Evaluation - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The Preliminary task was an important part of my coursework task, it was the first piece of real practise at using the camera and tripods and computer software. I evaluated myself after doing my Swede and I pointed out to myself a few things I would need to improve on next time for my main coursework piece, these were

• Spend more time planning.

• Look out for little problems in the editing such as continuity errors.

• Don't rush the filming

This was my swede this was the first piece of filming i did for the project.



Then i made my preliminary task



Then this was my first final cut



And this was my second final cut from my winter submission







From what I learnt after doing my Swede I realised that when it came to my final product I would need to put a lot more care and effort into producing the final product. So throughout the coursework task I have learnt new and better ways of editing together my footage and off planning my shots. Though even after the entire practise I have had up to my final piece I have hit a few hitches.

One for example is that a few shots and titles that I have used in my final cut were filmed on the day of the deadline. This was down to poor planning and in the end to me seems very rushed. Though none of my feedback picks up on this.

Lastly another problem I picked up on in my final cut was some continuity errors. I originally hoped to iron all these out of my final cut but a few sneaked in. I have shown them all and talked about them in the brief video below.

 

(My final cut I have made some mistakes, in this case I left some audio on the movie project page on IMovie that I thought I deleted from a previous video. This has led to about a minute and a half in the video of a blank screen and some very quiet audio at the end.)

From the prelim task to my final product I have also learnt how the industry create their own products, and I have taken into account their methods, Overall I feel like my knowledge of what is needed to make a decent production has widened and I now have a better understanding of the filming and editing process in the industry.

After deciding to resubmit my film opening i learnt a lot about planning a media product and what is needed to make it a real life. I learnt the value of planning and giving yourself plenty of time for filming.
I planned to start filming a month before the deadline but because of bad weather condition a mixture of problems occur such as school closing, not being able to travel to film due to blocked roads and bad driving conditions and my actors not being able to meet me. In the end i had to rush filming with a week till the deadline. Luckily i had decided to write out call sheets this time which i didn't do previously, this made my filming a lot more simple and a little less stress full. I also learnt the value of knowing exactly what shots i want to film before the shooting process as 3 times i had to re shoot bits due to me rushing my ideas.
   I good idea i did the second time i submitted the film opening was i wrote out different ideas for parts of the opening and filmed all the different bits. So instead of being restricted to one idea during the editing process i had different ideas to work with. Below are two different edits of my opening i produced with two completely different endings. This really helped by giving me greater creative freedom because i wasn't restricted to one idea during editing.





One thing i learnt from my swede which became a useful experience for my second final cut was the art of fitting music around whats on screen, with the swede the music was perfectly match to the onscreen actions. During my second submission i decided to add extra music so the music's timing had to be perfect.

A problem i encountered though during my swede which i haven't learnt from through the entire process is the ambient sound that is recorded on the camera of the camera whirling. I learnt the only way to get rid of it was to film with a boom mike, but throughout the project i never did.



Throughout the process my skill using a camera and tripod has changed and become more creative, at first i just knew how to set up a tripod and put a camera on top to film but now i have learnt how to change camera settings, be more creative with my shots and in a few shots learnt how to modify the lighting in the setting and change the scenery to change the quality of the footage on screen.

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

During the course of constructing my media product i have used a lot of different technologies to engage with the 3 parts of film making.

1. Pre production
2. Production
3. Post production

The main one being IMovie, this editing program has given me the ability to edit my footage in hundreds of different ways to create what is now my opening. IMovie has the option to import movie files and cut them up, add sound remove sound, add effects, add transitions and titles and export these movies as different files. By using this piece of computer technology I have been able to polish my opening. I then used a program called iDVD; this gave me the option to add a menu to my film and burn the film onto a disk.

This video is a small video I put together to show how i added sound to my production titles using the program IMovie.

Another one of the main technologies I used is a web based program called Blogger. This program enables me to neatly present all my coursework by uploading and embedding videos, pictures, audio and text. It was a handy program because I could access it anywhere with an internet connection so they were no problems with leaving my work at home. Using blogger i also managed to create two promotional blogs, one to create hype for my movie and another as a promotional blog for my main promotional blog.

They are a few other website based technologies that I used during the course of my coursework task. Two of them were very small but extremely helpful. Scribd.com and Divshare.com. Both of these technologies have enabled me to upload important pieces of work. In scribd.com case it is documents such as my screenplay. And in divshares case it is audio files. These programs have given me the option to upload files and embed them into blogger.

  

The last piece of computer technology that I am going to talk about that I used a lot in my coursework task is Youtube.com

This huge new media web program enables millions of people around the world to upload videos and watch other people’s videos and comment on them. I used YouTube to upload all my videos (30 of them) so that other people could watch them and comment on them and leave me feedback. I made a profile and channel which would house all my videos. I have them embedded my videos into blogger to show them on here.

 

YouTube is also a good program to show behind the scene videos from my media product, to create hype and get my audience interested. Below is one of the behind the scene videos I created and put on YouTube to create hype and interest.

Not all of the technologies that I learnt to use during the coursework task were software based; two of biggest pieces of equipment that I learnt to use were the Video cameras and Audio recorders that we used.

Canon MV920 Digital Camcorder (The link leads to a review of the product) - this camcorder was used to film my footage, the footage was then put onto IMovie. The camcorders were very easy to use and set up, they also led me to learn about another piece of technology that we had to use which is going out of date at the moment. And that is Dv tapes.

 



A DV tape



The last piece of technology that I learnt to use for my coursework was the audio recorder. This could of been used to make podcasts, voice over’s and record music. I used it to record my own version of my soundtrack as well as multiple pod casts and some noises such as my shower turning on and off. (Though I didn’t use it in the end.)

This is one of the podcasts I made using a voice recorder. Though I put the audio file onto movie maker and exported it as a video so I could upload to YouTube.

Overall I found that all these technologies were invaluable to my coursework task in producing my final cut and in making my blog posts attractive and full of videos and audio. I found that practically YouTube was a great help in showcasing my work to the masses and also I found that without the fact that IMovie was so simple, I would be nowhere.

Below is a vodcast i created during the production of my opening, in the podcast i talked about the different pieces of equipment i used and in it i talked about some equipment i used in my second submission of the film opening.

Evaluation - How did you attract/address your audience? Add video

I have attracted my audience by creating my production in a way that would appeal to a younger audience (15-25 which are predominantly the main age groups who are cinemagoers.) By using fast paced editing, teenage cast, references to teenage culture I have been able to draw in and address my selected audience.


The fast paced editing keeps the younger audiences interested, if a youth audience watched a film such as Alfred Hitchcock's Rope in which the shot takes last up to 10minutes long, they would get bored due to the slow paced editing and long takes. In my film the shot takes last on average around 3 seconds long each, This keeps the audience intrested. The narrative of my production will appeal to my audience very well as it is addressing issues that are relevant to themselves and that they can relate too such as teenage relationships and school. As well as a teenage cast this will continue to be relevant to the audience. If an older cast played the part of teenagers it wouldn’t fit and the target audience would go up.

Teenage Relationships

Lastly the music used is well known in teenage culture at the moment which also continues to be relevant to a teenage market. Also the narrative in my opening keeps the audience interested because of the narrative enigma that is created in my movie opening.

The video below shows different ways i attracted and addressed my audience by annotated my final cut.

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

Teen Audience

The teen rom com genre tends to appeal to young audience from around 12-25, this is because of the teen issues such as relationships and school that a young audience can relate too, a older adult audience won't be able to relate to story and characters (As the characters will mainly all be teenagers) as much as a teen and in turn won't be able to engage with the story as much instead they watch a more adult oriented rom com such as Bridget Jones Diary (2001) which focuses on adult issues such as marriage and work. Some teen rom com's go into the cinema with a rating of 15 due to older themes which will stop a young audience from 12 to 14 from seeing the movie but i can imagine they will watch the movie once it is released onto DVD.

The audience for my media product won't be very varied, because it is a teen rom com based on UK teenage culture it will appeal to the 15-25 audience, though even know my film will include themes of drug taking, sexual activities and bad language I can imagine the audience could go as low as 12. Adults won't want to watch this film because of this. My film also contains teen culture music and fashion which won't appeal to the adult audience.

Teenage issue of underage drinking

The romantic side of the film appeals to females, while the comedy side appeals to male. This doesn’t mean though that males might not like the romantic side and visa versa. In my opening they are aspects of both genres therefore it should appeal to both genders. The use of an attractive busty female character also appeals to the males (male gaze theory). My film will also appeal more to a heterosexual audience due to my main characters all being heterosexuals. Though in my full film they would be a stereotypical homosexual character.

My film would also appeal to a multi ethnic audience, though it is not present in the opening because they is only 3 Caucasian actors. Because the film is set in and around school they will be plenty of characters from different ethnic backgrounds and this will help bring in a wider audience.

My film is intended to be easy to follow so the audience can relax and watch it so unlike other genres such as Psychological thrillers which draw in a more sophisticated, so it audience doesn't need to be particularly intelligent. Also because the setting of the film is in a working class to upper class setting (the town of Ilkley) the audience will most likely be under the NRS social grading BD. This means it will appeal to middle class and working class audience. The upper class is excluded from the NRS grading because currently only 2% of the population of the UK is classified as Upper class.
 

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

Now it would be great to have such distribution companies as United International Pictures as this is a great company for distributing around Europe and Asia ,Paramount to get around the UK and USA. As my distribution companies. But they wouldn't take my film on because these companies only tend to focus on the more major films.

            My film is a low budget movie (the budget is only £20 which mainly went towards paying for transport to my filming and for DV tapes) and features a northern British cast. This would mean that my movie wouldn't have any cross over appeal to the US. This is because most foreign audiences associate Britain with a London set and a strong southern accent. So due to this i wouldn't look towards a foreign distribution company.

        Rom Com's tend to get a theatrical release such as Love Actually (2003), But my media product is a Teen rom com, these often also get a theatrical release but usually only if the film contains big names in the cast (Such as Youth In Revolt 2009). Because my film stars unknown actors and isn't particular high budgeted and isn't set in a stereotypical British setting then chances are it will be a straight to DVD release (Mean Girls 2 - 2011, is a example of a teen rom com that went straight to DVD).

Therefore the perfect company to distribute my film would be Pathé Distribution

      Pathé focus on the more low-budget, independent films like my film "Not a Chance", Because it is a quite well known company as well it will know many of the advertising techniques needed for a successful film launch, the company also focus a lot on the UK which is where my film was film and produced. Examples of films that Pathé distributed are The Duchess (2008) and The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006).

Another media institution that would distribute my film would be Itunes, by having my indie movie on the iTunes marketplace, it gives the options for viewers to download my movie for a price and watch it off their computer screen. This would mean I wouldn’t need to have my movie transported around the country which would cost a lot. Though the second method would only be good if it was a straight to DVD release.


In terms of my course i have used YouTube.com to distribute my film, YouTube is a good way for young film makers to create hype and get their film seen.
As well as YouTube i entered my film opening into the Co-operative film festival and had it selected to be show in front of a large audience. This was a good way to create hype and market my film and in a way is a form of distribution to a wider audience. David Whitney's Kandahar Break was like my film (if it was released) a direct to DVD release but the film managed to create alot of hype because David sent the film to a film festival and won a award for the film.

Evaluation - How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product doesn't represent many different social groups. Because my film is a teenage rom com set mainly in a high school they are bound to be different ethnicity's. Though all three of my main characters are all Caucasian male and females who are all middle class. This does mean that all social groups will have some interest in the social setting. Though the main cast doesn’t create any appeal to other races.

In the UK, Teenager are portrayed by the Media as antisocial yobs. When the news y talk about the teenage generation of today they generally talk about illegal drinking and drug taking, violence acts and teenage pregnancy and anti social behaviour such as in this new's article.

My media product represent the teenage social group in a different way then from a adult media institution such as a news station. Instead the teenagers are portrayed from a view, they are portrayed from a teenagers view of teenage cultures, i did this because i believed that the get the most realistic idea of teenage culture you need to see it from a teenagers perspective and as i wrote the story and i am still a teenager i have been able to get the correct representation i wanted.

My film still does highlight stereotypes linked with teenagers that are shared by other media's such as relationship problems, drinking and drugs, Though this isn't all highlighted in my opening.




Youth Drinking

My film is set in the English county of Yorkshire, Yorkshire is stereotyped as being a region full of working class uneducated farmers,this is seen in a few TV and film productions based in Yorkshire such as daily soap opera Emmerdale which is based in a small Yorkshire village with a dominant selection of characters working in working class jobs such as factory workers and farmers, Heartbeat and This is England . This is England is based on a bunch of Jobless working class young adults.
          My film challenges this view of Yorkshire by setting my film in a school in a area of mixed social classes and a cast of mainly middle class characters. This will help widen my target audience as the film will appeal to different social classes.

Trailer for This is England showing the working class characters

My film wouldn't appeal very well to foreign markets because my film sticks to a much unknown regional accent. Most British films that have been famous abroad in the US and in Europe have had the famous London accent. And my media product sticks to a northern accent which wouldn’t be very successful in the cinema.

 

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

After extensively studying of the current conventions of real example's of media products I have learnt what is needed to use conventions and develop my own media product, My product is a teen rom com, and as this is a relatively new genre I have been able to follow it very well due to a good degree of knowledge in the genre.


My film follows the key idea of the majority of teenage rom coms with the plot focused around a attractive popular girl and the geeky boy who had nothing going for him and quite often a jock character. I followed these conventions by creating a story staring a Attractive female lead character who is dating a jock character and they is a geeky character who likes the girl but in the case of my film he is too scared to talk to her. I even hired actors who fitted the stereotypes seen in real media products. Apart from the actor of the jock, He was hired last minute due to some problems regarding filming so i wasn't able to find a stereotypical jock character to act in my opening.

The character "Edwin" in my film could be compared to the charater Nick (Played by Michael Cera) in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)

Promotional poster showing the 3 actors i cast for the parts.
From left to right
Edwin as the Geek, Anna as the attractive girl and nick as the Jock

My film develops these codes and conventions by making the geek good looking, this makes my own product unique and if I went further then the opening would have opened up lots of opportunities of making my own version of the stereotypical "Teenage rom com". I also think I have moved into a market that hasn't been treaded in. In the Cinema they have been plenty of teenage rom coms come out of the US such as  Mean Girls 2004 and Youth In Revolt 2009 but the only decent examples of British rom coms are Bridget Jones Diary 2001 and Love Actually 2003. And all these rom coms use mainly adult casts and are set in southern Britain. My media product breaks into the UK teenage rom com market.


They are many examples of teenage TV programs that involve aspects of comedy and Romance such as hit TV show "Skins" and "The Inbetweeners". These TV shows may be the downfall of the teen rom com which is why a new variant of the teen rom com needs to be created to break into the market.

Teenage audience prefer openings that fast paced and contain issues and ideas that are relevant to them as well as contain references to up to date teenage cultures. This is why films such as "Youth in revolt" and TV drama "Skins" appeal so well to youth audiences. My film managed to use these conventions by addressing teenage issues and also by using current teenage culture in the opening. For instance the fashion and soundtrack used are very popular in current British youth culture.
For example the audio track below is the song "Do You Remember" By Jack Johnson, who is a popular current musical artist, It is the song i covered to use as part of the soundtrack for my opening.
Below is the Jack's version of the song and below that is some footage i took of my brother practising the song before i rerecorded it.