Evaluation Question 3

Question 3 - What have you learned from your audience feedback?

I asked some of my peers, teachers and target audiences, these questions about my film;
- How did you enjoy the film?
- What message did you receive from the film?
- What would you change about the film?
- What was good about the film?

Overall, they all enjoyed my film, complimenting on the plot line, the acting and the setting, but they did have mixed views about the message. Some had it tight by saying what goes around comes around, but other felt that the message was just about why people bully. They also had varied idea about what to change about our film. Some felt that the scenes needed to be longer, some felt that the ending needed to be changed, and some felt the dialogue needed to be changed. Many felt that the story line was good as it hasn't been shown on that angle before, and some complimented that the whole piece felt really real in the setting, clothing and people.

I also asked them similar questions including the following about my postcard;
- How well is my postcard presented?
- What do you understand about my postcard?
- What would you change about my postcard?
- What was good about my postcard?

All the people I asked felt that my postcard was well presented, and those who knew about the conventions of a postcard felt that mine shadowed this well, with a good few twists on it. They liked my postcard and felt that it reflected the genre and storyline well, and praised my editing skills within this. They also liked how I had continued the theme of purple throughout the front and back of my postcard. They understood the message of the postcard, and knew that it would have something to do with the alley way, and the colours and edits on the postcard showed this well. However some said that it was a bit plain, and would like to have seen a person in the image, and some said that they thought the birds in the sky were a bit pointless.


Finally I asked them questions about my review;
- How well written and presented was my review?
- What do you understand about how I felt in my review?
- What would you change about my review?
- What was good about my review?

From the feedback that I received, I can see that this was my weakest subject matter. Many said that the layout page was well presented, and followed the conventions of a film review, but the content was not any better. They felt that my opinions kept changing and felt that I was 'wishy-washy' in some areas of the review. They would change quite a bit of my review, but only the words, as they were the weakest point. But visually it was well done, and liked how I had copied well the designs of a normal sight and sound article.

From these questions I feel that overall I have produced some very well pieces of work, and think I have been able to do what I planned to do in the first place, other than the review, which I felt is my weaker  but I knew this in advance, as I know I am not great at writing reviews, and could tell this when writing my review.

Here are some reviews on videa from my peers and a teacher;







From the feedback we received, I learned that it was harder to get across what I wanted, as others perceive some aspects different to others. I found this evident with the review back from Jan Wright. I can see what she means, and I should have covered every aspect of each scene to check that everyday would have understood this.

This feedback was from the final pieces I had, and therefore could not change anything, but along the way, I was constantly asking other's opinions to make sure I as heading down the right track, and made changes where necessary. For example, I had much change on my postcard, as my original idea didn't fit with the theme and the edits I had made on photo shop didn't match with the film.

I think, if I was to redo this project, I would change the storyline within our short film, as I felt that there could have been a bigger impact on the story if there was some changes, and would have put another scene at the end to show her in the future. This would have also made the film longer, and more like a short film that has an actual ending.

If I had the choice I would have had different group members, but this was a decision not up to me, and was unavoidable, and unchangeable.

I would have also maybe changed the costume of the main character, as looking back, it doesn't seem like she has a bad background form the clothes she is wearing. But other than these few minor elements, I wouldn't have changed all that much.
This image shows how we used Photoshop in our projects, in many ways; for our postcard, for our film review and used this programme to insert images so it will be able to go onto our blogger.

Here on youtube we were able to upload our films and other bits and pieces. This is useful as people from all over the world can acess this and we can upload our videos on our blogger.

Through the use of Google we have been able to research manny aspects around our filming and conventions and job roles etc, and this has helped us as it gives us another angle on what to do and how aspects in filming are.

 With the aid of an edit suite we were able to create and piece together our film, put them into the correct sequence and to add titles to the film. This is helpfull to us as we can make our film look as proffessional as we could. This also gave us the chance to improve the level of sound in our film that may have been lost or damaged when filming and were ableto put music over the top of our film to create a mood.

Evaluation Question 4

Question 4 - How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
New media has played a major role while making our short film. While constructing our film in the beginning, we used many medias to create them, mainly including the computer. Using Microsoft word and Microsoft excel with the pre production. Before creating our film though, we also used some technology that we needed to use in the film to practice and make sure that we knew how to use the equipment well. Through the Internet and first hand experience we were able to achieve this.

There was also the use of the Internet to help us with the research in order to find much knowledge and help around certain areas while preparing for our film. We also was able to watch a number of short films to gain the understanding first hand about the conventions of short films. Through the use of YouTube as well, we were about to watch a variety of other short films from all over the world to then further our understanding and knowledge of conventions of a short film.

With our evaluation, media has become very use full. Through the use of YouTube we were able to upload our short films, along with other documentations and gain feedback from those who watched our short film. This then enables other people from all ages and from around the world to watch our film. This is an essential piece of media for the short film industry, as they will be able to upload their film and show off their skills to the whole world; otherwise they would have to make their film good enough to be accepted to be in a short film prize show, and even if they are good enough, they may not get accepted or recognised. By the Internet, everyone gets a fair chance to show off their work.

We are also also able to upload these websites and videos onto our Blogger and add links to other sights as well, and this is will help widen out our understanding and help those who look into our blogs.

There is another factor that we used to help with our production, and that was Photo shop. This was used to mainly help create our postcards. This was helpful as we were able to use our imagination, and have the ability to have a wider range of tools to make a better postcard.



If there was none of the technology available today, then we would have to make the film with old fashioned cameras instead of the newer hand held cameras. As with the photoshopping aspect of it all, we would not have the option to change the images we would have wanted on the postcard, and would have had to use a single image from the film. We would then have to multi-print the images on an old printing press to how much we would need. But this would have been very time consuming and would cost much more money.

We would not have the use of the Internet either and this would mean that it would be harder to advertise our short film to a wider range of people, as you can let people from all over the world see your film if it uploaded onto the Internet. Thus we would have to have shown our short films at festivals or on a cinema screen to show people.

We would also not have the edit suites, so we would have to make each shot count, as well as the acting. We would need minimal mistakes and would have to create the images in the dark room. This would also be very time consuming, and would not be able to make edits to the film or be able to add titles in the film.

Post 20: Final Products

Final Video



Unfortunatly during the export of our video the compression has made the sound out of synch with the images and YouTube has decided to screen the film in 4:3 when it was shot 16:9 as per film industry conventions.

Finished Postcard

Front

Back

Film Review

Here is my finished film review and I did this on Photoshop. As the writing is too small, here is my review in writing.

The first word that I thought of when I saw the title of this short film was ‘predictable’. The name ‘Karma’ was clear that the message would be along the lines of what goes around comes around, and was curious as to how they would be able to not show this in armature way. But after studying the four and a half minute short film, directed by the fresh upcoming director Emily Downer, it was clear to me that her complex innovative spin on the simple form of bullying was a new light that shone on me. But was this purely a one off chance or is this actually the formation of a great director in the making?

Parading around the school like she’s the queen, Lucieanne is the school bully. But when she is faced up to her demons down the torturous alley, she isn’t the big guy then. Looking into her home life is an indication as to why she may behave this way around school.

 However, this normally delicate subject that is clearly evident in every childhood school, now and way back, was attacked right on the head in this short film. The great set design, the average acting skills of newly starting Bryony Seletes and the fine narrative along with the social realism aspect of the overall feel of the film jumped out when you watched the film. I felt however this could have been improved a little in these areas.

It was unusual to see how the director used the alley way as the main subject when in the film. As the main character walks up the hill it is clear that she is terrified about that hill, and the way the music was ingeniously placed over the visual images was nothing short of genius. Although the audience could not see what was happening, this made it obvious to the audience that there was something bothering her.

After watching the main character’s (Lucieanne) behaviour, it is obvious that she is a troubled girl. Twisting plot lines was evident in this short film; you get a glimpse of the home life of a person that is a cruel bully, which is rare to get caught on camera in such an emotional effective way. But why don’t you get to see what happens to her in the end? Is this a lack of effort and care on the director’s part? Is this simply a cliff-hanger that makes you want to watch more? Or is this an actual mistake? That I don’t know, but this aspect was a shock to me.

Although I felt that there was much to praise about this film, there was a few aspects that I just cannot get off my mind. While it was nice to find a female playing the main role of a bully which is uncommon, the fact that the message I gained from this short film was entirely negative. I felt that by showing how her home life was, it was a way of making an excuse for her behaviour, and this is not right.

I felt overall that this was a technically good short film, but that was all it was, good. I do recommend this short film, as it was a miscellaneous style film through the content, the acting and the dialogue. But this film was the type of short film you will love it while you watch it, and after a week or two will forget it.

Evaluation Question 1

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

Within our film 'Karma' we have stuck to many conventions from real media texts. For example, we used a real life setting that everyone can relate to; a school as well as using the main body of a subject in which everybody can relate to, weather or not this was from the victim's point of view or the bully itself.

We found that filming on a location that was familiar to the audience helped us follow conventions of a short film in that the audience needs to be able to recognise or relate to the surroundings quicker as there is less time. In this way, we followed the conventions but in areas such as the main character however, challenged the conventions. As the main character was played by a woman, and she was a bully, this is uncommon as in most films or even television programmes, the bully is seen as a male.

I think within the film, we developed the aspect of the relationship between Lucienne and her father had. I have not seen other short films that target this angle of her home life. With a wider understanding of the background behind why she is bullying is seen by the audience, this deepens the ideas about why some people may bully in school.

Also I feel that we have challenged the conventions, as there was no happy ending, unlike most short films. With our short film, our ending was more of a cliffhanger.


Here are 15 frames from our film that illustrate these above points;

Within this scene, although for a short time is not seen, you can hear what is going on in the house, and the audience begin to understand the extent that her and her father do not get along. This also challenges the aspect of the life around the bully that does not get shown very offen in films. Also, the idea about acknowledging the reasons behind the bullying is evident and this then develops the character, as the audience gain a better understanding about the main character and their private home lives that not many people see, and by addressing this aspect, develops and challenges the conventions.

These above images are proof that we have kept to the conventions of a short film, by having slides that give the audience information about the Producers, who helped make the film and the title of the film. This is needed so that the audience have an understanding of who made the film and exactly what film they are watching. The colours of a black background and white writing makes the information stand out and the darkness of the colours reflect the feel of the film. These are also typical colours for this aspect of the film.

Here is an establishing shot of the main character. This is needed as the audience can then understand the character, and through the dialogue in the previous few seconds, can understand a little bit about her. I think that the way we have shown her challenges the development of the character, as the usual convention does not involve first introducing the character by voice over.  Also, by using a female actor as a bully, this also furthers the challenging of conventions, as this is not common to see a female in the role of a bully in a film.  

 

From this screen grab, we have followed the conventions of a thriller, as she is worried about something behind her, when there is nothing there. This is also seen through out the film in various places.

In these scenes where the main character is bullying others, her 'friends' behind her slowly don't agree with what she is doing, and shows to the audience that this behaviour is frowned upon, and even her friends are starting to see that what she is doing is wrong, until they finally leave her, and walk straight past her at the end of the film. This shows another side to bullying, and reinforces the idea of social realism within my film, but then challenges the idea around the relationships with those of a bully and how they react around her.

 

With this scene where the main character is getting told off, this follows conventions of a short film narrative, as the audience would expect her to get into trouble as this is a social realism film.

Towards the end of the film, it becomes evident that the main character is quite alone. This scene where she walks all alone shows the audience how alone she is and that her friends have ditched her and challenges the usual conventions in a social realism film.

Finally, here are the credits which are conventional to a short film. They inform the audience on a larger scale who was involved with the film, who was in the film and also where the music was from. As this is only a short film, the credits are more important to the viewer as this is a way of showing talent to others around the world, and this information can advertise a certain aspect of the film to others watching.

Here is my finished postcard;

I think there are many aspects of my postcard that follow conventions as well as challenging them. Some of the main ways that I have kept the conventions the same include the use of a title, a tag line, a logo, a picture that reflects the film and the layout. The factors that do not follow conventions include the fact that I have manipulated the image through Photo shop. Here I enhanced the colours and made them sepia toned to add a feel for the film. This then showed the audience that the film had a slight horror feel to it, around this particular scene. Not only this, but I was able to add in some birds in the background. I felt that this fitted with the scene and the edits I had made. This also went against the normal conventions of a postcard.   

• Task 3: Insert an image of your final magazine film review page and annotate again illustrating your above thoughts.

Post 17: Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews Part 1

In order to write a film review, I must first understand the conventions of them, and a few of the ones that go against these and choose what I want to include in my film review. I have looked at two reviews of 'The King's Speech' from two newspaper articles, and noted downsome of their conventions, how I felt when reading them and what I liked and didnt like about these.

I will start off by looking at newapaper articles.

The Independant - http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-kings-speech-tom-hooper-113-mins-12abrthe-next-three-days-paul-haggis-128-mins-12a-2179616.html

Whilst reading this article, I felt that the context of it was very relaxed and friendly, and played on words such as ' sh-sh-shooin', which is miniking the speech impediment from the film. I found that this made me as the audience relax and calm down when reading. This would most likely been read by the majority and average people, by this and the fact that they talked mostly about the story line and the actors. The image on this article caught my eye and this was a unique selling point of the actor Collin Firth. I also realised that this film review wasnt massively long, but infact vastly shorter. I think this was done so that a wider audience would more likely read this as it is small, and was easier to read.

The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/06/the-kings-speech-review

Compared to The Independant, this film review contained much more information, such as the stars in the film, the certificate of the film, the runing time and the genre of the film. This came alongside more facts about and around the film. The overall tone of the film was more serious than the Independant, as there was alot more information overall about the film for the reader, however the language they used wasnt too over powering for the reader. This was also detailed, far more than the Independant, as there was ten paragraphs, rather than the three from the Independant. There was some similarities, including the unique selling point in the form of a picture; this was of again Collin Firth, but with this one there was also Helen Bonham Carter.

 Magazines like Sight and Sound do not have a section for short films, but if I choose to include my film review in a magazine like this, I could say that my short film is a special feature article. This is a widely read magazine, and would get me quite alot of audiences of all ages.




I also started looking at magazines and websites.

Total Film Review

Total Film is a magazine, but you can also access this through the internet, and I like this as it widens the audience. With one of the Total film review, they felt like they were more interested about the plot of the film and who was in it, rather than what was good and bad about the film. This also felt light hearted as they used jokes and words from the film; a language that everyone can understand. However they did include the stars in the film, the certificate, the writters and the genre, and also used a picture which again is a unique selling point. This review was also short, but I think this was neccesarry as it is meant the be like a quick read.   http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/hall-pass


However, what I liked about this review was because it was over the internet, other people were allowed to comment on what you felt about the film, and with this twist, as a reader you could get more than one point of view on the film and different perspectives.




  Film Guru


Thtough this wedsite, I found a short film review and found it was also friendly, with not too many words used. They also talked about the technical element of the short film, which I hadnt seen in any of the other film reviews, and I liked this. They also included the title, the cast members, the director and a rating of the film. Another element I liked about this short film review was that they writter of the review included his own opinion of the film, which wasnt evident in the other reviews. This also had a short overview of the plot of the short film.

These are the conventions that I noted down about film reviews;




Film reviews Always have;
- A Title
- A bit of the plot
- The Certificate
- The Director's names
- The Writter's names
- The Cast member's names
- A picture of some sort as a unique selling point
- A certain tone of language, either friendly, calm or serious


I think that more people are likely to read a shorter film review as they dont have too much time, and is good for 'on-the-go'. By having these conventions, they are able to acum,ilate the necessary information about the film to then decide weather or not to go and see this film. The pictures also help, as they give the audience a feel of the film and show the main character which more often than not make people want to see the film as they are a really famous actor or actress.


Film reviews Sometimes have;
- Long paragraphs
- Their own opinion
- The running time
- Facts about and around the film
- The genre
- Interaction with the audience (over the internet)


The language used in the review is mostly aimed at a specific age group, friendly and calm would be for young teens to adults, and sufisticated and longer would be aimed more for older ones. The facts could interest both.


Things I will include in my review
- The Title. This is because the audience will need to know what the film is called.
- The Genre. Including the genre will help the audiemce to make quick decisions about weather or not they would like to see the short film. This will also help draw in the audience who specifically like the genre.
- Some of the plot. By including only some of the plot this will wet their appatite and make them want to see the film and find out more. This will also help to keep the review shorter for people to read 'on-the-go'.
- The Certificate. The certificate will again narrow down the audience that will want, or even be able to see the film.
- The running time. This will help people to see if they want to watch the fillm.
- The names of the - Director.
                             - Actors.
                             - Camera men.
                             - Lighting men.
                             - Production Designer. The names of these roles wont neccesarily make the audience want to go and see the film, but they need to be recognised for the jobs they have done; this also shows that even though it is a short film, alot of work and preperation ha gone into this.
- A picture - I feel that a picture is necessary as this can lure people in out of curiosity, and can give a clue about the film.
- An opinion - Having an opinion in the review will help to show the audience that they actually liked the film, and didnt write it for the sake of it, and their opinion may help them make the decision weather or not to see the film.
- A rating - Even though a rating of the film may not be the reason why a person will or will not see a film, but this may help them either way to make a decision. This could also show the quality of the film, as it is only a short film it will need all the help it needs.
- Both relaxed and friendly language as well as serious - The language can either make people want to carry on reading or make them put it down, and if I have a mixture of both, this will increase my chances of having the biggest audience that I can get to see my short film.


I have many choices and desitions to make about the placement I will use for my short film, such as would I prefer it to be in a magazine, in a newspaper or on the internet. They all have their advantages however I feel more inclined to have my film review over the internet. Most of society is technological and most homes have access to the internet, and this will deffinately give me the largest chance of a wide audience. The other advantage of this is that people can share what they like on websites like facebook, twitter and blogger.
  
As my film is more aimed at this age, I think this will have a bigger effect; they would all have this in common. However older ones have access to this too, so I will not be limiting my audience to a specific age range. I have taken into acount that only a certain age will read newspapers and a certain group will read short film reviews quickly, and this would reduce the number of possible audiences.


As I have also seen in some film review websites, it allows the reader to comment underneath the review, and I feel this is an advantage as the audience will always have a constant flow of opinions and many ideas about the film. This way, the reader will gain a wider knowlegde from this than any newspaper or magazine. For these reasons, I will have my film review in the style of Film Guru.

Post 16: Ancillary Task 1 - Postcards Part 1

I will first of all analyse the conventions of British film Posters and one american film poster, and later on look at conventions of a postcard, as this will make my understanding of both improve, and help me to see the difference. I can also go against these conventions and use them to make my postcard the best it can.

This is one example of a British film poster. As you can see there are a few numbers arounf the image, and I will talk about these aspects.

Number 1 and number 2

Here you can clearly see the main actors' names, and this is because they are unique selling points. This is where an aspect on the front is more likely to make someone watch the film because of that aspect. These actors is an aspect that would appeal to many different people, and is likely to make people watch the film because of this. Hugh Grant is a British actor, where as Andie Macdowell is an american actress so from this, audiemces from both Britain and America will likely to watch this film. The names of the actors help when advertising a film as it is one of the first things an audience sees when looking at the

Number 3

This is the background of the image, and this guves the audiences an idea about where the film is set. Here you can see Big Ben, and signifies London. This not only gives the audiences information about where it is set, but can also give them an idea about the genre or the time period. The background images help to give a feel about the image, and these can sweud people into watching them; British viewers will have a connection to it and American actors may admire this landmark.

Number 4 and 5

Here is an image of the main cctors in the filkm, and from this you can work out what type of film this is, and they work as a unique selling point. Hugh Grant is a big actor in Britian and will attrqact a british audience and the other woman is american and would attract the audience from America. The way they are holding each other suggest a romance film, and the audience will see this.

Number 6

Number 6 is the title of the film, and this is very important as it is needed to show the audsience what the title is. As this is in red, and as well as the romance like feel of the images, this firther suggests to the audience what the genre of the film is about. There is also a little picture of a heart and a split in it and this also shows the genre of the film

Number 7

Here is a tag line of the film. This creates a small interest of the film and makes them want to watch the film. This also generates curiosity in the audience to make them want to see the film.

Number 8

This is all the information about who created the film and who helped within the film, the production names and other production details about the film. This then shows the audience about the making of it, and if they recognise the names and have liked that name or production company, then they are more likely to watch the film.

 

As I want to make my film postcard as real as I can, I have to study existing postcards, and understand the conventions they have, as this will help mine to look as real as it can. After looking at many postcards, I have noted down those conventions. These will help me to understand the layout and help me in the future. I can also go against some of the conventions to make mine stand out from the others.  The image above is the basic layout of a postcard, and the image and title ect will go on the blank space on the bottom half and the other information goes at the top.





On the front
- An Image - This picture will give the audience extra information about the film, and can also help show the genre too. This can draw them in, and can make them curious to see the film. Some choose to have less of an image to make them not know too much, and want to see it, where as some like to show many aspects of the film to make them want to see it; bearing in mind this is a short film, and will need to catch their attention as quick as possible.  
- The Title - The title may not always have anything to do with the film, however by including the title it will stick in the audience's mind more. This may also attract the audience by an unusual name.
- The size (half an A4 sheet) - Postcards have to be this size, as the name suggests; this is also a good size to advertise within a small budget.
- A tagline - A tagline helps attract the audience to watch the film, and will give a clue as to some of the film and sometimes the genre.  

On the back
- The layout of a postcard - As shown on the image above, the technical details and a few other pieces go on the back. Not all the audiences will read this, but some may and this shows that the film was made seriously and who made it.
- The production name and logo - This is to show the viewer who has helped create the film, and as it is only a short film, this is essential to help get their name known.
- The names of actors - These are again needed to show the audience who has acted in the film as they are trying to sell themselves through the short film.
- A synopsis - This also helps generate curiosity in the person reading the postcard and tells them what the film is about.
- A rating of the film - This is purly to help the audience see how well it was rated as other would have had to watch the film to rate it, and people like other opinions.
- An email address or telephone number- As mentioned before, this information is used to get in contact if someone likes what they have created, they need contact information from them.

Short films do not have the bidget to advertise films like they do with a larger bidget. Film producers are able to create adverts on the television on many channels, at different times and even in different countries. They are also able to make adverts on the radio, as well as posters in town centres, busses and other public places. This is where film posters come in handy, as these can be created within their bidget.

This on the other hand csn prove to be difficult to use for marketing their film as they are limited to places where they can distribute their postcards. This also means they wont be able to globelise their film, as they will only be able to leave them in places they can get to and place. But they are small enough to make more copies and place them in more places they want.

Using the postcard idea means that the film makers will be able to advertise them in places they want, and know will get an audiemce. For example, if the short film was science fiction, they could leave them in science fiction shops or in a library in that scetion, or the safest option is in a cinema as the people already there like films, and these will catch their interest.

Post 14: Pre-production Documentation

Script

This is my script, and this was the first document I produced for my short film, as this was my inital idea and from this document we can create all the rest of the documents to help with our filming. This will also help to keep all of our other documents to stay the same and as we keep referencing back to this, it will all stay the same. This was not the first draft, however as it took a few redrafts to make it make sence. This was discussed in a previous post. This is also helpful when our actors learn the script, and they will understand the plot of the story and their lines.

Technical Recce's

These technical recces were created by Sohail, and they will help us to plan where to place the cameras for when we film our production and this will help us to save time and energy. When we film, we will take these along with us on the set and this will help us to be organised.

Shot List

This shot list was created by liam and this was made from the script and these are the individual shots that will be in our film. This will also help us when we create the storyboard and will make it easier to read and make.

Risk Assesment

With this risk assesment which I completed, this helps us to make sure that we have all the risks in our mind for when we film so that we do not injure anyone on set or any of the equipment.

With this shooting it will help us to keep organised with our time and make sure we use our time wisely. Also, we have rearanged some of the shots so that it is easier to film, and wont waste time when filming.