When I first thought of the idea for my film opening, I immediately decided on the target audience being 14-25 years of age. I think this is the age band that this genre would appeal to the most, although of course there could be some people outside the target audience that would also enjoy it. Also, it is more aimed towards the ABC1 class, as ideally they will be able to connect with the main character.
I think that most teenagers will be able to enjoy and engage with the film as many at this age feel isolated and have difficulty in knowing what they want to do with their life and hopefully this is something that will inspire them. No matter what gender, stereotype or class, my film deals with many issues that teenagers are having to go through e.g family issues, making choices etc.
Sunday 8 May 2011
Thursday 5 May 2011
This is my final film opening with an added 'animation' at the beginning, something very rushed and I'm not particularly proud of it but I felt that it was necessary. I missed the lesson on animation as I was ill and never had the chance to catch up. I have tried very hard to improve the quality of the video but I've found no possible way.
Tuesday 3 May 2011
How did you attract/address your audience?
To begin with, we conducted a lot of Audience Research (which can be seen if you click the link). This was essential to find out what people enjoyed in a film opening, and what they did not. We also asked questions that were specific to our film opening ideas, such as 'In a film opening do you prefer one character introduced or a few characters?' which the answers of helped us to establish whether our ideas would be popular and have an audience appeal.
From the audience research, I found that the most popular genre was a typical romance film because they were the types of film that people could connect with and felt were most realistic. I went against this idea but my film opening could still be perceived as being part of this genre, as it is a very loose plot and could lead into anything. Another thing I found out was that people enjoyed a slow paced introduction more than a faster one, as they felt more confused the faster it was as there is too much to take in. I took this information and used it to create something that was what people liked, in the first two minutes my character makes a paper crane and then burns a pile of letters/photographs which is not too confusing. I did this because I felt that the more simplistic it was, the more the audience would enjoy and understand the beginning as it would give them that impression.
For the target audience of my film opening, I think that the main character is someone that they could relate to. Doing this would attract the audience if they felt that the character was someone they could connect with and envision themselves being this person. Also someone mentioned in the audience research that they liked to 'grow' with the character and as the film is centred around this girl, we are with her all the way until she reaches happiness.
I have also attracted the audience by leaving the opening so open to interpretation that it's possible that almost anything could happen. This would make the viewer want to continue watching the film as it is uncertain what is going to happen and they may want to test what they originally predicted the plot to be.
From the audience research, I found that the most popular genre was a typical romance film because they were the types of film that people could connect with and felt were most realistic. I went against this idea but my film opening could still be perceived as being part of this genre, as it is a very loose plot and could lead into anything. Another thing I found out was that people enjoyed a slow paced introduction more than a faster one, as they felt more confused the faster it was as there is too much to take in. I took this information and used it to create something that was what people liked, in the first two minutes my character makes a paper crane and then burns a pile of letters/photographs which is not too confusing. I did this because I felt that the more simplistic it was, the more the audience would enjoy and understand the beginning as it would give them that impression.
For the target audience of my film opening, I think that the main character is someone that they could relate to. Doing this would attract the audience if they felt that the character was someone they could connect with and envision themselves being this person. Also someone mentioned in the audience research that they liked to 'grow' with the character and as the film is centred around this girl, we are with her all the way until she reaches happiness.
I have also attracted the audience by leaving the opening so open to interpretation that it's possible that almost anything could happen. This would make the viewer want to continue watching the film as it is uncertain what is going to happen and they may want to test what they originally predicted the plot to be.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
As we worked in a rather large group for the preliminary task, I didn't really have a huge part in operating the camera/editing/coming up with a script, whereas for my film opening I was in control of everything and I had to make my own decisions. This was a huge step in learning. I haven't used much from the preliminary task, except ellipsis. This was an important part of my final media product as it cut actions the character did (e.g making the paper crane) a lot shorter which is more likely to maintain the audiences interest rather than show a continuous shot of the whole thing. It also allows to change shot smoothly without the movement from getting to one place to another whilst filming.
The Preliminary Task was essentially just an exercise in continuity. It helped us to understand that the audience can guess what happened between the two different shots without there being any question. I used this in my film opening as it is just many shots of a continuous action, yet it is broken up every time the shot is changed.
In my opening I used a lot of transitions and effects for the shots to be moved smoothly into each other. This was mainly to suit the mood and speed of the piece. However, in the Preliminary Task we did no editing other than cutting the clips up. There were no transitions which was done on purpose because we felt it was not needed as they were short, sharp and fast paced few shots. Since then I have progressed and learnt to add transitions in to make the film more interesting.
Also editing-wise, we did nothing in the way of changing the colour or saturation of the footage. This is probably something we should have looked into doing as western films are often very 'yellow'. However due to time limitations and the fact that this didn't seem important at the time, we did not do this. In my film opening I changed the colour of the footage which suited the mood more than the neutral/sunny tone it was in, to a more cold, dark and depressing blue-ish colour. I learnt to do this from the mistake we made with the preliminary task, as changing the colour can have a huge effect on the mood.
The Preliminary Task included diegetic sound which was filmed by the camera. This was maybe not the best idea as there is a lot of background noise from others in the area not intended to be in the film, yet could not be moved. In my final piece the song played in the background is non-diegetic. This was again something I learnt from the preliminary, that most of the time background noise is very apparent and in the area where I was filming there was noise from the rushing of the stream and birds. This would have masked dialogue if there was any, but I felt it was best to use a song purely as it would set the mood more so than silence from the character. I originally filmed with the sound included, but as I decided later to put a song in I got rid of the original sounds which I did by turning the audio down on the footage when I edited it.
In the Preliminary, we didn't think very carefully about the shot and just thought of the best way to capture the action and not create something more interesting and visually exciting. As my piece is mainly visual and there is no dialogue, it was important to create something that had a variety of shots and could occupy attention, which I learnt from the Preliminary. My moodboard was something that helped me visually, I found it very important and this was something that was definitely missing from our Preliminary. Also on the visual theme, mise en scéne was something very important in my final piece and one of my favourite parts is the bit where the main character is walking along the train track (below) and it accentuates her loneliness and how small she feels.
The mise en scene in the Preliminary was just as importantly thought out as in my film opening. In the first shot where he is striding up to the door it gives the impression that he is very powerful and authorititive due to the position he is in the frame (centre).
Also when he is on the other side of these doors and starts shouting at the other character, the mise en scene also says a lot about both characters and a dispute they have had.
Tom is sitting at the table with his head down, avoiding eye contact with Ben whos stance incinuates that he is angry and is shouting at him (we can tell from the dialogue that he is). This makes Tom seem ashamed and upset and Ben the one in power, which is exactly the plot.
The Preliminary Task was essentially just an exercise in continuity. It helped us to understand that the audience can guess what happened between the two different shots without there being any question. I used this in my film opening as it is just many shots of a continuous action, yet it is broken up every time the shot is changed.
In my opening I used a lot of transitions and effects for the shots to be moved smoothly into each other. This was mainly to suit the mood and speed of the piece. However, in the Preliminary Task we did no editing other than cutting the clips up. There were no transitions which was done on purpose because we felt it was not needed as they were short, sharp and fast paced few shots. Since then I have progressed and learnt to add transitions in to make the film more interesting.
Also editing-wise, we did nothing in the way of changing the colour or saturation of the footage. This is probably something we should have looked into doing as western films are often very 'yellow'. However due to time limitations and the fact that this didn't seem important at the time, we did not do this. In my film opening I changed the colour of the footage which suited the mood more than the neutral/sunny tone it was in, to a more cold, dark and depressing blue-ish colour. I learnt to do this from the mistake we made with the preliminary task, as changing the colour can have a huge effect on the mood.
The Preliminary Task included diegetic sound which was filmed by the camera. This was maybe not the best idea as there is a lot of background noise from others in the area not intended to be in the film, yet could not be moved. In my final piece the song played in the background is non-diegetic. This was again something I learnt from the preliminary, that most of the time background noise is very apparent and in the area where I was filming there was noise from the rushing of the stream and birds. This would have masked dialogue if there was any, but I felt it was best to use a song purely as it would set the mood more so than silence from the character. I originally filmed with the sound included, but as I decided later to put a song in I got rid of the original sounds which I did by turning the audio down on the footage when I edited it.
In the Preliminary, we didn't think very carefully about the shot and just thought of the best way to capture the action and not create something more interesting and visually exciting. As my piece is mainly visual and there is no dialogue, it was important to create something that had a variety of shots and could occupy attention, which I learnt from the Preliminary. My moodboard was something that helped me visually, I found it very important and this was something that was definitely missing from our Preliminary. Also on the visual theme, mise en scéne was something very important in my final piece and one of my favourite parts is the bit where the main character is walking along the train track (below) and it accentuates her loneliness and how small she feels.
The mise en scene in the Preliminary was just as importantly thought out as in my film opening. In the first shot where he is striding up to the door it gives the impression that he is very powerful and authorititive due to the position he is in the frame (centre).
Monday 2 May 2011
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Whilst constructing, filming and editing this piece of media I have used many types of technology, such as: Video Camera, Tripod, Camera, iMovie, Windows Movie Maker etc. I had never used Windows Movie Maker before and this was a new experience for me as it is very different to iMovie. This was a slight problem as it was far more time consuming and cutting clips was a bit of a pain. Things like the Video Camera and the Tripod were very easy to use, simply because they had been used before.
Overall, I have learnt that technologies are not always reliable, nor act how you may want them to! Envisioning something in your head is fine, but managing to create it just as planned is much harder.
- JVC Everio GZ-MG334HEK
- Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55 was used to take pictures of the character, and possible locations. This again was nothing new to me as it is something I use a lot.
- YouTube- I used this for searching for clips of film openings for research and inspiration. I also used this to upload my film opening to embed it into my blog. Ideally I would have used Vimeo as YouTube caused a huge problem with the quality of the video once I had uploaded it. I couldn't use Vimeo because it refuses to co-operate with my laptop! I learnt how to upload a video to YouTube and edit the information, a slightly different process to using Vimeo which is the website I usually use for uploading.
- Soundcloud - I used this to search for uncopyrighted music to use in my film opening. I spent a long time searching before I found what I was looking for as I felt this was a very important aspect of the opening and that it would complete the mood. I had never used this website before and I had to search in different sections for genre and royalty free music.
- Blogger - This was the blogging website I used to document everything I have done from the beginning, all of the research and planning leading up to my final piece. As I had never used this website before I started my AS work, all of the functions were very new to me. I learnt how to post (and all the things within that e.g tagging, adding pictures), use html and generally mess around with the blog layout and background etc.
- Scanner - I used my scanner to transfer my storyboard from paper to my blog. Also having never used this, it was quite problematic at the time but was much better quality-wise than just taking a photo of the piece of paper.
- Paint - I used this to create the background for my 'animation' at the beginning of the opening. This was very basic and I didn't use any new skills for it.
Overall, I have learnt that technologies are not always reliable, nor act how you may want them to! Envisioning something in your head is fine, but managing to create it just as planned is much harder.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
There are a huge range of labels in the world that produce and distribute films. I have researched a few of them:
This is essentially the child of The Paramount Pictures Corporation which produces and distributes films that have a more 'Art House' feel to them. Some of these include The Virgin Suicides, Sunshine and Winter Solstice. They produce many films based on books and feel that the quality of the film is far more important than a profit.
Known as one of the leading independent film distributors in the UK, based in London and releases about 20 films a year. It has had many successful films including Amélie, The Kings Speech, Lost in Translation, PS. I Love You and Control.
Film4 develops and co-finances films and is known for working with the most innovative talent in the UK, whether new or established. They have released films such as The Lovely Bones, Submarine and Never Let Me Go. This company are particularly interested in young, British film makers so something like this would be perfect.
Any of these media institutions might distribute my media product as many of the things they have produced are very similar to my work. As most of these things have been successful and my film opening fits the same kind of genres, they may be interested in my work.
Any of these media institutions might distribute my media product as many of the things they have produced are very similar to my work. As most of these things have been successful and my film opening fits the same kind of genres, they may be interested in my work.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
As we live in a very stereotypical world, it is easy for my film opening to represent a group. I chose my actor as she looks far different to most people, the pillar-box red hair for a start. If I had to liken her to a character in a film I would choose Oliver Tate from Submarine.
The video above is the trailer for Submarine, I know that the main character is a boy but they share very similar characteristics. Socially they are in the same position, with the tendency of being alone. My main character also shares the awkwardness of Oliver, weird habits/actions and the same intentions.
Stereotypically, my character is 'indie', which means independent. She is iscolated, misunderstood, and wrapped up in her own world - just as many teenagers are. As my target audience is 14-25 which is mainly teens, a particular few of these will be of the stereotype 'indie'.
My character also dresses differently from normal teens - she wears a band t-shirt of a band that no one has heard of, her hair is bright red so she stands out from the crowd. Her social class is not apparent, she is not someone who would care for class as she doesn't see it as important.
However, she could represent any teenage girl, as all she is looking for is hope and happiness, just as Oliver Tate is.
The video above is the trailer for Submarine, I know that the main character is a boy but they share very similar characteristics. Socially they are in the same position, with the tendency of being alone. My main character also shares the awkwardness of Oliver, weird habits/actions and the same intentions.
Stereotypically, my character is 'indie', which means independent. She is iscolated, misunderstood, and wrapped up in her own world - just as many teenagers are. As my target audience is 14-25 which is mainly teens, a particular few of these will be of the stereotype 'indie'.
My character also dresses differently from normal teens - she wears a band t-shirt of a band that no one has heard of, her hair is bright red so she stands out from the crowd. Her social class is not apparent, she is not someone who would care for class as she doesn't see it as important.
However, she could represent any teenage girl, as all she is looking for is hope and happiness, just as Oliver Tate is.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Genre and how the opening suggests it
My media product is part of a cross-over between two genres - Art House and Drama. Art House is described as "...canon of films and those formal qualities that mark them as different from mainstream Hollywood films" and a Drama is ''in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes''. I feel that my main character comes across as small parts of both of these and that it is hard to determine which definite genre the film opening would fit into.
The things that make it a Drama is the letters and photos being burnt, which automatically suggests to the audience that something dramatic has happened and they either need to be burnt for security reasons or for emotional reasons.
Also, the paper crane is a connotation as they symbolise hope which links to the character and the story directly due to what she wants and also things that will happen later in the film. The film relys heavily on this connotation which is also shown at the beginning in the animation, which gives the audience a clue that it could mean a lot more than just a folded letter. This also links back to the preliminary task we did on 'Albatross' and creating a second meaning.
Film Titles
Obviously the film titles relate to the film and the genre it is in yet I have gone against the conventional block capitals for the titling and have gone for a more intricate font that is quite hard to read. For example, I have found many film titling that are in block fonts and most are in the same genres as my piece.
Regardless of formation and colour, all of these film titles are in block capitals, something I have completely gone against. As these are all real media products I have ignored the typical conventions and have done something completely different.
My titles are very simple and I think they fit with the mood of the piece, if it was fitting I would have done something like the titles for Napolean Dynamite (below) but I feel this would not set the tone of the opening at all.
I only included the name of my film and the actors name in my titles as I felt that they were the only appropriate things. These are shown below. If compared to the above pictures of the conventional titling there is an obvious difference.
Setting and Location
In most films, live footage scenes are used to establish the setting. In my film opening, this is the same. I have not gone against this convention as it is probably the most difficult one to do so. Below is the opening of Control, which sets the scene with the main character Ian sitting in his room.
The shot is properly established about fourty seconds in, to the point where we can see his surroundings which is unlike mine. Straight away I have shown the main character and where she is which I did purposefully as I was only given two minutes to convey what I wanted to and I found that doing it straight away was more effective.
Above is the first shot that shows the surroundings in Control. Underneath that is the first scene from my film opening which also serves the same purpose. Many films present the setting differently, such as American Beauty which shows the audience the flying over the surroundings without the main character there to begin with (below).
Costume and Props
These are a hugely typical media convention and it is almost impossible for them not to be used. They are very important aspects of portraying a character and also taking the focus away from the character at some points.
My main character is very stereotyped as 'indie' and this is reflected in her clothing and the way she acts. An underground band t-shirt and bright red hair makes her different from others and also fits with the stereotype I have given her. She is also wearing boots which can make her seem unlike the normal stereotyped girl as well, yet she is wearing a Vivienne Westwood necklace which is very mainstream and typical. This gives the audience the sense that she has a very unique style which also reflects on her personality. Below are the pictures of her costume.
Props were also used as well, an abandoned crate, old letters, photographs and a lighter. Ideally I would have liked to use more as it would have made it more interesting but at the same time I think there were enough for the opening two minutes as any more could have made it confusing. Here are photos of the props being used.
As it is hard to break away from the typical media conventions in this part of the opening, I don't feel that it was necessary to as I feel it portrays my character perfectly but leaves a lot to be interpreted.
Camerawork and Editing
The editing I have done for this is very simple yet effective. Between most shots I have put fading transitions in to make it flow smoothly and show continuity, yet cutting out small parts that the audience can guess which is called ellipsis. I used this because it allowed me to use a variety of shots of the same action, making it more interesting and does not change the fact that what is happening is continuous. I kept it simple by not zooming or editing the footage any more. Also, cutting clips was a vital part of the editing as things went wrong all the way through and some good shots could be saved. I also edited the saturation of the footage which I felt would fit the mood more appropriately. I left colour in but I toned it down a lot which had a huge effect on the mood of the film, making it seem more sad and dull. A good example of this is Control, which is all filmed in black and white which also changes the mood yet fits with the period of time it was set in. In a way, I have challenged the normal form of a real media product as most films are filmed in colour and show a lot of discontinuity. However there are examples of black and white films e.g Good Night, and Good Luck yet films like this are becoming less and less common.
Story and how the opening sets it up
My film opening leaves a lot to be judged by the viewer, as I found out in my feedback by comments like:
"Not really sure what the story is about"
"Narration is quite bland and doesn't reveal much about the storyline"
"Storyline is a bit vague"
However, I felt that this was a good thing and that it would make the audience want to watch more as there was an air of mystery to the storyline. From my audience research I found out that most people enjoy a slow and simple start to a film which is what I aimed for, and believe I succeeded in doing. I also think that the way that the character acts is also an indication that it is not a happy film, as she does not smile at all in the opening two minutes and her stance (hunched over) and presence is not a colourful one.
I don't feel that this particularly challenges real media products as there is such a huge range of emotional films and considering the genre my opening is in, many of them begin like this. I think the opening sets the mood and tone of the film but definitely not an obvious storyline, just one left open to interpretation.
How characters are introduced
In my opening there is only one character. I felt that this was the best way to introduce her as later in the film we find out she has a very complex personality. I think this fact is only mildly displayed though, her actions are a bit odd in the opening scenes, but as there is no dialogue I think that what she is doing is very strong and shows what could be there in dialogue, but isn't. She is also addressed alone, which says a lot about her personality and how she is socially. I think this is a good way of introducing a character so that it a while before her personality is properly released to the audience. I think that this challenges the way that characters are introduced in most films, the protagonists main traits are nearly always introduced properly within the first few minutes either by dialogue between them and another character, or by a short paragraph about themselves either read by said character or a voiceover.
My media product is part of a cross-over between two genres - Art House and Drama. Art House is described as "...canon of films and those formal qualities that mark them as different from mainstream Hollywood films" and a Drama is ''in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes''. I feel that my main character comes across as small parts of both of these and that it is hard to determine which definite genre the film opening would fit into.
The things that make it a Drama is the letters and photos being burnt, which automatically suggests to the audience that something dramatic has happened and they either need to be burnt for security reasons or for emotional reasons.
Also, the paper crane is a connotation as they symbolise hope which links to the character and the story directly due to what she wants and also things that will happen later in the film. The film relys heavily on this connotation which is also shown at the beginning in the animation, which gives the audience a clue that it could mean a lot more than just a folded letter. This also links back to the preliminary task we did on 'Albatross' and creating a second meaning.
Film Titles
Obviously the film titles relate to the film and the genre it is in yet I have gone against the conventional block capitals for the titling and have gone for a more intricate font that is quite hard to read. For example, I have found many film titling that are in block fonts and most are in the same genres as my piece.
Regardless of formation and colour, all of these film titles are in block capitals, something I have completely gone against. As these are all real media products I have ignored the typical conventions and have done something completely different.
My titles are very simple and I think they fit with the mood of the piece, if it was fitting I would have done something like the titles for Napolean Dynamite (below) but I feel this would not set the tone of the opening at all.
I only included the name of my film and the actors name in my titles as I felt that they were the only appropriate things. These are shown below. If compared to the above pictures of the conventional titling there is an obvious difference.
Setting and Location
In most films, live footage scenes are used to establish the setting. In my film opening, this is the same. I have not gone against this convention as it is probably the most difficult one to do so. Below is the opening of Control, which sets the scene with the main character Ian sitting in his room.
The shot is properly established about fourty seconds in, to the point where we can see his surroundings which is unlike mine. Straight away I have shown the main character and where she is which I did purposefully as I was only given two minutes to convey what I wanted to and I found that doing it straight away was more effective.
Costume and Props
These are a hugely typical media convention and it is almost impossible for them not to be used. They are very important aspects of portraying a character and also taking the focus away from the character at some points.
My main character is very stereotyped as 'indie' and this is reflected in her clothing and the way she acts. An underground band t-shirt and bright red hair makes her different from others and also fits with the stereotype I have given her. She is also wearing boots which can make her seem unlike the normal stereotyped girl as well, yet she is wearing a Vivienne Westwood necklace which is very mainstream and typical. This gives the audience the sense that she has a very unique style which also reflects on her personality. Below are the pictures of her costume.
Props were also used as well, an abandoned crate, old letters, photographs and a lighter. Ideally I would have liked to use more as it would have made it more interesting but at the same time I think there were enough for the opening two minutes as any more could have made it confusing. Here are photos of the props being used.
 |
| Crate |
 |
| Lighter and letters |
 |
| Photographs |
Camerawork and Editing
The editing I have done for this is very simple yet effective. Between most shots I have put fading transitions in to make it flow smoothly and show continuity, yet cutting out small parts that the audience can guess which is called ellipsis. I used this because it allowed me to use a variety of shots of the same action, making it more interesting and does not change the fact that what is happening is continuous. I kept it simple by not zooming or editing the footage any more. Also, cutting clips was a vital part of the editing as things went wrong all the way through and some good shots could be saved. I also edited the saturation of the footage which I felt would fit the mood more appropriately. I left colour in but I toned it down a lot which had a huge effect on the mood of the film, making it seem more sad and dull. A good example of this is Control, which is all filmed in black and white which also changes the mood yet fits with the period of time it was set in. In a way, I have challenged the normal form of a real media product as most films are filmed in colour and show a lot of discontinuity. However there are examples of black and white films e.g Good Night, and Good Luck yet films like this are becoming less and less common.
Story and how the opening sets it up
My film opening leaves a lot to be judged by the viewer, as I found out in my feedback by comments like:
"Not really sure what the story is about"
"Narration is quite bland and doesn't reveal much about the storyline"
"Storyline is a bit vague"
However, I felt that this was a good thing and that it would make the audience want to watch more as there was an air of mystery to the storyline. From my audience research I found out that most people enjoy a slow and simple start to a film which is what I aimed for, and believe I succeeded in doing. I also think that the way that the character acts is also an indication that it is not a happy film, as she does not smile at all in the opening two minutes and her stance (hunched over) and presence is not a colourful one.
 |
| Not smiling - upset |
 |
| Hunched over giving the impression that the character is upset |
I don't feel that this particularly challenges real media products as there is such a huge range of emotional films and considering the genre my opening is in, many of them begin like this. I think the opening sets the mood and tone of the film but definitely not an obvious storyline, just one left open to interpretation.
How characters are introduced
In my opening there is only one character. I felt that this was the best way to introduce her as later in the film we find out she has a very complex personality. I think this fact is only mildly displayed though, her actions are a bit odd in the opening scenes, but as there is no dialogue I think that what she is doing is very strong and shows what could be there in dialogue, but isn't. She is also addressed alone, which says a lot about her personality and how she is socially. I think this is a good way of introducing a character so that it a while before her personality is properly released to the audience. I think that this challenges the way that characters are introduced in most films, the protagonists main traits are nearly always introduced properly within the first few minutes either by dialogue between them and another character, or by a short paragraph about themselves either read by said character or a voiceover.
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