Coursework Evaluation: Q7

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

I found it extremely helpful to keep referring to the preliminary task which we did at the beginning of the course to see how far my skills had come. This task involved me and two of my classmates coming up with a short film including the 180◦ rule, over the shoulder shots and other techniques that I went on to use in my final product. This enabled me to become familiar with the equipment and skills I would need in future, particularly the need for continuity in filming.

If I were to begin filming my preliminary task again, I would be sure to use a wider variation of camera angles, and perhaps be a little more daring with the transitions when editing. I feel that this is also an issue in my final product as I do not think I have shown my full abilities. If I had used different camera angles, shots, and editing techniques I feel I would have shown my full potential. 

I found it somewhat astonishing to see how much my camera skills had improved. During the process of producing the preliminary task, I remember making one vital mistake; I didn’t record any of it. Since then, I have become much more familiar with the technical equipment and found the filming of my second artefact went almost perfectly. 
It was not just my camera skills that had improved; my editing ability had also progressed. When editing the preliminary task, my group and I used simple transitions at the beginning and end of the film. We did not use any more complex transitions, only hard cuts from one shot to another. It was only during the editing process of my second artefact that I began to experiment with all of the special effects available to me. Before this, I was not aware of how to do things such as inserting sound clips, importing music and editing text. I feel this has been of great use to me to improve further, should I choose to make another film in the future.

Coursework Evaluation: Q6

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

I feel that my media skills have come a long, long way since I started back in September last year. I am now far more familiar with the technical terms and generally feel a lot more confident. 

Whilst creating this product, I had to ensure continuity. I managed to make this a harder task for myself as I chose to film outdoors in the evening. Luckily, on the day I filmed the weather was exactly as I had hoped. It was beginning to get dark, it was also rather blustery. This accompanied the mood of my film extremely well. Of course, I wanted to get the filming done in one evening as it was unlikely I would get the exact same weather conditions again. With a few minor hiccups, I managed to successfully film my piece in just over an hour. Doing this also avoided many other implications. For example, if I found that I had to film over the course of a few days, I would need to ensure that everything on location was set out in the same way it was on previous days - this would have been an extremely difficult task because being on a beach meant that things would change that I could not help. Not only that, I would need to make sure that my actress looked exactly the same as she did on previous days. 

I have learnt about the different shots and angles and how they are used to create different moods and atmospheres, and how some create suspense and intensity. As well as this, I have become more familiar with the iMac and its' features. Through trial and error I have familiarised myself with the transitions, how to insert sound clips, edit movie clips and add titles that have a specific effect on the production genre. 

Coursework Evaluation: Q5

How did you attract/address your audience?  

I attracted my audience through the use of the location, my actress and her costume, music, and mise en scene.  

Location: I chose Heacham Beach for my film location. It was local and easy for me to transport my equipment to. Not only that, it is a very picturesque setting which, given the right weather conditions, could portray the mood of my film very well. I was lucky that on the day of filming, it was very cloudy and windy. Although this exposed a few problems (such as the tide coming in, getting dark early, and general difficulty of carrying the equipment around), it was ideal weather to accompany the atmosphere I wanted to create (the atmosphere I wanted being dismal and slightly depressing). 

Actress and Actress' costume: I did not spend too long getting my actress made up, as I wanted it to look as authentic as possible. I made sure she was wearing simple clothing (jeans, jumper and flat shoes) and did not look as though she had put in too much effort. Consequently, her hair was simply tied back in a loose ponytail, and she was wearing a minimal amount of make-up. I did this to ensure that my audience could relate to her- I felt that the more down-to-earth and regular she looked, the more the audience could sympathise with her. 

Music: I had the choice of two original pieces; the one I chose to use had a slight eerie feel to it. It is slow, echoic and piano-based. Listening to the music alone conveyed a somewhat depressing atmosphere, and when it was added to the film it seemed to fit faultlessly. 

Mise en Scene:

Beach – isolated, empty beach. Gives the feeling of loneliness and separation.  

Colour palette – Dark blue, grey, white. Portrays sombre atmosphere.  

I was very fortunate in that the weather had done what I wanted it to do on the day of filming. It was overcast, blustery and beginning to get dark. If it had been bright and sunny, the film would have looked invalid. 

Coursework Evaluation: Q4

Who would be the audience for your media product?  

My opening sequence does not include sex, violence, bad language or any other explicit content, I believe my film should be rated 15 because if I were to film the rest of my movie, it would unravel the story behind the break -up, which may include frequent use of strong language and scenes of a sexual nature. The reason I would want the rest of my film to incorporate these things is because I wanted to steer away from teenage romance films such as High School Musical and do something that would appeal to a more mature audience. 
Due to the age of the actress (17), the audience may range from late teens to mid-twenties. As I have previously mentioned, my film is primarily aimed at young females because of the genre (romance) which seems to be most popular amongst women. I think that women over the age of 30 may find my film somewhat irritating as my main character is suffering from heartbreak. The older you get, the more your ideas differ about what genuine heartbreak is. For example, a younger woman may sympathise or even empathise with the characters situation, whereas an older woman may find it annoying and naive that the main character thinks she is heartbroken. Older women may tend to sympathise more with women who have suffered a divorce or bereavement as opposed to a teenage break-up. 

Coursework Evaluation: Q3

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

When I was researching, I focused mainly on The Notebook because it inspired me and had a lot of components that I wanted in my own film. I found that The Notebook was distributed by New Line Cinema, which is now a division of Warner Bros. New Line Cinema would be a possible institution to distribute my product because they have already successfully distributed other films that are popular amongst women- Sex and The City: The Movie and The Notebook. Both of the aforementioned films are of the same genre as my own - romance. However, New Line Cinema are based in America, and have not ever distributed any British films, so maybe they would not be the best company for my film.  

Instead I have researched other films that use young actresses and focus on the romance/comedy/drama concept. A company that have distributed many films surrounding those themes is Dreamworks. They have distributed films such as She's The Man and The Last Kiss. However, they may not distribute my film due to them being based in America.

After much research I have discovered a film company based in Los Angeles, that specialises in British and independent films. This company is Fox Searchlight Pictures. They also specialise in 'dramedy' type films- which is exactly what mine contains. Fox Searchlight Pictures have distributed many British films, the two most well-known ones being Bend It Like Beckham and Slumdog Millionaire, which they co-produced with other film companies. I believe Fox Searchlight pictures would be the ideal company to distribute my product because it includes concepts that films already distributed by them have- such as the romance/drama concept. My film is based purely around a romance. Bend It Like Beckham is a coming-of-age film, where the plot line focuses on a young teenage girl trying to cope with the ups and downs of teenage life - family life, friends and relationships. My actress is young just like the main character in Bend It Like Beckham. If Fox Searchlight Pictures have successfully distributed Bend It Like Beckham, I believe they could do the same with mine, as it appeals to the same audience and uses a lot of the same concepts.

Coursework Evaluation: Q2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?  

I had an idea that the genre of the film alone would appeal to females more than it would males, primarily due to the fact that it is a romance film. Whilst I am not saying that males would not like my film, I believe it appeals to more females because the film contains a lot of emotion and is based from the point of view of a female. However, I also considered other social groups that my product may represent. I believe it represents the younger generation through the age of the actress. She is within the 16-18 age group, this can be seen by just looking at her. She is dressed as a regular teenage girl. Simple clothing consisting of a jumper, jeans and trainers. Some may assume she is working class because she is not particularly dressed up, however I wanted the effortlessness to be a result of the break-up.

I purposely chose a young actress, as opposed to an older one because I felt younger members of the audience would relate better to the plot if they felt they were of similar age to the actress. Another advantage of using a younger actress is that it widens my target audience. For example, as I have already mentioned, younger girls may relate to the film very well if they have been through a break-up. At the same time, older women would still be able to relate to the plot because they may have been through it themselves. If I had used an older actress, my film would be more relatable to older women and not younger ones.

Coursework Evaluation: Q1

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

My product is an opening sequence to a romance tragedy film. During the research process, I studied films such as The Notebook which contained elements I wanted to incorporate in my own film. These elements included primarily the romantic involvement of two people which also had hints of tragedy along the way. In The Notebook, Allie is banned by her parents from seeing Noah, the man she loves. The pair decide to break up, leading Noah to drive away. The next morning, Allie's mother informs her that they are leaving to go home. Allie frantically tries to find Noah, but is forced to leave without saying goodbye. Noah writes Allie a letter a day, but she never receives them as her mother hides them from her- meaning that Allie and Noah have no choice but to move on with their lives. I tried to give the impression of a tragic event such as being taken away from your loved one or a break-up. I decided to use a break-up as the tragic event because I did not want to do anything too similar to The Notebook.

My opening sequence shows the outcome of such tragic happenings in a relationship. You see the tears, the emotion, the throwing away of photographs. What you do not see is why this has happened. This suggests that the story behind the opening will be unravelled throughout the film. The idea of the romantic involvement of two people is portrayed through my actress and the photographs she is holding of herself with an ex-partner, and the idea of tragedy is portrayed through the facial expressions and the photographs being destroyed.  

I discovered that the central plot of a romance film often revolves around the romantic involvements between the two main characters (or indeed one-sided love stories - unrequited love). I believe my film uses this convention- The photographs my actress is holding shows the audience that she was at one point romantically involved with the other person in the photograph. The other person in the relationship is not shown in my opening sequence, but he is portrayed through the photographs. The film P.S. I Love You uses a similar technique. Throughout the film, the idea of the other person in the relationship is portrayed through letters. My film shows some similarities to P.S. I Love You in that both use a signifier- my film uses photographs and P.S. I Love You uses letters. This means that they become the most important and recognised thing in the film because they have some sort of significance to the plot line.