The main convention of a period drama is the mise-en-scene, they use the typical clothing of the Victorian ages. This is shown by the use of historical looking costumes; this is also present in the jewellery of which they are wearing. The accent which the characters are talking in shows where the setting is, as you can tell it’s from a wealthy background. The respect towards each other may be present by the use of "sir" and "Madame". The camera angles used generally mid shots the reason for this is because the audience will be able to see the characters well, whilst seeing the background which sets the scene.
The non diegetic sound would be slow moving and classical, this is a stereotypical genre of music which the higher classes in historic times would listen too.
Where the characters live will, their homes will also show a lot about their personality. These are normally big stately homes which a servant may be working in, to ensure that the house runs successfully. When there is to be a chase scene with some action in it, the camera will pan along with the character. Throughout a period drama I think there is a lack of variation in camera angles, this is because it would be hard for the background to look historical throughout.
Wednesday 10 March 2010
Conventions of a period drama
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Casualty Analysis
At the start of the the programme with the theme tune, which is non-diegetic as it's a piece of performed music. This is non-diegetic as the actors can't hear the music as the parts with the characters in are cut from various episodes, so they wont personally be able to hear the music whilst acting as its been added later.
The way in which each shot transited between each one, at the same time the whole shot is in a more grey context. Showing that these shots have been in the past, also the use of juxtaposition when there is a shot of a women holding a babies hand, and in the distance of the shot in a faint outline there shots of two people crying and walking away. This shows that the show has morale feelings and could be linked to other stories in the form of intertexuality.
The macro level of when there is a congregation of people in the hallway of the hospital, shows that they are all friends and work together within the working environment, also talking about the patient of which they are responsible for. Whereas if we look at it in a micro level I could interpret it as a formation which they have intentionally stood in for example one of them may have fallen out with another employee resulting in them not talking but there is no way of being able to tell unless you have watched previous episodes. The mise-en-scene of the shot in the hallway in the hospital has been portrayed well as all the actors have the correct costumes on relevant to their job roles. The use of dialog is also important it shows that they understand what is happening within the community, this will reflect to the audience as though it's an ordinary hospital with professionals in there. With their own personal problems involved in the story line too.
The way in which each shot transited between each one, at the same time the whole shot is in a more grey context. Showing that these shots have been in the past, also the use of juxtaposition when there is a shot of a women holding a babies hand, and in the distance of the shot in a faint outline there shots of two people crying and walking away. This shows that the show has morale feelings and could be linked to other stories in the form of intertexuality.
The macro level of when there is a congregation of people in the hallway of the hospital, shows that they are all friends and work together within the working environment, also talking about the patient of which they are responsible for. Whereas if we look at it in a micro level I could interpret it as a formation which they have intentionally stood in for example one of them may have fallen out with another employee resulting in them not talking but there is no way of being able to tell unless you have watched previous episodes. The mise-en-scene of the shot in the hallway in the hospital has been portrayed well as all the actors have the correct costumes on relevant to their job roles. The use of dialog is also important it shows that they understand what is happening within the community, this will reflect to the audience as though it's an ordinary hospital with professionals in there. With their own personal problems involved in the story line too.
Monday 1 February 2010
Micro and Macro text construction
Eastenders
Within the first 10 minutes of the Eastenders episode we watched, for the macro level of appearance. It shows that the setting is of a society of people who live in London and come across day to day instances which the audience would come across frequently. Also the setting of around the pub shows that this is a place where all the friends go to meet, but because it’s dark it could show under the macro scene; that the pub has lost its atmosphere via the death of Archie. The dark mise-en-scene shows how it has been hard for the customers to forget the past, so when ever they come into the pub it will result in people have memories rein acted.
The costumes of the stereotypical teenage girl were wearing; this consisted of her school clothes, this again shows that it’s realistic. She was also in a bad mood that could be in both the macro and micro level; this could be seen as though she’s in the time of the month. Or there has something going wrong at her school so this is also very realistic to teenage girls who are watching this soap opera. The use of mid shots was frequently present as it shows the audience the characters appearance, with his expressions. But doesn’t give away too much leaving them in mystery, leaves them in optimism.
Within the first 10 minutes of the Eastenders episode we watched, for the macro level of appearance. It shows that the setting is of a society of people who live in London and come across day to day instances which the audience would come across frequently. Also the setting of around the pub shows that this is a place where all the friends go to meet, but because it’s dark it could show under the macro scene; that the pub has lost its atmosphere via the death of Archie. The dark mise-en-scene shows how it has been hard for the customers to forget the past, so when ever they come into the pub it will result in people have memories rein acted.
The costumes of the stereotypical teenage girl were wearing; this consisted of her school clothes, this again shows that it’s realistic. She was also in a bad mood that could be in both the macro and micro level; this could be seen as though she’s in the time of the month. Or there has something going wrong at her school so this is also very realistic to teenage girls who are watching this soap opera. The use of mid shots was frequently present as it shows the audience the characters appearance, with his expressions. But doesn’t give away too much leaving them in mystery, leaves them in optimism.
Thursday 21 January 2010
Final Evaluation
I could not upload my pictures properly, the ones I have aren't in the right place and mess up the typing. So I will not add anymore in.
Wednesday 20 January 2010
Final evaluation
Foundation Production Evaluation
In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The task we got set was to produce a 2 minute thriller opening. We decided that we would try and aim to make our product aimed at the age certificate of 15a; the reason for this was there is no need to have too much violence in a thriller. Also the research I performed was bias towards the age groups of 15-18 the reason for this is because the questionnaire was handed round the sixth form. A typical thriller will involve some of the following conventions to ensure a successful film;
• Cliff hangers – These are useful in thriller movies as they leave the audience in suspense, which means they are left on their own to think of the narrative. This has been used effectively in “Lord of the Rings” as it’s a sequel of movies they will leave the audience thinking of the narrative over the period of the next film being released.
• Fast editing – Is used in thrillers to increase tension within a scene for example in “Psycho” in the shower scene when they cut to a different camera angle quickly. This shows ho important and scary it would be for the victim, so it’s including the audience in the film.
• Use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds – These are used to show the audience the scene before seeing it in picture for example in a western film the use of Cow Boy music, to show they are on a horse.
• Hero/Villain – These are present frequently in thriller films, because most narratives are about trying to find the enemy. An example of this could be in “Die Hard” were John McClane is a police officer who is always after the villain who committed the crime.
• Mise-en-scene is normally set in an every day location so the audience know what to expect from the film. They will not try and wear clothes that the target audience wouldn’t wear. Unless they are in a posh part of the film e.g. Dinner Party.
• The location and setting is vital to ensure that the audience know where the scene is set. This is noticeable in “Shawn of the Dead” were it’s set in a pub, with everyday disputes for example love affairs which is also present in this film.
• The protagonist is also a dominant person who will keep the concentration of the audience. This is because it’s easier for the audience to follow the narrative, this is present in “Chronicles of Narnia” the main character is Aslan as he’s the king of Narnia. He defeats the evil queen, this shows he’s the hero.
In the first 2 minutes of a thriller the audience needs to be informed about what the film will entail. This would include the scene and normally a narrative will become apparent with the protagonist character being within the storyline. Also the location is integral so the mise-en-scene corresponds to the storyline which you are following, the reason for this is because it makes it easier for the audience to understand the narrative. A variation of camera shots will make the editing process of the movie easier as you can use appropriate shots for example, 2-shots, point of view, establishing and extreme-close-up. Also the name of thriller movies is important as they show the audience what type of hybrid thriller you are recording.
My thriller research highlighted that people enjoy having suspense built up by using a mixture of techniques for example non-diegetic sound and quick slick editing. I will be trying to ensure I can achieve this by taking camera shots from various angles so that I can show the whole of the setting, so the mise-en-scene is fully capitalised on. From watching various Quentin Tarantino film opening I have an idea of how I would like my production to turn out. He uses close up of characters to show their expressions also the use of establishing shots are effective, the use of props and actors clothing is essential for a successful opening.
• Narrative I have chosen is crime sub genre as its set in a court about a murder.
• Fast editing will be used to increase tension, cutting from one shot to another.
• Mise-en-scene will be set like “Runaway Jury” this influenced how it will look too.
• Sound might not be used at some points, as no sound creates tension as well as sound does.
• Camera shots – will use mainly medium shots so we can see the detail of each actor and the surrounding area aswell.
A film which has influenced me is “The Shawshank Redemption” when the court case at the start shows how Andy Dufresne is being scrutinized by the judge; I want to achieve this effect. This can be done by leaving the sound out, as it shows the echoing in the court. In the film “Rain man” when they have a meeting about whether Charlie can take custody over Raymond, the costumes being used are a good reflection of what I wanted to court to wear.
I have considered these when planning, for the judge he will wear the judge’s gown from the law teacher, the judge’s hammer from the auction house. The convicted murderer will wear a suite as he needs to look smart as he is the protagonist. The location is critical the magistrates court in Bourne, which will have the correct props. If I couldn’t organise the court we would have to use the stage at school which would be a lot harder to film as we would only have allotted times when we could shoot.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The social group that I aimed the production towards would the working class/middle class; the reason for this would be because it isn’t rare for there to be a murder in typical TV programs. For example Eastenders or Midsomer murders which have court cases aroused from a murder suspect. So I will try and follow how they would show this in these shows. For the props I would use the judge’s wig and gown from the law teacher, this will show the authority of the actor towards the audience. The hammer being used for the decision will outline how strict and important the scene is, whilst the defendant would have to wear a suite to represent himself in a good manor.
In the production I used both women and men from different backgrounds; the reason for this is because in a court case there would be a varied background of people. For example a judge who is very highly qualified, so the costume he will wear is very important. Also the voice he uses shows his authority over the court, whereas the audience might not have any qualifications. The use of some smart people in the jury and others in casual wear shows they come from different backgrounds. This is shown by their presentation of how they represent themselves, so some would look as though they are from a town dressing smartly. Whereas others will come in casually and these could be classed as middle class or working class people. As a result of who’s acting this directly reflects the audience this could be attracted too, because lawyers may watch this because they can imagine themselves in this situation in a court. On the other hand the middle class people might feel as though this is an everyday event going to court. I thought that a person who would commit a murder is a male, rather than a women. So I chose to use a male instead, because this is how I interoperated the scene too look like.
This is what i thought a murderer would look like, he is also wearing a suit as it shows how serious the court case is
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I have chosen universal studios as it’s a huge distribution company, which the headquarters is situated in California. It’s the second longest lived Hollywood studio. The finance available for films being produced by Universal Studios is huge, not only that any release is of a global effect every country will know about the film. As it’s based in America this has one of the highest populations in the world, and has huge powers over smaller countries. It will attract a huge target audience to whom might watch the film. Universal Studios have various blockbusters with a fair few thriller films too; one of the most famous thriller releases was Hitchcock films. Some of the films released in 2009 are as followed;
The Unborn
Duplicity
Drag Me to Hell
Public Enemies
Brüno
Funny People
Inglourious Basterds
9
I loved watching Inglourious Basterds, the way the film has been edited and filmed by Quentin Tarantino. I would like to make my opening as close to how he would film an opening. Also Duplicity was a good thriller film that I could reference to that when filming, because of the size of the distribution company I will be able to reach the widest audience possible. To be chosen by universal studios the idea/film has an inspirational as they will be reviewed via the film too, so this would show that the opening was produced successfully.
All of the films above have had high ratings with the occasional Oscar nomination which shows that they have the experience to make a film into a success. I have been influence by most of the above as I believe these films are interesting and have good effects. As my film is about a court case I will try and interoperate how they will film this scene, so I will try and use the same props and mise-en-scene.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Will the background information I have researched about the BBFC, we aimed for the age group of 15 the reason for this would be because we can attract a wide range of audience. Also if the age certificate is too low people will be put off the idea of watching the production as they might think that it’s too immature for them.
Also our research was mainly aimed at the age groups 16-18 this is because I asked people in the sixth form common room, so this is a very closed research method. But as our production is only small aiming at that audience is acceptable.
When I pitched my idea in front of the media class I received excellent feedback on the idea from both my fellow class and my mentors. The demographics of our targeted audience will be ages between 15-20 of both sexes who enjoy a thriller with action and fast editing.
As a result I will be aiming at a typical audience of the psychological thriller film ‘memento’ the reason for this is there could be a court of case during that film when Lenny the main character keeps on having flash backs which is linked to his amnesia. So I will aim to produce an opening which could be involved in part of that film.
When I did my questionnaire, the feedback which I received helped me come to a conclusion on the type of idea which the niche market I am aiming at enjoy watching. An idea which I thought could bring suspense to the opening was a chase but via the research I did, the feedback showed that they weren’t too fond of the idea. So as a result I didn’t include a chase scene in my final production.
In ‘psycho’ the use of non-diegetic sound was integral to make sure the tension rose whilst she’s in the shower. So I have in mind the use of non-diegetic sound is important, because my production doesn’t have much dialog in there will be a lot of edited sound as well.
The jury are going to wear generic and ordinary clothes to show the element of public, so they can imagine themselves in the case as well. Also the age group would be over 15 as it would be too hard to make a film opening too restricted to the footage shown; also the research I have performed is specifically aimed towards the age groups of 15-18, so I will try and include as many ideas I received from my feedback as possible. The lighting in court cases are darker where the jury are as there is always an air of mystery surrounding what sort of decision they will come too, so I will also try to execute this as well. But unfortunately the lighting wasn’t right as the sun was shining through the window whilst we were filming so this effect couldn’t be achieved
How did you attract/address your audience?
I used various conventions of the thriller genre all the thriller elements I have discussed earlier I tried to achieve these as well as possible during the production of my film.
I used an easy narrative to understand so that the audience would be able to watch the opening without having to concentrate too much or have background information on the area of criminology and court structure. This will help the audience understand what is happening, this is what would make a successful film if the audience understand the narrative.
I used cliff hangers - at the end of the production when the solicitor was working on a new case and the convicted murderer who he represented in an old case comes into his office. From there the start finishes with a scream and the screen goes black with the credits rolling, this will entice the audience to watch the rest of the film.
Fast editing - was used when the convicted murderer was waiting for his court case to be heard, and was sitting on the chair in the waiting room. It suddenly goes to a flash-forward to show the decision being made, and then the shot goes back to the extreme close up showing the thought in the face.
Use of diegetic and non diegetic sound - this was used frequently whilst there is no dialog, a good use of this was when the murderer was walking up the stairs and walking into the solicitors door, we used some suspicion music which made the audience feel as though something important is about to happen.
The diegetic sound that we used was the slamming of a door this makes the intention of the murderer obvious to the audience, it was completely silent apart from the slamming which echoes around for a long time. The echoes show the emptiness of the character.
The use of sound in diegetic and non-diegetic forms are important to film production because they can increase the tension where needed with spooky sound clips. Also the choice of dialog of which they speak in is important because you can see their true emotions. This is used frequently during black flashes because it shows an air of mystery with a faint sound in the background. If this is created successfully then the audience will be interested in the narrative.
Hero/villain - the heroes was the person who put the person away, the judge but this wasn’t too obvious the audience could feel as though the solicitor was the hero. So this is left down to the audience’s imagination, whereas the villain is obvious. The murderer didn’t have any backing from family or friends because they know he deserved to go to jail.
Mise-en-scene was extremely important as we needed to show that it’s set in the court, the costumes used by the judge was the wig and gown from the law teacher. The murderer was wearing a suit as he’s representing himself as a good man so appearance would be important so the jury might feel as though he’s trying. When the judges comes to the decision and uses the hammer made the authenticity of the decision more important. As it looks more realistic, people will find it a lot easier to follow. They might even be able to imagine themselves in this position in the future.
The reaction which we received from fellow class workers and friends was that the location made the opening work well, and the editing with the sound increased the tension. The use of extreme close up was used well as they thought as though they were in the shoes of the actor. But they thought that some of the continuity was a problem for example in one of the shots there was a hoover, and the next time the solicitors room was used it wasn’t in the same place. Also there was some confusion about whether each part was a back flash or and flash forward. Apart from that the use of editing was good, our YouTube link will also in the next couple of days receive comments from viewers.
When I asked the interviewees that answered my questionnaire if I had met all the criteria they expect from a thriller. All via one agreed it was a success, the person who disagreed didn’t like the way the lighting changed from some shots to a different one. This was hard to amend with the limited finance and lack of specialised equipment.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
During the production of the movie we used various technologies
• Apple Mac
• Hand held camera
Using the hand held camera was a learning curve as I had never used one for a sustained amount of time, so I wasn’t sure what all the different settings did to the quality of the filming. There were some obvious technical problems, when we received the camera there was an error saying the camera lens was blocked. So for a start I had to go back to school and retrieve a new camera. Once this was sorted and started to film the battery ran out because I had to use an uncharged camera, so this slowed down the production. As I couldn’t film while the camera is charging this wasted even more time. Apart from that camera hitch I had no more problems during the filming day. I have learnt how to zoom in with the camera with no juddering, also placing the camera at different angles to get the most of the actors body into the picture. The main problem we had with the shooting was the lighting, as we had the court for one day only and needed supervision whilst in there we could only film with a teacher. There was a big window in the court which let sunlight through, so half our shots have shadows from the sun in, so the editing task was made harder. When filming we ensured that we abided by the 180 degree rule so that the audience will understand to what character the perspective is. We learnt that we needed to take shots from various angles to be able to avoid continuity errors, as we the film needs to make sense. If it’s not in chronological order then this could start to confuse the audience.
At the start our mentor gave us a booklet of beginners guide to iMovie which taught us how to do the basic task on the Macs. When we were using the Apple Macs there were a lot of problems for a start we wanted to detach a sound from a clip and then edit how long the sound lasted for. As I have never used one before the process in which it took to find out how to avoid it was strenuous. But we eventually found out we couldn’t do it so we ended the movie with a black screen over the shot, just with the screaming the background. The production stage of the editing was sound after this, but the next problem we hit was when trying to convert the production into a DVD format as well as having an m4a file. A fellow Mac user showed me how I could do this; as a result we burnt our finished product onto a DVD without any problems. We also tried to use “match on action” this will make the continuity of the opening more obvious, as the audience can focus on the main part of the shot and it still present in a later shot.
I conclude that using Macs for editing is easier than other editing software, but it’s just a case of getting used to how a Mac works compared to a Microsoft computer.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in progression from it to the full product?
From the preliminary to the main task I have learnt various shots which I used in the main task.
Mid shot
In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The task we got set was to produce a 2 minute thriller opening. We decided that we would try and aim to make our product aimed at the age certificate of 15a; the reason for this was there is no need to have too much violence in a thriller. Also the research I performed was bias towards the age groups of 15-18 the reason for this is because the questionnaire was handed round the sixth form. A typical thriller will involve some of the following conventions to ensure a successful film;
• Cliff hangers – These are useful in thriller movies as they leave the audience in suspense, which means they are left on their own to think of the narrative. This has been used effectively in “Lord of the Rings” as it’s a sequel of movies they will leave the audience thinking of the narrative over the period of the next film being released.
• Fast editing – Is used in thrillers to increase tension within a scene for example in “Psycho” in the shower scene when they cut to a different camera angle quickly. This shows ho important and scary it would be for the victim, so it’s including the audience in the film.
• Use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds – These are used to show the audience the scene before seeing it in picture for example in a western film the use of Cow Boy music, to show they are on a horse.
• Hero/Villain – These are present frequently in thriller films, because most narratives are about trying to find the enemy. An example of this could be in “Die Hard” were John McClane is a police officer who is always after the villain who committed the crime.
• Mise-en-scene is normally set in an every day location so the audience know what to expect from the film. They will not try and wear clothes that the target audience wouldn’t wear. Unless they are in a posh part of the film e.g. Dinner Party.
• The location and setting is vital to ensure that the audience know where the scene is set. This is noticeable in “Shawn of the Dead” were it’s set in a pub, with everyday disputes for example love affairs which is also present in this film.
• The protagonist is also a dominant person who will keep the concentration of the audience. This is because it’s easier for the audience to follow the narrative, this is present in “Chronicles of Narnia” the main character is Aslan as he’s the king of Narnia. He defeats the evil queen, this shows he’s the hero.
In the first 2 minutes of a thriller the audience needs to be informed about what the film will entail. This would include the scene and normally a narrative will become apparent with the protagonist character being within the storyline. Also the location is integral so the mise-en-scene corresponds to the storyline which you are following, the reason for this is because it makes it easier for the audience to understand the narrative. A variation of camera shots will make the editing process of the movie easier as you can use appropriate shots for example, 2-shots, point of view, establishing and extreme-close-up. Also the name of thriller movies is important as they show the audience what type of hybrid thriller you are recording.
My thriller research highlighted that people enjoy having suspense built up by using a mixture of techniques for example non-diegetic sound and quick slick editing. I will be trying to ensure I can achieve this by taking camera shots from various angles so that I can show the whole of the setting, so the mise-en-scene is fully capitalised on. From watching various Quentin Tarantino film opening I have an idea of how I would like my production to turn out. He uses close up of characters to show their expressions also the use of establishing shots are effective, the use of props and actors clothing is essential for a successful opening.
• Narrative I have chosen is crime sub genre as its set in a court about a murder.
• Fast editing will be used to increase tension, cutting from one shot to another.
• Mise-en-scene will be set like “Runaway Jury” this influenced how it will look too.
• Sound might not be used at some points, as no sound creates tension as well as sound does.
• Camera shots – will use mainly medium shots so we can see the detail of each actor and the surrounding area aswell.
A film which has influenced me is “The Shawshank Redemption” when the court case at the start shows how Andy Dufresne is being scrutinized by the judge; I want to achieve this effect. This can be done by leaving the sound out, as it shows the echoing in the court. In the film “Rain man” when they have a meeting about whether Charlie can take custody over Raymond, the costumes being used are a good reflection of what I wanted to court to wear.
I have considered these when planning, for the judge he will wear the judge’s gown from the law teacher, the judge’s hammer from the auction house. The convicted murderer will wear a suite as he needs to look smart as he is the protagonist. The location is critical the magistrates court in Bourne, which will have the correct props. If I couldn’t organise the court we would have to use the stage at school which would be a lot harder to film as we would only have allotted times when we could shoot.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The social group that I aimed the production towards would the working class/middle class; the reason for this would be because it isn’t rare for there to be a murder in typical TV programs. For example Eastenders or Midsomer murders which have court cases aroused from a murder suspect. So I will try and follow how they would show this in these shows. For the props I would use the judge’s wig and gown from the law teacher, this will show the authority of the actor towards the audience. The hammer being used for the decision will outline how strict and important the scene is, whilst the defendant would have to wear a suite to represent himself in a good manor.
In the production I used both women and men from different backgrounds; the reason for this is because in a court case there would be a varied background of people. For example a judge who is very highly qualified, so the costume he will wear is very important. Also the voice he uses shows his authority over the court, whereas the audience might not have any qualifications. The use of some smart people in the jury and others in casual wear shows they come from different backgrounds. This is shown by their presentation of how they represent themselves, so some would look as though they are from a town dressing smartly. Whereas others will come in casually and these could be classed as middle class or working class people. As a result of who’s acting this directly reflects the audience this could be attracted too, because lawyers may watch this because they can imagine themselves in this situation in a court. On the other hand the middle class people might feel as though this is an everyday event going to court. I thought that a person who would commit a murder is a male, rather than a women. So I chose to use a male instead, because this is how I interoperated the scene too look like.
This is what i thought a murderer would look like, he is also wearing a suit as it shows how serious the court case is
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
I have chosen universal studios as it’s a huge distribution company, which the headquarters is situated in California. It’s the second longest lived Hollywood studio. The finance available for films being produced by Universal Studios is huge, not only that any release is of a global effect every country will know about the film. As it’s based in America this has one of the highest populations in the world, and has huge powers over smaller countries. It will attract a huge target audience to whom might watch the film. Universal Studios have various blockbusters with a fair few thriller films too; one of the most famous thriller releases was Hitchcock films. Some of the films released in 2009 are as followed;
The Unborn
Duplicity
Drag Me to Hell
Public Enemies
Brüno
Funny People
Inglourious Basterds
9
I loved watching Inglourious Basterds, the way the film has been edited and filmed by Quentin Tarantino. I would like to make my opening as close to how he would film an opening. Also Duplicity was a good thriller film that I could reference to that when filming, because of the size of the distribution company I will be able to reach the widest audience possible. To be chosen by universal studios the idea/film has an inspirational as they will be reviewed via the film too, so this would show that the opening was produced successfully.
All of the films above have had high ratings with the occasional Oscar nomination which shows that they have the experience to make a film into a success. I have been influence by most of the above as I believe these films are interesting and have good effects. As my film is about a court case I will try and interoperate how they will film this scene, so I will try and use the same props and mise-en-scene.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Will the background information I have researched about the BBFC, we aimed for the age group of 15 the reason for this would be because we can attract a wide range of audience. Also if the age certificate is too low people will be put off the idea of watching the production as they might think that it’s too immature for them.
Also our research was mainly aimed at the age groups 16-18 this is because I asked people in the sixth form common room, so this is a very closed research method. But as our production is only small aiming at that audience is acceptable.
When I pitched my idea in front of the media class I received excellent feedback on the idea from both my fellow class and my mentors. The demographics of our targeted audience will be ages between 15-20 of both sexes who enjoy a thriller with action and fast editing.
As a result I will be aiming at a typical audience of the psychological thriller film ‘memento’ the reason for this is there could be a court of case during that film when Lenny the main character keeps on having flash backs which is linked to his amnesia. So I will aim to produce an opening which could be involved in part of that film.
When I did my questionnaire, the feedback which I received helped me come to a conclusion on the type of idea which the niche market I am aiming at enjoy watching. An idea which I thought could bring suspense to the opening was a chase but via the research I did, the feedback showed that they weren’t too fond of the idea. So as a result I didn’t include a chase scene in my final production.
In ‘psycho’ the use of non-diegetic sound was integral to make sure the tension rose whilst she’s in the shower. So I have in mind the use of non-diegetic sound is important, because my production doesn’t have much dialog in there will be a lot of edited sound as well.
The jury are going to wear generic and ordinary clothes to show the element of public, so they can imagine themselves in the case as well. Also the age group would be over 15 as it would be too hard to make a film opening too restricted to the footage shown; also the research I have performed is specifically aimed towards the age groups of 15-18, so I will try and include as many ideas I received from my feedback as possible. The lighting in court cases are darker where the jury are as there is always an air of mystery surrounding what sort of decision they will come too, so I will also try to execute this as well. But unfortunately the lighting wasn’t right as the sun was shining through the window whilst we were filming so this effect couldn’t be achieved
How did you attract/address your audience?
I used various conventions of the thriller genre all the thriller elements I have discussed earlier I tried to achieve these as well as possible during the production of my film.
I used an easy narrative to understand so that the audience would be able to watch the opening without having to concentrate too much or have background information on the area of criminology and court structure. This will help the audience understand what is happening, this is what would make a successful film if the audience understand the narrative.
I used cliff hangers - at the end of the production when the solicitor was working on a new case and the convicted murderer who he represented in an old case comes into his office. From there the start finishes with a scream and the screen goes black with the credits rolling, this will entice the audience to watch the rest of the film.
Fast editing - was used when the convicted murderer was waiting for his court case to be heard, and was sitting on the chair in the waiting room. It suddenly goes to a flash-forward to show the decision being made, and then the shot goes back to the extreme close up showing the thought in the face.
Use of diegetic and non diegetic sound - this was used frequently whilst there is no dialog, a good use of this was when the murderer was walking up the stairs and walking into the solicitors door, we used some suspicion music which made the audience feel as though something important is about to happen.
The diegetic sound that we used was the slamming of a door this makes the intention of the murderer obvious to the audience, it was completely silent apart from the slamming which echoes around for a long time. The echoes show the emptiness of the character.
The use of sound in diegetic and non-diegetic forms are important to film production because they can increase the tension where needed with spooky sound clips. Also the choice of dialog of which they speak in is important because you can see their true emotions. This is used frequently during black flashes because it shows an air of mystery with a faint sound in the background. If this is created successfully then the audience will be interested in the narrative.
Hero/villain - the heroes was the person who put the person away, the judge but this wasn’t too obvious the audience could feel as though the solicitor was the hero. So this is left down to the audience’s imagination, whereas the villain is obvious. The murderer didn’t have any backing from family or friends because they know he deserved to go to jail.
Mise-en-scene was extremely important as we needed to show that it’s set in the court, the costumes used by the judge was the wig and gown from the law teacher. The murderer was wearing a suit as he’s representing himself as a good man so appearance would be important so the jury might feel as though he’s trying. When the judges comes to the decision and uses the hammer made the authenticity of the decision more important. As it looks more realistic, people will find it a lot easier to follow. They might even be able to imagine themselves in this position in the future.
The reaction which we received from fellow class workers and friends was that the location made the opening work well, and the editing with the sound increased the tension. The use of extreme close up was used well as they thought as though they were in the shoes of the actor. But they thought that some of the continuity was a problem for example in one of the shots there was a hoover, and the next time the solicitors room was used it wasn’t in the same place. Also there was some confusion about whether each part was a back flash or and flash forward. Apart from that the use of editing was good, our YouTube link will also in the next couple of days receive comments from viewers.
When I asked the interviewees that answered my questionnaire if I had met all the criteria they expect from a thriller. All via one agreed it was a success, the person who disagreed didn’t like the way the lighting changed from some shots to a different one. This was hard to amend with the limited finance and lack of specialised equipment.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
During the production of the movie we used various technologies
• Apple Mac
• Hand held camera
Using the hand held camera was a learning curve as I had never used one for a sustained amount of time, so I wasn’t sure what all the different settings did to the quality of the filming. There were some obvious technical problems, when we received the camera there was an error saying the camera lens was blocked. So for a start I had to go back to school and retrieve a new camera. Once this was sorted and started to film the battery ran out because I had to use an uncharged camera, so this slowed down the production. As I couldn’t film while the camera is charging this wasted even more time. Apart from that camera hitch I had no more problems during the filming day. I have learnt how to zoom in with the camera with no juddering, also placing the camera at different angles to get the most of the actors body into the picture. The main problem we had with the shooting was the lighting, as we had the court for one day only and needed supervision whilst in there we could only film with a teacher. There was a big window in the court which let sunlight through, so half our shots have shadows from the sun in, so the editing task was made harder. When filming we ensured that we abided by the 180 degree rule so that the audience will understand to what character the perspective is. We learnt that we needed to take shots from various angles to be able to avoid continuity errors, as we the film needs to make sense. If it’s not in chronological order then this could start to confuse the audience.
At the start our mentor gave us a booklet of beginners guide to iMovie which taught us how to do the basic task on the Macs. When we were using the Apple Macs there were a lot of problems for a start we wanted to detach a sound from a clip and then edit how long the sound lasted for. As I have never used one before the process in which it took to find out how to avoid it was strenuous. But we eventually found out we couldn’t do it so we ended the movie with a black screen over the shot, just with the screaming the background. The production stage of the editing was sound after this, but the next problem we hit was when trying to convert the production into a DVD format as well as having an m4a file. A fellow Mac user showed me how I could do this; as a result we burnt our finished product onto a DVD without any problems. We also tried to use “match on action” this will make the continuity of the opening more obvious, as the audience can focus on the main part of the shot and it still present in a later shot.
I conclude that using Macs for editing is easier than other editing software, but it’s just a case of getting used to how a Mac works compared to a Microsoft computer.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in progression from it to the full product?
From the preliminary to the main task I have learnt various shots which I used in the main task.
Mid shot
Establishing shot
Extreme close up
High angled shot
Zooming
The preliminary only used a little variation in shots, so in this sense I have progressed as I have thought about different ways in which the same shot can be interpreted.
When we had shots with the jury involved organising people to be at the court at the same time involved a lot of organising as we only had 1 hour to complete these shots. Throughout the day whilst filming trying to tell the actors where to stand and what to do, I naturally adopted the director’s role. When we took each shot we needed more than one take of each so ensuring that the actors stayed focused I had to remind them what is needed from them.
Also the props and continuity was a problem, because every time we shot we had to make sure everything was in the original place. So the preparation was huge before we started to shoot. The mise-en-scene was far more realistic in the main task as the actors had the correct costumes for the court case. On the other hand the preliminary was acted by who ever was free, and in which ever free classroom was available, something we learnt in the preliminary was about continuity. As our preliminary had some slight jumps were we tried to edit together various shots together as we didn’t have a wide enough range from the start.
The location wasn’t easy to get hold of this is what I personally did to secure the right place;
• Ring the magistrates court in Bourne to see if we could use there facilities – this task ended up taking weeks because I kept on being diverted to different people.
• Then I had to go to the magistrate’s court in person to talk to the town clerk, then progression stopped for about 2 weeks again.
• I finally got a response from the court saying we could as long as we had supervision at all times.
• Had to find 5 teachers at school all with different free periods from 1-5 on a Thursday, and then ask them if they would come along.
• For the judges props I asked the law teacher for her gown and wig
• For the hammer we went to the local auction house
If I was to film another opening I would check the lighting facilities as some of the shots that we took weren’t very well lit. As we didn’t know the format of the court room before we got there on the day it was hard to tell if this would be a problem. The planning was a lot more in depth for the main task than for the preliminary, so we were ready to get on as soon as we had all the recording equipment. But because we didn’t have a plan of the court structure we had to adapt whilst filming to ensure we had varied shots.
I conclude that the improvements from the preliminary to the main task are huge as the standard is so much higher. The reason for this is because we have already used a hand held camera whereas before the preliminary I had never used one. Even though we had a much better idea for the main task we still could have leave more time for planning, and also go in a group which everyone would share the work load equally. Also the editing will be a lot easier next time as we have had experience, also we should consider the lighting more in the planning stages. Whilst in the filming stage make sure we have the right amount of shots with plenty of takes so it’s easier to edit.
When we had shots with the jury involved organising people to be at the court at the same time involved a lot of organising as we only had 1 hour to complete these shots. Throughout the day whilst filming trying to tell the actors where to stand and what to do, I naturally adopted the director’s role. When we took each shot we needed more than one take of each so ensuring that the actors stayed focused I had to remind them what is needed from them.
Also the props and continuity was a problem, because every time we shot we had to make sure everything was in the original place. So the preparation was huge before we started to shoot. The mise-en-scene was far more realistic in the main task as the actors had the correct costumes for the court case. On the other hand the preliminary was acted by who ever was free, and in which ever free classroom was available, something we learnt in the preliminary was about continuity. As our preliminary had some slight jumps were we tried to edit together various shots together as we didn’t have a wide enough range from the start.
The location wasn’t easy to get hold of this is what I personally did to secure the right place;
• Ring the magistrates court in Bourne to see if we could use there facilities – this task ended up taking weeks because I kept on being diverted to different people.
• Then I had to go to the magistrate’s court in person to talk to the town clerk, then progression stopped for about 2 weeks again.
• I finally got a response from the court saying we could as long as we had supervision at all times.
• Had to find 5 teachers at school all with different free periods from 1-5 on a Thursday, and then ask them if they would come along.
• For the judges props I asked the law teacher for her gown and wig
• For the hammer we went to the local auction house
If I was to film another opening I would check the lighting facilities as some of the shots that we took weren’t very well lit. As we didn’t know the format of the court room before we got there on the day it was hard to tell if this would be a problem. The planning was a lot more in depth for the main task than for the preliminary, so we were ready to get on as soon as we had all the recording equipment. But because we didn’t have a plan of the court structure we had to adapt whilst filming to ensure we had varied shots.
I conclude that the improvements from the preliminary to the main task are huge as the standard is so much higher. The reason for this is because we have already used a hand held camera whereas before the preliminary I had never used one. Even though we had a much better idea for the main task we still could have leave more time for planning, and also go in a group which everyone would share the work load equally. Also the editing will be a lot easier next time as we have had experience, also we should consider the lighting more in the planning stages. Whilst in the filming stage make sure we have the right amount of shots with plenty of takes so it’s easier to edit.
Audience Feedback
The ways in which I checked if the production was successful, is by uploading the movie onto YouTube and ask people to comment on their personal thoughts of how effective the opening has been made. Another way in which we could check if our production was good, this was from the word of mouth.
Miss Howard is quoted saying "I watched your production last Friday, I thought it was exceptional", this shows that she really enjoyed watching the opening. So this is a satisfied consumer.
My brother said "How did this take you so long to complete, with the editing" Whether this is because he was being honest, or not this shows that people have high expectations. So if i was too make another production I could try and produce a film with a more interesting narrative.
I have yet to recieve a comment on YouTube, so this might not be the best form of feedback. The reason for this could be that people don't know that the production is available to watch, even if they do watch the film they might not comment on it as this requires some audience input.
Miss Howard is quoted saying "I watched your production last Friday, I thought it was exceptional", this shows that she really enjoyed watching the opening. So this is a satisfied consumer.
My brother said "How did this take you so long to complete, with the editing" Whether this is because he was being honest, or not this shows that people have high expectations. So if i was too make another production I could try and produce a film with a more interesting narrative.
I have yet to recieve a comment on YouTube, so this might not be the best form of feedback. The reason for this could be that people don't know that the production is available to watch, even if they do watch the film they might not comment on it as this requires some audience input.
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