Sunday 29 April 2012

EVALUATION QUESTION 7

Looking back on your preliminary task (the continuity editing task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product? 


When looking back on my preliminary task I can immediately see what I have learnt and how I have developed my camera skills and technique. I feel I have come very far from October when I filmed my task to having completed my main coursework piece, and fell what I have learnt has made my product to be the best it may be.  


I think one of the main thing I learnt from my preliminary task was not to have any head room. There was a massive gap above Annabelles head so she did not properly fill the frame and there is to much background. As shown in the screen shot below. So I made sure in 'Same Difference' there was no unnecessary head room in all my shots and the actors filled the shot with little background.
In my preliminary task there where some key elements and rule we had to stick to that I learnt. There was 180 degree rule, shot/reverse shot, match on action. These elements I carried through to film my final product, there was one shot that I had to re-shoot because I forgot about the 180 degree rule which I believe is the main element you have to use. 
In my preliminary task I also learnt how to film and use extreme close up shot and mid-shots illustrated in the picture below. I used this to a much wider range in my 2 min film opening 'Same Difference'. 
However even though I learnt these skills of close-ups and mid-shots the way I cut them together in my preliminary task was a bit disjointed. I cut a normal shot strait next to a close-up, this made my task look as if it didn't run smoothly. In my final product I took this into consideration and have used mid-shots to ease my way into extreme close up shots. 
I also learnt how to pan a person walking around or too somewhere. This proved invaluable when filming my final product because i used panning shot a number of times. I learnt you have to follow where your character is going not your character otherwise you may end up chasing the character round the room. this is shown below in my preliminary task: 
I learnt from my preliminary task that organisation is key in the process of filming and editing. In my preliminary task I had to film in on two separate days, so I had to make sure the mise-en-scene was exactly the same and my characters had the same costume and nothing had changed. This I used so often in my final film very much because obviously I could not film it all on one day because I had different locations. I had to make sure my characters where in the right costume and I had to keep an eye on the weather which proved to be a problem. My filming outside had to be suspended a number of times because my previous filming was on a sunny day and this is quite rare in england, and a number of time it had rained when it shouldn't have.


so from my preliminary task to my main coursework piece, I feel that I have learnt an awful lot from editing my film to the way I film and learnt from the mistakes I made. This has really helped me with my final coursework piece and proved a real benefit. 

Saturday 28 April 2012

EVALUATION QUESTION 6

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


I have learnt many skill and tricks about using technologies when production and constructing. These skills i've learnt will follow me when I next produce and film something. Firstly I used a 'SONY' camera to film my film. I learnt how to set the setting on the camera to HD and change the modes to provide maximum quality to my shots, and help my shots stand out and be more defined. I also learnt how to change simple functions such as watching the shots you have just filmed. 
I also learnt and became familiar with filming techniques and rule, such as a panning shot and 180 degree rule. the 180 degree rule is where you have to stay within 180 degrees of you character when filming to not give the audience the impression that they've moved or change places or positions. 

To help my filming I used a tripod, this helps my shots to be more steady and smooth. there is a point in my film where I pan 'Arabella Thomas' walking through the school and i wouldn't have been able to do this smoothly without a tripod. I am more aware of uneven and bumpy surfaces and floors such as gravel, because these could change the way your plan to shot our shot. I also used a clapper board to organise my shots and make sure I knew they where and where they were to be placed. 

In producing my film I also learnt how to use an 'Apple Mac' and all it editing programs. I got used to the Mac pretty quickly as I am used to the way they work and function. But i did learn some tricks such as keyboard shortcut and how to print screen on a Mac.
Another vital technology I used to make my product was Final Cut Express. Final cut Express was used to edit my film and make necessary adjustment to make my film. It allowed you to pick and choose your shots and the leant you had them at, I learnt how to cut and split shots. I learned the simple transaction such as layering and audio effects but also some more detailed actions like splitting the screen so two shot appear at the same time. I did this when my two character are walking out there front doors, to show the different between rushing and calmness. It also allowed me to use digetic and non-digetic sound to my voiceover to the natural buzzing of the phone in the first shot. 
Another application I used Live Type in producing my film, it created my opening title and credits. This was very useful because it gave my many effects and made my film look more professional with my opening credits. I had to at first watch tutorials to get the hang of using Live Type and all its feature but I soon worked it out and used it to my advantage. 
I film half my film outside and film on sunny days, i only filmed on sunny day to set the right scene of a nice day. this also meant I didn't have to used any unnatural and additional light settings. I didn't really use special effect in my film because it doesn't fit with the conventions of a chick flick, but i did learn how to record and insert a voice over into my film. A voice over normally of the narrator fits the conventions of a chick flick and i have got this throughout my film. 


The technologies and processes I have learnt through this process of making my own film have tort me a lot. This has ensure that in the future it will take less time to work my way through thing and I will know tricks and short cut I could use. 

Friday 27 April 2012

EVALUATION QUESTION 5

How did you attract/address your audience?


As I was producing a chick flick my target audience was teenage girls at the age of 10-19.  I researched modern and popular chick flicks with the same target audience to find out how they've fit the film to suit the teenage girls such as 'Mean Girls'. My two main characters represent two different types of teenagers one a little messy and one quite glamourous, so my my whole target audience can relate to there personalities. 


My two characters are up to date with fashion and I used well known make-up  at the beginning of my film such as 'mac'  which shows my characters are girly and feminine. I believe my characters reflect the same type of people my target audience are. This idea of relating to characters in quite common in chick flicks such as characters in the chick flick 'Wild Child'. 


The music i've chosen is deliberately upbeat and fun, this is to give an energy to the film and a sense of happiness. I think this reflects the type of music typical teenage girls would listen to. If I wasn't subjected to copy write acts i would have used a well known popular song that has a catchy tune, this would have ensured my target audience can relate and interact to the music and film.  


My film storyline is conflict between two young girls at school and the problems they have to face together, while both trying to establish there identities. This is a common issue my target audience will have to deal with in there own lives, for example when moving schools or growing up. My storyline as well as having problems has a lots of humour. humour is very important in a chick flick and my target audience would expect a bit of humour and like to laugh at a film. I've used humour in my film throughout the beginning of my film with the contrast of my two characters getting ready.


Another important aspect of attracting my audience was the mise-en-scene. I've set the beginning of my film at the home of the two characters and a typical school. these place are places my target audience are familiar and can connect with.


I would use popular social networking such as twitter which is become an instant feed of news and youtube. I would also use things such as viral marketing to address my audience because my target audience use websites and media which i would target with this.

Thursday 26 April 2012

EVALUATION QUESTION 4

Who would be your audience for your media product?

The target audience I aim for my film would be teenage girls as they would relate to the girly glamour themes. My film will have leading women, glamour and stereotypical teenagers. My target audience being teenage girls love to watch light hearted girl films which mine film mirrors this. Young adult and adults themselves may also enjoy my film because they aims to be humour as an element.

Here is a photograph of an example of the sort of person my film aims to attract and directed towards.




Her taste would be current and fashionable and love to laugh. Shopping at the typical high street shops for example - Topshop, and follow he current trend. she would naturally listen to chart music and bands such as Rihanna. 
she would watch my film because it girly, lighthearted and funny. 








So I've show my finished product to a few individuals that fit my target audience: Young teenage girls, stylish and into fachion and up to date with current and everyday issues. I did this to see the response my film got to the audience and I was trilled it was a great one. I used a table like sheet of question where the people that watched my film could rate and comment on thing that was good and that can be improved. This would help me in the furture and in imroving my editing and filming. Below are the people that evaluated my film and there response in the table: 


1. Kiera - aged 17 and into fashion especially makeup:





2. Elizabeth - aged 16 really into music:




3. Celia - aged 13 likes all girly things:



EVALUATION QUESTION 3

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


"As a filmmaker, I know only too well that films do not exist for their own sakes... they only exist when they are experienced by an audience." Sir Alan Parker CBE.



Film

UK Distributor

Weeks on release

Weekend Total

Total UK box-office to 22nd April 2012

1
Battleship (12A)
Universal Pictures2£1,282,091£6,088,174
2
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (12A)
Lionsgate UK1£1,169,235£1,169,235
3
Hunger Games, The (12A)
Lionsgate UK5£1,070,787£21,259,368
4
Cabin In The Woods, The (15)
Lionsgate UK2£1,033,533£3,543,472
5
Titanic 3D (12A)
20th Century Fox3£925,740£9,919,113
6
The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists (3D) (U)
Sony Pictures4£772,887£14,085,303
7
Lockout (15)
Entertainment Film Distributors1£596,500£596,500
8
Mirror Mirror (PG)
STUDIOCANAL3£535,093£6,070,901
9
21 Jump Street (15)
Sony Pictures6£376,781£9,465,305
10
Gone (15)
Entertainment Film Distributors1£275,087£275,087
11
Marley (15)
Universal Pictures1£203,062£203,062
12
Wrath Of The Titans (3D) (12A)
Warner Bros.4£195,923£7,667,896
13
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The (12A)
20th Century Fox9£193,848£18,994,423
14
Headhunters (15)
Momentum Pictures3£142,035£1,036,519
15
Streetdance 2 (3D) (PG)
Vertigo Films4£82,626£3,019,962


When researching which film distributor to approach, I checked with the UK Film Distributors Association to find out the top 15 films at the time and their distributors (see the table above). 

Looking at the top films and their success, it is clear that Lionsgate UK has a positive presence in the top five. When looking at the films they have distributed, they are aimed at the similar aged target audience to my film. So I would look carefully at this company as a potential distributor. As Lionsgate is recognised as a self-prolaimed 'symbol of original, cutting-edge quality entertainment around the world, with a leadership position in motion pictures', which would suit my film perfectly!

My film is classed as a British film. The British Council runs 'Britfilms.com', which contains a directory of British films. The council regards a British film as one where the film has a minimum of three of the following six criteria:
  1. A British producer
  2. A British production team
  3. A British director
  4. A predominantly British cast
  5. A subject matter that informs the British experience
  6. A British identity as defined by the BFI.
Clearly my film satisfies these criteria. Therefore I would be able to apply for funding from the BFI and would qualify for the recent tax benefits the UK government has issued to British-made films.