Here are some notes and topics that we should mention during our evaluation and use as a spring board for other points, they should be treated as almost a check-list during the video.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Generally we have not included any striking challenges to social conventions or other forms. We thought that to keep this particular piece uncomplicated we should follow some simple rules or conventions shown in other films, or movie pieces, we preferred to look and learn from past innovators and film makers, as they are clearly more experienced and we can draw from them, rather than attempting to innovate ourselves.
We found that it was much easier to draw on ideas that we could relate to from well known films rather than trying to create an entirely new groundbreaking piece of dramatic film.
We found that it was much easier to draw on ideas that we could relate to from well known films rather than trying to create an entirely new groundbreaking piece of dramatic film.
On our blog we have included some film clips that show some of the ideas that we have tried to include in our piece. This may be simply a type of shot that we thought was particularly effective or something that plays a larger part in our film e.g. score and emotions portrayed through the characters dialogue and actions.
Defined into a genre I think all of us would agree that our film is for the most part a crime thriller.
There are several conventions associated with this genre that we have tried to work into our piece:
As main elements- Suspense, Excitement, Tension and Cliffhanging
Sub themes- The coverup of important or critical information from the viewer, Some form of violence either explicit or implicit (we went with both for good measure), Investigation - whodunnit?
Tension arises when a principal or secondary character is placed in a menacing or potentially life threatening situation from which escape seems impossible.
Setting in thrillers is generally an ordinary city or unsuspecting sleepy suburb where nothing ever happens and we tried to recreate this (Twinbrook is a dangerous place so this kind of thing is commonplace but I suppose this adds to the reality and suspense involved)
Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements that we were involved with in the murder of one criminal by another and the near escape of the victim.
Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Although our film generally sticks to this rule we do have a certain sense of mystery and enigma included in that in the opening minutes of our film the viewer is only presented with questions as to why the criminals are so ruthless and merciless. This leaves the viewer to speculate and conjecture about the reasons behind their brutality - desperation, money, drugs etc
For our film titles we viewed many examples from many various and adverse movies without really having a set idea in mind. In particular we noticed an influence from the titles of ‘Vertigo’ from Alfred Hitchcock.
Hitchcock in general was a notable influence, he and more modern directors were a major influence. We hoped to strike a balance between the traditional narrative intrigue and twists of Hitchcock with the grittiness and more kinetic, realistic style of modern directors such as David Fincher, Richard Kelly and Martin Scorsese.
Use of flashbacks and disorientation of time common in thrillers. Use of setting in the shadowy garage reflects the inner cruelty of the two criminals and we picked up on all this without even thinking about it because we are that good..
Shadows also create tension and eeriness
Obtrusive editing- Quick shots in the garage accentuate the feeling of suspense and this can be seen in many other great thrillers. Almost montage editing used in the garage scene to make the scene and subjects seem frantic and panicky.
Flashbacks- Seen this in 'Memento' by Christopher Nolan. Thought it was a good idea and allowed us to mix it up abit and make the narrative less linear and boring.
Hitchcock in general was a notable influence, he and more modern directors were a major influence. We hoped to strike a balance between the traditional narrative intrigue and twists of Hitchcock with the grittiness and more kinetic, realistic style of modern directors such as David Fincher, Richard Kelly and Martin Scorsese.
Use of flashbacks and disorientation of time common in thrillers. Use of setting in the shadowy garage reflects the inner cruelty of the two criminals and we picked up on all this without even thinking about it because we are that good..
Shadows also create tension and eeriness
Obtrusive editing- Quick shots in the garage accentuate the feeling of suspense and this can be seen in many other great thrillers. Almost montage editing used in the garage scene to make the scene and subjects seem frantic and panicky.
Flashbacks- Seen this in 'Memento' by Christopher Nolan. Thought it was a good idea and allowed us to mix it up abit and make the narrative less linear and boring.
How does your media represent particular social groups?
Detectives- Is this case personal to the detectives? No, but we still show the often unpleasant nature of their line of work and the cases they have to deal with.
Criminals- Audience wonder why the criminals are involved with this man, we try and represent the brutality and callousness of the criminals and the ruthless world they have become mired in.
Drugs
Gang Related lifestyle
Male
Perhaps in later works we shall delve deeper into social representations.
As amateur film makers we didn't pay any particular attention to very specific social groups and went with a broader sense of crime and lowlife in a suburban housing estate area in young males (if that much can be seen from our locational shots)
It could be said that our film represents young males subjected to gang culture, being forced into a life of crime because they see it as their only way to make a living.
The film represents the very callous and apathetic attitude that people show towards each other when trying to get ahead in life.
Perhaps in later works we shall delve deeper into social representations.
As amateur film makers we didn't pay any particular attention to very specific social groups and went with a broader sense of crime and lowlife in a suburban housing estate area in young males (if that much can be seen from our locational shots)
It could be said that our film represents young males subjected to gang culture, being forced into a life of crime because they see it as their only way to make a living.
The film represents the very callous and apathetic attitude that people show towards each other when trying to get ahead in life.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Independent film studios, possibly of the bigger studios New Line Studios
Internet distributed, marketed as an amateur film, since it is. Would be low-key, if attempting larger release but still internet/viral focus.
Not attempting to make any kind of profit from piece.. just want to spread it around to become a little more renown and gain some positive critcal feedback about improvements that can be made (there are alot of them)
Not attempting to make any kind of profit from piece.. just want to spread it around to become a little more renown and gain some positive critcal feedback about improvements that can be made (there are alot of them)
Who would be the audience for your media product?
Anyone interested in a crime action thriller.
Fellow students.
No one under the age of twelve due to violence.
14-40
Male
14-40
Male
How did you attract/address your audience?
Twitter
Facebook
Youtube
Blogger
Pre screening
Posters
Word of mouth
Easily found an audience in our peers in school
Easily found an audience in our peers in school
What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The camera itself- each person in our group took turns filming different scenes and we each tried to bring something new to the way we used the equipment and technology available to us
The camera itself- each person in our group took turns filming different scenes and we each tried to bring something new to the way we used the equipment and technology available to us
Adobe after effects was used to create our movie titles and I think we found this the most challenging piece of software because none of the group had any previous experience with it but after some tutorial videos and some testing we found it easy enough to create some simple titles with animations for our film.
Photoshop- We used this software on numerous occasions just to touch up or create some sample images e.g. our posters or the image for our titles.
Imovie- The main software we used, all of the group had a chance to work with this software and found it rather easy and intuitive if not slightly basic but it did nearly all the jobs we had in mind for this years production.
The use of the internet and new media to promote our film, in particular social networking and video sites such as vimeo/ youtube
Garageband- How we were able to construct a soundtrack the film entirely using digital instruments
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learned in the progression from it to the full product?
In our original preliminary product we did little planning before recording, ie we came up with a simple idea and improvised on the spot, whereas in our full product we did extensive planning in the forms of multiple scripts and storyboards.
We planned the setting, times we would be filming, dialogue, mise en scene and general plot for our main project quite thoroughly. That is not to say that it didn't change dramatically from what we first envisioned. The film and how we planned to shoot it mutated and changed (for the best it would seem) while we were filming and the days in school that we were editing afterwards.
Most of the preliminary coursework was improvised including dialogue, mise en scene, location, camera angles, shots and actors. It was rushed and as we found out from both projects that if we didn't take care and time while filming it proved to be disastrous.
We took the main film very seriously...most of the time.. and after eventually settling into filming we took many different takes of each scene learning from our previous mistakes in that one can never have too many different angles of a shot.
While editing the preliminary coursework I don't think any of us in the group tried to do anything ambitious and we accepted a very low standard of both shots and acting leading to an unsatisfying end product. We paid no attention to detail in our preliminary coursework and so it turned out quite badly as I think as a group we underestimated the task even if it did seem simplistic at the time.This changed slightly when editing the main piece.
Editing the main piece played a huge part for us in recognising many mistakes and shots that we would have to reshoot due to lapses in continuity, the lighting changing or being too harsh/too dim at times, the movement of the characters in the shots and how they would interact with their surroundings sometimes not being picked up by the camera.
We planned the setting, times we would be filming, dialogue, mise en scene and general plot for our main project quite thoroughly. That is not to say that it didn't change dramatically from what we first envisioned. The film and how we planned to shoot it mutated and changed (for the best it would seem) while we were filming and the days in school that we were editing afterwards.
Most of the preliminary coursework was improvised including dialogue, mise en scene, location, camera angles, shots and actors. It was rushed and as we found out from both projects that if we didn't take care and time while filming it proved to be disastrous.
We took the main film very seriously...most of the time.. and after eventually settling into filming we took many different takes of each scene learning from our previous mistakes in that one can never have too many different angles of a shot.
While editing the preliminary coursework I don't think any of us in the group tried to do anything ambitious and we accepted a very low standard of both shots and acting leading to an unsatisfying end product. We paid no attention to detail in our preliminary coursework and so it turned out quite badly as I think as a group we underestimated the task even if it did seem simplistic at the time.This changed slightly when editing the main piece.
Editing the main piece played a huge part for us in recognising many mistakes and shots that we would have to reshoot due to lapses in continuity, the lighting changing or being too harsh/too dim at times, the movement of the characters in the shots and how they would interact with their surroundings sometimes not being picked up by the camera.
We also learned the importance, and the difficulty, of acheiving continuity and how crucial shot structure and angling was, though this was more of a consequence of our preliminary, something we could look back and learn from.
We also learned that we needed to show greater ambition and scale, the resultant film was very stale and uninteresting, it wasn’t meant to be exciting but it was nonetheless very dull.
We may have been too ambitious to start with when creating our main film (we had it in our minds that our film was going to be something in the realm of 'good') but we soon realised (after 3 weeks of filming) that something relatively simple and well thought out was going to be infinitely better than something very ambitious that fell flat on its face.
We may have been too ambitious to start with when creating our main film (we had it in our minds that our film was going to be something in the realm of 'good') but we soon realised (after 3 weeks of filming) that something relatively simple and well thought out was going to be infinitely better than something very ambitious that fell flat on its face.
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