Evaluation Question 7

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

When we created the preliminary task, we were new to the cameras and equipment and also to the editing program. We therefore had to experiment with everything in order to realise the potential angles and effects we could achieve.

The planning involved in our preliminary task involved working from a script and we casted actors who were in our group. Our actors learned the script and one of the actors was also a member of our crew . We devised a shot list and set our cameras up in a 180 degree
rule.

Filming took an hour and this enabled us to re run the scene in order to make sure everything was perfect. Editing the preliminary task took 2 hours and we all took it in turns to edit each part of the film and adding effects



Looking at the effects we used compared to the simple transitions and fades that i used in my re sit piece, i can see that using simple transitions create a much nicer and better quality effect that doesn't distort the footage and make it confusing for viewers.

Compared to the preliminary task, the main task involved lots of planning prior to filming and even more time when editing the film. Before filming i had to research into the history of horror and into similar media works in order to develop a new and creative opening of my own horror film. I also had to consider our target audience and how i could adapt our film to appeal to them. I then created the initial ideas which enabled me to consider different ideas and then incorporate several ideas leaving me with one creative idea. I then created an exact film brief on how i would like the film opening to be and a script, after this I created character profiles for the two characters in the film and when auditioning actors for the parts I tried to consider actors that I believed to have similar attributes to the characters and who gave a believable performance. I then had to get consent from the parents of my actors due to them being under 18. After I had my idea and my actors I then had to scout a location where i visualised the film to be set. After buying all the costumes and props needed for the film i was then then ready to film. I had scheduled 4 days to film but due to the snow i was unable to travel to pick actors up. This meant i had to reschedule for the next week when the snow had cleared. I finished filming in these 4 days. Editing took 4 or 5 hours during free periods and after sixth form and this was extra time consuming due to the fact i had over filmed in order to capture as many different camera angles.

When creating the preliminary task, the work and research we had to do prior to filming was nothing compared to the grand scale of hard work and time I had to give to the main task especialy as i was re sitting the whole project on my own, in future i hope to work in a group of 4 as the workload and be distributed evenly without the amount seeming so daunting. Creating the preliminary task has helped me to learn how to use the cameras and equipment to my greater benefit in order to use different camera angles and effects to create a film. The use of tripods helped me to capture different camera angles which we hadn't used in the preliminary task. Particularly the high camera angles i used to victimise Sam and to highlight how the females were victims too. All the planning involved has helped me to develop my horror that is similar to existing products, i chose to specifically concentrate on Dawn Of The Dead (2004) and 28 Days Later (2002) and i chose to use similar conventions in order to attract a larger audience.
It has also helped use to improve the quality of filming, for example in the preliminary task, our shots were shaky and I especially made sure that my cameras were stabilised on tripods to make the steady shots in the main task. I now feel more confident with the equipment and editing software after spending so much time using them, i have learnt that Final Cut Express is far easier and faster to use than Adobe Premier Elements which i used before the re sit. This makes me feel more comfortable knowing my potential for my next project.

Evaluation Question 6

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

Since the beginning of our product, i feel that i have learnt various things about the technology that will be of great benefit to me. Previous to filming my footage, i had very little experience with the cameras and camera equipment. Therefore i feel i have learnt a lot about the cameras and how to use them to achieve my desired intention. After experimenting with a Dolly to track the male in my piece, i found that it produced shots that were too shaky so i held the camera myself when tracking. Learning how to use the cameras and equipment was very time consuming at the start but it has enabled me to use them to achieve the maximum effect that i set out to achieve. I have learnt to record and manage my work on Blogger which has helped me to understand the hard work and time that goes into the production of a film. As i was filming the re sit on my own i have learned how to make use of the cameras more effiecently by having two cameras rolling at all times to capture more footage, this has helped me to place my camera in the 180 degree rule so that my audience do not get confused, i have also been enabled to use different camera angles with the help of extended or shortening the tripods which my cameras were placed on and this has helped me to use angles specifically to bring the audience into the action.

During the production of my film and my previous AS film, i encountered many problems with the editing software Adobe Premiere Elements and found it very difficult and time consuming to finish our previous film. However, we did find the program to be very useful and i have enjoyed watching our film progress from each stage. Using Adobe Premiere Elements enabled me to be precise in working from our shot list and also how to frame each shot to achieve optimum mise-en-scene. I have also learnt to video merge still images with videos to create a distorted effect that we aimed to achieve in the first scene of our film. I learned how to record sound effects and insert them into our film, this has helped us to adapt the sound effects to fit with our previous film and the heartbeat along with the collaboration of the still images has enabled us to achieve a fast paced distorted effect to create suspense and fear in our audience. Looking back on my previous film compared to my new film, i can see the difference in editing with Final Cut Express which was very fast and less time consuming compared to Adobe. I was able to create my film quickly and efficiently by overlapping music i downloaded from a royalty free website and sound effects that i found on the same website. I was unable to do this on Adobe and therefore the sound quality on our previous film was poor compared to the sound quality on my re sit film. When filming my re-sit it was very windy and i would like to have turned the sound down on one of the audio tracks to eliminate the wind, unfortunately the wind was on both audio tracks so i had to delete this sound altogether and instead overlay it with my sound effects.

Again looking back on my previous film, i really notice the jump cuts we used really make the editing jumpy and lacking in a continuous manner. This year for my re sit, i have aimed for perfect continuity and have therefore not used any jump cuts in my editing because this reduces the quality.

I found that presenting my work on Blogger has enabled me to display it in a chronological fashion to show my audience how my film has progressed from being just a small idea in my initial ideas to title sequence. I have also found that by exhibiting my film on Youtube and Facebook i was able to receive lots of feedback on my rough cut so that i could tweak it into being a much better final cut, i have used what the audience want when improving my final cut and this has helped me to develop a film opening that my target audience will definitely watch.

After analysing 4 title sequences, i have decided that if i was given more time i would like to learn to use the Adobe Flash program to create an animated title sequence as i found these to be quirky and unique, my particular favourite is the Juno (2007) cartoon title sequence.

On the whole, i have enjoyed the experience i have gained when producing both films. Despite the problems i encountered with last years film, i have learnt a lot about the technologies and equipment used in the film industry and this has been very beneficial to me because it has enabled me to experiment in my filming and editing and learn which programs are better for editing. Everything i have learnt will be practical for when i get the opportunity to film another product and it has prepared me for all the preparation work i have had to do on Blogger in order to create my film successfully. I particularly have enjoyed working with the cast who i found to be very talented actors.

Evaluation Queston 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I mainly attracted my audience by using characters that they could relate to, i have tried to create Sam and Alex so that they represent an average middle class couple in the hope that audience members will seek to watch my media because they can relate to the characters. This is in keeping with Dennis McQuail's Uses and Gratifications theory. I have also tried to use verisimilitude to further attract audiences who want to relate to the film.

I have also used many generic conventions used in horror films such as a male protagonist/hero and female victims, both victims were blonde and this further connotes their innocence. By using these conventions, i am able to attract a large male audience who i found to be the main consumers of horror films. I aim to further attract a male audience by making use of Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory to sexualise female characters by using camera angles that sexualise them. I would also like to apply this theory to portray the narrative through a male perspective in order to attract more female audiences.

As i am only making a title sequence for a film, i have tried not to introduce too many storylines that will confuse the audience I have also tried not to delve straight into gory scenes that will put a female audience member off of the rest of the film if it contains too much gore from the beginning. Also by not introducing too many storylines, i am abiding by Ann Gray's Gender theory that would suggest that a male audience member prefers closed narratives that are easy to follow.

Evaluation Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

After creating my target audience profile, i have decided that my target audience are audience members from Category D and E and from the ages of 16-25. This because after conducting a questionnaire i found that this is the most common age range of people who watch horror films. I have tried to attract these audience by using characters of this age and using conventions often found in already popular similar films such as Dawn Of The Dead (2004) and 28 Days Later (2002).

I classified my film as 18 due to the graphic scenes that young viewers may find disturbing and also because i planned to make a film similar to Dawn Of The Dead (2004) which was classified as an 18 by the BBFC due to its distressing nature. Even though it is classified as an 18 and audience members will not be able to watch this in the cinema or buy the DVD if they are under this age, i fully accept that minors as young as 15 will watch my film as many teenagers like to watch horror films, particularly when in a group. I have also considered that although my target audience is 16-25, many older viewers will also watch the film as they may have been fans of Dawn Of The Dead (2004) and 28 Days Later (2002) and were within the target audience age range at the time of release.

I also feel that middle class audience members will watch my film as although i have used young characters, i have also tried to portray them as middle class citizens with average jobs and a nice home. I have set my film in a modern housing estate to connote that it is in a modern society, possibly in the city and this was to show how the virus has spread nationwide but also so a modern middle class member, particularly from Category C1 and C2. I have tried to apply the Uses and Gratifications theory to my film opening so that audience members will seek to watch the film because it involves characters and settings that they can relate to.

I feel that a larger male audience will watch my film rather than a female audience due to its graphic nature which many men like about horror films. Female viewers may be more on edge with the suspense than a male would and this again is why my film will attract more males. To attract a larger male audience i have tried to make use of the Male Gaze theory so that my female characters are often sexualised, i have also tried to apply this theory by telling the narrative from a male perspective in order to attract more female viewers. The Gender theory would suggest that more females like to watch open ended narratives such as soap operas whereas a male prefers a closed narrative that is simple to follow which is what i have aimed to achieve.

Evaluation Question 3

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



I could approach conglomerates who specialise in horror films. Dawn Of The Dead (2004) was funded and produced by Universal Pictures and this particular institution has released many horror films such as : The Fourth Kind (2009) and Drag Me To Hell (2009). However, all of the films released by Universal Pictures have been big budget and this is because of the money Universal give the production companies and producers to produce the film. As i was filming on a small budget, if Universal were to distribute my film they would expect me to re film using their budget. This would comply with the quality of films that they produce and which attract colossal audiences from each demographic group. Similarly, i could approach Fox Searchlight because they specialise in finding individual labels producing a film. they have already distributed 28 Days later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007) which tells me that they have an interest in this genre of film.

http://www.universalpictures.com/
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0005073/
http://content.foxsearchlight.com/films
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0028932/




http://independentfilmcompany.com/production/
http://www.camerashai.co.uk/

I could also approach much small independent companies who produce smaller films. I have looked at CameraShai who specialise mainly in music videos, documentaries and promos for companies like Nike and Gap. I could approach this label who have been involved in some small films and they could help to distribute my film. Similarly, i have looked at Independent Film Company who also produce independent films from small companies, they mainly specialise in book adaptations and in 2011 will be releasing an adaptation of We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver.



http://www.londonindependent.org/festival.htm

I could also consider entering my film into a film festival and i have looked mainly at the London Independent Film Festival, it specialises in producing films with budgets under £100,000 which my film is and by receiving prizes and nominations in the festival for awards such as best screenplay or best horror, my film could gain recognition from other independent film companies who may watch my film and give it a chance.

My film could offer merchandise opportunities which could be another pro in distributing it to the world, for example i could produce t-shirts and posters with the Solitude logo on them as well as gimmick slogan t-shirts with slogans such as "I survived the zombie virus". I feel that i could advertise my film on Facebook and Youtube which often show film trailers for big films as well as small independent films, as i find it unlikely that big cinemas like Odeon and Cineworld would want to exhibit my film, it would be much cheaper for me to exhibit the film online where i found alot of my students in Category D and E watch films.

Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

When developing my characters, i aimed to create a realistic character that my audience can relate to. Therefore, i have applied Dennis McQuail's Uses and Gratifications theory to my title sequence as my audience will be seeking to watch a character who they can relate to. My target audience consists mainly of students and working class citizens from Category D and E and i hoped that my characters were believable enough that audience members from these groups can emphasise with these characters. I decided to create a character who would be played by an actor or actress who are down to earth and can easily represent and average person. I chose Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Sam and Zooey Deschannel for Alex.

To expand my audience further than my target audience, i created characters who were both middle class "succeeders" from Category C1 and C2. I mainly showed this middle class status through the clothes Sam and Alex were both wearing. Sam is wearing a suit and tie and his formal attire denotes his middle class and from the very beginning of the film the audience are aware that he is of this class. I have used the red tie to connote the danger he will face throughout the entire film, this red tie could also be seen as connoting seduction and this would be going against Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory and would be sexualisng the male instead of the female. However, i have chosen to make use of the Male Gaze theory throughout my title sequence in order to attract more male audience members who i found watch horror films more than females. I have chosen to portray the piece from a male perception and this will help me to gain a wider female audience who will respect Sam's bravery and assertiveness as he enters the house with a baseball bat. I have used Sam's Nissan Micra to denote that he is middle class but still has youth in him as he is only 24, the colour green could connote jealousy to the higher class who can afford these luxuries. As explained in my location scouting, i have filmed in a modern housing estate which is commonly found in and outside big cities, i have chosen this location to show Sam and Alex's class and how the zombie virus has spread to cities.

In similar films, the character Sarah Polley in Dawn Of The Dead (2004) is a doctor and shows that she is of middle class and this is often highlighted when she returns to her husband and child and the nice neighbourhood they live in and throughout the film when he medical knowledge is a practical strength. By using her having such strengths would be defying the generic conventions and is making her the protagonist hero as opposed to using a male. In 28 Days Later, Jim is also of a middle class and is first introduced as a patient in a hospital and lots of high angles are used to make him look small and weak as he takes in his surroundings, however throughout the rest of the film as he faces more and more zombies and finds other people, he is represented as a more powerful and heroic protagonist which is how i would like to represent my character Sam by using low camera angles to highlight his power.

Similarly, i have portrayed Alex as being a fashionable middle class woman, although she is dead in my title sequence, my female audience can still relate to her because of her fashion and their nice home. Both of my characters are 24 and i have used young characters to attract my target audience of 16-25 Category C1 - Category D and E audience members.

I have mainly represented young people in my piece as all of my characters are between 16-25 and this is because my target audience can relate more to them, the dead bodies are shown to be young by their fashion and by using modern fashion my audience can further relate to them. My main characters are both aged 24 and are an ordinary couple who live together just outside of London, this will be shown more throughout the film by using flashbacks and Sam will be portrayed as an assertive male by using low camera angles to make him look more powerful which will be a contrast to when in my title sequence where i have used high angles to victimise Sam and make him look small. All camera angles on women will be in keeping with the Male Gaze theory and this is to attract more male audience members from both Category C1 and C2 as well as my target audience of Category D and E.

I have stuck to the generic conventions and stereotypes of horror films by having a male as my protagonist and Ive done this as it never fails in any type of conventional horror and will attract a larger male audience. Two of the three bodies used in my title sequence are female which again is another convention and stereotype of horror films where woman are seen to be the victims and by having them both blonde they could be seen as the typical blonde who always died. However, i specifically chose blonde actresses to connote their innocence by having light coloured hair.

Evaluation Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Previous to creating the film, i researched into the history of horror and looked specifically at how horror has progressed over the decades and the generic signifiers and conventions in each film. This helped me to ensure my film used conventions and signifiers of a typical horror film for example, i used white and light coloured clothes on my main characters to connote their innocence, this is used in films such as Scream (2001) to connote the characters innocence.

I used fake blood which is the most common convention in horror films. I also used a baseball bat which is a weapon found in horror films, it is not a popular as perhaps a knife but it is still a weapon used. For example, the female in the film The Shining ?(1980) used a baseball bat to defend herself. I have also based my film on Dawn Of The Dead (2004) and have started my film opening with my main character waking up from his steering wheel, this is how Sarah wakes up in Dawn Of The Dead (2004) Similarly, in 28 Days Later (2002) the character Alex also wakes up after being unconscious in hospital and is unaware what has happened as is my character Sam.

I have chosen to start my film off without delving straight into the action like some films do, for example the Saw films often open on a torture scene and this can put viewers off as well as confuse them. Instead i have opted for a simplistic opening that will not confuse viewers. I have used music which is a very generic convention of horrors and are used to set the scene and build up the suspense, i overlapped this music with non-diegetic sound effects which added an eerie feel to my piece.