typical stereotype as the girl who gets murdered has a best-friend which most teenagers do have. This also matches our target audience as most people who will watch the film will watch it with their friends.
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| Here is a photo to show evidence of the girls been the main character in our film. |
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| Here is another photo to show evidence of girls been the main character in our film. |
A film which is similar to our film is Psycho By Alfred Hitchcock. In this film the girl also gets murdered just like in our film. In other films the main characters are usually male as they are the most violent so our film is again against the typical stereotype.
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| This is a similar film to our's as the girl on the photo is also the main character just like on ours. |
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| This is a film which is like the typical stereotype in films. The film is called Blow and the main character is Johnny Depp. |
We also we go against the typical stereotype as most children in films have a mother and father whereas our film the girl has never really met her mother as she was left on a street corner at 2 weeks old.
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| Dark Skies is a typical stereotype of a film, as it includes a mother, father and child. However our film goes against this stereotype as the girl had never even met her mother. |
Our film also goes with the typical stereotype as the girl who gets murdered has a best-friend which most teenagers do have. This also matches our target audience as most people who will watch the film will watch it with their friends.
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| This is a typical film to match the stereotype of friends been friends. Many friends will also watch this film together. |
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| This is an example of how we have used low key lighting. |
In
our film we also used dark lighting when the murder takes place, this matches
the stereotype of most thriller and horror films as when the murder takes place
it is often in a dark and haunted house.
In the film we have added sounds that match the scene to add tension to the build up of the murder, this matches stereotypes of other films as when murders take part or on key scenes they use music which will add to the scene. In our film when the girl and her mother are arguing the mother is stood on a step which is higher than the girl this represents power and that the mother has got control which we know as at the end of the film the girl dies. We have used a low angle here to represent that the mother has control and power over the girl even though she hasn't been apart of the girls life. At the beginning of our film we also had a shot of the girl been laid on the floor showing that she has no power.
The mother is dressed in bright clothing to show that she is a chav and therefore gives the audience the impression that she doesn't care about herself or her daugther. The two friends are dressed very feminine and it shows that they obviously care about their appearance.
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| This is a further example of how we have used low key lighting to make the scene look scary and match, the stereotype of typical horror and thriller films. |
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| This is another example of how we used dark lighting in our short film to build up tension, and make the scene look dark and scary. |
In the film we have added sounds that match the scene to add tension to the build up of the murder, this matches stereotypes of other films as when murders take part or on key scenes they use music which will add to the scene. In our film when the girl and her mother are arguing the mother is stood on a step which is higher than the girl this represents power and that the mother has got control which we know as at the end of the film the girl dies. We have used a low angle here to represent that the mother has control and power over the girl even though she hasn't been apart of the girls life. At the beginning of our film we also had a shot of the girl been laid on the floor showing that she has no power.
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| This photo shows that the mother is in control and is taller then the girl she is also stood on a step which represents that she has all the power. |
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| Here you can see that the mother is stood, on the step which again represents that she is higher and represents power, towards her character. |
The mother is dressed in bright clothing to show that she is a chav and therefore gives the audience the impression that she doesn't care about herself or her daugther. The two friends are dressed very feminine and it shows that they obviously care about their appearance.
Thursday 23 April 2015
Evaluation Question 7
Looking back at your preliminary task, What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Our preliminary task was: A continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. We then had to use this to create the main task, which was to: create the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.
Doing the preliminary task allowed us obtain basic skills and understanding of how to use the equipment we would be using in the main task, for example the camcorder and 'Final Cut express'. However, proceeding with the main task gave us more of an understanding of how it worked and allowed to develop our skills on how to use it correctly.
However, we did not use any different methods between the two tasks.
Our preliminary task was: A continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. We then had to use this to create the main task, which was to: create the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.
Doing the preliminary task allowed us obtain basic skills and understanding of how to use the equipment we would be using in the main task, for example the camcorder and 'Final Cut express'. However, proceeding with the main task gave us more of an understanding of how it worked and allowed to develop our skills on how to use it correctly.
However, we did not use any different methods between the two tasks.
Evaluation Question 6
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Whilst creating this product we have used many different technologies during the process. One of the first technologies we used was 'Celtx'. This software allowed us to create a script to a professional standard, containing all key elements to use to make the script easy to follow and understand.
An additional piece of software that was used was blogger. This has been a main technology as it has allowed us to log all the work we have produced into one place. It also allowed us to see what other members of the group have done.
We also used 'Final Cut Express' to edit together all the footage we filmed and insert effects such as text and fade in and outs during the title sequence. In personal opinion, this software was not the easiest to use, however through practice it became easier to understand.
We also used hardware to produce our media product. One example of this is the 'Panosonic HD Camcorder'. We used this to do all the filming we needed for the film clip and also the preliminary exercises that was asked to do. In relation to handling, the camera was small therefore easy to port during filming. Its wireless feature also became useful as it allowed us to film outdoors and away from any electrical sockets. The camcorder was also of high quality. However, the camera is very temperamental, therefore causing us to lose a large proportion of work in which we had to re-film in our own time. We also used a tripod to stand the camera on during certain parts of filming to ensure that the footage was still.
A third piece of hardware that we used was the 'Zoom Recorder'. We used this to record a realist sound of the girl getting hit with the hammer. This, like the camera, was very easy to use and
transport.
Whilst creating this product we have used many different technologies during the process. One of the first technologies we used was 'Celtx'. This software allowed us to create a script to a professional standard, containing all key elements to use to make the script easy to follow and understand.
An additional piece of software that was used was blogger. This has been a main technology as it has allowed us to log all the work we have produced into one place. It also allowed us to see what other members of the group have done.
We also used 'Final Cut Express' to edit together all the footage we filmed and insert effects such as text and fade in and outs during the title sequence. In personal opinion, this software was not the easiest to use, however through practice it became easier to understand.
We also used hardware to produce our media product. One example of this is the 'Panosonic HD Camcorder'. We used this to do all the filming we needed for the film clip and also the preliminary exercises that was asked to do. In relation to handling, the camera was small therefore easy to port during filming. Its wireless feature also became useful as it allowed us to film outdoors and away from any electrical sockets. The camcorder was also of high quality. However, the camera is very temperamental, therefore causing us to lose a large proportion of work in which we had to re-film in our own time. We also used a tripod to stand the camera on during certain parts of filming to ensure that the footage was still.
A third piece of hardware that we used was the 'Zoom Recorder'. We used this to record a realist sound of the girl getting hit with the hammer. This, like the camera, was very easy to use and
transport.
Evaluation Question 3
What kind of media institution might distribute your media and why?
We decided that Hammer would be the media institution that would distribute our film. We chose Hammer as it is synonymous with horror, after defining the genre in Britain with classics such as 'Dracula', 'The Curse of Frankenstein' and 'The Mummy', even though only a third of its movies were Horror. Hammer is also one of the oldest film companies in the world being established in 1934.
However, even though the film company has developed successful films such as 'Women in Black' and 'The Shawshank Redemption', it is only a small institution. Therefore the budget to make our film would not be that large. This means that the quality of the film may not be as good as higher quality cameras couldn't be afforded and the budget for distribution would also be smaller, meaning the film would not be shown in as many cinemas.
We decided that Hammer would be the media institution that would distribute our film. We chose Hammer as it is synonymous with horror, after defining the genre in Britain with classics such as 'Dracula', 'The Curse of Frankenstein' and 'The Mummy', even though only a third of its movies were Horror. Hammer is also one of the oldest film companies in the world being established in 1934.
However, even though the film company has developed successful films such as 'Women in Black' and 'The Shawshank Redemption', it is only a small institution. Therefore the budget to make our film would not be that large. This means that the quality of the film may not be as good as higher quality cameras couldn't be afforded and the budget for distribution would also be smaller, meaning the film would not be shown in as many cinemas.
Evaluation Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
To establish the plot of our film, as a group we decided which genre of film we would all prefer to do. After an easy decision to do a horror/ thriller film, we all wrote a brief story line containing three characters where one would murder the other. Later, we concluded that our final plot would be the best to use as it would be the easiest to film whilst including a non - linear set and flashbacks.
The genre to our film is horror/thriller/crime. To do this we used obvious, stereotypical scenes that would occur during these genres of films for example, the murder in the kitchen portrays the horror and crime, whilst the wood scene resembles the thriller.
During the clip, we used a variety of camera angles and shot movements and positions. For example, during conversations, shot reverse shot was using to show the two characters having the conversation and their facial expressions towards one another. We also used close ups and extreme close ups to represent the same point. Establishing shots were used to set the scene and to show characters that were involved in each scene and their clothing. Hand held camera movements were also used during the wood setting to create a shaky effect to create tension and convey fear as the girl is stalked through the wood. Fast pace editing was used during this scene to again portray the fear of the girl as she is walking through the wood. We edited in a sound clip we found to add more suspense to this scene. We also used other sound examples such as sound effects, when the girl is hit over the head with the hammer, which was recorded using a zoom recorder, dialogue which is frequently used throughout the film and another sound clip edited in for the title sequence.
For the mise-en-scene, we were very stereotypical to what each character would wear, for example dressing the mother in typical chavy clothes: joggers, trainers and a tracksuit jacket, whilst dressing the two girls in typical teenage clothing: jeans, jumper, coat. We dressed the murderer in dark clothing to create a mytersious and sinister look and always wearing a hood so their identy is never revealed.
For the fonts during the title sequence we used a bold font type and colour to make it look more intimidating. We also lined the text with red to link it back to the murder to convey blood and danger.
To establish the plot of our film, as a group we decided which genre of film we would all prefer to do. After an easy decision to do a horror/ thriller film, we all wrote a brief story line containing three characters where one would murder the other. Later, we concluded that our final plot would be the best to use as it would be the easiest to film whilst including a non - linear set and flashbacks.
The genre to our film is horror/thriller/crime. To do this we used obvious, stereotypical scenes that would occur during these genres of films for example, the murder in the kitchen portrays the horror and crime, whilst the wood scene resembles the thriller.
During the clip, we used a variety of camera angles and shot movements and positions. For example, during conversations, shot reverse shot was using to show the two characters having the conversation and their facial expressions towards one another. We also used close ups and extreme close ups to represent the same point. Establishing shots were used to set the scene and to show characters that were involved in each scene and their clothing. Hand held camera movements were also used during the wood setting to create a shaky effect to create tension and convey fear as the girl is stalked through the wood. Fast pace editing was used during this scene to again portray the fear of the girl as she is walking through the wood. We edited in a sound clip we found to add more suspense to this scene. We also used other sound examples such as sound effects, when the girl is hit over the head with the hammer, which was recorded using a zoom recorder, dialogue which is frequently used throughout the film and another sound clip edited in for the title sequence.
For the mise-en-scene, we were very stereotypical to what each character would wear, for example dressing the mother in typical chavy clothes: joggers, trainers and a tracksuit jacket, whilst dressing the two girls in typical teenage clothing: jeans, jumper, coat. We dressed the murderer in dark clothing to create a mytersious and sinister look and always wearing a hood so their identy is never revealed.
For the fonts during the title sequence we used a bold font type and colour to make it look more intimidating. We also lined the text with red to link it back to the murder to convey blood and danger.
Evaluation question.
1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
In order to establish a plot we
discussed within our group ideas that we liked and the type of films which we
ourselves enjoyed watching, we all agreed that the most interesting plots
within a film were murder and suspense plot, so this is how we came to the
decision of a suspense film with a violent murder. We decided we would use a
non-linear set out for our film and use flashbacks; we did this to keep the
audience interested and to stop the film becoming boring. Our genre for this
film is crime/thriller, this was obvious in two scenes of the film; when the
main character is being stalked through the woods, this shows the thriller
genre, and then in the kitchen scene, when the main character is violently
murdered, the crime genre is clear. We used a variety of shots, camera angles
and shot movement throughout our film, for example we used shot reverse shot
during conversations to show the characters facial expressions, we also used
hand held shot movement in order to make the shot appear shaky, and represent
tension and fear. Also we used close ups and long shots; close ups to show the
intensity of characters facial expressions, and the long shots to show the
characters clothing and stance.
Another thing we did, was fast paced
editing, fast past editing when the main character is walking down a road to
her house, this is done to represent tension and urgency, and then for the rest
of the film we edited at a normal pace to portray normality. We used both,
music, sound effects and then just dialogue throughout our film. We used music
in the title sequence and then the walking through the wood scene, the music
suited the title sequences as it matched the sinister montage of images, and
the music matched the wood scene as it created intense suspense and fear; also
we used a thudding sound effect for the hammer hitting the girl in the last
scene to intensify the attack and make it more realistic. Also throughout the
film dialogue was used to give an audience an understanding of what was
happening and, then we used the sound (silence) to create tension. Another part
of our film is mise-en-scene, in our film the mother character was dressed up
tacky and “chavy” to further portray her character as a bad mother who cares
for nothing, then the murderer was dressed in dark clothes and a hood to
conceal their character and make them appear dark, sinister and mysterious, and
finally the main character/ murdered girl is dressed in normal clothing to
represent she is just a normal person. Finally there is the importance of typography,
this is the text used in our opening sequence/title sequence; we used sinister
font style and red text to imply it was linked to danger and blood.
2 How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Firstly in our films we had no male characters, only female,
this is unusual as normally all films involve male characters, and usually the
male character takes the lead for example in the film dark knight rises, the
main lead Batman is a male, and the second lead Joker who is played by Heath
Ledger is also a male, however within our film the lead was a female. This is going against the stereotype of men being the
dominating gender. Within our film the murderer is a female, when usually the stereotype is that
the male takes the lead and usually the man is the one committing violent
crimes and murders. In order to represent that the main character which was
female, we used intense music when they were on scene to create intensity and
represent that they are a important character and that they represent danger,
we used contrapuntal sound to set the mood of the scene, and represent a
sinister scary mood, and to represent that there was something scary and
sinister about to happen. Also the use of the editing technique jump cuts,
represents that the character following in the background is suspicious due to
them being hidden, and the jump cuts don’t follow real time and aren’t natural
like the suspicious character.
Also within our film
we portrayed a particular type/style of person a “chav” through the use of
mise-en-scene, we made them dress in the stereotype way of a chav, joggers,
hooded jacket, which is typical of a chav character as they are portrayed to
lack money so cant afford nice posh clothing, just cheap gym wear, and then their
hair and makeup, we gave the greasy untidy hair which represented that they
don’t care for their appearance or the lack the money to care for themselves
finally we made them wear a lot of dark makeup to further portray that they are
a chavy character.
Hammer is a media
institution which might distribute our film due to the similar style of their
films to the one we have made. Hammer has made films like Woman in black and Let
me in, which are both thriller and suspense films like our film “revenge”. If
our film was distributed by a large company like Warner or Paramount, then they
would have a budget within the millions, enabling them to distribute it through
events, creating posters and character posters, red carpets events and also
trailers to be distributed online and on the internet, however due to us only
been able to distribute our film on free sites and other ways which are free,
for example posting it onto social media sites, youtube, blogger and then share
it with friends. If companies like Hammer and Warner had distributed our then
the style and content would have been very different; these companies would
have have had a larger budget to make the films more exciting, and a more
interesting things, happen like better stunts and settings, compared to our
settings. A film similar to ours would be the film Let me in by hammer, this
film is a horror/crime film, and it is about a young boy of 12, seeking revenge
from the people who torment him. This film is a 15 certificate which is similar
to ours as we rated ours either 12A or 15, also the audience of our film is
similar as we would expect 15-35 year olds to watch our film, therefore making
both films similar.
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