Evaluation

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

In terms of research for our opening, we made a questionnaire for the public to answer to see how many people liked the genre horror and what sub-genre they prefer, etc. We chose to do our questionnaire using Survey Monkey. My group and I then shared the questionnaire using social media to receive responses.

 Most people enjoyed supernatural films. After finding this out, we wanted to include some supernatural features. We also asked where people liked to watch horror films so we knew what size audience our opening would be suitable. Most people said at home on the TV. The second highest result was Netflix. We then decided that our film would be better for a smaller scale audience.

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

A question in our survey asked what age each person that took it was. Most people were aged between 15 -20. We knew that we should make our opening so that it appeals mostly to teenagers. This makes our audience a niche one. We also asked for gender but we then decided that it didn’t really have an impact on what gender we should aim our opening at.

          For filming, we used teenage actors because our target audience is teenagers. We dressed them in warm casual clothing because we filmed outside. We decided to film in the woods because it creates a thrill and makes the viewers sit on the edge of their seats as something could jump out at any moment.

          The way our actors behave isn’t very formal but they dressed well; they sat and talked as any other teenager would while they were in an adventure in the woods. After talking for a bit, they decided to tell ghost stories. From a previous survey we did, we asked the question “are you interested in a film set in the woods/forest?” 90% of our data from that question was “yes.”

 

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

Previously, Warner Bros. Pictures have distributed many horror films. Most of these have been supernatural movies, just like the same genre as our film. We feel like this media institution would be best to distribute our film because they have done it well with popular supernatural films like The Conjuring, Annabelle and The Exorcist. Movies like The Exorcist and The Conjuring are some of the most popular horror movies and have done really well. A lot of teenagers watch these sorts of films which have been distributed by Warner Bros.

          They have very popular films, including the Harry Potter films and superhero films like Batman and Superman.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

Our target audience are people aged 15-20, making it a niche audience. We have chosen this as our target audience because our survey was taken mostly by people aged 15-20, which indicates that they are more interested in horror movies and are more likely to watch our opening. For us, it made it easier to make our opening as Kelsey and I are both teenagers.

          We asked what people liked to do you while watching the film. Most people said eating snacks or going on their phone which is typical for a teenager. Also, most people would rather watch a film on the TV then go to a cinema. With technology improving and teenagers going out less, people can watch movies from their phone or tablet and stream them to connect to the TV. This also adds to why our audience is niche.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

One way in which we made our opening appeal to our target audience, was to make teenagers the stars of it. Our audience can then relate to the film and absorb the characters emotions more, making them uncomfortable and creates a thrill. Making the characters act in a way that normal teenagers would, creates a connection between the characters and the audience because it’s what the audience would do in their everyday life.

Putting our opening sequence of our film on YouTube and then sharing it on different social media sites is something I did to advertise it. I then asked some of the viewers who watched it if they were interested in seeing the rest of the film, and they said they would. A lot of people are on social media sites and they are easy to access using their mobile phones. The teenagers today enjoy spending time on their gadgets and interacting with people everywhere they go. Adverts are displayed everywhere on social media, making it a great way to advertise.

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Working on preparation and the filming of our opening, we realised how important camera work was. By taking our own pictures and describing what each camera is used for, we knew what type of angles to use in our film. Sometimes, trying to get the perfect angle was difficult because we wanted to use a variety of different angles and make each and every one affective. We found that when something is serious, like when James was telling the ghost story in our film, a close up is the most affective. Also, using a tracking shot can be good because you get to keep a close eye on the characters every move. If the camera is positioned behind the characters when there is a tracking shot, the audience are put in the perspective of the characters.

          The part in our opening that I’m most proud of is our time lapse at the beginning and the close ups. I think the time lapse was affective because in horror movies I have watched previously, very rarely do I see a time lapse. We wanted to bring something new to our film and something that is unique. The close ups on the other hand made things intense. The music and sounds in the background added to the effect and therefore made it more uncomfortable, but at the same time interesting to watch.

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

I think that the preliminary task was mostly a good way for us to practise our use of camera angles and sound. Knowing which camera angles were best used in different situations was helpful. Also, playing around with the music and sound for different situations was good because we got to see the effect of how music changes everything and to watch something in a new way.

          The prelim task, I think was a lot more dramatic I would say and unrealistic. Our final cut looked more realistic and would appeal to more people. In my opinion, I think we played around with angles more in the prelim task and it would have been good to use more angles from that in our final.

          After doing our prelim task, I felt more confident using a camera and especially for Chloe who was our camera person. However, she left the group before we could finish the final cut so I tried to use whatever skills I had learned from the prelim task to help Kelsey with camera work, which in some ways, worked well.

Film Analysis 3 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2)

Harry Potter is a very famous book series which was later turned into a very popular film series. The Potter films were fantasy films. Features that are used in fantasy films are magic and supernatural elements. These could include ghostly spirits, people, unusual creatures, type of location, etc. The last book/film to come out was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. When releasing it as a movie, it was split into two part. Part two was released in 2011 and was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. One of the most memorable scenes in this movies is the battle between Harry and Voldemort.
 

You can see the battle at almost every angle and see how much importance this scene has. It is clear to see that where they are having their battle, is a building that has had a lot of damage done to it. Also, it is dark signifying tension in the air and that this is not a very happy time. At 0:09 of the clip, we see a high angle Harry and Voldemort near the edge of the building. At this point, it makes it look like that Harry doesn't have as much power because we see him in the perspective of Voldemort as his back is to the camera and Potter is looking directly at him. Harry tries to back away as Voldemort get closer. After Harry states "Let's finish this the way we started it.... Together." they both jump off the side of the building at fight while soaring around the superstructure. There is a tracking shot, following both characters while this is happening. It takes the audience on an adventure and hooks them in, keeping them interested. 

As they soar through the sky, intense music begins to play as Harry and Voldemort crash into almost everything. These crash sounds are diegetic sounds. The same composer who composed for Deathly Hallows part 1, came back to do part 2. Alexandre Desplat was the man behind the score. He said that scoring for part 2 was a "great challenge." The soundtrack for this film was nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 54th Grammy Awards. The music comes to and end when both characters tumble to the ground. Both struggle to grab there wands before they try to attack each other with the power of their wands. Bright colour's burst as the magic of their wands collide. The battle escalates as their is a battle of survival. Quickly after, Voldemort becomes week and his wand flies out of his hand and into Harry's.

Incommunicado - Final Cut

After good, clear feedback from our audience who watched our rough cut, we were able to improve our opening. We made it so it would be interesting and so the viewer would feel like they would want to continue watching the rest of the movie. At the beginning of our opening, before the actual footage itself is shown, we have our production logo. It is important that we include this because we know who to give credit to for production. Also, all films show who helped with the management of it. This is what our final cut looked like.

Film Analysis 2 - Marvel's The Avengers

The Avengers (2012) is a superhero action film based on Marvel comics. This film is produced by marvel studios and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. This film is about how S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits different superheroes which include Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk,Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye to come together to stop Thor's brother Loki from taking over the world.

In the first scene, Bruce Banner a.k.a. The Hulk can be seen riding a motor bike to join the other superheroes. In this particular part, you can see over the shoulder shots. Also, there are close ups when the characters are talking, giving the audience time to absorb the actors emotions. Shortly after Bruce arrives, the sight of a Chitauri (a robot) grabs their attention. The creature makes it's way towards the superheroes who are ready to attack. Once the Hulk and Iron Man have defeated the the monstrous creature, the team of superheroes get ready to take down the other Chitauri's. The camera shows the defenders in a formation that shows off how powerful they are and gives off the impression that they can take on anything. The camera pans around the characters, showing they are ready for battle.

Along with the pan of the characters, we can hear the score in the background. This is one of the main features of showing off someones power. If you watch the clip in silence, It makes the superheroes look less forceful. The audience become more interested and pay more attention to the film with the score. It has a variety of different instruments used and developed by Alan Silvestri (who also helped score Captain America) and the London Symphony Orchestra. Joss Whedon who worked on the screenplay of the movie, stated that "The score is very old-fashioned, which is why Silvestri was letter-perfect for this movie because he can give you the heightened emotion."

Film Analysis 1 - The Conjuring (Annabelle)

The Conjuring is a supernatural horror film. supernatural means something that is beyond natural and doesn't have an explanation to something that isn't the norm and unusual.

This film is based on true events that have happened in the past. The clip below is from the beginning of the film. It's about a doll called Annabelle who is very controlling. Two roommates came across her and then they tried to get rid of her. However, Annabelle is set on making her way back to them, refusing to let go.

The clip starts with one of the girls being woken up by the sound of knocking at their door. It's dark in her room and the rest of the apartment; this can be an indication of letting the audience know that something is about to happen. Most scary events in a horror film happen in the dark, making the audience uncomfortable, and in some ways it can lead to suspense because the viewers are waiting for that moment and are uncertain of when it's about to happen. Shortly, both of them come out of their rooms. The one closest to the door opens it with caution. There is a mid shot showing the woman looking around outside her door. After looking around, she finds that no one is there. However, there is a piece of parchment paper on the floor that says "miss me?" There is silence while she opens the door apart from the diegetic sound of the door opening.

In the next scene, we can see that the two girls and a boy are seated one side of the living room. They are talking about the issue while the camera shows close ups of the characters while talking. Also in this scene, we can see there is an over the shoulder shot. This gives the audience the perspective of the man and woman (Ed and Lorraine Warren) sitting across from the two girls and the boy. We can see the clear expressions of the three characters sat on the other sofa. Their faces show that they are scared and worried. When we see them from this angle, we can empathize with them as Ed and Lorraine do. In this scene, we can here some background music which puts the audience on the edge of their seats. Watching a horror film in silence wouldn't have the same affect as watching a film with the score.

Script

When it came to writing a script, we had one set out, however, when we got feedback and watched our rough cut ourselves, we wanted to re-write some parts. 

This is the script for our rough cut:

*Characters talking and laughing*

Tia: So who wants to tell ghost stories then?

Kelsey & Serina: No Thanks.

Tia: Come on guys, lets have some fun.

Kelsey: As long as it's not too scary.

Tia: Ten years ago today, a group of friends went missing in this very woods.


We thought this script would be a bit boring and make the story line predictable so we then decided we wanted it to be more interesting.


The final script:

*Characters talking and laughing*

Fern: We should be getting back soon.

James: How about one more ghost story...? 10 years ago today, 4 friends were sitting in the woods, blissfully unaware of what was about to take place

*Journey home - 1 hour later*

Serina: *Spots blood hand print* Tom, look at this!

*Scream*

Costume

The opening we have filmed is set outside in the woods, therefore we thought it would be best to wear warm clothing. We also wanted it to be casual because the characters are friends hanging out. The face of the villain was not visible so there was no need for special effect make-up. Only the villains shoes and the bottom half of his legs are visible. We thought the villain should be dressed in black because this is a dark colour and usually associated with people who are evil.

Warm and casual clothing consist of jumpers, other long sleeved shirts, jeans/trousers, jackets, coats, suitable footwear, etc. All of us dressed suitably for filming. 

In the image below shows some of the outfits the characters wore. they consist of coats, jumpers and suitable footwear. 

Shooting Schedule

When it came to shooting our opening, we selected a date to get our filming done. On that day, we managed to get everything done. Once we had edited it, the rest of the class watched it and we asked for feedback on it so we could improve it and film some bits again if needed. We had decided that we wanted to film again and so we set a date. However, due to some of my health issues and a member leaving our group, it had been difficult as we had to keep changing the date because of these reasons.Therefore there was a big delay in filming. The member who left was the person controlling the camera work. In the end, we asked someone in the other group to help out with the camera work and also participate in being an actor for our opening. We eventually got the filming done in early February. 

On thing we managed to organize straight away was the time lapse. At the beginning of our opening, we have a time lapse which Kelsey did fairly quickly. We organised what time would be best to start the time lapse. We thought that it would be best for it to be shot at sunset, so we looked at what time the sunset was so she could set up and start filming it. 
We didn't have a strict shooting schedule because it had to keep changing due to some unexpected issues but we managed in the end, just me and Kelsey. When we knew is was just me and Kelsey, it was hard at first but we knew exactly what we were doing after that and set a new date for filming.

Camera Angles

In the following presentation, you'll find different camera angles that are often used in films to communicate different meanings in every scene so the audience don't get bored while watching it.

Camera angles from Serina1201