Evaluation - New Media Technologies

How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Web 2.0 Has helped a great deal with the research, planning and evaluation stages of our project. For the research and planning stage of our production it was easy to establish who our target audience where by simply accessing Internet with sites such as YouTube, this also helped us to watch existing media texts and understand what short films where about and how to create a effective one. Using the Internet we where also able to gather feedback from our audience, using this information we could see what they liked and disliked about our film. This was shown when we produced our first film draft and neither me or my partner where happy with the film so we diced to gather information from feedback to see what our audience thought of the film, we could see that they where not happy with the outcome so we decided to change the way the film run. Using YouTube we created a new storyboard from shot types that already existed in current media texts, this was the most effective way to make sure the shot types worked and to achieve great shots. The Internet helped the research and planning stage greatly due to the lack of information the group had at the start to our end final idea for our film.

When editing our final film we used Final Cut Pro 7, this is the most up to date editing software that is available and is of the highest standard to what professional editors use, using this software enabled us to preciously cut the clips so the math on action shots and the continuity was no broken throughout the entire film. It also allowed us to slow clips down to make them more intense and made the short film flow better. Using the YouTube in our editing stage allowed us to look up Run Throughs so if we did not know how to do something we could simply teach ourselves. Using Photoshop CS5 to create our ancillary tasks allowed us to use specific techniques to get the best outcome for our film posters and film review. Using CS5 we where able to create great clarity with our poster and could create effects to fit the genre and conventions.

To present all of our work we used blogs so that we could experiment with all the technologies of the Internet and exploit them in out blogs, using sites such as Scribd to upload Power points and Word documents entitled us to present our work more effectively and interactive on our blogs. Google Docs also helped throughout or production with questionnaires and feedback. Our Facebook page and our Production Blog where also a great help to show our audience our work stage by stage and for them to follows us along the way and to give feedback.

Evaluation - Audience Feedback

What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Using Web 2.0 has allowed us to collect data from a wide range of people quickly and effectively, instead of using questionnaires and interviews which are very traditional we decided to incorporate the web and questionnaires. By using Google Docs you can simply create forms that act as questionnaires and post them on blogs and websites for people to use. Our questionnaire is available here Target Audience Questionnaire using Google docs when you have enough feedback all of the answers simply appear in a spreadsheet which can then be exported into graphs and tables.

As our target audience are of the ages between 16- 20 this allows for a wide range of people to give us feedback but this is the main age that has access to the Internet and use it on a daily bases via smart phones and computers. Facebook is the next major part of the Internet that our target audience use, Facebook being a social networking site allows for millions of people to see who you are and what you do, our group set up a Facebook page for Walking Frame Productions so we could upload step by step of our production stage and then ask for feedback on the way. We posted our video on Facebook and also linked this to YouTube for viewers to watch and comment for free, posting the target audience questionnaire on Facebook also allows for a wider range of people to see it and fill out.

The feedback that we have received is all positive and that people really like out film, what i really like is how people have decoded out production in many different ways from ex friends, to lovers in the street and also to extremes of a person being dying and the male character imaging what it was like to have her around. The fact that we are getting the reception from people shows that our films starts to ask questions for the audience and makes them think about what is happening which is exactly the response that we wanted.

When getting feedback from our audience for our first draft production we established that the edits that where put into place did not run fluently and the audience did not understand what was happening in each shot. The audience said that they enjoyed the aspect of having a dream element to the film but it simply did not fit with the genre that was first established with the draft film. Gathering feedback from this final production has allowed us to see clearly that the audience enjoyed our film and they think it runs smoothly with perfect continuity editing allowing for the audience to be unaware that they are watching a film.

Evaluation - Effectiveness of the complete products.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

When looking at the three pieces to our final production there is a clear link between all three. The films shows the connection between two people and how they long to be together but don't have the time to commit to each other.

The film poster shows the connection between the two characters but does not give to much away to what happens in the film, i think this aspect is critical in the film poster as you want to draw an audience in to watch the film. The location for the film has been used throughout the poster and film showing a joint connection so the audience can relate to both of the pieces. with the poster being very subtle the audience can simply know if they will enjoy the film or not by establishing the genre from what they can see.

When looking at short films we can establish a genre to the fit the film I.e Romance, short films also have a genre of their own where the film follows a specific time time line, this is shows in a previous post 'Concluded research on short films' this identifies exactly what a short film contains.

The film is about love and longing so in the poster we had to show this as well as talk about the connection in the film review, we don't want to give to much away when presenting the film review and poster to the audience just a piece of bait for the audience to enjoy. The film review is a projection of how we would want the film to be portrayed and what type of magazine we would be looking to broadcast our film. The review is based on the film having a press release and how our audience would perceive the film.

Moment- Final Film

when looking at this you can see the clear link between all three of the final pieces.

Evaluation - Meeting and Challenging Codes and Conventions

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

Introduction

For our A2 Media studies we chose the brief to produce a Short film with a Film Review and Film Poster. All three would need to be linked to form the brand and for it to be recognisable as a Walking Frame Production. Each of our three pieces fit together very well and fit with the codes and conventions of real media texts and current short films. The main focus in our film is the two characters meeting and their individual dreams about what a possible relationship might look like. The storyline is designed to build suspense. The characters, in the ‘reality shots,’ do not reveal their potential true feelings for each other but, in the ‘dream shots,’ the magic and love is obvious.

We chose to not have any dialogue in the short film due to the strong shot types and emotion the story line is very clear and understandable without the dialogue. Our film fits the codes and conventions of a Romance/hybrid short film with the main aspect being a romance. looking here will allow you to see the codes and conventions of a short film, Short Film Conventions. Here are a few of the shots that we used in our short film to show the emotion between the couple.

Shot Types

We began the film by looking at existing media texts to get some ideas for our shot types, CLICKING HERE will demonstrate this. In this we have chosen shot types that will fit our genre and have found specific shots that work well to draw the attention to both characters as there is no real definition as to who is the main character. We have mixed up the shots so the shots do not become boring and repetitive, we have used long shots to show the connection between the two character as they get closer and then have drawn the camera into their faces so the audience can see the emotion, this is typical for romance films to draw the audience in so it is clear that a relationship is growing. In our film we tried to capture the connection the characters have when they cross each others paths so we slowed the shots down to 50 percent. This technique demonstrates, to the audience, the idea of time literally slowing down and reinforces the romance.

When looking at shot types the key with them is to either withhold or release information to the audience. The shot types below show the key shots that show how information is released to keep the audience in suspense. The key is to not give to much away, the first shot is of the girls face but not showing any emotion this allows for the audience to notice that she is a woman but not to what she is doing. The next two shots is of the moment that both of the characters meet, in these shots lots of information is released showing that there is an immediate connection between the too people.

When looking at the edits that we have created you can see the connection between the two characters. You can also see how the information is hidden in the first shot where the characters face is hidden and you can just see the profile but when the connection between the two characters is established you can see the immediate look in their eyes.

The shots really relate to the genre and the codes that relate to Romance.

with these shots we have created good continuity editing allowing for the audience to feel part of the film and to not realise that they are watching a film but watching a real life event.

Narrative

We have really challenged the conventions of our genre in the dream parts of the short film. Each character has a dream about how their relationship could unfold and what it could be. None of the films we looked at took this approach, in most of the films the people are already in a relationship or the storyline is working up to them being in a relationship. The twist on our films adds to the magic of the love between the two characters, as you can see in the screen shots the dream side of the films fits very well with the romance genre.

In our first film we decided to film in two parts; a dream world and a reality world. We knew we wanted to stick with a dream element to our film as it draws the audience in and does not have to necessarily make sense or follow a specific route all it had to be is relevant to the subject. With the dream aspect incorporated into our short film the audience can take a break from wondering what is happening to get a clean understanding that these two people have a connection.

In the following few shots you see the couple return to reality and begin to wonder if they should stop and make something of what they have just imagined.
We wanted to generate a feeling of hope in the audience. It is typical in the genre we are targeting and the audience thrive off this. When the female character turns to look at the male character you can clearly see he is hesitant on whether to turn just in case she doesn't feel the same way. Finally he turns and the audience feel that something will happen between the couple but then are quickly shown the shot of the female character giving up and carrying on with her journey.


Ancillary Tasks

For our ancillary tasks I feel we met the codes and conventions of well known posters but also tried to use the theme of a very British standard film.




When looking at existing media such as the film poster for a British made film "Fish Tank" you can see that the fonts are clear and bold so as to make the poster look very appealing, the guerrilla style to the film is also related in the poster this keeps in with the theme of the film. We took this into consideration when producing our film poster but also wanted to add a Hollywood style blockbuster film poster to fit our genre of romance, we looked at existing posters earlier on in our research, Ancillary task research, here you can see other film posters we have related our work to.

when looking at our final film poster I think you can really see how we incorporated the British low budget made film poster but also the common link between the two characters that is shown in many romantic blockbuster films. we chose the title Split Differences to begin with and as a team we thought the name really reflected what happens in the film and how two people are completely different, when showing a few people the poster and allowing them to watch the film they did not really understand why the film was named Split Differences, after this feedback we decided to name it "Moment" we knew this was a more secure name because of the moment that happens between the two actors.

When looking at both of the posters in comparison I think they link really well with each other and the conventions have been met due to the simplicity of the fonts but also with the blockbuster style connection between the two actors.

When looking at existing film reviews we noticed that the colours are very bold we also noticed that the use of lines and intense detail where taken in the layout making it look professional. we decided to use columns instead of rows as when looking at existing media we found this was a reoccurring theme that was used. We used the title Shorts Reviews due to the fact we felt that it matched the criteria that we want to show to the audience.

Audience Feedback

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dG9BSWszNnVmZkdOVmJqeWtJbHVSd3c6MQ

Film Review

When producing this film review we looked at an existing film review magazine and took inspiration from them, the straight clean cut edges of all of our paragraphs make the review look very professional. We used the same colours in our poster so the brand is recognised and also the LOGO of our production.

Film Poster

Our film poster follows the conventional themes of our genre, the colours and text have been made to draw your eye in and focus on the emotion between the two characters. Our title is produced in Bold and in a bright colour so it stands out from the background, the poster really relates to independent film poster as we thought this would be most relevant.

Moment

Copyright letter

Dear Copyright Holder

I am an A level student and I am writing this letter to ask for permission to use a song for my short film which I will be creating for my practical work in media studies. The song that I will be using is bubbly by Colbie Caillat.

If I am able to gain your permission to use this track in my project I can assure you that it will only be shown to my media class, my teachers and the examination board. After my project is complete it will not be released to large audiences and will not be placed onto any short film websites for people to watch.

Yours Faithfully, Charley Millard and George Mattock

Ancillary Drafts

We have created a draft for each part of the ancillary task, we have used the same colours in each, this is to carry our brand and make it recognisable. As these are drafts its very basic and contain only ideas for our final pieces

Location Shoot

We took a few pictures of our location so we can understand where we will be filming and what equipment we will need for the day and can take into consideration the environment around us.

Shoot schedule

So we can understand where to shoot on each day and where we will be filming i have produced a shooting plan as a guide for both me and my partner to use.

Friday 11th February 2011

This is our first day of filming, in this day we will be filming on our school premises on the bottom field, we plan to get a full run through of our sequences so we can return to the editing machines and begin to place together our footage so we can get a feel for what our final production will look like. We will be using both of our actors in our filming this day and will be in costume as we have established.

Friday 18th February 2011

our second day of filming will take place on the following friday this is because we are planning on shooting in Weston Super-Mare for our relationship shots and still shots. we plan on using the shots that we have planned on using previously we will take these shot ideas with us so we can understand the shots and get the filming done quickly and efficiently.

Costume Plan

Costumeplan

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Allocation Roles

When it comes to allocation roles for our A2 coursework we both have decided to take individual roles, we feel that if we split all of our task up then we have a better change of producing something of better quality as we each have individual strengths.

For the Main production

George Mattock

• Location shoots
• Editing
• Producing
• Mis en scene

Charley Millard

• Costumes
• Sound
• Camera
• Director

For our Ancillary Task

George Mattock

• Graphics and for both the poster and the film review
• Photoshop for the images

Charley Millard

• Photography for the poster and film review
• writing up the film review

Picture Scene Analysis

In our final production we will have a still shots present in our film, the still shots show the emotion and thoughts of both the boy and the girl. So we know what to take pictures of we have produced a plan to show what still images will relate to each of our actors.

For the Male part of the still shots we will show

• Walking in the park
• Sittin on a bench
• Argument in the lounge
• Eating fish and chips at the beach

For the Female part of the still shots we will show

• Super market shopping
• In the sea paddling
• Drawing a heart in the sand
• Eating candy-floss and ice cream in face.

we believe that these shots typically represent a couple in a relationship and the thought that would be apparent in their mind when thinking about each other and their life together.

Our Production Practice.

After looking at the 'Now' short film me and my partner decided to try and do our own version to see how the shots fit together and how we can show emotion through certain shot types.
This is just a rough cut.

Short film analysis

Short Film - Now, Shot analysis

Short Film Now

When looking at the short film 'Now' the shots work really well with each other and the narrative is very clear throughout the whole film. The two actors are introduced very early in the film and they are the two main characters that are present, when we produce our short film our work will have to be similar to this and consist of the same elements. The main element me and my partner liked about the film is the narrative dream that is told in picture form, its a very quick and easy was to see what each character is thinking in their head.

Ancillary task research

Ancillary Task

Hand in dates!

These are the final hand in dates of my blog production and final production pieces, i have produced this timeline so i can clearly see when a date is becoming close and it will enable me to be prepared for the hand in.

'In Your Dreams' Test Film

Genre Concept Question.

• How useful is the concept of genre in understanding your work?
  genre plays a big part in how we view films, when we read about a film or see a trailer well immediately without knowing being to disciple the text and pick a genre from previous films that we have watched. Horror genre is a particularly good example as when someone describes a film to be of this genre e automatically think about death and horrible things that could happen we even think of previous things we have watched. I think that when i am producing work or researching the work i think about the genre alot comparing shot types, how the actor is dressed and how they will come across to the audience. We chose the genre horror for our foundation portfolio and we immediately began to think of the plot line and what things we associate with the Genre. i believe that if we did not have genre then films would be hard to disciple and you may not understand them as much as you anticipated as certain things you take for granted when watching a specific genre. As Richard Maltby and Ian Craven said ' The success of Hollywood is reliant on the combination of predictable elements with the variation' meaning that we expect things to happen in a certain order so this is what should happen.
  

• How can genre be used to understand music videos and how is this different to genre in films?
  Genre is in everything that we see, music videos only have small differences to that of films. Music videos could possibly be taken in the same category as a short film being that the characters in the video are outlined very quickly and the story has a beginning middle and end very quickly you can understand what happens. Some music videos could be seen as hybrids but when you look at a music video you feel there is a story behind the video and a specific genre can be given to it just like a film.
  

• How is your production conventional of the genre?
  Our foundation portfolio was to produce a film opening of a horror film, i think we stuck to the generic conventions very well but also challenged some conventions to make the opening very exciting and set you up for what the film will contain. We used lots of close ups when bad things where happening so this immediately make you feel scared as you are seeing short flicks flashes of a persons face with blood running down their face and shadows. this follows the generic conventions of horror by getting the audience interested in what is happening. We used very long establishing shots when we produced a running scene so that you can see the actor running and their surrounding, i think this is following the conventions as you get to see how the character is reaction to his/her environment so therefore a connection is made between the audience and character so you automatically feel scared from them.
  

• How is genre useful to you as a produce and useful to the audience?
  I feel that genre is very crucial for a film to contain as when producing a film you think about how you are going to make it follow specific conventions when it comes to shot types, mi's en scene, props, costume, make-up, all the things that are included in a production you are comparing this to a specific genre. An audience only watch a film if they believe that they will be getting something out of it, in my case it would be to feel scared and to feel rush without having to be in physical action this is why genre is very important as an audience judge a film on how well they think it complied with what they believe is the genre so with horror we have to include a killing and a villain if we did not have theses then the audience would not be able to understand what is happening and would be confused on the specific genre.
  

• How could you use the theorists to discuss genre and understanding your production?
  using the theorists backs up the convetions that we have complied with in our production, Rick Altma sttes ' Genre theory presumes that viewers pre read text' this helps us when we procude as we know that viewers will be looking for specific convetions so therefore to comply with what the audience want we will be provising them with something that will make sense and they will understand.
  

• Genres change and evolve, how is your production using/ developing the genre?
  Horror is a classic genre that has been constantly upgraded but also kept very simular. The things that has changed over the years is the technology that is used to produce the film so the CGI and cameras are alot better so therefor we fell that things are more real but when we talk to people who are older and rember horror when it was first eastblished they will have a differet opinion to use but they will still be abl to identify the specific conetions of 'Horror'.