Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel the aspect I have learnt most about since my preliminary task is the editing process. Before creating this product, I had hardly any experience with editing and so I had to learn the whole new process and how to use the software. I learnt how to cut unwanted footage, re arrange footage into order, add soundtrack and titles, add transitions between shots and much more.
Since our preliminary task was shot in school, I had to learn how to shoot on location for our thriller film. It was more difficult than shooting in school as we had to check whether we needed certain permissions to shoot in the derelict house that we chose. Also, once we got there, it was much more difficult to get the tripod at a straight, steady angle due to the uneven surface of the floor.
As I was in charge of cinematography, I acted as director when on the shoot, whereas in our preliminary task I was an actor. This meant I had to learn how to take control of the shoot, and how to explain to the actors what it was that I needed them to do. I also had to make decisions about which camera angles to use. In our preliminary task, we were asked to use as many different shots as possible. This changed within our thriller film, as we had to put much more thought into the camera angles we used, and which specific shots would gain specific effects – for example, close up shots used for a claustrophobic mise-en-scene.
I learnt how to construct an effective storyboard, and also the implications of not planning a storyboard well enough. My storyboard was slightly weak, and so it made the shoot a lot more difficult as I had to make decisions about shots whilst on the shoot. Also, some of the shots I had chosen within my storyboard were not effective in the actual shoot, and so I had to adapt the shots to ensure they added to the tension and suspense, rather than compromising it.
Overall, I have learnt that making a film is not at all straight forward; there are many things that can not go as expected. To begin with, I thought that it would not be difficult at all, but I soon came to see all the new things I had to learn, and the organisation that was involved. I feel I have a new appreciation for filmmakers, as it was extremely time consuming and stressful making just two minutes of film, let alone a whole movie.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Evaluation: question five
How did you attract/address your audience?
We chose to set our film in contemporary Britain, as our audience would be able to identify with the characters and the setting in a deeper way. We used contemporary fashion for our characters to reflect this, placing them into their era.
The strong female central character would attract a young female audience, as they will easily be able to identify with this character, and live vicariously through her. The short, stark shots of the male character, however, appeal to a young male audience as they create suspense and tension, causing heightened adrenaline levels.
The soundtrack also adds to this by reinforcing the visual image and becoming gradually louder as the scene becomes more fast paced. The specific soundtrack we chose would appeal to a predominantly younger audience, due to the 'urban' style sounds; the noise resembles that of underground tube trains and cars.
The choice of a derelict house as the location for the scene also appeals to our target demographic, as the 'urban exploration' movement is becoming increasingly more popular. This stems from the childhood instinct to wish to explore our surroundings; at the age of 16-25, this instinct has become more developed and sophisticated, yet we still have a desire to venture out of our usual setting and discover new things. This makes the audience consider what they themselves would do if faced with a similar scenario.
The cross cutting shots at the most tense moment of the scene reflect a similar technique used in Shane Meadows' “Dead Man's Shoes”, a film aimed at the same target audience that we focused on. These gave a foreboding feel to the mise-en-scene, appealing to the audience as it gives them a sense of dramatic irony.
The audience feedback from Year 12 students indicated that overall the scene was effective and portrayed the build in tension that we aimed to create. Particular mention was made of the soundtrack, the location choice and the uncomfortable, claustrophobic close up shots. One of the weaknesses that was commented upon was the acting roles, which were both carried out by amateurs and so were less easy to identify with as they were less convincing. It was suggested that the soundtrack could have been made slightly louder during the key moment of the scene, as this would have made it more uncomfortable and shocking.
We chose to set our film in contemporary Britain, as our audience would be able to identify with the characters and the setting in a deeper way. We used contemporary fashion for our characters to reflect this, placing them into their era.
The strong female central character would attract a young female audience, as they will easily be able to identify with this character, and live vicariously through her. The short, stark shots of the male character, however, appeal to a young male audience as they create suspense and tension, causing heightened adrenaline levels.
The soundtrack also adds to this by reinforcing the visual image and becoming gradually louder as the scene becomes more fast paced. The specific soundtrack we chose would appeal to a predominantly younger audience, due to the 'urban' style sounds; the noise resembles that of underground tube trains and cars.
The choice of a derelict house as the location for the scene also appeals to our target demographic, as the 'urban exploration' movement is becoming increasingly more popular. This stems from the childhood instinct to wish to explore our surroundings; at the age of 16-25, this instinct has become more developed and sophisticated, yet we still have a desire to venture out of our usual setting and discover new things. This makes the audience consider what they themselves would do if faced with a similar scenario.
The cross cutting shots at the most tense moment of the scene reflect a similar technique used in Shane Meadows' “Dead Man's Shoes”, a film aimed at the same target audience that we focused on. These gave a foreboding feel to the mise-en-scene, appealing to the audience as it gives them a sense of dramatic irony.
The audience feedback from Year 12 students indicated that overall the scene was effective and portrayed the build in tension that we aimed to create. Particular mention was made of the soundtrack, the location choice and the uncomfortable, claustrophobic close up shots. One of the weaknesses that was commented upon was the acting roles, which were both carried out by amateurs and so were less easy to identify with as they were less convincing. It was suggested that the soundtrack could have been made slightly louder during the key moment of the scene, as this would have made it more uncomfortable and shocking.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Monday, 19 March 2012
DRAFT Evaluation: Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our group's thriller was inspired heavily by the seedy nature of Shane Meadows' thriller film, 'Dead Man's Shoes’. The locations used within this films create this feeling while also creating a sense of isolation, for example the abandoned barn or the open fields. We utilised both of these conventional locations in our thriller opening, using an abandoned farm house as our main location, and a road leading to it to emphasise the open fields surrounding it. The road we used mirrored a particular shot from 'Dead Man's Shoes', where Richard and Sonny are walking alone through fields. This specific shot really emphasised their isolation from the rest of society. Unglamorous, claustrophobic settings are a generic convention of thriller films, as shown clearly in David Michod’s ‘Animal Kingdom’ and so, by shooting inside the abandoned house, we used this convention as the rooms in the house were quite small and cluttered with rubble. This created juxtaposition with the open, isolated feel of the shots from the road outside.
To gain the same seedy feel of this film, we had to challenge a convention of thriller films by shooting in bright daylight. We were concerned that this would affect the tense mise-en-scene of our thriller, but in fact it added to it by placing the scene into everyday life. This also gave a contrasting effect, as the scenery was bright but the act being committed was very dark. This has also been used in thrillers such as ‘Thelma and Louise’, as the mise-en-scene is bright, yet the women are actually quite corrupt. This is likewise used in ‘Heavenly Creatures’ during the murder scene, creating an eerie beauty.
Also in the murder scene of ‘Heavenly Creatures’, slow motion is used, adding to the tension and dreamlike qualities of the scene. Realistic yet dreamlike scenes are a convention of thriller films; Tarantino in particular utilises this convention regularly. We applied this convention by using slow motion and cross dissolving at the most tense moment, creating the feeling that the character cannot quite believe what she is seeing.
In the shot where the girl enters the house, the doorway creates a vanishing point. This is another generic convention of thriller films. The way we created this is very similar to the vanishing point in Peter Weir’s ‘Witness’, as Samuel enters the toilets in the station. This connotes the entering into an unknown, different world, and the loss of innocence in doing so.
NOTE: I am going to get screenshots from each film I have mentioned and mirror them with screenshots from my own. I am planning to use prezi to display this answer.
Our group's thriller was inspired heavily by the seedy nature of Shane Meadows' thriller film, 'Dead Man's Shoes’. The locations used within this films create this feeling while also creating a sense of isolation, for example the abandoned barn or the open fields. We utilised both of these conventional locations in our thriller opening, using an abandoned farm house as our main location, and a road leading to it to emphasise the open fields surrounding it. The road we used mirrored a particular shot from 'Dead Man's Shoes', where Richard and Sonny are walking alone through fields. This specific shot really emphasised their isolation from the rest of society. Unglamorous, claustrophobic settings are a generic convention of thriller films, as shown clearly in David Michod’s ‘Animal Kingdom’ and so, by shooting inside the abandoned house, we used this convention as the rooms in the house were quite small and cluttered with rubble. This created juxtaposition with the open, isolated feel of the shots from the road outside.
To gain the same seedy feel of this film, we had to challenge a convention of thriller films by shooting in bright daylight. We were concerned that this would affect the tense mise-en-scene of our thriller, but in fact it added to it by placing the scene into everyday life. This also gave a contrasting effect, as the scenery was bright but the act being committed was very dark. This has also been used in thrillers such as ‘Thelma and Louise’, as the mise-en-scene is bright, yet the women are actually quite corrupt. This is likewise used in ‘Heavenly Creatures’ during the murder scene, creating an eerie beauty.
Also in the murder scene of ‘Heavenly Creatures’, slow motion is used, adding to the tension and dreamlike qualities of the scene. Realistic yet dreamlike scenes are a convention of thriller films; Tarantino in particular utilises this convention regularly. We applied this convention by using slow motion and cross dissolving at the most tense moment, creating the feeling that the character cannot quite believe what she is seeing.
In the shot where the girl enters the house, the doorway creates a vanishing point. This is another generic convention of thriller films. The way we created this is very similar to the vanishing point in Peter Weir’s ‘Witness’, as Samuel enters the toilets in the station. This connotes the entering into an unknown, different world, and the loss of innocence in doing so.
NOTE: I am going to get screenshots from each film I have mentioned and mirror them with screenshots from my own. I am planning to use prezi to display this answer.
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