Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Monday, 23 April 2012
Post 18: Evaluation Questions and Tasks
Evaluation Tasks
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
In the first forms of motion picture a device called a Kinetoscope was used and it worked by using a series of photographs or pictures and turning a handle whivh moved the images. It was thd fine detail in the images which created the film. Since then however, the existance of new media has seen a creation of video websites such as Youtube and Google Videos, which has allowed what was originally an 'audience' become their very own producer by filming and uploading videos which they choose for millions of the population of the world to view. This has consequently allowed short films to be viewed by the world.
This montage was created to show which new technology equipment that I used throughout the research, planning, production and post production.
Computers
Computers were used in every stage of creating our production; pre production, production and post production. We were able to conduct pre production documentation such as shot lists and Risk Assesments neatly and presentable by using Microsoft Word. It was also easy and not very time consuming to insert photos for location recce's and costumes for the characters as well as remaining neat and clear to read and understand. We then also used a table conducted within a different word document during the post production stage to log our rushes. This meant that we could then easily import the documents onto blogger without having to scan each document onto the computer if we were hand writing it. We also used computers whilst editing the scenes together, by using a computer it enabled us to visualise on a large screen what we had produced and therefore allowed us to decide what we takes we wanted to use. We were then able to edit the scenes together. Without the use of computers, the whole production would have been very time consuming and difficult.
The Internet E.G Google.com, YouTube.com
In preparation for producing our short film, a lot of planning had to be conducted in order to gain inspirational ideas for our own project. It was very usefull when researching around our choosen subject in particular as we were able to search the web and find other films whereby we could draw inspiration from. By doing this we became more aware of exactly what we were aiming to achieve and which routes we wanted to avoid as during the planning stages we had many different ideas as to where the character of Billy go including issues such as bullemia and bullying. We were also able to research into appropriate costume for the characters which enabled us to have a clear understanding where mise-en-scene is concerned. The ability to use a new technology such as the computers certainly speeded up the process of research and presented much more information than what we would of been able to of found in different devises such as books. Without the use of the internet and Google we would of not been able to access blogger.com where all of our work is presented, which would mean that a alternative way of showing our coursework would have to be conducted. I think that our group would of struggled if we were without the use of the internet as options would be serverly limited.
Scanner
We used a scanner to scan documents such as the Story Board onto the computer which we could then import onto blogger.com. This process was fast and reliable as we were all able to individually upload images and documents in just a few minutes. Without the scanner it would of been more difficult as we would have to take a photo of each document and then upload them to a computer which could make the document less clear to read. Within the film industry, this tool would be used in a similar way to which I used it by scanning documents onto a computer. As large production company will have alot of documents, it would take a lot of time to take photos and upload them and being a professional work environment, they would expect each and every document to look presentable.
DVD Player and DVD Disk
With access to a DVD Player, we were able to watch many short films produced such as the ones funded by the UK Film Council. We were also able to watch parts of full length films which fitted in with our genre which enabled us to gain ideas. We were then also able put our production of Dumped onto a DVD disk for it to be viewed by an audience.
Flip Camera
We used the Flip Camera many times throughout each stage of the production of Dumped. We used it when gaining feedback for our initial ideas, when showing how the dolly worked and when gaining feedback for my final products. The flip camera was particuarly easy to use and we was able to plug it into a USB slot and upload it straight onto the computer and view it. We then was able to insert it onto Youtube.com which converted it into the correct formatt to be viewed and inserted onto my Blog. Without a Flip Camera, we would of had to use the video camera which we filmed the short film with, which would of been much heavier to hold, harder to upload as we would of had to of captured it onto the edit suit and edit the parts out that we didn't want and would be overall alot more difficult to do in comparison to using a quick and easy flip camera. Workers within the film industry would most likely use the flip camera to gain feedback from hundreds of the public on their ideas. They also may use a flip camera to record auditions for the roles of characters. Location Scouts may also use a flip camera as well as a digital camera to film around the potential locations to go and show the producers so that they can make their decision.
Digital SLR Camera
The digital camera was used to take photo's during pre- production mainly. We used it when taking photos for the many Location Recce', when casting our characters and then also on set. The photographs taken were important for the different documents as without them it was difficult to visualise and illistrate on my Blog. It was also important for the photos on set to be taken in order to represent the different roles that each memeber of the crew had. Whilst it would of been much more difficult without the use of a digital camera, we could of used our creative side and drew some pictures the cast and crew; although it would of been challenging and less accurate to represent the images of the Location Recce's through drawing. Film Industries are likely to use a digital camera in a similar fashion; serving as an important tool within pre production and planning. Location Scouts will also use a digital camera in order to show photographs of potiential film locations.
Sony PD150
The PD150 was used to film our short film Dumped. The video camera was important in the production of Dumped as it allowed us to be creative with shots and to use lenses that helped with lighting. Without it, it would of been particuarly hard to film our project and we would of had to find an older alternative.
Adobe Premier Pro
To edit our short film we used Adobe Premier Pro which allowed us to capture our footage, create a rough cut and then finally create our final cut. Adobe Premier Pro enabled us to use many tools to change lighting and mix sound levels. We were able to insert titles and music to choosen parts of our short film and then save and put the production onto a DVD. The film industry would either use Adobe or an editing system similar in order to edit together their film.
What have you learnt from your audience feedback?
In attempt to gain feedback on the short film production itself, along with the film review and postcard, I decided to question potential target audiences on what they felt towards the products regarding there strengths and weaknesses. Below are film recordings of two potential audiences being interviewed following their first viewing of Dumped.
The feedback we recieved on 'Dumped' was very useful as it became apparant the positive aspects of the film, as well as a few negatives. I was pleased to see all that both the boys and girls felt empathetic towards the character of Billy and that they was left is suspense, wanting to know what happened to him next as this is te reaction that we aimed for.
When asked about the element of the stairs and if they saw the importance of them within the short film, the two females seemed slightly confused as though they had not picked up on the reoccuring theme. This suggests that if we were able to redo our production or amend it slightly, it would be important to include a few more scenes with Billy sitting under the stairs in attempt to make them appear more significant and recognizable. It is unforchanate that the repetitive nature of Billy retiring to under the stairs alone did not come across as vidulent as we hoped; however, it can also be seen as a positive as it also did not come across as boring and too obvious for the feedback audience. If we were in future to remake Dumped and perhaps adjust it into a full length film, we would be able to make more of a point of the importance of the stairs within the life of the character Billy, as it would make more of an impact on the audience when he breaks away onto the field when the stairs just is not enough comfort.
The use of sound appeared to come across well, with an audience of 19 referring to it as "artistic", and an older audience of 46 commenting that it was "captivating". What we decided to do with the sound was a potential risk as it is different to what many of the mainstream film's today would include, but it is positive to know that the sound was understood and it fitted in well with what we was aiming to achieve; a captivating effect upon the audience that emphathised with the young protagonist.
I produced a short but detailed questionaaire which questioned people on their thought of my postcard and film review. For the postcard, I asked two people which have viewed the production and two that haven't. I did this in order to gain an understanding of whether those that have viewed it feel that it matches correctly, and for those who haven't, whether it is effective in what it reflects. Below are the responses:
As they are difficult to read I will type them up:
Feedback on the Postcard, whose who haven't viewed 'Dumped'- Male Maths Student:
What are your initial thoughts on the design of the postcard?
"I think it was well designed and original and the images used where good"
What do you think the film is about after looking at the postcard?
"I think it was about a teenage boy's life"
Does the postcard attract you to want to see the film?
"Yes certainly, it was very intriging as I wanted to know what the boy was running from"
Do you feel that the postcard is a good marketing tool for the short film Dumped?
"Yes, because it can be easily distributed throught the UK "
Politics Student-male
What are your initial thoughts on the design of the postcard?
"Clear. Intriguing, wanted to know more"
What do you think the film is about after looking at the postcard?
"Throughly intresting, Thought Provoking"
Does the postcard attract you to want to see the film?
Yes, the running boy catches attention, you want to know more"
Do you feel that the postcard is a good marketing tool for the short film Dumped?
"Yes, easily posted and can appeal to masses"
Feedback on my postcard for those that have viewed 'Dumped'
Female Textiles student
Do you feel the postcard is reflective of the short film?
"Yes, because the postcard is showing the main character running and this is one of the most important scenes"
Does the synopsis on the back of the postcard provide and accurate picture of the short film?
"Yes because it is informing the people who have not seen the film and allowing them to have more of an understanding to what the film is about"
Do you feel that the postcard is a good marketing tool?
"Yes because you are able to target your audience better as it is a smaller audience for short films and this is a more effective way of marketing for a short film"
Media Student- Female
Do you feel the postcard is reflective of the short film?
"Yes, it includes the main character whilst one in one of the important scens which will connect the audience"
Does the synopsis on the back of the postcard provide and accurate picture of the short film?
"Yes, it allows the audience to understand the film better as many short films have an abrupt ending"
Do you feel that the postcard is a good marketing tool?
"Yes as you can hand out the postcard in areas where you know the target audience will be"
Feedback on my Film Review
Male Maths Student
Do you think the film review is a good marketing method for the short film?
"Yes because I like to read reviews before watching any film"
Do you feel the language used is appropriate?
"Yes, it was very sophisticated"
Overall, what are your thoughts on the film review?
Very good!
Male Politics Student
Do you think the film review is a good marketing method for the short film?
"Yes, it informs the potential viewers of the key themes, and plot elements. This allows for decision making on whether they want to view the film"
Do you feel the language used is appropriate?
"Yes. Succinct and informative which allows for easy reading. Not bogged down with jargan"
Overall, what are your thoughts on the film review?
"Informative, highly engaging, I wanted to make sure I finished reading the review. Clarity of opinion was excellent which allowed for an easy read"
Female textile Student
Do you think the film review is a good marketing method for the short film?
"Yes because it is taking in to account the pros and cons and not being biased"
Do you feel that the language used is appropriate?
"Yes it was informative and critical this is a good way to review a short film"
Overall, what are your thoughts on the film review?
"I think the structure of the review is very good as it has a clear title and also has all of the information needed and is easy to read"
Female Media Student
Do you think the film review is a good marketing method for the short film?
"Yes as it is critical so you can still decide whether to see it"
Do you feel the language used is appropriate?
"Yes for the target audience as it is academic"
Overall, what are your thoughts on the film review?
"I like the structure as it looks like Sight & Sound and the photo was good as it shows the technical side which sight and sound is unique for including"
I found all the feedback very usefully as it was all from different people with different interests.In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Above I have created 20 screen shots of my short film Dumped, I have chosen these ones to explain what is happening in each one and in what ways that they develop or challenge conventions of films.
1) The Short Film opens with a title of the name of the film. A black piece of sugar paper and a white chalk was given to our main actor Rewan Harper (character Billy) and we asked him to write the title, 'Dumped' in his own handwritting. We choose to do this as it is authentic and simple, yet memberable. I think it looks effective as the contrast between the black paper and white chalk is striking. This follows conventions as we did include a title at the opening of our film, however it is developed by the way in which it is conducted as it is not normal typography crafted on the editing system. Below is a screen shot of a different short film, 'Love Sick' and how they included the title at the beggining of they're production too.
3) This scene introduces the character of Billy in his natural habitat- alone under the stairs. We inserted titles 'Starring Rewan Harper' on the visual. It is conventional to insert titles into both films and short films, however they are not always inserted over the top of visuals but often either before the production begins or after. We choose to insert them throughout the opening as it looks natural and less boring than watching an entire roll of cast and crew members before the film starts as I feel it takes the emphasis off of the tone of the film.
4) This screen shot shows the reoccuring theme of Billy sitting under the stairs which conveys his lonely, repititive lifestyle. It is not a convention to show a same occurance many times through a film, however we challenged this as it fitted with our narrative.
5) 'Kings Langley Productions' is inserted in this shot, it is conventional to all types of films to include the production company.
6) This is an intresting shot which is shows the character of Billy walking up the hill to school, however we chose to film through the barred gate in order to obscure the image of him and show how trapped he is in his life; representing how stuck in his ways he is without any companions. We decided to break conventions of a clear shot in attempt to convey the above.
7) This shows how we used an over the shoulder shot in order to capture the character of Billy walking in this lesson late. This is a convention that many film makers use as it creates an accurate picture of what is happening.
8) This shot shows Billy again sitting underneith the stairs. I believe it represents how unauthoritive he feels, by showing him looking up at people walking past him who take no notice of him which reinforces his loneliness and unimportance.
9) We used a close up shot here to reflect the impact of Billy's mother refusing to pick him up from school. It is conventional to use a close up in films to reinforce the feelings of the character.
10) This long shot follows the character of Billy walking towards the quad. This scene breaks conventions in regard to the length of the shot. We chose to leave the shot very long in attempt to reinforce the dismal nature of Billy.
11) This is a high angle shot which shows Billy approaching the quad whereby his teacher emerges from the staff room and waves him to come over. Using a high angle shot to show this is not uncommon in the world of film making. It introduces an alternative to eye level shots which creates diversity for the viewers.
12 and 13) Show the use of shot reverse shot, which is a convention used when two characters are having a convosation.
14) This is another over the shoulder shot which was filmed in the back of a car. It is an interesting shot presenting Billy's mother on the phone to his teacher. While it is conventional to use over the shoulder shot's to captivate an emerging character like the one used in screen shot 7, we challenged this convention in this screen shot as we wanted to not show her in this scene to reinforce her absence to Billy's life. It is also not often that you seen filmwork in the back of a small car.
15) This shot is interesting as it is a quick show of Billy's mother throwing her phone on the empty seat next to her- where Billy could be sitting. It reflects her uncaring nature to not only her son but also property of hers.
16) This shot shows Billy when he recieves the news of having to live with his grandparents from his teacher. Here we muted the sound and inserted a different piece which was aiming to reflect what was going on in his mind. This breaks sound conventions of films as sound is not usually muted and if alternative sound was inserted, it is usually music of some sort and not a home-made sound which rises in level throughout this scene. We choose to break sound conventions in order to be original and captivating.
17) On his run to break free, we chose to break continutity rules in order to slightly speed it along and keep the viewers engaged in the speed of Billy. This also reflects the work of Godard and his work on French New Wave films which we were originally inspired by. In this shot we used a Dolly to follow Billy running down a corridor, it is conventional of a film industry to use equipment like this when filming a tracking shot.
18) This screen shot shows Billy deciding not to sit down under the stairs, and when he turns round to look at the stairs we dropped the sound slightly to reinforce his realisation that the stairs will not comfort him anymore- this is where he decideds to break out of the fire doors and run across the film in attempt to run away from his problems.
19) This shows the tracking shot of Billy running across the field. With a lack of funding to purchase the expensive equipment that would be needed to film this tacking shot like they would in a film industry, we drove over the field with one memeber of the group filming with the camera outside of the window. So while it remains coventional to follow the character running along in a tracking shot, we had to use different means to capture it. During 400 Blows, it could of been a vehicle that the camera man filmed out the back of in order to capture their tracking shot.
20) The final shot is a close up of Billy's face when he walks towards the camera, this breaks all conventions of film making as you do not normally have a character walk and look straight into the camera. However we drew inspiration from 400 Blows as we felt it was very effective and reflective of the character's emotions.
This is a copy of my Film Review page:
When producing my film review page, I decided to draw inspiration from current and past Sight & Sound magazines. Whilst they do not conventionally review short films, I have produced a one off special which focuses primarily on the new emerging talent behind the young creators of short films. This special edition will feature a large collection of pages dedicated specifically for short films. I have reproduced certain elements from older Sight & Sound magazines, aswell as those from newer editions. I have then found a review on a film called 'A short Film about Killing' to insert on the page also in order for it to look just like something out of Sight & Sound magazine.
I have scanned on some of the reviews inside of Sight & Sound to illistrate what conventions I was immitating
The Postcard follows conventions as it includes a photograph covering the entire front, of the main character in the film. It also includes the same title that was used on the actual film and a slogan which is memerable and fits with the narrative. The only element which slightly challenges the traditional conventions of a postcard is the element of black and white rather than in colour. This has made the photograph of Billy appear as a siloutte in action rather than a posed photograph of the actor.
This is the title which we used on our short film, I have also used it on the front and back of my postcard. I feel it is particuarly iconic of the film as it is easily remebered as it is so simple yet effective due to the contrast of the white chalk upon the black paper. By using the same image, it creates an association between the film and the post card and if people were to see the postcard before the film, which would be very likely, they will automaticly feel a conection when watching the film as it is something that the recognise.
I took some photos on set of the running scene that is featured in 'Dumped' and choose to use this on my postcard as I feel it is a crucial scene within the short film; and while these photos signify action which the synopsis and genre do not suggest, this creates an enigma for the audience before the film is watched as the audience are positioned to want to understand why this character is running at what appears to be a fast pace. When asked for feedback, a 19 year old female commented "I think the image is effective as it is really powerful and focused, it creates an element of suspense too as I was left wanting to know what has happened."
Another reason as to why I chose to drain the colour from the postcard is that I feel it is reflective of the dark natural lighting used throughout the production and creates the correct meloncholic tone for the potential audience which signifies what to expect from the film.
How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
New media technologies commonly come in the form of digital mediums such as DVD's, websites and all other internet based technologies they are all digital, interactive, dense and networkable. Whereas the older 'traditional media' are products such as film and news articles. The emergence of new media has benefitted society significantly as it has enabled a huge increase in regards to communication. Communication to friends and family throughout the world is at ease due to the development in social network websites such as Facebook.com and Myspace.com. Gaming consoles such as Xbox have also developed new means of communication through a online multiplayer service called Xbox Live whereby you can talk with other gamers across the globe whilst playing. It is services alike this which has seen the public gain significantly through new media technologies, however it is not only them that have benefitted, but the film industry also.
In the first forms of motion picture a device called a Kinetoscope was used and it worked by using a series of photographs or pictures and turning a handle whivh moved the images. It was thd fine detail in the images which created the film. Since then however, the existance of new media has seen a creation of video websites such as Youtube and Google Videos, which has allowed what was originally an 'audience' become their very own producer by filming and uploading videos which they choose for millions of the population of the world to view. This has consequently allowed short films to be viewed by the world. This montage was created to show which new technology equipment that I used throughout the research, planning, production and post production.
Computers were used in every stage of creating our production; pre production, production and post production. We were able to conduct pre production documentation such as shot lists and Risk Assesments neatly and presentable by using Microsoft Word. It was also easy and not very time consuming to insert photos for location recce's and costumes for the characters as well as remaining neat and clear to read and understand. We then also used a table conducted within a different word document during the post production stage to log our rushes. This meant that we could then easily import the documents onto blogger without having to scan each document onto the computer if we were hand writing it. We also used computers whilst editing the scenes together, by using a computer it enabled us to visualise on a large screen what we had produced and therefore allowed us to decide what we takes we wanted to use. We were then able to edit the scenes together. Without the use of computers, the whole production would have been very time consuming and difficult.
The Internet E.G Google.com, YouTube.com
In preparation for producing our short film, a lot of planning had to be conducted in order to gain inspirational ideas for our own project. It was very usefull when researching around our choosen subject in particular as we were able to search the web and find other films whereby we could draw inspiration from. By doing this we became more aware of exactly what we were aiming to achieve and which routes we wanted to avoid as during the planning stages we had many different ideas as to where the character of Billy go including issues such as bullemia and bullying. We were also able to research into appropriate costume for the characters which enabled us to have a clear understanding where mise-en-scene is concerned. The ability to use a new technology such as the computers certainly speeded up the process of research and presented much more information than what we would of been able to of found in different devises such as books. Without the use of the internet and Google we would of not been able to access blogger.com where all of our work is presented, which would mean that a alternative way of showing our coursework would have to be conducted. I think that our group would of struggled if we were without the use of the internet as options would be serverly limited.
Scanner
We used a scanner to scan documents such as the Story Board onto the computer which we could then import onto blogger.com. This process was fast and reliable as we were all able to individually upload images and documents in just a few minutes. Without the scanner it would of been more difficult as we would have to take a photo of each document and then upload them to a computer which could make the document less clear to read. Within the film industry, this tool would be used in a similar way to which I used it by scanning documents onto a computer. As large production company will have alot of documents, it would take a lot of time to take photos and upload them and being a professional work environment, they would expect each and every document to look presentable.
DVD Player and DVD Disk
With access to a DVD Player, we were able to watch many short films produced such as the ones funded by the UK Film Council. We were also able to watch parts of full length films which fitted in with our genre which enabled us to gain ideas. We were then also able put our production of Dumped onto a DVD disk for it to be viewed by an audience.
Flip Camera
We used the Flip Camera many times throughout each stage of the production of Dumped. We used it when gaining feedback for our initial ideas, when showing how the dolly worked and when gaining feedback for my final products. The flip camera was particuarly easy to use and we was able to plug it into a USB slot and upload it straight onto the computer and view it. We then was able to insert it onto Youtube.com which converted it into the correct formatt to be viewed and inserted onto my Blog. Without a Flip Camera, we would of had to use the video camera which we filmed the short film with, which would of been much heavier to hold, harder to upload as we would of had to of captured it onto the edit suit and edit the parts out that we didn't want and would be overall alot more difficult to do in comparison to using a quick and easy flip camera. Workers within the film industry would most likely use the flip camera to gain feedback from hundreds of the public on their ideas. They also may use a flip camera to record auditions for the roles of characters. Location Scouts may also use a flip camera as well as a digital camera to film around the potential locations to go and show the producers so that they can make their decision.
Digital SLR Camera
The digital camera was used to take photo's during pre- production mainly. We used it when taking photos for the many Location Recce', when casting our characters and then also on set. The photographs taken were important for the different documents as without them it was difficult to visualise and illistrate on my Blog. It was also important for the photos on set to be taken in order to represent the different roles that each memeber of the crew had. Whilst it would of been much more difficult without the use of a digital camera, we could of used our creative side and drew some pictures the cast and crew; although it would of been challenging and less accurate to represent the images of the Location Recce's through drawing. Film Industries are likely to use a digital camera in a similar fashion; serving as an important tool within pre production and planning. Location Scouts will also use a digital camera in order to show photographs of potiential film locations.
Sony PD150
The PD150 was used to film our short film Dumped. The video camera was important in the production of Dumped as it allowed us to be creative with shots and to use lenses that helped with lighting. Without it, it would of been particuarly hard to film our project and we would of had to find an older alternative.
Adobe Premier Pro
To edit our short film we used Adobe Premier Pro which allowed us to capture our footage, create a rough cut and then finally create our final cut. Adobe Premier Pro enabled us to use many tools to change lighting and mix sound levels. We were able to insert titles and music to choosen parts of our short film and then save and put the production onto a DVD. The film industry would either use Adobe or an editing system similar in order to edit together their film.
In attempt to gain feedback on the short film production itself, along with the film review and postcard, I decided to question potential target audiences on what they felt towards the products regarding there strengths and weaknesses. Below are film recordings of two potential audiences being interviewed following their first viewing of Dumped.
.
The feedback we recieved on 'Dumped' was very useful as it became apparant the positive aspects of the film, as well as a few negatives. I was pleased to see all that both the boys and girls felt empathetic towards the character of Billy and that they was left is suspense, wanting to know what happened to him next as this is te reaction that we aimed for.
When asked about the element of the stairs and if they saw the importance of them within the short film, the two females seemed slightly confused as though they had not picked up on the reoccuring theme. This suggests that if we were able to redo our production or amend it slightly, it would be important to include a few more scenes with Billy sitting under the stairs in attempt to make them appear more significant and recognizable. It is unforchanate that the repetitive nature of Billy retiring to under the stairs alone did not come across as vidulent as we hoped; however, it can also be seen as a positive as it also did not come across as boring and too obvious for the feedback audience. If we were in future to remake Dumped and perhaps adjust it into a full length film, we would be able to make more of a point of the importance of the stairs within the life of the character Billy, as it would make more of an impact on the audience when he breaks away onto the field when the stairs just is not enough comfort.
The use of sound appeared to come across well, with an audience of 19 referring to it as "artistic", and an older audience of 46 commenting that it was "captivating". What we decided to do with the sound was a potential risk as it is different to what many of the mainstream film's today would include, but it is positive to know that the sound was understood and it fitted in well with what we was aiming to achieve; a captivating effect upon the audience that emphathised with the young protagonist.
I produced a short but detailed questionaaire which questioned people on their thought of my postcard and film review. For the postcard, I asked two people which have viewed the production and two that haven't. I did this in order to gain an understanding of whether those that have viewed it feel that it matches correctly, and for those who haven't, whether it is effective in what it reflects. Below are the responses:
As they are difficult to read I will type them up:
Feedback on the Postcard, whose who haven't viewed 'Dumped'- Male Maths Student:
What are your initial thoughts on the design of the postcard?
"I think it was well designed and original and the images used where good"
What do you think the film is about after looking at the postcard?
"I think it was about a teenage boy's life"
Does the postcard attract you to want to see the film?
"Yes certainly, it was very intriging as I wanted to know what the boy was running from"
Do you feel that the postcard is a good marketing tool for the short film Dumped?
"Yes, because it can be easily distributed throught the UK "
Politics Student-male
What are your initial thoughts on the design of the postcard?
"Clear. Intriguing, wanted to know more"
What do you think the film is about after looking at the postcard?
"Throughly intresting, Thought Provoking"
Does the postcard attract you to want to see the film?
Yes, the running boy catches attention, you want to know more"
Do you feel that the postcard is a good marketing tool for the short film Dumped?
"Yes, easily posted and can appeal to masses"
Feedback on my postcard for those that have viewed 'Dumped'
Female Textiles student
Do you feel the postcard is reflective of the short film?
"Yes, because the postcard is showing the main character running and this is one of the most important scenes"
Does the synopsis on the back of the postcard provide and accurate picture of the short film?
"Yes because it is informing the people who have not seen the film and allowing them to have more of an understanding to what the film is about"
Do you feel that the postcard is a good marketing tool?
"Yes because you are able to target your audience better as it is a smaller audience for short films and this is a more effective way of marketing for a short film"
Media Student- Female
Do you feel the postcard is reflective of the short film?
"Yes, it includes the main character whilst one in one of the important scens which will connect the audience"
Does the synopsis on the back of the postcard provide and accurate picture of the short film?
"Yes, it allows the audience to understand the film better as many short films have an abrupt ending"
Do you feel that the postcard is a good marketing tool?
"Yes as you can hand out the postcard in areas where you know the target audience will be"
Feedback on my Film Review
Male Maths Student
Do you think the film review is a good marketing method for the short film?
"Yes because I like to read reviews before watching any film"
Do you feel the language used is appropriate?
"Yes, it was very sophisticated"
Overall, what are your thoughts on the film review?
Very good!
Male Politics Student
Do you think the film review is a good marketing method for the short film?
"Yes, it informs the potential viewers of the key themes, and plot elements. This allows for decision making on whether they want to view the film"
Do you feel the language used is appropriate?
"Yes. Succinct and informative which allows for easy reading. Not bogged down with jargan"
Overall, what are your thoughts on the film review?
"Informative, highly engaging, I wanted to make sure I finished reading the review. Clarity of opinion was excellent which allowed for an easy read"
Female textile Student
Do you think the film review is a good marketing method for the short film?
"Yes because it is taking in to account the pros and cons and not being biased"
Do you feel that the language used is appropriate?
"Yes it was informative and critical this is a good way to review a short film"
Overall, what are your thoughts on the film review?
"I think the structure of the review is very good as it has a clear title and also has all of the information needed and is easy to read"
Female Media Student
Do you think the film review is a good marketing method for the short film?
"Yes as it is critical so you can still decide whether to see it"
Do you feel the language used is appropriate?
"Yes for the target audience as it is academic"
Overall, what are your thoughts on the film review?
"I like the structure as it looks like Sight & Sound and the photo was good as it shows the technical side which sight and sound is unique for including"
I found all the feedback very usefully as it was all from different people with different interests.In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
1) The Short Film opens with a title of the name of the film. A black piece of sugar paper and a white chalk was given to our main actor Rewan Harper (character Billy) and we asked him to write the title, 'Dumped' in his own handwritting. We choose to do this as it is authentic and simple, yet memberable. I think it looks effective as the contrast between the black paper and white chalk is striking. This follows conventions as we did include a title at the opening of our film, however it is developed by the way in which it is conducted as it is not normal typography crafted on the editing system. Below is a screen shot of a different short film, 'Love Sick' and how they included the title at the beggining of they're production too.
2) Following the title, the screen remains black whilst you hear the voice of Billy calling out for his mother. We did this in order to immediatly portray the narrative and the situation beween Billy and his mother. In order to look dream-like we decided to position the audio on a black screen rather than paraleling the audio with visuals which is conventional. 3) This scene introduces the character of Billy in his natural habitat- alone under the stairs. We inserted titles 'Starring Rewan Harper' on the visual. It is conventional to insert titles into both films and short films, however they are not always inserted over the top of visuals but often either before the production begins or after. We choose to insert them throughout the opening as it looks natural and less boring than watching an entire roll of cast and crew members before the film starts as I feel it takes the emphasis off of the tone of the film.
4) This screen shot shows the reoccuring theme of Billy sitting under the stairs which conveys his lonely, repititive lifestyle. It is not a convention to show a same occurance many times through a film, however we challenged this as it fitted with our narrative.
5) 'Kings Langley Productions' is inserted in this shot, it is conventional to all types of films to include the production company.
6) This is an intresting shot which is shows the character of Billy walking up the hill to school, however we chose to film through the barred gate in order to obscure the image of him and show how trapped he is in his life; representing how stuck in his ways he is without any companions. We decided to break conventions of a clear shot in attempt to convey the above.
7) This shows how we used an over the shoulder shot in order to capture the character of Billy walking in this lesson late. This is a convention that many film makers use as it creates an accurate picture of what is happening.
8) This shot shows Billy again sitting underneith the stairs. I believe it represents how unauthoritive he feels, by showing him looking up at people walking past him who take no notice of him which reinforces his loneliness and unimportance.
9) We used a close up shot here to reflect the impact of Billy's mother refusing to pick him up from school. It is conventional to use a close up in films to reinforce the feelings of the character.
10) This long shot follows the character of Billy walking towards the quad. This scene breaks conventions in regard to the length of the shot. We chose to leave the shot very long in attempt to reinforce the dismal nature of Billy.
11) This is a high angle shot which shows Billy approaching the quad whereby his teacher emerges from the staff room and waves him to come over. Using a high angle shot to show this is not uncommon in the world of film making. It introduces an alternative to eye level shots which creates diversity for the viewers.
12 and 13) Show the use of shot reverse shot, which is a convention used when two characters are having a convosation.
14) This is another over the shoulder shot which was filmed in the back of a car. It is an interesting shot presenting Billy's mother on the phone to his teacher. While it is conventional to use over the shoulder shot's to captivate an emerging character like the one used in screen shot 7, we challenged this convention in this screen shot as we wanted to not show her in this scene to reinforce her absence to Billy's life. It is also not often that you seen filmwork in the back of a small car.
15) This shot is interesting as it is a quick show of Billy's mother throwing her phone on the empty seat next to her- where Billy could be sitting. It reflects her uncaring nature to not only her son but also property of hers.
16) This shot shows Billy when he recieves the news of having to live with his grandparents from his teacher. Here we muted the sound and inserted a different piece which was aiming to reflect what was going on in his mind. This breaks sound conventions of films as sound is not usually muted and if alternative sound was inserted, it is usually music of some sort and not a home-made sound which rises in level throughout this scene. We choose to break sound conventions in order to be original and captivating.
17) On his run to break free, we chose to break continutity rules in order to slightly speed it along and keep the viewers engaged in the speed of Billy. This also reflects the work of Godard and his work on French New Wave films which we were originally inspired by. In this shot we used a Dolly to follow Billy running down a corridor, it is conventional of a film industry to use equipment like this when filming a tracking shot.
18) This screen shot shows Billy deciding not to sit down under the stairs, and when he turns round to look at the stairs we dropped the sound slightly to reinforce his realisation that the stairs will not comfort him anymore- this is where he decideds to break out of the fire doors and run across the film in attempt to run away from his problems.
19) This shows the tracking shot of Billy running across the field. With a lack of funding to purchase the expensive equipment that would be needed to film this tacking shot like they would in a film industry, we drove over the field with one memeber of the group filming with the camera outside of the window. So while it remains coventional to follow the character running along in a tracking shot, we had to use different means to capture it. During 400 Blows, it could of been a vehicle that the camera man filmed out the back of in order to capture their tracking shot.
20) The final shot is a close up of Billy's face when he walks towards the camera, this breaks all conventions of film making as you do not normally have a character walk and look straight into the camera. However we drew inspiration from 400 Blows as we felt it was very effective and reflective of the character's emotions.
This is a copy of my Film Review page:
I have scanned on some of the reviews inside of Sight & Sound to illistrate what conventions I was immitating
As you can see, I have reproduced the orange tabs that are located above the names of the films being review on my own film review and inserted a photograph from Dumped in the bottom right hand corner. I have also listed details of Cast and Crew members at the top of each review and used the same typography throughout. The film review page follows a strict layout formatt with four colomns on each page which I have successfully recreated.
This review is on a Frozen, which is actually a short film. This shows that occasionally Sight & Sound do create Short Film specials in attempt to showcase new emerging talent. The formatt used on this article is slightly different to the above as they have used a photograph of one of the characters and used a large capital at the beggining of the review; I have choosen to recreate this within my own short film. Each paragraph is indented by five spaces so I have also used this convention within my review of Dumped.
My Postcard also follows many conventions:
The back of my postcard also follows conventions as it has the name of the film in the same typography as the front and on the production, it also includes the slogan and the cast and crew members aswell as a space for a stamp in the correct place. I have also choosen to include the reversed silloute of the photo used on the front of the postcode to make it seem less plain and in attempt to reflect what was on the front. The only element that slightly challenges the traditional conventions of the back of a postcard is by including a short synopsis a the top as not all postcards choose to include this. I however, feel that it is an important feature to include in order to sucessfully market your film.
This is an annotated version of my film review which explains what I decided
How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?
I have reflected many elements of the short film on my postcard and film review.
On the Film Review page, I decided to use a photo that was taken on set with Director Lauren Phillips giving actor Harper direction. I decided against using a photo that features within the film as I think this photograph illistrates how closely the crew worked with the actors. It is also situated on sight of where Billy is walking to school in the film, so this serves as a recognisable location for the audience.
I've choosen to drain the colour out of my postcard so that the contrasting of the black and white corresponds with the title that is featured in the film. A fourty year old man quoted, "I believe this is effective as it combines the products together and makes them appear as one."
Another reason as to why I chose to drain the colour from the postcard is that I feel it is reflective of the dark natural lighting used throughout the production and creates the correct meloncholic tone for the potential audience which signifies what to expect from the film.
Final Products
Final Products
Short Film 'Dumped'
Please refer to the DVD that Mrs Shipp sent to you.
'Dumped' Post Card
'Dumped' Film Review
Short Film 'Dumped'
Please refer to the DVD that Mrs Shipp sent to you.
'Dumped' Post Card
'Dumped' Film Review
Rewan Harper makes his feature debut as secluded adolescent Billy in the melancholic short film, Dumped. With the title explaining all, the 6 minute film focuses primarily on the repetitive nature of Billy’s (Harper) desolate life.
Filmed in the petite Hertfordshire district of Kings Langley, the film manages to capture the sombre demeanour of the male protagonist through the creative element of breaking the sound. Inspired by the short films funded by the UK Film Council, Kings Langley Productions successfully creates an enigma for the audience by playing around with sound. Producer Charley Britton said, ‘We decided to silence background noise and replace it with a pre-recorded sound in order to reflect the psychotic element of Billy as an effect of a lack of a relationship with his mother. We wanted to capture Billy’s deteriorating state of mind in attempt to make the audience at home understand what Billy is going through.’
The daring scene inspired by French New Wave’s ‘400 Blows’ is both appropriate and stimulating. With a minute budget to spare and little in the means of equipment, the young team manage to produce an authentic long tracking shot of the isolate male breaking his personal borders and boundaries of everyday life. The discreet use of a freeze frame at the end of the six minutes is the final perfect touch to an original production.
Becky Trimmer serves as a fresh new twist of talent in the production of film making following the sophisticated style within the short film ‘Dumped’. The clever break of conventions in editing neglects the traditional rules regarding continuity. While it remains relatively subtle, it serves as an intelligent initiative to speed the scene along, while fitting the nature of the narrative; “The decision to break conventional codes was something that we finalised during editing. It became apparent that the running scene was particularly long winded, and the psychological state of Billy’s frustration was not coming across how we initially intended. By breaking continuity rules, we’re introducing a controversial twist to film making whilst conveying to the audience the dismal disposition of Billy.”
The sensational acting of young star Harper allows the complex narrative to be truly believable. With a face full of innocence, viewers are guaranteed to be left every bit as heart warmed as the next. This, paired with the slow paced filming of Trimmer creates a truly captivating exploration of a troubled boy through his attempt to break out and be noticed.
Post 17: Post- Production Report
Post-Production Report
After loading our footage onto Serif Pro Plus, we conducted a table in order to log our rushes. In this, we inserted which shots we were planning on using, and the ones we decided against. We did this so that it would speed up the process of editing, as we would know exactly which parts to capture, and which to delete. Below I have inserted part of the logging table:
After capturing our chosen takes, we put together a rough cut of the scenes in attempt to visualise our production and see if it is, ultimately, what we were aiming to create. This rough cut served to be very useful in outlining what needs to be worked on. We then went chronologically through the scenes and worked closely on each one, ensuring lighting was as natural as possible and not overwhelming. This is where we inserted a subtle spotlight in some of the scenes, as in attempt to keep them looking as natural as possible without the use of much artificial lighting, some looked a little too dark.
Lighting
After looking through each scene in detail, it became apparent that some scenes looked too dark and the significance of the characters emotions were not being shown. In attempt to make these shots appear more professional and clearer, we used a lighting effect on Serif Pro Plus to place a subtle spot light on the darker areas of each shot. This took a lot of time as it was important to ensure that the added light looked as natural as possible and did not make the picture look 'grainy'. As this took a lot of time and effort, we decided to divide the shots that needed to be done between the group so that it was fair in participation.
Sound
We mixed the sound levels and inserted the own-made sound and increased it through Billy's run. We also had one member of the group, Chloe Taylor conduct a short piece of piano music that we all agreed fitted the tone of our short film and inserted this at at the beggining of Dumped.
Continuity
Inspired by Jean Luc Godard's 'Breathless', we decided to use jump cut's like he did throughout the film and particuarly in a car scene. We decided to break continuity rules in order to convey the confussed and manic state of mind of the character of Billy throughout his running, otherwise it would be very long winded and not as effective. Despite this, we did not want to use over the top jump cuts, just subtle ones that did not interupt the scene.
After loading our footage onto Serif Pro Plus, we conducted a table in order to log our rushes. In this, we inserted which shots we were planning on using, and the ones we decided against. We did this so that it would speed up the process of editing, as we would know exactly which parts to capture, and which to delete. Below I have inserted part of the logging table:
Lighting
After looking through each scene in detail, it became apparent that some scenes looked too dark and the significance of the characters emotions were not being shown. In attempt to make these shots appear more professional and clearer, we used a lighting effect on Serif Pro Plus to place a subtle spot light on the darker areas of each shot. This took a lot of time as it was important to ensure that the added light looked as natural as possible and did not make the picture look 'grainy'. As this took a lot of time and effort, we decided to divide the shots that needed to be done between the group so that it was fair in participation. Sound
We mixed the sound levels and inserted the own-made sound and increased it through Billy's run. We also had one member of the group, Chloe Taylor conduct a short piece of piano music that we all agreed fitted the tone of our short film and inserted this at at the beggining of Dumped.
Continuity
Inspired by Jean Luc Godard's 'Breathless', we decided to use jump cut's like he did throughout the film and particuarly in a car scene. We decided to break continuity rules in order to convey the confussed and manic state of mind of the character of Billy throughout his running, otherwise it would be very long winded and not as effective. Despite this, we did not want to use over the top jump cuts, just subtle ones that did not interupt the scene.
Friday, 30 March 2012
Post 16: Production Report
Wednesday 7th March
The first scene we shot was scene 6 which features Billy's class and form tutor. The scene follows Billy arriving late to school, mid way through the register. We decided in terms of mise-en-scene, for Billy to remain in his school uniform, but slightly 'scruff' it up by loosening his tie. We did this in order for it to appear as though he has rushed to get ready for school and by himself without any help from parents.
The opening shot is from over Billy's teachers sholder, which worked well as the view was then focused upon the door whereby Billy walked through. We then conducted a shot reverse shot so that the emphasis was upon the teacher when she is shouting at Billy for being late. The camera then returns to it's initial position and pans to the left to see Billy go to his seat and sit down in the corner. We choose this camera movement so we could emphasis the struggle Billy faces carrying his large school bag and folder in comparison to his size, and then to reinforce his loneliness by positioning himself sitting alone in the corner of the room, around a large class of people sitting together in friendship groups while he is not apart of any of those.
Overall the first shot went well, we had a few lighting problems that we failed to notice until editing. When filming the teachers response to Billy arriving late, we filmed towards the window which was letting in natural light.
After School
After school we filmed the character of Billy under the stairs for scenes 1, 5 and 8. They were all slightly different shots but very similar in order to create the repetitive nature of Billy's life. We decided to film these scenes outside of school hours so that it was quiet without the crowds of school students. Prior to shooting, we as a group made decisions regarding how Billy's uniform should look and the character movement. It was then Lauren Phillip's job as a director to transfer these directions to the actor.
Under the stairs where we filmed is very dark, and although we wanted to create a dark, natural lit short film which reflected the mental state of the character of Billy, it was an issue as the fire doors have small windows at the side which was letting in a large source of sunlight which caused issues with shaddows when it came to filming Billy sitting under the stairs. We dealt with this however, by using a reflector to reflect the natural light slightly back onto the characters face so the camera could notice him more in the dark location we filmed in. We successfully made the initial issue a positive by using the reflector and over all the shoot went well.
Friday 9th March
Prior to filming, we wrote a letter to our actor, Rowen's parents to not only recieve permission to film Rowen, but also to film during a lesson and after school. Luckily, both the actor's parents and the teacher granted us permission to do so. However, when we arrived at the location of filming (scene 2, when Billy walks out of his road and up the alleyway to school), we was disapointed to hear the loud noise of the primary school which is directly next door to the alleyway which we was filming. It soon became clear that the primary school was on their lunch break and that we should have checked this prior to filming.
The lighting was also very bright, and we made another mistake of not putting a MD filter on to tone down the brightness.
Monday 12th March
We filmed on Monday morning in the back carpark of school as the building infront and the busy car park looks more like an office than a school, which fits with the character of Billy's mum's lifestyle. Again, there was an issue with the brightness so we used the same filter to discreately tone it down to appear more natural. There was four different shots used in this scene, so Becky on the camera did a few different takes of each in order to ensure that they matched up correctly regarding the characters speech. One of the shots was inside a car which meant that Becky, the camera, Chloe and the mic was in the back of the small car filming this shot. Due to the amount of planning we did for this scene such as having equipment and actors organised, the shoot was able to be succesful and quick.
After School
To ensure that there was no students around to cause interference with filming this scene, we decided to film outside of school hours. This scene followed the character of Billy running down the corridor, and to capture this at it's best, we used a Dolly and ensured the location was clear of people and obticles which could of caused accidents. The tracking shot looked great and we were very pleased with it.
Tuesday 20th March
Today, we filmed two different scenes for 'Dumped', the first being when Billy is walking and is called over by teacher to ask if everything is okay. This scene consists of a variety of camera angles and shot sizes, so it was very important that we all remained focused throughout in order for continuity to remain. The opening shot of this scene was a high angle shot, we decided to film from the top of the three storey block in school, as the view is over the quad which is the center to many classrooms and the staff room which works execptionally well with the narrative. Due to the variation in camera angles, we did encounter a few issues, again regarding lighting. The indecisive sun was disturbing the visuals. This was easily reduced by repositioning the camera slightly so we was against the sun and placing a filtre ontop of the lense.
The scene inspired by French New Wave's '400 Blows' was filmed on the school field. We filmed this outside of school hours as there was many potential risks that could occur due to the nature of filming in this particular scene. Following the character of Billy's act of 'breaking out' the camera follows him running to the end of the field. To do this, we filmed outside of a car window, while another memeber of the team drove. We decided this would be the best way to capture the long tracking shot due to a lack of financial backing. Despite a few struggles with trying to get the car slightly infront of Billy in attempt to capture his entire siloete, as well as holding the camera as steady as possible, the car also needed to drive as smoothly as attainable, which was difficult on the unsmooth surface of the school field. After a few takes though, we was satisfied that we would have the perfect shot that we wanted, and was grateful to have such a willing and able actor.
Wednesday 21st March
Once it came to capturing the footage, we became aware how abstructive the lighting was in the scene which we filmed on the 9th of March and decided that we should refilm. After putting an MD filtre on the lense, the visuals were much clearer and matched the same level of natural light in the other scenes of the film. We are all much happier with this after refilming and glad that we decided to do so.
The first scene we shot was scene 6 which features Billy's class and form tutor. The scene follows Billy arriving late to school, mid way through the register. We decided in terms of mise-en-scene, for Billy to remain in his school uniform, but slightly 'scruff' it up by loosening his tie. We did this in order for it to appear as though he has rushed to get ready for school and by himself without any help from parents.
The opening shot is from over Billy's teachers sholder, which worked well as the view was then focused upon the door whereby Billy walked through. We then conducted a shot reverse shot so that the emphasis was upon the teacher when she is shouting at Billy for being late. The camera then returns to it's initial position and pans to the left to see Billy go to his seat and sit down in the corner. We choose this camera movement so we could emphasis the struggle Billy faces carrying his large school bag and folder in comparison to his size, and then to reinforce his loneliness by positioning himself sitting alone in the corner of the room, around a large class of people sitting together in friendship groups while he is not apart of any of those.
Overall the first shot went well, we had a few lighting problems that we failed to notice until editing. When filming the teachers response to Billy arriving late, we filmed towards the window which was letting in natural light.
After School
After school we filmed the character of Billy under the stairs for scenes 1, 5 and 8. They were all slightly different shots but very similar in order to create the repetitive nature of Billy's life. We decided to film these scenes outside of school hours so that it was quiet without the crowds of school students. Prior to shooting, we as a group made decisions regarding how Billy's uniform should look and the character movement. It was then Lauren Phillip's job as a director to transfer these directions to the actor.
Under the stairs where we filmed is very dark, and although we wanted to create a dark, natural lit short film which reflected the mental state of the character of Billy, it was an issue as the fire doors have small windows at the side which was letting in a large source of sunlight which caused issues with shaddows when it came to filming Billy sitting under the stairs. We dealt with this however, by using a reflector to reflect the natural light slightly back onto the characters face so the camera could notice him more in the dark location we filmed in. We successfully made the initial issue a positive by using the reflector and over all the shoot went well.
Friday 9th March
Prior to filming, we wrote a letter to our actor, Rowen's parents to not only recieve permission to film Rowen, but also to film during a lesson and after school. Luckily, both the actor's parents and the teacher granted us permission to do so. However, when we arrived at the location of filming (scene 2, when Billy walks out of his road and up the alleyway to school), we was disapointed to hear the loud noise of the primary school which is directly next door to the alleyway which we was filming. It soon became clear that the primary school was on their lunch break and that we should have checked this prior to filming.
The lighting was also very bright, and we made another mistake of not putting a MD filter on to tone down the brightness.
Monday 12th March
We filmed on Monday morning in the back carpark of school as the building infront and the busy car park looks more like an office than a school, which fits with the character of Billy's mum's lifestyle. Again, there was an issue with the brightness so we used the same filter to discreately tone it down to appear more natural. There was four different shots used in this scene, so Becky on the camera did a few different takes of each in order to ensure that they matched up correctly regarding the characters speech. One of the shots was inside a car which meant that Becky, the camera, Chloe and the mic was in the back of the small car filming this shot. Due to the amount of planning we did for this scene such as having equipment and actors organised, the shoot was able to be succesful and quick.
After School
To ensure that there was no students around to cause interference with filming this scene, we decided to film outside of school hours. This scene followed the character of Billy running down the corridor, and to capture this at it's best, we used a Dolly and ensured the location was clear of people and obticles which could of caused accidents. The tracking shot looked great and we were very pleased with it.
Tuesday 20th March
Today, we filmed two different scenes for 'Dumped', the first being when Billy is walking and is called over by teacher to ask if everything is okay. This scene consists of a variety of camera angles and shot sizes, so it was very important that we all remained focused throughout in order for continuity to remain. The opening shot of this scene was a high angle shot, we decided to film from the top of the three storey block in school, as the view is over the quad which is the center to many classrooms and the staff room which works execptionally well with the narrative. Due to the variation in camera angles, we did encounter a few issues, again regarding lighting. The indecisive sun was disturbing the visuals. This was easily reduced by repositioning the camera slightly so we was against the sun and placing a filtre ontop of the lense.
The scene inspired by French New Wave's '400 Blows' was filmed on the school field. We filmed this outside of school hours as there was many potential risks that could occur due to the nature of filming in this particular scene. Following the character of Billy's act of 'breaking out' the camera follows him running to the end of the field. To do this, we filmed outside of a car window, while another memeber of the team drove. We decided this would be the best way to capture the long tracking shot due to a lack of financial backing. Despite a few struggles with trying to get the car slightly infront of Billy in attempt to capture his entire siloete, as well as holding the camera as steady as possible, the car also needed to drive as smoothly as attainable, which was difficult on the unsmooth surface of the school field. After a few takes though, we was satisfied that we would have the perfect shot that we wanted, and was grateful to have such a willing and able actor.
Wednesday 21st March
Once it came to capturing the footage, we became aware how abstructive the lighting was in the scene which we filmed on the 9th of March and decided that we should refilm. After putting an MD filtre on the lense, the visuals were much clearer and matched the same level of natural light in the other scenes of the film. We are all much happier with this after refilming and glad that we decided to do so.
Post 15: Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews
Film review research
I have examined reviews conducted by the likes of 'Screen Daily', 'Sight & Sound', 'Total Film', 'The Independent' and 'Empire'. I decided to analyse the above reviews in order to understand the main conventions used in order to produce my own film review for short film, 'Dumped'.
Below I have inserted anotated drafts of film reviews inside of Total Film and Screen Daily magazines:
It is clear that these reviews follow a strict format and are layed out in a particular way. I found the most common conventions:
I have examined reviews conducted by the likes of 'Screen Daily', 'Sight & Sound', 'Total Film', 'The Independent' and 'Empire'. I decided to analyse the above reviews in order to understand the main conventions used in order to produce my own film review for short film, 'Dumped'.
Below I have inserted anotated drafts of film reviews inside of Total Film and Screen Daily magazines:
It is clear that these reviews follow a strict format and are layed out in a particular way. I found the most common conventions:
- Typography on the titles are large and bold in dark black. Screen Daily uses upper case.
- The titles are positioned at the top
- A slogan is given and positioned just underneath the title
- A star rating is used
- The reviews are layed out using columns
- The names of the stars are stated throughout the review
- A 'Verdict' which is either a small paragraph or sentance is positioned at the end of the review.
- They all include information such as release date, director, producer, distributor, the running time and certificate in small text either at the beggining or end of the review.
While the review remains to include the same features, such as a star rating, running time, certificate and synopsis, it is layed out slightly different being it an online article rather than a printed.
I Have decided to create a film review page for Sight & Sound, which do not usually review short films, but I aim to create a 'one off' special focusing primarily on new emerging talent from young short film producers. Sight & Sound layout is much more formal than those above, and uses sophysticated language rather than comic. Sight & Sound is a respected magazine with a niche clientle of film fanatics, whose of whom belong within our target audience.
This is a scanned article of short film 'Frozen' in Sight & Sound. I used this article to guide me when creating my own short film review.
 |
| This is the layout plan of my film review which reflects the layout of films featured within Sight & Sound. |
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Post 14: Ancillary Task 1 - Postcards
Conventions of a film poster
Below I have analysed four different film posters from the huge hit film, Twilight. The twilight saga has produced a selection of on going films adapted from Stephenie Meyer's novels. The paranormal romance was originally optioned by Paramount Pictures MTV Films in 2004, however they were unsucessful in their screenplay as it was argued that they was substantially different from what was originally wanted. It was when Summit Entertainment reinvented a studio in 2007 that the development began. Paramount then gave the rights to produce to Summit and has been a huge success since then. Being a predominatley Hollywood produced movie, the conventions used on the film poster are evidently similar to other Hollywood films.
Below I have analysed four different film posters from the huge hit film, Twilight. The twilight saga has produced a selection of on going films adapted from Stephenie Meyer's novels. The paranormal romance was originally optioned by Paramount Pictures MTV Films in 2004, however they were unsucessful in their screenplay as it was argued that they was substantially different from what was originally wanted. It was when Summit Entertainment reinvented a studio in 2007 that the development began. Paramount then gave the rights to produce to Summit and has been a huge success since then. Being a predominatley Hollywood produced movie, the conventions used on the film poster are evidently similar to other Hollywood films.
Following this, I have analysed British Film Posters in the same way in order to realise if there are any set conventions that they all withold. British Film Posters are considerably set out in comparison to Hollywood. However, they remain highly edited and with a large budget to fund this. They also feature well known actors which can instantly target an audience.
With a significantly smaller budget, short films often struggle to produce an expensive film poster to be advertised on billboards and bustops. Therefore, they find alternative means to promote their film such as the use of the internet and the emergance of post cards. Post cards are used to directly distribute to the public and can be easily passed around in order to gain an audience; making it easier for short film producers to promote their film.
Below I have inserted a Postcard to show as an example of how useful they are for short films:
After realising the benefits a short film producer can gain out of creating a post card, and their inability to create a successful poster campaign without a large financial backing, I have decided to produce a post card for our short film, 'Dumped'. Below is the drafts of my design ideas.
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