Evaluation question 7

Question 7: Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progress from it to the full product?

From the construction of our preliminary video in comparison to our thriller film I feel as though we have had a massive improvement between the two in terms of editing, equipment knowledge and mise en scene usage. In doing so we have learnt how to use the camera equipment to our full advantage and to use it to the best we can to gain the fullest effect they have to offer as well as the effects in the video software’s we used, having much more experience in using the program on our second attempt in constructing and rending a video through it. However not only did we learn about equipment and software through our preliminary video but also decided to include some of the conventions found in thriller films to give off the intense effect of a true thriller, causing the audience to be engrossed with the film and on the edge of their seat through out the screening. By exercising this in such an early stage of the production we were able to get a head start on what would work best and what we could be sure to include in order to make it as exiting and intensifying as we intended it to be. 

Firstly, the dark aspect of the preliminary video conformed to the thriller convention of dull lighting to keep am intense and sinister atmosphere which we decided worked very well by keeping the seriousness of the convention. It also gave off a sense of danger which we were sure to include in the film. By testing out this convention in a specific environment it enables us to know what type of rooms we could use to film in as well as what kind of darkness it should be at in order to carry this on in our film. 

Despite not having as much effect as we wanted we still tried to carry this on through the film in ‘Soul’ however the place we filmed wasn't dark enough in order to give the same scene of danger and seriousness that was represented in the preliminary video. We wanted this effect in the Mac room where Demi and Her assistant was to clearly indicate to the audience that this wasn't a safe place to be, giving off an intense and unsettling feeling, representing the antagonist. Despite this not turning out how we wanted we made sure to create this unsettling intense atmosphere in other ways.  

For example when we used close ups in the preliminary video to put emphasis on what the characters where saying and feeling, it also gave off a patronizing and threatening effect which caused the power struggle between the two characters to swap and perhaps keep the audience guessing on who has the upper hand here. We feel as though this effect worked by having some sentences more appealing an understandable in a specific context through the close up of the camera.

 In order to carry out this effect in ‘Soul’ we had lots of close ups while Demi was asking questions to make her appear on a higher status than Grace, while when the camera closes up on Grace she doesn’t say anything, indicating how afraid she is in this position; making the audience feel on edge towards what kind of power Demi really has over Grace. 

 We also tried to test out the convention of quick cuts in our preliminary in order to fully understand and play around with what time it was appropriate to use it in as well as what situation we could have it occur. Furthermore it was also to help us see what camera shots worked best in a series of quick 2 second clips which we then made sure to channel through to our film. By doing so and experimenting with this we figured out it was best to use a range of close ups and extreme close ups as well as one medium range shot in order to see what has happened before the quick cuts or what has happened afterwards. This was to create the quick panic and fear in the situation the quick cuts where unravelling towards, also keeping the pace of the video going and to make sure they do not loose interest. Also this was done to throw them off guard after the dialogue.

 

To carry this over into our thriller opening we definitely strived to include this effect the quick cuts brought forward onto the audience, expressing further elements of the story. By doing so it made the flash back of Grace past appear more violent and relevant to the audience by presenting it as so traumatizing and sudden that they are left in shock to ponder on what has just unfolded in front of them.  We also included the same camera shots from the Preliminary as we felt as though these specific camera angles were relevant and gave the full effect we were representing. 

Further more we didn't include any sound effect or music choice in our preliminary video where I do believe it still had the same effect with out some however would have created more of an intense atmosphere if some sort of sound track was playing in the background. We decided to act upon this in our thriller film and put two soundtracks in the film in order to have more depth into the situation as well as the sudden change of mood and tone in specific scenes.

Also we decided to use tilting in the preliminary as it gave off such a strong effect of power statue, having the camera as well as the audience looking up to a specific character. This meant that no matter what the audience would be placed at a lower status of the character the camera is positioned and they would have no choice but to look up to this character. However I do feel as though this effect was represented stronger in our Preliminary video rather than in of thriller film.

 One of the reasons why this may not have had more effect in the film than it did in the preliminary video is because when the tilting is in effect on Grace she is sitting down instead of standing up like Chloe is in the video. This doesn't make her seem more as a threat and a higher status if she is sitting down and perhaps would have worked better in a flash back or in the scene where she escapes the interrogation room. 

Further more we made sure to use a tripod for the camera more often in the thriller opening than we did for the preliminary as in some scenes the camera is incredibly shaky that you can clearly see that someone is merely holding it to record. In order to create the sense of realism and professionalism in the thriller film we made sure to use a tripod mostly for every shot to have that balanced shot unless we need a handy cam in order to create a shaky or uneasy effect for the scene. For example in the point of view shot in Graces flash back we choose not to have a tripod in order to make it seem more real as well as having the connection between the characters feelings and the audience.

In conclusion there is no question that we have greatly improved and learnt from many mistakes that we could have done without through the process of making the preliminary in comparison the film opening. Many of these factors could have been down to the thorough planning we had for the film where with the preliminary we only had a story board to go by however the codes and conventions we were still testing in the preliminary proved useful and in the end decided to include in the final outcome. Over all from this process we have learnt that it comes down to good editing software, understanding of the conventions and how to put them to good use through equipment such as  camera angles and editing as well as detailed planning to avoid plot holes and errors in the story. Also all of this can heavily depend on audience research, by understanding your target audience as well as who may watch your product you are then able to construct around their needs and wants. This was something we were able to do in comparison to the preliminary task which we could not gather audience feedback from.All these factors have been brought forward and have proved useful in the construction of our thriller film.

Evaluation question 6

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

While through the research, planning and production I’ve learnt many more tricks and skills both with old technologies and new which has helped me for the final our come of the film.

Research:

For example through the use of Blogger which I had never touched before I was able to embed new files into the website so that I could organise work as well as make it easier to look back upon. This in the end made sure we could get easy and straight forward feed back on our work and findings for the film as well as see what others would perhaps change or prefer.  

We also started to use Google as our main search engine to look up websites and images in order to help us with information that may benefit the production of our film. Through this many helpful articles about films as well as technical guides teaching us many things about filming came up that we knew we could put to good use.

For example one of the websites that came up was IMDB, which contained masses of information, reviews, and clips for nearly every single film that ever existed.  This then enabled us to research other thriller films thoroughly as well as critically compare those amongst the thriller genre to others which may have been a block buster or complete failure. The user ratings from 0 to 10 for the film gave us as easy outlook on if the film was successful or not. If the rating was balanced at perhaps 5 we could then look down at reviews from other users who had seen the film and feel  the need to debate, or give an honest opinion whether the film should be liked or disliked. In the end this gave us a wider understand of the thriller genre and what had worked and not worked considering if something in the film was perfected or a complete disaster the fans would be sure to let others know about it.  

We also decided to take a look at trailers on youtube, not only to know what is the latest releases in the film industry and learning how they let their fans know of the releases, but also to see the response from audiences and users on youtube. Some already giving their opinion on the film while other expressing how exited they are about the release, broadcasting what they thought hooked them on the trailer and why they will be going to see it.

To accompany the trailers there are also live reviews and interviews with actors of the film and others speculating contents, further adding to the hype of the film.

 

Construction:

I had also started to use Premier pro to construct the film and edit all of the footage together. Through this we were able to stay true to the codes and conventions of thriller films by using quick cuts, transitions and fades though out the opening in order to keep the pace going as well as let the audience clearly see and know what is going on; further more bring what ever thought or feeling through the film and giving a certain effect on the audience. When we rendered and exported it also gave us the base and foundation to the film so that we could take this fully rendered video away and put it through other video software and intertwine the effects they both have and to see what the ending result would consist of.

One of these steps was the put the film through Sony Vegas in order to mix up the effects both video software’s brought forward.  For example the static TV effect was brought forward on Sony Vegas to put the clip we editing in premier pro which clearly showed the point of view of how a CCTV would have looked like thought the lens

In the making and filming of ‘Soul’ this was also my first time using a camera and tripod to put together the opening to a film. I learnt that not all filming is done by hand and that we are able to use a tripod in order to steady shots which could be used to give a specific effect to the scene. On the other hand this could also work fort hand held cameras as it could give off a shaky and unsteady effect to the film in order to show nervousness, confusion, concern and panic. Also the camera we used was a Panasonic HC-V10 which allowed us to flip the recording screen were we could see the footage being captured the other way around so if we were recording someone’s face, for example a close up, the actor could then evaluate and see where they would have to be in order to give off the best effect as well as performance.

 Also the camera we used was a Panasonic HC-V10 which allowed us to flip the recording screen were we could see the footage being captured the other way around so if we were recording someone’s face, for example a close up, the actor could then evaluate and see where they would have to be in order to give off the best effect as well as performance.

Planning:

Through the construction of our thriller film we had to take careful planning in order to make sure the film turned out the best is possibly could. By doing so along the way me made mistakes which we could have done without however it also lead us to learn different and sufficient ways in which we could plan better and in the end caused us to learn about different ways and techniques of planning to benefit us.

   

For example we used Survey monkey in order to get a wide range of the film genre we were trying to tackle and what our audience’s would best like or dislike to be in a film. By asking a large amount of people questions which vaguely regarded the production to Soul it then further enhanced the production side of the film so that we could reach out to our audiences and follow the right conventions to make Soul a great film.  

Evaluation question 5

How did you attract/ address your audience?

By having Teenagers and mainstream thriller fans as our target audience it would then become much easier and successful to appeal to them because they are situated mostly in one place such as schools and work. In doing so to appeal to them, teenagers in particular, we could have posters for the characters and specific scenes from the film in order to have the audience feel as though they can own part of the merchandise.

How we addressed the audience however was through our actors, having them in a teenage and young adult age range. This would make it relatable for the audience and have a sense of realism instead of the story seeming as if it’s been created from an adult’s point of view on the younger generation. Also the type of character Grace is, having her personality so down to earth and real, it then has her connect with the audience and more specifically the people her age, as they may be able to understand her feelings towards a situation.  This would eventually fulfil the gratification of entertainment/ diversion as well as personal relationships as the audience would be able to see a situation or an event where their choices may have been different to that of what Grace would have chosen or perhaps both doing the same thing.

As the story goes on and Grace is faced with life changing choices, her bravery and independence will hopefully appeal to the younger audience and make them more likely to look up to her as a role model of some sorts. Also because of Graces attitude and outlook towards specific subjects and situations, the members of the audience who are perhaps the same age as Grace would have a certain need to be liker her in some aspect. By appealing to this audience with a young role model who would relate more to a younger teenage audience it would create a need to watch the film even if it’s not for the story line but instead to have a want of seeing the character or perhaps even for guidance, to take experience for this character strong attitude and influence it on their own lives.

Also because the members of our focus group showed an interest in many of the aspects that were implemented in Soul this further gave us a boost in which target audience would be best suited for Soul. The most talked topic was story line, plot twists and cinematography which we made sure to include as they considered it to be a vital part of watching any thriller film in their opinion.

On the other hand for our mainstream thriller fans we would have to take different approach to attracting them however at the same time still keeping the same aspects which would address the teenage audience. By doing so we make sure there would be plenty of intense action in the film as well as addressing the appropriate conventions in order to elaborate which genre we were influencing and to keep the natural flow of a thriller film. It was also to keep the fans interested and on the edge of their seats while watching, like any classic thriller should.

 Further more the setting of the film kept the convention of dull lighting as well as addressing a feeling of isolation which would appeal to the mainstream fans as it conforms to many other block buster films which have used this convention wisely and had turned out with great effect on their viewer.  For example, in the hotel scenes of ‘Momento’ where the protagonist is on the phone as well as the investigation facility in ‘Hanna’ follow this convention of dull lighting and colouring as well as an isolated place.  

Although the thriller genre is often seen as more of a masculine than feminine genre, we set forth to challenge that with the uniqueness of Soul. Through the vast cast of females which only just outweighs the amount of males playing an important role in the story this appealed to more of a female audience rather than male. This would surely create some contrivers amongst the film industry which would encourage more people to see the film for them to understand where these comments where coming from.

Our film would also appeal to people who are situated in the country of it’s making, and with this instants it would be England. For this the accents and clothing would be sure to shine through and appeal to audiences to perhaps see how this was portrayed as most thriller block busters are done by American production companies. For example this is clearly distinguished not only through their accents but also when Demi is talking to her assistant and asks ‘the one from England?’ showing Graces origins and home place.

Evaluation question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

While constructing our media product we had to consider who would be the target audience and who would the film appeal to the most. In doing so we decided that the audience for Soul would be mostly based for teenagers around 14 to 19 years of age as well as mainstream fans of the thriller genre. This way, element in the story as well as its themes would appeal to a younger aged audience in perhaps having them relate to the characters predicaments or having intense action which you would only find in thriller films appeal to the mainstream thriller fans.

We wanted teenagers to be our main focus of audience so that there would be a thriller film perfectly suited for that age rang as most of the other films out there are usually more mature and for an older audience. While Soul still deals with mature themes the amount of elements that would appeal to a teenager audience outweighs the mature content.  This was also done to create more hype for the film as the news of the screening at cinemas would travel fast through schools, collages and universities as well as perhaps work places. By having most of our audience situated in one specific location such as school it would then make it easier to ripple the news through campaigns in school as well as having posters put up around the school and in classrooms.

We also wanted to appeal to main stream thriller fans to make sure the film would appeal to a larger audience despite the teenage audience. This would eventually boost the popularity of Soul if it was highly talked about and compared to other films which where famous block busters. With the intense action and themes represented in the story the mainstream fans would have to try extremely hard to not touch or even watch this one. Of course the mainstream fan base could be a range of people from all ages, including teenager themselves, however even Soul would be pitched at selling the product to young adults or just to people who generally enjoy an intense thriller movie.

Evaluation question 3

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

As the production stages of our film came to an end we would have then had to consider which company may be interested or best suited to distribute our film. This would then make the final steps of show casing our film complete and eventually ready to broadcast to the public.

One example we can across was PictureHouse which seemed to be a very good distributor in our eyes, being founded in 2010 and already distributing a high number and range of films. Because of its diverse list of films that they have already distributed for comedies, to horrors to even documentary, we decided that ‘Soul’ would have a place among their list of distributed films. Furthermore the fact that the company owns and operates 21 PictureHouse cinemas and they are also the programing agent for 49 venues across the UK, meaning that it would then become extremely easy to get Soul onto the big screen and exhibit to the public. However Picture House does not support many independent film makers and looks more towards the grossing of films rather than the growth of them; making them not a very likely pick to distribute ‘soul’.   

On the other hand, Momentum seemed extremely appealing to us as it is one of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK and Ireland. Releasing approximately 20 theatrical films a year which include films such as ‘The Women in Black’ and ‘insidious’, Soul would be able to have a good place among their releases as well as being expected from the audience that Momentum would distribute a film such as this. It also means that they wouldn't have a problem distributing our film considering that they support independent British film makers, such as us, and focus more on the act of promoting less known directors instead of grossing them and only supporting companies that would give them more popularity.

We also had the choice of not looking for an official company to distribute our film however instead post the film on YouTube on an official TimeWarp production YouTube channel. This means that we would have no trouble with budget, considering our film was a low budget film created by an independent film company, as well as appealing to an online audience which nearly everybody uses daily. Furthermore the ratio of people who have YouTube account would also mean we could have easy access to feedback from our viewers. If the channel began to grow and in the future by putting more content out onto YouTube, perhaps a sequel to Soul or another story to go along side it, we could monetise our videos and become partners of YouTube . This way, depending on how popular our channel gets, in comparison to our views and subscriber count we would be able to have an income off of our videos. This would then further help us to make lower budget films in the future if we began to make success, perhaps sparking a new online production company. Despite this being an easy process it would be considered highly risky and could perhaps demolish our chances of making Soul the block buster film it deserves to be. If this went unnoticed on YouTube we would then no longer have the budgeting to continue with our work as well as all the efforts put into Soul would then go to waste. Perhaps if we were to make less official, easier and less time consuming content which we could update on a weekly or monthly bases this would be the option however at this stage it would be considered too risky.   

Furthermore the actors and production group we have aren't well known in the film industry which would be another reason why we would have had a hard time getting PictureHouse to distribute our film. In conclusion it would be better to go with Momentum as they would support an independent film such as ours as well as the genre and uniqueness of Soul being appreciated and well placed amongst their other supernatural and psychological thriller films. 

Evaluation question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

We decided to heavily base our characters off of stereotypes including the representation of age, having a younger teenager as the protagonist and a young adult as the antagonist.

We made this clear and apparent through the appearance of Grace, having her mostly dressed in scruffy, dark clothes and not looking the smartest to show immediately how a stereotypical teenager is dressed.

Further more, when the audience sees her slouched they get the impression that she clearly despises the current position she is in, almost giving off the chilled, uncaring and board appearance. Further more the fact that it seems as though she is being almost jailed for something indicates that she may have done something bad which also plays off of the stereotype of all teenagers being thugs.

To make sure Grace gave off this appearance we took inspiration from ‘Lisbeth Salander’ from ‘Girl with the dragon tattoo’ as she conforms to the outlook on what a typical teenager may look like, having scruffy and dull clothing.

This first of all represented Grace in a negative manner so that we could make the audience question whether she should actually be trusted or not, on the other hand considering she stayed quite through out the recording despite the voice over she could still be suspected of having goodness inside of her because of her youth. In doing so this enabled the rest of the production to set up the story line around grace and have her stereotypical attitude influence the plot as well as how should would react to Demi as well as the Xaviour.

As for Demi we made sure that she would be presented as the complete opposite of Grace, to then have the characters clash with each other and further enhance the collision of the two, both with personalities as well as representation. In comparison with Grace we made sure that she was in light, white clothes to give off a false lead of purity and as well as goodness. The business wear also gives of the impression that she dresses older than Grace as well as having more higher status that her, both in class as well as power as she is the one keeping Grace in isolation. 

By being a young adult in comparison to her dress code it could also show that she is being used as a beacon for Grace to follow, appealing as a role model for her younger peers however also acting as bait, trying to lure Grace in with false acts of gratitude, which is then used in order to progress the plot. 

We took inspiration from Marissa Wiegler from ‘Hanna’ to bring forth the representation of class as well as age, being dressed in a completely different code to Grace; it further helps to enlighten Demi’s power over the other characters in the film.

Furthermore, Demi’s dress code, with her costume being a contrast of black and white gives off a clinical aspect. This strengthens the outlook on Demi being situated in an institution, studying and identifying the phenomenon which surrounds Grace as well as the Xaviour. It also gives off a sense of panic and many people see lab coats or clinical aspects to be a sign of panic, being linked with medical themes it can sometimes induce the fear of pain. This, in the end, gave Demi a threatening and patronizing tone as throughout the whole opening she was seen as dominating and cold in the situation, having more status over Grace and the rest of the characters.

 By looking at the references for the character we can clearly see that they are both opposites of each other, serving vital plot points within their representation. This enabled us to clearly show which social groups they both came from as well as being able to clearly broadcast how this was done through costume, body language and setting. 

We also made sure to represent the two not only with age but also through class and status. We made it clear through the dress code as well as dialect and setting that Demi was from a higher up class with more power over her co-workers. This was made apparent through the strong and confident body language that Demi carried as well as her attitude towards her assistant and how she addressed Grace through the microphone. This hinted to the audience on how she may act throughout the film and her views on certain situations. It would also have her attitude clash with how Grace may view particular subjects considering she is at a lower status and power as her.

We made this clear and apparent through the costume and body language, very much like we did with Demi, in order to address her status and class; having her lower than where Demi was situated. By having her in darker and scruffy clothes than Demi it immediately gave off the impression of her being in a lower class and her attitude towards being in the situation she is in. Furthermore the camera angles we used made sure that it captured how powerless she was in this predicament by having the audience and Demi consistently towering over her, through the CCTV camera and close ups. 

Graces silence throughout the whole of the opening also strengthens how she is at a lower status as Demi considering she doesn't feel as though she needs to talk or refuses to talk, even when she is being asked a direct question. This emphasise the power Demi has over Grace and how her higher status has influenced Graces response as well as those around her. The only speech we hear from Grace is in the beginning when she is talking directly to the audience, inside her mind almost like a monologue which elaborates further her lower status and feels that she is only comfortable talking to the audience instead of Demi or even the Xaviour.

Furthermore the clash and friction between the characters age would have made their outlook on particular situations differ although this wasn't the only effect we wanted to put forward. We also wanted to represent the sense of vulnerability through age, as Grace being the youngest character in the cast. On the other hand, despite being the youngest she is also the strongest willed character even if she does lack in physical strength. This effect was created through the interrogation scene as she is seen by herself in an isolated place even though the Xaviour is still in the same room as her; the audience as well as Demi and her assistant are unable to see him.  The way the camera is angled to give off the realism of the CCTV camera it makes the room appear more spacious and with Grace being in the centre all by herself it creates the representation of her being alone and vulnerable, which comes into play with a stereotypical teenager being anti-social and self-isolated.