Evaluation Question 6

Equipment

The camera I used was an HD Panasonic Camera and was relatively simple to grasp and use effectively. I found more trouble in making sure that i had an SD card and was able to save all my footage effectively. I avoided using zoom too much or panning and tracking as often the shots looked shaky and unprofessional. 

I did not have to use a microphone as I did not want to record any of the ambient or diegetic sound.

Using the tripod (Velbon DV-7000) was easy and effective. I got to grips with using the spirit level to make sure all my shots were level and adjusting the speed of pans was easy enough to do on the tripod.

The lights and their power packs were very self explanatory and I used them extensively whilst shooting indoors. They helped to create interesting shadows and highlight elements within a shot that were not being paid enough attention to. The main problem i ran into when using the lights was that they ran out of power very quickly, leaving me with less light in certain shots than i would have initially hoped for. Of course natural lighting and the lights already present in my house were of great help when shooting my film.

I was already well accustomed to using Mac computers and luckily enough was used to using software by Apple as well so some of the functions of Final Cut Pro were not completely alien to me.
Final Cut was probably the technical element of the course i found most difficulty with, purely because i found the interface difficult to understand at times and i thought many of its functions were not well thought through enough when considering beginners to the software.

I wrote all the music for my film on Logic Pro 9 which i have been using for a couple of years now, so was able to create what i wanted with relative ease.

Evaluation Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

(View in Youtube in order to see annotations)

The film industry in Britain, 2011.

Why do you think 3D takings when down when the number and variety of 3D films increased in 2011?

Despite the number of films being released in 3D increased in 2011 from the number in 2010, it is easy to claim that the immediate novelty found in 3D films had been somewhat lost by this point. This novelty is recognisable from the spikes in views of early 3D films such as 'Chicken Little' (2005) which held first place at the box office for its first two weeks. 

This downfall in views may also be attributed to the 3D films being released in 2011 themselves. Many smash hits were released in 2010, such as 'Toy Story 3', which grossed worldwide at $1, 063, 171, 911, earning more revenue than the previous two films combined.

Many of the films released in 3D were not necessarily produced in such a way to merit their conversion into 3D. This would give a lower resolution and a less 'clean' final product, in turn lowering admissions for said film.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Charles Stooke

The opening of my film is set in South London. My character is meant to elude any firm stereotypes, as his identity is to question for the majority of the film. He appears as a British, conservative middle class male, however it is apparent that there are aspects to his character that deviate away from those of your typical shut-in middle class man.

He presented in this way via a number of different mediums. The location is of a well-furbished, fairly grand house, set in a suburban street in south London. In his house he has lots of books and instruments, suggesting he is quite dull. His clothes are verging on being smart (suit trousers, a shirt and tie) although they are far too big for him and he wears a fairly grubby pair of white Reebok classics. These decisions were made in order to ridicule James’ character and show in incomplete aspect to him.

This undermines James’ character although also makes him easier to connect with, as he is not entirely stern and sinister and clearly has the tendencies of most people. I engineered this with my target audience in mind.

I chose James’ to play my character as he is an average looking man although has a few distinctive features. This was to show that he was not as average as the next person although was not dissimilar at all.

The audience would be estranged by James’ actions (murder) and his psychological state but still be able to form a strong link with his character as he does things and acts in the same way as many of them. People would be able to instantly associate with his surroundings (primarily middle class males) and actions whilst be startled by many of the less naturalistic events in the film.

Evaluation Question 3

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

My media product would most likely be distributed by a Commercial Art House Cinema (eg. Brixton Ritzy or Clapham Picture House).

Although many Art House cinemas are very well established and large, they take on smaller, independent films. They have smaller screening spaces, where as a multiplex or a city centre cinema have huge capacities. This sort of capacity is not necessary for my film as my target audience is younger film goers, a large portion of them would most likely be media students themselves. This sort of niche audience are characteristically drawn to art house cinemas due to the independent films they make space for, which are of the same category as my project.

Due to my film not including any highly technical aspects or CGI and generally appears to be a low budget production, it is highly unlikely that it would attract as large an audience as a 'blockbuster' film, such as 'Avengers Assemble' or 'Troy'. Much larger films (with larger budgets) often include well known actors who have pre-existing fan-bases and so draw huge audiences. These sorts of films require multi-plex or inner-city cinemas to accommodate for such huge audiences.

As a low budget film, we would not have enough money for advertising to draw in large audiences to fill larger cinemas. As well as this, we wouldn't be able to pay to have our film on over a number of weeks, as is usually the case with high budget films in large cinemas.

Evaluation Question 7

Evaluation Question 1

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

The preliminary task I filmed with a group towards the beginning of the course took little knowledge of the equipment and only really incorporated the use of one of the Panasonic HD Cameras and a tripod. The setting used consisted of the building we were in and we employed very few editing techniques when we ran it through Final Cut Pro. Although all this can be said, it would be untrue to say that our preliminary task was not a vital element in our learning process leading up to us eventually going out and filming for our two-minute thriller openings.

I opted to work on my own for the main task, as I wanted to ensure that I had no one to disagree with when creating my film. This his proved to be both a good and a poor decision on my part, good as I was able to avoid conflict with a fellow director although working on my own meant that my work load was quite large so I would say that my main difficulty in creating this film was not comprehending the work set but more trying to find the time to complete it.

First, I planned my planning, as every aspect of my preparation had to be meticulously planned so when I finally came to filming I could be sure that what I was doing would run smoothly. I had a rough idea of where I was planning on shooting thanks to the research I had carried out prior to this. I eventually settled upon Aldeburgh Yacht Club and my own house for my two locations, which allowed me to finish up my storyboard. These locations were both perfectly suitable and fulfilled what requirements I had, although the second (AYC) was slightly inconvenient due to the fact that it is situated two hours drive from London.

When it came to filming, although I was forced to wake at 10 o’clock on a Saturday, I can say that I enjoyed myself as well as furthered my knowledge of the equipment as I went along. I soon realized that the best technique in filming was to gather as many takes of one thing as you possibly could, so despite the process becoming slightly tedious, I could safely say that I had collected a sufficient amount of footage as to constitute my film.

Shooting at the AYC was very rewarding as the sky was incredibly beautiful and the location provided masses of interesting different shots that on its own provided an amazing MES and ambience.

My technical knowledge was greatly advanced during filming, and I came to grasp the process of using the cameras, setting up a shot, using the lights and their stands. I was sure to check all of my equipment was in working condition such as having an SD card and making sure I had charged battery packs.

My editing ability and knowledge also took great leaps and continues to grow as I finish up my project. Editing my preliminary task took me no where near as much time as I have spent on editing my 2 minute thriller opening, partly due to the fact that I have paid more attention to detail but also because I have taken time to play around with the software, exploring its capabilities and attempting to create interesting effects with them. My continuity editing has improved and I am beginning to use editing techniques (match on actions etc.) more frequently.

I am still working on sound, although in terms of atmospheric/diegetic sound, I intend on softening the sound through the use of EQ and filters on Logic Pro 9. This is to leave more space for soundtrack and a voice over which I am yet to record. The soundtrack I will be writing on Logic Pro 9 once I am further into the process of editing. This sound track will resemble atmospheric and electronic ambient works, some examples of which I have previously posted on my blog. Manipulating sound on Final Cut Pro is fairly self-explanatory, and I have easily gotten to grips with the automation and clipping it provides. Some of the effects on Final Cut Pro are useful although I fell I will be able to manipulate the sound more easily and more competently through Logic Pro 9.

In conclusion, I feel I have been successful in the work I have completed so far the planning, editing and filming stages of my production. I think I will be most successful in my sound as I am well versed in that area. The skills I have utilized and the work I have done for the production of my final task have been far more complicated and effective than those used in my preliminary task, displaying my advancement in the practical area of my Media Studies AS level.