Media Evaluation
In this piece of writing I am going to evaluate my Media Product where our task was to create an opening of film, we had three genres to choose from which were Horror, Romantic Comedy and British Film. I decided to choose British Film for my genre as many of my film favourites are of this Genre for example Train spotting, Bronson and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, I like to think that these British films were a massive influence on my film.
In what ways does your media Product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In my film I would like to think that I have used the same forms and conventions as the 2009 British Biographical crime film Bronson. Although my film has no violence, the way the character is stuck in one very confined space and shows some worrying actions throughout is very similar. In the film Bronson he spends most of his time in solitary confinement and my character spends the majority of the film on the sofa with nobody but himself.
I feel as if I have used and challenged the film Bronson as the actor’s strange personalities are very similar in their odd ways. A lot of my ideas used in terms of editing, camera angles and shots and the choice of a red title at the end of the film are from the film Bronson so I have definitely used conventions from real media products, but I would like to think that I have developed from this and challenged Bronson in terms of the characters personality and use of shots.
In terms of the opening of the film I have not found a film that begins the same as mine, my film almost goes straight into the character whereas other British films build up to the character. The only other film I can compare my opening to is Trainspotting where it goes straight into the main character Ewan McGregor running down the street with him talking in the background.
Overall I feel as if I developed the form and conventions of real media products as I have not seen an opening of a film like mine, not only is the character an odd one but the opening starts with his hands and feet by doing this I am trying to show the audience how nervous he is, I thought this was a better way of showing this than facial expressions. `
How does your media product represent social groups?
My Media product represents a British man in the late 50’s this is shown in the costume that the character is wearing which includes a blue three piece suit a pair of black and white shows with a trilby hat. This was a very common look in the late 50’s; a good example of this is the Kray Twins who were notorious gangster celebrities from the East End of London in the late 50’s. This was such a common image back then, but rarely seen nowadays which is why I decided to set the theme of the film for back then. Not only does the character have this image but so does the pub where the filming took place. The taxidermy on the walls that are shown in the film e.g. fox, dear and boar and the chesterfield sofas really complete that old image and in my opinion sets a 50’s theme.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I would like my film to be distributed by a company that are known for releasing low budget British films such as Fox Searchlight Pictures. Fox Searchlight specialises in Independent and British Films. Films such as The Full Monty, Sexy Beast, Bend It like Beckham and 28 Days Later are perfect examples of low budget British films distributed by Fox Searchlight. Although these films still have a budget of up to six million this is seen as a very low budget in the film industry, this is because most of the money spent on the film would be for actors such as Robert Carlyle in Full Monty, Ray Winston and Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast and Keira Knightley in the 2002 Drama Bend It like Beckham. These films are very British in their story lines and where they are set for example Full Monty was set in Sheffield and 28 Days Later was set all over parts of London. All of these films were very low budget British Films but all of them tripled if not more on their gross revenue; this also shows the quality and hard work that is put into the films distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, and my point is backed up by how much money was made compared to how much money was put into the film. This is why I would like my film to be distributed by F ox Searchlight Pictures.
My reasons why I would like Fox Searchlight Pictures to distribute my film is because my film is very British in many ways including the costume and set just like the previous films I have mentioned. My film would also be of a very low budget especially as it is set in a pub and only requires one actor.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
I think the audience for my Media product would vary to young and elderly this is because all though I am aiming it at teenagers, an older generation might be able to appreciate the image that I have tried to create. The use of the Elvis track ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ who was also a very big part of the 50’s generation could appeal to an older audience.
How did you attract/address your audience?
I feel that I attracted my audience by showing the character very early on, and as he is in hysterics this would make the audience wonder why and want to watch on. I wanted to make my opening of the film as entertaining as possible and I feel by showing the character performing odd actions I have achieved this. I think by showing the odd movements of the characters foot and hand would make any audience want to watch on because they would like to know why he is doing these things and what is going to happen next. I decided to show the movements of the characters hands and feet because it is a different way of showing his emotions instead of facial expressions. I think that my audience would be highly entertained by the strange actions of the character and would be intrigued to see what he does next. I don’t believe that many people could relate to my film but im sure my audience would be entertained by the characters obsession with Elvis Presley and odd actions throughout.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have personally learnt a lot from the latest technologies while creating my media product. Although my film is very basic editing I learnt a lot in terms of how to cut a film clip into pieces and then into any order you could possibly want. After learning the basics of a hand held camera and using this in my preliminary task, I luckily was able to use a more advanced camera for my final product which was simply for one reason to improve the film quality. By using a less advanced camera for my Preliminary task helped me to use a more advanced camera for my final task. This was the same for the editing process; I had more knowledge of using the IMacs for my main task because of using the programme IMovie for my Preliminary task that was simply cutting and dragging different clips and putting them all together although a lot of main task was this as well I had to include titles, a split screen and more complicated shots.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I enjoyed the preliminary task because it allowed me to get the feel for the camera and what you are capable of doing both behind the camera and the editing process. Even though the Preliminary task was a lot simpler and much quicker to complete it prepared me for my main task which was definitely a big help. Not only was it a chance for me to understand the camera and the programme IMovie on the IMacs, I received feedback on what to do and what not to do which was a big help when it came to the main task. My preliminary task was the first time I had used the editing programme IMovie. While editing my Preliminary task I learnt a lot about the programme IMovie especially the simplest of things like cutting a shot and putting in sound effects. As the Preliminary task did not take very long to complete I was able to give myself a better understanding of the basics of editing, this then made my editing process for my main task a lot simpler and allowed me more time for the more complicated options of editing for example the split screen that I used in my film. I think it is quite clear to see that there is a big improvement from my preliminary task to my main task, I used and tried a lot more complicated shots, I learnt how to come in and out of focus from one object to another.
Friday, 7 May 2010
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Script
My film will be set in the Victoria Pub on Grove Road Mile End East London. The one and only actor that I am using in my film Is Alfred Charles Vincent Smith who is 23 years of age. The film is set in the past, mainly aimed at the 50’s as the Victoria Pub has a very traditional old look to it.
The costume that Alfred is wearing is also a very 50’s as he is wearing a blue three piece suit, including a waist coat a red shirt with a grey tie and a grey trilby followed by the smart black and white shoes. The reason for this is because the costume suits the environment and atmosphere that the character is in, and Elvis was at his peak of his career during the late 50’s with acting and his Rock and Roll music.
My film will start of with my one and only character Alfred sitting on a traditional Chesterfield sofa, the opening shot will be a mid shot with the character cracking up in laughter as if he has just seen or heard something very funny at the same time though Alfred looks as if he has another side to him, and is mentally insane. At one point in the film I would like Alfred to talk to himself, but I am aware that this is possible through editing a split screen; I hope to be able to achieve this in my film. As I said before it is a very Traditional East End Pub and inside it has a lot of Taxidermy, I have decided that I am going to use the taxidermy varying my shots from extreme close ups to long shots, by doing this It gives the audience the impression that the man is being watched by the stuffed animals and could possibly be a reason why he is acting so strange. The animals that I am going to use are a fox, a deer and a bull. I am also going to include close up shots of Alfred’s hands rubbing against the sofa, this is to show that he is getting aggravated and stressed, this will then lead on to a shot of Alfred’s feet performing odd movements this is another way of showing the audience the man is nervous and very paranoid, a lot of these shots will be close ups as this shows the characters true feelings and emotions a lot clearer than if I was to try a Long shot. My main objective in the film is to show the man going through as many emotions as possible whether it is upset, happy, paranoid, scared or just very strange. While the man is going through these emotions very calm music will be used to bring the audience back to reality that the man is sitting in an everyday pub. Alfred is influenced and obsessed over Elvis Presley, he is distraught over the fact that Elvis was never able to perform over in the U.K. and therefore has lost his way and developed a second personality.
Opening Shot: Mid Shot of Alfred’s face showing him in hysterics
Costume: Blue three piece suit, red shirt, grey tie, grey trilby, black and white shoes
Second Shot: An extreme close up on taxidermy (bull)
Third Shot: Extreme close up on Alfred’s face laughing at the camera
Fourth Shot: A close up of Alfred’s feet, showing odd movements
Fifth Shot: A mid shot of Alfred sitting on chesterfield sofa acting worried and looking scared
Sixth Shot: An extreme close up of Taxidermy (deer)
Seventh Shot: A side on shot of Alfred sitting on the sofa with an Elvis Presley picture in the background going in and out of focus of Alfred and Elvis.
Eighth Shot: A close of Alfred’s hand rubbing against the sofa, this shows him getting aggravated and quite frustrated
Ninth Shot: A mid shot of Taxidermy (Fox)
Tenth Shot: An over the shoulder shot of Alfred looking towards the stage
Eleventh Shot: A panning Shot from Alfred’s face (Dialogue: I thought I was very good!) the whole way round to the stage Alfred up on the stage, and begins to dance and sing to Elvis Presley Don’t Be Cruel. I want to try and film this shot all in one take as I want it to look from an audiences point of view. The film will slowly fade out to the end of the song.
The costume that Alfred is wearing is also a very 50’s as he is wearing a blue three piece suit, including a waist coat a red shirt with a grey tie and a grey trilby followed by the smart black and white shoes. The reason for this is because the costume suits the environment and atmosphere that the character is in, and Elvis was at his peak of his career during the late 50’s with acting and his Rock and Roll music.
My film will start of with my one and only character Alfred sitting on a traditional Chesterfield sofa, the opening shot will be a mid shot with the character cracking up in laughter as if he has just seen or heard something very funny at the same time though Alfred looks as if he has another side to him, and is mentally insane. At one point in the film I would like Alfred to talk to himself, but I am aware that this is possible through editing a split screen; I hope to be able to achieve this in my film. As I said before it is a very Traditional East End Pub and inside it has a lot of Taxidermy, I have decided that I am going to use the taxidermy varying my shots from extreme close ups to long shots, by doing this It gives the audience the impression that the man is being watched by the stuffed animals and could possibly be a reason why he is acting so strange. The animals that I am going to use are a fox, a deer and a bull. I am also going to include close up shots of Alfred’s hands rubbing against the sofa, this is to show that he is getting aggravated and stressed, this will then lead on to a shot of Alfred’s feet performing odd movements this is another way of showing the audience the man is nervous and very paranoid, a lot of these shots will be close ups as this shows the characters true feelings and emotions a lot clearer than if I was to try a Long shot. My main objective in the film is to show the man going through as many emotions as possible whether it is upset, happy, paranoid, scared or just very strange. While the man is going through these emotions very calm music will be used to bring the audience back to reality that the man is sitting in an everyday pub. Alfred is influenced and obsessed over Elvis Presley, he is distraught over the fact that Elvis was never able to perform over in the U.K. and therefore has lost his way and developed a second personality.
Opening Shot: Mid Shot of Alfred’s face showing him in hysterics
Costume: Blue three piece suit, red shirt, grey tie, grey trilby, black and white shoes
Second Shot: An extreme close up on taxidermy (bull)
Third Shot: Extreme close up on Alfred’s face laughing at the camera
Fourth Shot: A close up of Alfred’s feet, showing odd movements
Fifth Shot: A mid shot of Alfred sitting on chesterfield sofa acting worried and looking scared
Sixth Shot: An extreme close up of Taxidermy (deer)
Seventh Shot: A side on shot of Alfred sitting on the sofa with an Elvis Presley picture in the background going in and out of focus of Alfred and Elvis.
Eighth Shot: A close of Alfred’s hand rubbing against the sofa, this shows him getting aggravated and quite frustrated
Ninth Shot: A mid shot of Taxidermy (Fox)
Tenth Shot: An over the shoulder shot of Alfred looking towards the stage
Eleventh Shot: A panning Shot from Alfred’s face (Dialogue: I thought I was very good!) the whole way round to the stage Alfred up on the stage, and begins to dance and sing to Elvis Presley Don’t Be Cruel. I want to try and film this shot all in one take as I want it to look from an audiences point of view. The film will slowly fade out to the end of the song.
Analyis of my Questionnaires
For my Target Audience questionnaire I decided to Interview an older generation of people as my film is set and based in the past, and so are many well known British Films, this is because an older generation have more knowledge about the past than a younger audience do so by doing this I thought I would get more accurate and beneficial answers.
I decided to interview two males and one female as I assumed that males would be more intrigued by British Films than females and I should think that this would especially be the case for my film.
My questions on my Questionnaire are fairly simple and vary from the basics ‘what do you prefer Fiction or Non Fiction’ to the more challenging question of ‘what do you prefer an original scored soundtrack or cult tunes e.g. Quadrophenia and Bronson or both’. This was so my audience had to put some thought into their answers.
The first person I questioned was 24 years of age, and a male. I thought this was a good age as he knew a lot about past and present films. He preferred British Films to have unknown actors as you have no pre conceived idea of the character, he feels as if he can relate to British Films as they usually depict stories and characters that he is familiar with, and also enjoys a British Film that is set in the past as to one that was present day simply because he feels as if he is learning something new every time with a film that is set in the past whereas a film that is set in the present he feels as if there is nothing new for him to see because he is surrounded by it every day.
My second person that I questioned was also a male and of the age of 52. He preferred Fiction films to Non fictions, his favorite Genre of film was Gangster, his favorite British Film of the past decade was Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and also preferred a film to be set in the past, simply because it brings back memories of when he was growing up.
The third person I questioned was 52 and a female. She preferred a nonfiction film to a fiction film, her favorite genre of film is Western because when she was a child, a Western film was action packed and always very exciting that included actors such as Clint Eastwood. Her favorite British Film of the past decade is Love Actually even though the film falls under the Genre of Romantic Comedy; the whole film is set in London, and even starts off with Hugh Grant (also a very well known British Actor) talking about Heathrow Airport.
I was hoping that I would get the results from my questionnaires that I did, they proved that Males are more attracted to the British Films that mine own is similar to e.g. Bronson and One flew over the cuckoo’s nest. I think this is simply because males are more intrigued by drugs and violence in films than females, as they keep you on the edge of your seat and although it is usually quite clear what is going to happen next, the excitement is never ending whether it is a fiction or nonfiction film.
I decided to ask an older audience to answer my questionnaires because as I have said before I felt as if I would get clearer and more beneficial answers than if I asked a younger audience. I feel as that the answers I got from the people I asked where beneficial and helped me decide who to aim my film at.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)