Evaluation

Who would be the audience for your media production?

I would say children ranging from ages 12-15, as my media film may contain scenes that some people may find scary, although it is certified as a 12. As the protagonist is stalked by the antagonist and has constant flashbacks of horror images it might be a bit scary as the film is meant to play on its audiences mind. I would also say that this film appeals to people who are interested in psychologically influenced films and find the atmosphere of the film very tense and exciting.

How did you attract your/address your audience?

I believe that I targeted my audience through studying what people found more appealing between the ages of 12 and 15. I found that the majority prefered either horror or comedy and I liked the idea of re-creating a film similar to the film 'Orphan'. I think my film attracted its audience because some scenes of my film can be interpreted in a commical way.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Firstly I have learnt how to use iMovie. We had a day before we started our coursework were a professional software manager called James from Apple came in to Marlwood and taught us how to split a clip, trim, crop, garage band, transitions, music, credits. It was a fantastic experience and it helped massively towards editing my film throughout the course. James taught us in a simple and effective way in which everyone was able to gain an idea of how to start using iMovie. I have also learnt how to use Garage band to create tracks for my media, as we were told not to use copyrighted tracks. Also I had a go at using a Dictophone to add a voice over for my film. I really enjoyed using all these different pieces of technology and I feel that it has been shown passionatley throughout my work.

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

When I look back at my Preliminary task, I find it interesting and amazing how much my work has actually changed and developed. When I did my Preliminary Task I didn't really understand how to use all of the transitions and camera shots, also I am now able to create Foley sounds which have been added to the film by creating them in perhaps a studio, but then using the ducking tool to change the level of the sound. I think that when my Preliminary task was created it was just a matter of testing and trying out different effects and transitions to discover what worked well and what didn't. Since my Preliminary task I have learnt an increasingly large amount of Media vocabulary, which will hopefully help me to push my grades up especially when it comes to taking the exam.

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

It's hard to establish the main distribution company that may distribute my film, although I have looked at Paramount pictures who distributed Paranormal Activity 1, 2, and 3 along with Friday the 13th and many more; they say that they "look to create full-length films that would appeal to the middle class". I have looked at Paramount Pictures because they have distributed films that I have taken inspiration from, as well as my film also being targeted and middle class, middle aged sort of people who enjoy this type of film.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I suppose you could take a gender approach on my film, by saying that the victim in horror films is usually a female character and the antagonist, serial killer or other is normally a male character. You could also look at how this change of stereotypes effects the film, perhaps the antagonist is very stereotypical as most children who star in films as the antagonist are female and range from a younger age to around 12/13.

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


My media product holds coventions much similar to opposing films such as 'Orphan' and perhaps 'Paranormal Activity' I feel I can relate to these films as I have taken inspiration from both within the footage and camera shots that I have chosen for my film. In 'Paranormal Activity' I liked the idea of a colour filter within a shot, as you view my opening sequence you will be able to depict where and when I have used this idea, it is mainly towards the end to further emphasise that the antagonist possesses a sense of danger. I used the colour green as my filter for these type of shots as according to the colour wheel the colour 'Green' it is a safe colour yet it also fools the viewer into believing that everything will be normal, although the colour green matched with the actors actions, it becomes threatening and draws the viewer in.


My media product also challenges similar shots, perhaps sublimminal shots that reinforce flash backs in the characters past, I chose to do this as it provided my film with a sense of curiousity and I felt that it fit well with the stereotype of horror films, as in 'Paranormal Activity' a series of events occured yet each time they got worse which was what I was trying to achieve.

Gender And Media Representation

Gender is perhaps the basic category we use for sorting human beings, and it is a key issue when discussing representation. Essential elements of our own identity, and the identities we assume other people to have, come from concepts of gender - what does it mean to be a boy or a girl? Many objects, not just humans, are represented by the media as being particularly masculine or feminine - particularly in advertising - and we grow up with an awareness of what constitutes 'appropriate' characteristics
 We encounter many different male and female role models in the course of a day's media consumption. The issue is, that although these different role models may at first glance appear to be very varied, do they actually represent enough of a range of men/women? Are we simply given variations on a stereotype that become sub-stereotypes in themselves? By adopting role models and parading them through the media as people it is desirable to 'be', are we stunting individual growth?

Editing Job List

• Take into consideration 'Low angle shots'
• Re-consider my animation
• Tidy and cut any loose bits of film
• Focus on titles

Add Post List

• Link my piece of Media to either Facebook/Tumblr/Personal Blog
• Audience discussion on feedback for my film
• Real media references - Finish questions - make a slide show
• Evaluate 2 screen shots from my film
• make sure I have a clear showing of development through my audience research

What are the representational issues of your piece? Gender? Age? Ethnicity? Locale?

In my film there is a representation of gender as normally in must horror films the murderer or psycho is male as to in my film that character is female.

Titles and Graphics; Reasons for choice of font/style/size and placement?

For my titles I have used animation as most film openings have some sort of logo and animation. I wanted to look deeper into my name of the piece "Child Games" by using sections of child toys to spell out the title and contrasted it with leaves/wood to represent the location of my piece.

What opens and closes the piece?

The piece is opened using simple titles but emerging different short clips to create tension, The piece closes with the animation of the title but this time the leaves are covering up the animation, but I also thought that this may look like the film has come to a closure so I think that I need to re-consider this aspect.

Have you cut into the footage or is the piece still lacking pace?

In some areas I have cut into the film but perhaps the long shots of each character walking needs to be cut into and it could be cut into using different shots or angles for example Myra suggested low angled shots.

Is the sound clear with no unwanted interruptions?

I think that in some areas of my film it is a little unclear with the sound there is not much dialogue therefore I have made a lot of soundtracks. I think the soundtracks are clear as I have looked at volume control and Ducking.

What aspects did you always wish to avoid? reasons?

I always tried to avoid fake acting, I tried to ensure that all the staging directions and speech lines were performed in a believable way. This is because I want the viewers to believe in my film and try to understand my ideas fully. I found it difficult to avoid long shots of my characters walking as they may make the viewers feel bored and not want to keep watching.

What are the real media influences and inspirations for your piece?

For my piece I found a piece of real media rom the Phones4U christmas "scary girl" advertisement were a tagline is used "don't miss out on our deals or they will haunt you". I can relate this to my piece of media as the character in the advert is similar to my character in my film. I think that I was inspired by this piece of media because it uses a similar selection of camera shots and angles and I think the mise en scene for example her costume is similar to what I wanted to portray.

Does your piece invite curiosity or introduce an enigma?

Personally I think that when viewing my film it creates moments of curiosity when the antagonist appears then disappears. I think that by the quick shots of the Antagonist in a bathroom allow the viewer to develop snippets of her background and through the use of sound effects of a spirit the viewer is able to determine that the antagonist is in fact a ghost.

Marlwood Meets Media Masters

Today we were extremely lucky to have a workshop with UWE lecturers and freelance journalists, Myra Lee and Phil Chamberlain. Myra and myself had a one to one session and she detected all the areas of my work that I could improve. Firstly Myra advised me to re-shoot some shots in my location as conifers and railings were in the way and made the location look to suburban. She also advised me to do an audio check to make sure my sound was clear. As well as looking at low down shots and tracking shots, perhaps following the protagonist. Finally she told me that the animation was very clever although she had difficult reading some areas of it, so I need to make it stand out better. Overall I feel that it was a positive experience and I can go away and think about these last editorial decisions. Im really happy with the outcome and especially how my film has been praised.

I also put myself forward to be in charge with writing the newspaper article along with my colleague Kathryn. We had to produce an article that would be published with the image of us at work in the workshop. The article told different aspects and feelings towards the workshop along with a few quotes from students and the expertise themselves.

Relevance to 'Real Media'

I was given 3 double page spreads of an advertisement for the 'Phones 4 U' Scary girl campaign. For me this meant that I could study how different shots were used within the advertisement and I could compare these to my own work. The pages indicated how long it took to make the advert and how much time was spent on developing the final outcome. According to the director it took 14 attempts to produce the final cut. I found this interesting as a lot of similar ideas were conveyed in my own work as well as the advertisement, this meant that it was easier to take onboard the directors advise and conclusions.


http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/phones-4u-looks-to-reach-older-audience-with-scary-ads/3030491.article

Evaluation Questions

• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
• How does your media product represent  particular social groups?
• what kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
• Who would be the audience of your media product?
• How did you attract/address your audience?
• What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
• Looking back at your preliminary task, What do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Semiotics within my film

What are Semiotics?

• A language, by definition, is a semiotic process through which thought may be conveyed, that a language system enables a response to that by using the degrees and kinds of signs and signifiers is produced by the language. Film uses not only words, but also different kinds of shots, angles and speeds; therefore, while the audience can react to a film's semantic intent, that audience cannot address its concerns regarding the film in the same language the film used to convey its argument.

In my film the language used is emotive, to show fear and to emphasise why the protagonist fears the antagonist. There are a lot of varied shots but most common are subliminal and canted shots which give the audience a sense of illusion. Composition was key for this film as I had to ensure that my actors were positioned correctly and I had to be sure of accurate continuity.

Representation of Gender

In my film opening there is a representation of a male being the victim and a female being the antagonist. According to film research it is normally the male that is the antagonist and the female the victim. I did not do this intentionally, but after being inspired by the film "Orphan" there is normally a young female who plays the role of a psychotic child rather than a young male. Although I am pleased with the outcome of this opening as there are plenty of subliminal and canted shots to emphasise fear at different parts of the film. Although I have published this film to YouTube I feel that some last minute editing would be beneficial as some parts to not link as well as they should. I am currently taking this matter into consideration and looking to develop further ideas.

Presenting - Child Games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYDdfPx094U&context=C3bda872ADOEgsToPDskKjTVj3hHlIuYIpXfVx_Dsg

Evaluation

I have spoken to both my AS Media teachers and they have given very positive feedback,  an idea was given to change some of my film to a different effect to distinguish different situations. I like this idea a lot and I think it has worked successfully. I spent my weekend filming short clips for the beginning of my film to make it more realistic and fluent. I have also added images on to my blog recently, to show how I have developed further ideas. The film is almost complete, a further few touches need to be made and then I will post the final outcome on this blog. It has been really interesting and insightful doing course work in blog form, as it has allowed me to demonstrate creativity and personal ideas and responses.

Images from final clips

I considered using these images to emphasise and try to explain the antagonists background, although I decided not to use them they still proved to be useful for additional ideas such as I used the makeup in these images to produce 5 second film clips that I could feature within my film to break up parts of the long shots but as well to add in more interesting ideas and draw the viewers in to wanting to watch more of my film.

Side shot of actors face;
Image used to show that this character is dead and is perhaps being examined.

Closure of film

This is the last part of my film that I am going to be shooting.
The plan is to have 3-5 images of the death of the psycho girl and I have recorded a 5 second clip of the Protagonist's eye moving in fear. This looks effective when the titles appear. it will be used with the song I made on Garage band and will need to be darkened and edited.

Images from filming 'Child Games'

Further Ideas

I had a really interesting idea of using the flashback shots to explain the background of this psycho child, I could show her death certificate, and then shots of her dead, and as the film progresses it is obvious that she has become possessed. Instead of killing off my protagonist, maybe I will pass on the possessive behaviour and he becomes part of her therefore they join forces.

FILM CONFIRMATION

I have decided to change the name of my film from 'Mixed Signals' to 'Child games' as I believe that this title is more beneficial and relevant towards my opening sequence. I have altered a lot of my shots and used various different transitions and soundtracks to add further tension to my work. I have gathered constructive criticism from viewers and I have taken on board that the scenes where the protagonist is walking through the woods are slightly too long so I need to look into breaking and cutting up those shots. 


A solution to this problem could be blue prints or a series of photographs that show tragic deaths of this girl, flashing up when the protagonist looks behind him. The majority of my flashback shots are edited in a Sci-fi mode which adds a green tone to the background to make the footage look more believable. A lot of paralanguage is used to emphasise fear as personally I think that actions speak louder than words and if you are able to get the right shot then the action tells the story for you, therefore dialogue is not needed.

Additional Filming

Saturday 11th February 

• I plan to film my final shots for my film, I hope to finish the end of my opening sequence. Continuity is not an issue as I am only filming facial features or perhaps a tree.

1. I have been re-thinking the name of my film as I do not think that 'Mixed Signals' fits as well into my film. These are some suggestions...
2. 'Dont look back' 'I'm watching you' 'Be Aware' 'Night scare'

Specialist Terms

1. C.G.I - computer generated images
2. Cinematography - moving imagery used in films as photographs
3. Dissolve - when two shorts merge then disappear into each other
4. Stereotype - making a judgement of a particular subject
5. Archetype - strongest example if a stereotype - pattern of behaviour
6. Crane shot - a shot from above
7. Trombone shot - combining zoom and track shots
8. Asynchronous sound - the discrepancy between shots
9. Ambient lighting - Basic light available
10. Mise en scene - props/objects on set
11. Non-Diegetic sound - musical sound effects that do not fit 
12. Semiotics - the study of signs and symbols
13. Pull out - everything is pulled out of the frame
14. Pulling focus - blurring a subject then putting it into focus
15. Residual meaning - left after other parts are taken away
16. SFX - special effects
17. Symbolism - something that is used to create a particular meaning
18. Convention - an informal rule 
19. Open frame - frame is cleared for action
20. POV - point of view
21. Connotation - for example, RED = DANGER
22. Foley - sound effects made in a studio
23. Action code - to signify action
24. Fast editing - quick cutting technique
25. Kinetic camerawork - hand held camera using a lot of energy
26. Convergence - industry works on 2/3 different medias and they start to feed of off each other through advertisement.

Progress

I believe that I am almost finished editing my film, the improvements that I have made are...

1. I have added a blue filter using iMovie
2. I have used various different transitions 
3. I have cut each clip to it's right amount
4. I have edited sound, and carefully selected what I may use
5. I have played around on Garage band making different tracks
6. I have also started to think about extra footage
7. I have edited the lighting in my film because it was too light in some places so I have darkened it

I have until after half term to fully produce my piece of film, so I will need to shoot my extra footage promptly. If it is possible I will ask about loaning a MacBook over the half term.

Film certification

I plan to look at Film Certification from the BBFC website, so that I am able to make a decision on what to certify my film. I think it would be between a 12 and a 12A because it is not specifically graphic or violent in any way, it is more psychological.

Development

1. Just before the title sequences, I want a clip of the protagonists eye ball followed by a heavy breathing soundtrack which I can produce on Garage Band. If this doesn't work successfully then I may consider foot steps.
2. Followed by title sequence "Mixed Signals" and a freeze frame of the psycho child ( Antagonist )
3. Just before the end, soundtrack produced on Garage band is played. This is produced by Natasha Hodges ( myself ) using a female vocalist and changing the tone, pitch and frequency of my voice.
4. To ensure continuity a taster clip of the next victim to show how the film progresses will be added. Another idea being a short clip showing a torture rope used for hanging tied to a tree and perhaps a broken phone on the ground. A Pan shot or Tracking shot of the woods and the Antagonist appears in different places each time.

Film tash

Film tash

Evaluating

OPENING SCENE

The opening scene in any film is particularly important. It establishes the genre, sets the tone, introduces the narrative and major characters, and most importantly, catches the audience’s attention and engages their interest so that they want to see more. In this way it functions exactly like the opening scene of a play or paragraph of a book. If The Crucible has proved that it already has an engaging opening sequence in play form, what was the need to change it for the film?. It may help to think of the differences between theatre and film. In film the dominant imagery is visual, whereas in the theatre, much of the dominant imagery is verbal.

• When shooting my film I looked at who I could use to be my actors and actresses, because this plays an important role when filming. The actors have to match the right criteria for the role and type of the film. Luckily I needed a male character at the age of 14/15 to play the role of a protagonist, whereas I also needed a young female character around the age of 10/11 to play the role of a psychologically damaged school girl.

• Location was essential, and I needed to find a deserted forest which I managed to locate in Overlane, Almondsbury. This location was perfect as there were enough ditches and different levels of terrain to make the film appear believable. After shooting all of this footage I have decided that I may need a little extra footage to tie everything together, for example a short video clip before the title sequences of someones eye looking frightened, this will be followed by heavy breathing. Or perhaps at the end of the film I will add another clip to introduce the next victim.

Garage Band

I am producing a sound track for my horror film on Garage Band, I recorded myself whispering "If you go down into the woods today, you'd better not go alone" this was inspired by the Alton Towers Thirteen ride advertisement. I did a female vocalist but changed it to a lower voice which sounds eery and frightening, I also did this with another song "1,2 im coming for you, 3,4 better lock your door, 5,6 grab your crucifix, 7,8 this is your fate, 9,10 never sleep again" but on this sound recording I used a more high pitched tone to make it sound like a child that was singing it.

NJH Film Editing

Hello I am Tash, over a period of time I have looked at different genres of film and have come to the conclusion of making the opening to a horror film, in which I have called 'Mixed Signals'. The footage for this film has already been shot, and at this present moment I am editing and cutting it, to make room for extra footage that may be needed. I am considering special effects and will look further into these, already I have changed and enhanced the lighting conditions for my film and looked at cutting and adding sound tracks. My main objective at the moment is to produce a soundtrack for the title sequence that allows the reader to feel tension.

The Guardian Podcast

We listened to a podcast about women's involvement in the media in one of our lessons recently and the representation of them. I found out 78% of articles are mostly written by men and on Radio 1 in the morning 84% talk about men and what's happening in the media that concerns them. Women are still represented like they were back in the 1920's and onwards being a 'house wife' or dealing with pregnancy. You could also see this as men are supposedly dominant and this is why women are in some ways shy but perhaps in the long run more effective. Unfortunately they're aren't many female role models in the media many people haven't got someone to aspire to. 5000 women have dropped out of employment in the past two years. More jobs need to be offered to women such as sport journalists as it's less than 10% and 5% coverage of recording them.

Film Editing

http://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/film-editing-tips-–-round-ii/

STORY BOARD FOR MIXED SIGNALS

Plans for Shooting

Sunday 8th January 2012

• At approximately 2pm I will begin shooting at Spring wood Nurseries Woods.
• I will use Actor 1 - Psycho girl in the opening scene, followed by mysterious music.
• Plot Summary - Scene 1 - extreme close up on the antagonist, to show that she is the bad character, this is then followed by the protagonist walking through the woods at a mid shot, the protagonist is then tapped on the shoulder by the antagonist and when the protagonist turns round, the antagonist is not there anymore. This follows a series of mind games inspired by the film 'Orphan'. This could then be followed by another extreme close up of the protagonist's face to portray confusion and fear. As the film is called 'Mixed Signals' I think that there needs to be a scene where the protagonist is contacted via mobile, to receive a creepy phone call. I want to use creepy music at the start and the end to create a lot of tension, this can be done using iMovie.