Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Friday, 13 March 2009
Evaluation For Production
(I was planning to do a filmed evaluation, but technical difficulties with microphones made it impossible for me to complete in time for the deadline, i apologise for the inconvenience)
In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions Of Real Media Products
Rather than challenge the traditional conventions of a thriller, we used them in our production. For example we used low key lighting, no dialogue, close ups, and we also used pathetic fallacy (where the weather is representative of the mood of the sequence) to create a negative effect on the sequence. The weather was dark outside when we filmed, and we purposely did this to make sure that our product fit into a negative film category, and could not be categorised as an action film. We used traditional props, such as a gun, knives and other similar weapons. Our opening sequence focuses on our protagonist (the main character, preparing himself for a "hit"). The film would come under the genre "action thriller", as it involves more action than mind games. The room our production was filmed in represents the enclosed space which he lives and works, and the walls represent the barriers which keep people and happenings out. None of the shots we use reveal the identity of our main character, which adds to the complexity and mysteriousness of his character. Our initial idea was reflected off a current TV program, "Dexter". We thought this would be a good idea to use as we thought that it used the conventions we wanted extremely well to bring across the sense of mystery we were looking for. The use of close-ups to show expression in "Dexter" was what we didn't really want for our product, as we wanted to maintain more of a sense of mystery. The music we used was created by two members of our group, and we made sure that chords used were in a minor scale. Minor chords on a piano usually have a very dark and negative sound, and the use of this non-diagetic music helps to build up the tension. Also, accompanying the piano, we have a double drum beat, which represents a heartbeat. As the production progresses, the heartbeat gets faster and louder, which gives us the idea that it is the heartbeat of the target, as it stops as the protagonist leaves his garage. For our titles, we used a red gothic font on a black background. As our product was about death and negative events, we thought it was only fitting that the background be a negative colour. The colour of the background was most effective with the colour of the writing, which was to represent blood. This gives an idea of what the film will be like.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our media product does not really represent a specific social group, as we only have two characters present in the sequence. usually you would not be able to distinguish between a potential killer and a normal person in real life situations. We wanted to use this idea in our production, as this would enable us to add to the effect of mystery that we wanted our character to hold. The idea that someone who we perceive as a normal (a smart businessman in our production), could potentially be the one in control of your fate is quite a scary thought. This could potentially play mind games with the audience, which comes under a sub-category of the "thriller" genre, as it is a concept of a psychological thriller. Our choice of actor was myself, and this decision was based on the fact that i had very few features which would make me stand out in a crowd; which is what would be ideal for a hitman. The way we scripted the production was so that there was no dialogue, but you could get a faint idea of what was going on by his actions, for example picking up a knife and consealing it down his sleeve. This would tell me that the knife would play some part in what the character is doing. The idea is that you dont know exactly what will happen, but the signals and events which happen give you a good idea of what might happen; It leaves unanswered questions in your head. For the production, my hair was left unstyled, but combed. Which shows that the character is neat, and doesn't really mind the fact that he blends in with the background. This would be an advantage to a hitman, as the more they blend in, the more deadly they are. This gives an idea that people may not always be who we perceive them to be, and that there is a lot more than what meets the eye with some people.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The kind of media institution we would assume that our product would be released and distributed by would probably be places like Myspace, YouTube etc as it was a no-budget production. Therefore we could not possibly find the funds to release it via any other source. We loaned a video camera and a tripod from the school on several occasions at times which suited our group to film, which again is evidence that it was a no-budget process. The mise-en-scene and props we used were;
Who would be the audience for your media product?
A lot of people who regularly use Myspace and YouTube etc would most likely fall within our target audience range. Usually thriller movies would be shown to and viewed by those between 15 years of age to as much as 65 and above (with exceptions to 18 rated films, but often films with the 18 certificate border the "Horror" genre, so cannot be easily categorised within either horror or thriller). It is convenient that our target audience are regular internet users, as this is where our production would be distributed. This would make it easier for our target audience to view our product. A range of ages in our target audience has been found to be the top percentage of cinema-goers to see thriller films. This gives me confidence that the age group who regularly surf the internet and use MySpace are also in the same category as what has been found for thriller fans at the cinema. Consequently our product will become easily accessible to the target audience, which is what we aimed for.
How did you attract/address your audience?
Before we even started filming we decided whom our target audience would be, mainly age , but we also took into account gender. We used this information to decide how we were to film our production and how we would allow certain ideas and conventions to be portrayed through mise-en-scene. In popular thriller films, the use of simple characters made them so much more complex than meets the eye. We felt that with our character if we did this we would gain the viewers attention and made them want to keep watching. We used several other key concepts of popular thriller films (such as low key lighting for mystery, and close ups; as they dont give much else away outside of the shot. This maintains a sense of the unknown, i.e what is going to happen next? This keeps the viewers attention) to ensure that our product contained aspects of a good thriller, which would ideally attract our audience. We also put our production onto YouTube and Facebook, under search taglines such as "thriller", which would be a very prompt search. We chose the name near to the final stages of editing. We felt that we didn't want a name which would seem to cliche for the plot of our product. In the end we settled on "The Professional". We felt that this would be an appropriate name, as it doesn't give too much away about what happens and it strikes your attention (because it is "short but sweet").
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
During the construction of our product, we used an awful lot of technology to get to the standard of our finished product. For example, we used digital video cameras and tripods to film scenes to the standard we wanted them to be, and we even made use of the zoom feature for our last shot of the girl in the photo. In the 'park exchange scene' we utilised the night vision effect for two reasons. Firstly we were filming outdoors in an extremely low-lit area and found it difficult to get a good shot in normal vision, and secondly it allows the audience to realise that our protagonist is retrospectively looking back at the exchange. I have learnt that although digital video cameras can have a wide range of advantages, there are disadvantages. When we were filming the final shot of the girl in the photo, we had trouble getting the right speed zoom in, as it took several attempts to get it right. We also used imacs and the program i-movie HD. This was an advantage to us, as the process of editing was made much easier, as we could import and export as much as we wanted to and move and alter different aspects of our product to get it how we wanted, and save the production when necessary to prevent losing changes made. The only problem with the imacs was that there are only 3, and groups had to split computer time equally so we all had the same chance to get work done. I discovered that i have a very high level of understanding with technologies, and also a high level of patience with editing, although it times it can be very frustrating, as sometimes the macs limit the amount you can edit a piece of film.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When we were creating our preliminary task, no members of our group had any previous experience with the recording equipment and knowledge of terms used in the media industry. For example when it first came to editing it took all of our group at least 3 tries with imovie to grasp how to use it and learn about all the different things you can add or remove from your product. When you look at our finished product, then compare it back to our preliminary task, you can clearly see the difference in quality and also variation of shots used. I have learnt that the construction of shots is just as important as the editing of the shots, as both contribute to the quality of the product after you finish editing. Overall, i feel that i have progressed a lot, considering i had no previous experience. I think that the people whom i chose to work with were not barriers to hold me back, but they were people who i could reflect off of to help me gain a better understanding of how everything works in media. For example, a member of my group, Robert Ndabananiye, helped us all to understand how to use the edirol to record our soundtrack, then import it onto the mac and insert it into our product. I would not have the faintest idea of how to achieve this if i worked with, for example someone who contributed little to the group during all phases of production.
In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions Of Real Media Products
Rather than challenge the traditional conventions of a thriller, we used them in our production. For example we used low key lighting, no dialogue, close ups, and we also used pathetic fallacy (where the weather is representative of the mood of the sequence) to create a negative effect on the sequence. The weather was dark outside when we filmed, and we purposely did this to make sure that our product fit into a negative film category, and could not be categorised as an action film. We used traditional props, such as a gun, knives and other similar weapons. Our opening sequence focuses on our protagonist (the main character, preparing himself for a "hit"). The film would come under the genre "action thriller", as it involves more action than mind games. The room our production was filmed in represents the enclosed space which he lives and works, and the walls represent the barriers which keep people and happenings out. None of the shots we use reveal the identity of our main character, which adds to the complexity and mysteriousness of his character. Our initial idea was reflected off a current TV program, "Dexter". We thought this would be a good idea to use as we thought that it used the conventions we wanted extremely well to bring across the sense of mystery we were looking for. The use of close-ups to show expression in "Dexter" was what we didn't really want for our product, as we wanted to maintain more of a sense of mystery. The music we used was created by two members of our group, and we made sure that chords used were in a minor scale. Minor chords on a piano usually have a very dark and negative sound, and the use of this non-diagetic music helps to build up the tension. Also, accompanying the piano, we have a double drum beat, which represents a heartbeat. As the production progresses, the heartbeat gets faster and louder, which gives us the idea that it is the heartbeat of the target, as it stops as the protagonist leaves his garage. For our titles, we used a red gothic font on a black background. As our product was about death and negative events, we thought it was only fitting that the background be a negative colour. The colour of the background was most effective with the colour of the writing, which was to represent blood. This gives an idea of what the film will be like.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our media product does not really represent a specific social group, as we only have two characters present in the sequence. usually you would not be able to distinguish between a potential killer and a normal person in real life situations. We wanted to use this idea in our production, as this would enable us to add to the effect of mystery that we wanted our character to hold. The idea that someone who we perceive as a normal (a smart businessman in our production), could potentially be the one in control of your fate is quite a scary thought. This could potentially play mind games with the audience, which comes under a sub-category of the "thriller" genre, as it is a concept of a psychological thriller. Our choice of actor was myself, and this decision was based on the fact that i had very few features which would make me stand out in a crowd; which is what would be ideal for a hitman. The way we scripted the production was so that there was no dialogue, but you could get a faint idea of what was going on by his actions, for example picking up a knife and consealing it down his sleeve. This would tell me that the knife would play some part in what the character is doing. The idea is that you dont know exactly what will happen, but the signals and events which happen give you a good idea of what might happen; It leaves unanswered questions in your head. For the production, my hair was left unstyled, but combed. Which shows that the character is neat, and doesn't really mind the fact that he blends in with the background. This would be an advantage to a hitman, as the more they blend in, the more deadly they are. This gives an idea that people may not always be who we perceive them to be, and that there is a lot more than what meets the eye with some people.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The kind of media institution we would assume that our product would be released and distributed by would probably be places like Myspace, YouTube etc as it was a no-budget production. Therefore we could not possibly find the funds to release it via any other source. We loaned a video camera and a tripod from the school on several occasions at times which suited our group to film, which again is evidence that it was a no-budget process. The mise-en-scene and props we used were;
- Garage - Belonging to one of our group members
- Various props including knives, a glass, a plastic pellet gun and photographs, which were all taken from the homes of our group members for the sole purpose of filming
- A black and white suit which also belonged to another member of our group
Who would be the audience for your media product?
A lot of people who regularly use Myspace and YouTube etc would most likely fall within our target audience range. Usually thriller movies would be shown to and viewed by those between 15 years of age to as much as 65 and above (with exceptions to 18 rated films, but often films with the 18 certificate border the "Horror" genre, so cannot be easily categorised within either horror or thriller). It is convenient that our target audience are regular internet users, as this is where our production would be distributed. This would make it easier for our target audience to view our product. A range of ages in our target audience has been found to be the top percentage of cinema-goers to see thriller films. This gives me confidence that the age group who regularly surf the internet and use MySpace are also in the same category as what has been found for thriller fans at the cinema. Consequently our product will become easily accessible to the target audience, which is what we aimed for.
How did you attract/address your audience?
Before we even started filming we decided whom our target audience would be, mainly age , but we also took into account gender. We used this information to decide how we were to film our production and how we would allow certain ideas and conventions to be portrayed through mise-en-scene. In popular thriller films, the use of simple characters made them so much more complex than meets the eye. We felt that with our character if we did this we would gain the viewers attention and made them want to keep watching. We used several other key concepts of popular thriller films (such as low key lighting for mystery, and close ups; as they dont give much else away outside of the shot. This maintains a sense of the unknown, i.e what is going to happen next? This keeps the viewers attention) to ensure that our product contained aspects of a good thriller, which would ideally attract our audience. We also put our production onto YouTube and Facebook, under search taglines such as "thriller", which would be a very prompt search. We chose the name near to the final stages of editing. We felt that we didn't want a name which would seem to cliche for the plot of our product. In the end we settled on "The Professional". We felt that this would be an appropriate name, as it doesn't give too much away about what happens and it strikes your attention (because it is "short but sweet").
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
During the construction of our product, we used an awful lot of technology to get to the standard of our finished product. For example, we used digital video cameras and tripods to film scenes to the standard we wanted them to be, and we even made use of the zoom feature for our last shot of the girl in the photo. In the 'park exchange scene' we utilised the night vision effect for two reasons. Firstly we were filming outdoors in an extremely low-lit area and found it difficult to get a good shot in normal vision, and secondly it allows the audience to realise that our protagonist is retrospectively looking back at the exchange. I have learnt that although digital video cameras can have a wide range of advantages, there are disadvantages. When we were filming the final shot of the girl in the photo, we had trouble getting the right speed zoom in, as it took several attempts to get it right. We also used imacs and the program i-movie HD. This was an advantage to us, as the process of editing was made much easier, as we could import and export as much as we wanted to and move and alter different aspects of our product to get it how we wanted, and save the production when necessary to prevent losing changes made. The only problem with the imacs was that there are only 3, and groups had to split computer time equally so we all had the same chance to get work done. I discovered that i have a very high level of understanding with technologies, and also a high level of patience with editing, although it times it can be very frustrating, as sometimes the macs limit the amount you can edit a piece of film.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When we were creating our preliminary task, no members of our group had any previous experience with the recording equipment and knowledge of terms used in the media industry. For example when it first came to editing it took all of our group at least 3 tries with imovie to grasp how to use it and learn about all the different things you can add or remove from your product. When you look at our finished product, then compare it back to our preliminary task, you can clearly see the difference in quality and also variation of shots used. I have learnt that the construction of shots is just as important as the editing of the shots, as both contribute to the quality of the product after you finish editing. Overall, i feel that i have progressed a lot, considering i had no previous experience. I think that the people whom i chose to work with were not barriers to hold me back, but they were people who i could reflect off of to help me gain a better understanding of how everything works in media. For example, a member of my group, Robert Ndabananiye, helped us all to understand how to use the edirol to record our soundtrack, then import it onto the mac and insert it into our product. I would not have the faintest idea of how to achieve this if i worked with, for example someone who contributed little to the group during all phases of production.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
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