Evaluation Question 3

After the post production process of the production it would then need to be distributed inorder to gain recognition. This process can be very lavish and in some cases can be just as expensive as the creation and post productions stages. Thousands are spent by production companies such as Pixar and Universal to publicise their production; this can be done through the use of billboards, animated adverts and posters.

Our chosen media distributor is based on the budget we have, locations available and our chosen genre of the film (thriller).  Our film will be a low budget film due to the available editing software and filming equipment that that is available to us. This is why wemade the decision for Film 4 to be our media institution. The audience Film 4 tends to attract are younger and niche so we hope with this in mind our initial target audience would still be interested. Films 4 have been successfully in releasing independent films such as Submarine, Trainspotting, Attack The Block and 71 which is the same genre as our production. All four of these films have been successful despite being premiered through a British independent film company opposed to huge commercial companies such as Dreamworks. 

An example of another independent film is Scenario Films Ltd. Which is based in London they have produced films such as ‘Denial’ and ‘Desire.’ This production company would have also worked as our media distributor; however we made the decision it was best to go with Film 4 as it is more well-known and broadcasted on British television whereas Scenario Films premier their films over the internet and they don't have a strong advertising campaign. 

Evaluation Question 4

The age category for our target audience we are aiming at is teenagers-young adults (age 15-25). We made the decision to rate our film age appropriate age 15 due to scenes of possible violence and strong language. By placing our rating at 15 gives our film the opportunity to become more prosperous due to the fact it widens the market and gives our film the chance to gain a high viewer count and high popularity. The primary audience we looked at were both males and females however specifically looking at males. Due to the fact the main characters are both males therefore viewers may find it easier to relate to/understand. From research it is also seen that it is males who are drawn to thrillers this can be seen as they are the sex that commonly play video games which contain ‘thrilling nature’ such as grand theft auto and call of duty. We chose no specific ethnicity /social group to target our film at as we believed that our film would appear as interesting to all different types of people for example people who are considered as ‘chavs’ ‘nerds’ etc.

The secondary audience of this film would be people who watch this film with the primary audience; therefore in this case it might be girlfriends, friends or in some cases family members who are interested in the film from word of the youth.  I feel that we are targeting people under the C1 and C2 category asteenagers of 15+ don’t tend to have a substantial income and cinema is a low-priced place to go if you have a part time job. The money they earn can be spent on leisure and not for responsibilities that adults may have for example paying for bills/mortgages. I believe C1 and C2 are appropriate categories as the film may realise merchandise/commercial products which would boost the marketing of the film, meaning it is more associated with the target audience as it would appeal to them. I believe that our target audience would have common interests for example play sport, watch television and socialise with friends. By pursuing our film at teenagers who have collective interests would hopefully enhance the popularity of our film as it’s more likely to be enjoyable for all the demographics in the specific category. 

Evaluation Question 5

The targeted audience for our production is teenagers-young adults (age 15-25). As our film would be considered to be low budget it would it would premiere either on the television or in less notorious cinemas. We hope to target both sexes however we believe that males are our primary audience as we believe they will be more interested. I feel we attracted our audience through the use of camerawork, sound, editing and mise en scene.

Throughout our production the shots we used were diverse so no shots appeared as repetitive or tedious. When filming our sequence we were aware of the criteria we had to follow for example the 180 degree rule, match on action and rule of thirds. By following these techniques made our production appear as more successful as it stresses continuity.  We used a range of shots including high/low angle, two shot, zoom shot etc. We created continuity where necessary however there were points in which continuity was not necessary. A range of shots engross the viewer more as a variety appear as more appealing to watch. I feel the addition of a non-diegetic sound track captured the audience as it makes the scene appear as dramatic and scary. By no dialogue or diegetic sound being featured further creates this sense, as you as the viewer aren't aware of any ambient sound or you are unable to recognize the dialogue the characters are saying. This reduction of diegetic sound encourages the viewer the continue watching the rest of the film as they want to find out what is happening.

When editing our production we added a title which read ‘Based on a true story’ this wasn't considered to be a common convention used in films as this particular title normally appeared in the advertisement

stage. However I feel this captivated the viewers’ attention further as they will gain a ‘thrilling’ sense if they are aware that the story has some account of truth in it, as people who watch thrillers tend to enjoy the thrill/scare factor they receive. By editing particular footage so it appeared to be old I felt attracted the audience as it establishes the idea there is a difference in time periods presented. I thought by one of the main characters being  a teenage boy attracts the audience further as he presents the target audience, he also seen in popular clothing brands such as Superdry and River Island which would be widely held amongst the audience; also by the character coming from a middle class background would mean many viewers could find him easily relatable. 

Our production also follows a number of Bathers Narrative theories, one being The Engima Code as our production portrays a mystery to draw the audience in (Alfie’s disappearance) and they become intrigued in that one piece as the identity of the abductor is not revealed. It shows aspects of The Semantic Code in addition as Liam is accused to be the abductor of Alfie however its not expected as the viewers are shown videos of the close relationship shining his innocence. This creates a contrast. By theses codes being followed should create a positive outcome as these are successful methods used in the film industry to date. 

Evaluation Question 6

During this process of planning and producing my practical production my skills have expanded since GCSE in a number of ways. I have learnt about array of different electronic devices, software and programmes. I feel as if my knowledge on shot types and editing skills have vastly improved due the fact more skills are required in order to achieve a high grade.

PLANNING AND RESEARCH

Since starting my practical production project I have used Blogger on a weekly basis. To keep hold/track of all my work towards the project including production updates, production schedules, scripts etc. Blogger is able to present my work in way which shows my progression through the project as it lays out work in a chronological order. The use of social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook have enabled me to keep in contact with my other group members (Emma and Liam) allowing us to arrange where to meet, what time etc. when filming was necessary. In addition to this I was also to keep in contact with them through the use of messaging applications including iMessage and Whats App. These made the process a lot more workable and easy. We took images using an iPhone and edited them accordingly on programme Picasa 3, these images included characters, locations, props etc. Sites including YouTube, Megashare and 4OD helped us during the research stage to look at the film conventions of genres similar to ours including sound and camerawork.

PRODUCTION

When filming our production we used a ‘Canon Legria Camcorder Plus’ this camera was different to the one I had previously used at GCSE. At first I felt at a disadvantage as I weren’t familiar with the settings and buttons etc. however after a few hours with the product I had adjusted to it. Our camera is considered as low budget equipment. The camera enabled us to film the footage we needed however at a low quality. We weren’t able to manually adjust the focus, aperture and exposure which put us at a drawback in comparison to other peers in our class as they had the type of equipment to do so. We filmed the non-diegetic sound voiceover of David with the use of an Apple iPhone; this appeared as strong quality as the phone was held the correct separation distance between the mouth and microphone. 

POST PRODUCTION 

Once entering the post production stage we used numerous software to help edit our footage. We imported our videos to the computer through the use of a memory card; our videos were thenconverted on Format Factory to MP4 which enabled us to then edit our videos. Our videos were edited in the programme Adobe Premiere. I had previous experience of this programme however my knowledge was only little as I was previously self-taught through online tutorials. Finally any non-diegetic sounds which we used from YouTube we converted online using website www.youtube-mp3.org, also we downloaded the old style countdown from YouTube in an MP4 format using website keepvid.com.To conclude I feel all technology we used during this process was essential to create the production we did. Premiere I feel was our main tool when editing our footage as it enabled us to adapted footage to appear in the particular way we wanted, as well adding sound effects and video transactions. 

Evaluation Question 7

When creating my media product, through both practical and post production stages I feel my knowledge and understanding of different camera shots and editing techniques have expanded since the first initial practical assignment which was the preliminary task. I feel with the knowledge I have gained has enabled me to produce a successful opening sequence to a film. The preliminary task was the stage where I was first introduced to techniques such as the 180 degree rule and match on action. The preliminary task was the first opportunity I got to use and develop these skills. Up to this point I had worked solo in media and this was my first opportunity to work as part of a group, this meant I was able to gain everyone else’s opinion on the shot, edit etc. which enabled us to gain a joint successful result. During the preliminary task stage ‘Hollywood style editing’ was also introduced which was a development from GCSE work. This edit allowed us to create more professional looking outcomes which were a development from work I had previously attained  

We learnt about time measures during the preliminary task process, for example, the outcome had to be a minimum of 30 seconds. When we first filmed initially we discovered that we didn't have enough footage to fill the time requirement, therefore this meant we had to re film. This is a skill we carried over when filming our opening sequence as consciously we filmed more footage which meant if clips appeared to be unsuccessful we had backups and alternatives. When the preliminary task brief was set we had to include a minimum of ten shot types. This made our final product appear to be more interesting due to the fact we had previously had the opportunity to practice shots and see what worked the best. I feel since the preliminary task my editing skills have hugely improved as now I am able to create varied sound levels, overlay shots and produce titles with greater ease. 

The preliminary was a task which enabled us to practise our camera shots and editing skills. We also were given the opportunity to test new knowledge we had learnt including ‘Hollywood style editing’ and the 180 degree rules. The storyline wasn’t important in this case. However we learnt how to create a symbolic and representational meaning for our opening sequence after further research e.g. watching opening sequences from our chosen genre. We now had to apply both our camera and creative skills together in order to create diverse and interesting shots this including the positioning of the characters, props included and specific actors performance. We followed aspects of Barthes Enigma codes in order to grab the attention of our target audience and made it interesting to watch both visually and phonetically.

Before starting our opening sequence, it was essential I was aware of other film openings which followed the genre I did. Therefore I took the time to research films from a thriller genre. I looked out for common things which occurred in the sequence and noted this down as a thriller convention. Examples of these are low key lighting and a non-diegetic soundtrack. This process gave me the opportunity to replicate successful conventions which are used in media today, this gives us the chance to produce a symbolic representation and meaning to the audience. I feel I have learnt many successful skills during this process in order for me to continue to progress in my media career. One of the most important lessons I feel I have learnt is the process of time keeping as at points I felt we struggled to co-work with our initial practical product schedule due to availability of participants/equipment, interruption from exams/insects days and being unable to film due to the weather conditions. Overall I have learnt many techniques in how to attract the audience’s attention and keep them engaged in the footage which previously I wasn’t knowledge on. These include: film conventions and different narrative approaches, for example, Barthes Enigma Code. 

Final Cut of Practical Production

When we came to export our final production there were issues. After numerous attempts our production would not export in the way which was correct. Therefore we had to resort to filming our production from the software, Adobe Premiere. This overall effects the quality of the image and sound.

Production Update

Today we finalised our practical production by tweaking the last bit of editing in order to make our

production as successfully as possible. We made the decision to add a laugh (non-diegetic sound) over our home video footage. We felt this added more suspense to our opening sequence and made it to appear more sinister. We also added a ‘bam’ like sound effect for when our title ‘Progeny’ in hope this makes the viewer’s jump. This is a typical audience reaction to thriller films therefore follows the conventions. We finally ensured that our practical production appeared as continuous when it needed to be by cutting clips. We also repositioned some titles so they become easier to read. Once we were happy with everything we exported our footage. 

Below is the laugh we made the decision to use. We found difficulty finding the correct one.