EVALUATION: Foundation Portfolio - Q1 Notes

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

A.
Title:
My title 'Something More' would encourage the audience to continue to watch after my film after the first 2 minutes due to its sense of mystery and intrigue.

Setting/location: 
The setting of my film is in a modern day, average looking room the with an overlook that complies with normal, daily life. However, in accordance with the conventions of a thriller I cross cut the 'ordinary' with a secondary storyline which creates an enigma for the audience. 'Elementary', the TV thriller series about Sherlock Holmes, uses a similar style at the beginning of some episodes as a way to hook the audience into the storyline and make them curious to find out more.

Costume & Props:
My main character is dressed, in plain, ordinary and casual clothes which look unsuspecting. I created verisimilitude by filming in a real home with the usual furniture and accessories. Films of this genre use this technique to convince the audience that this familiar scene could be happening to them in realty and then enables me to play on their fears when action is introduced. The shovel used in my contrasting shots symbolises, the fact that there is a secret buried along the storyline. I selected the items which can be scene throughout the sequence within the room specially as I wanted to keep with the convention of the overlook being normal, but on close ups, the products prove to be unique and eerie.

Camerawork:
I used slow moving panning shots to create the effect of the audience being able to submerge themselves in the scene by being able to look around. Shots of the character vary: long shots are used to get her portrait and canvas in the shot and to contrast, I used close ups of what she is working on and shots positioned so that we cannot completely see her face. Because both of these types of shots do not give a clear view of the main character, it gives her a sense of mystery and distance. In the film series 'SAW', we never see the antagonists face, just a puppet through a TV screen- giving a sense of the unease and un-known, making it become more terrifying as we (humans) fear the un-known.

Editing:
I cut my film very quickly so that it would be fast-pace and interesting to the audience. By having multiple shots from different angles of the same action, I was able to do this so that the story was not too fast but not boring for the audience. By having the contrasting, black and white shots the audience would be altered- keeping their concentrations. Nowadays, films are moving so quickly we expect to see so much change and movement particularly in the beginning of a film to keep the audiences appeal. 'CSI', the cop, TV drama uses black and white shots as well particularly at key moments of drama.

I also shot each frame several times from different angles and heights allowing me to have multiple types of shots to work with when editing to create the correct type of impression on the audience and a fast yet fluid rate.

Title font and style:
In my production credit I used the font Baskerville Old Face throughout the titles and LiveType to create my opening credits. I used an app called Motion to create the smoke like effect to introduce the film title establishing a further sense of unease.

Story and how it is set up: 
From my studies I know that that narrative is not that repetitively engages the audience fully with the text. According to Tzvetan Todorov's Narrative Theory, my story starts with a state of balance, wholeness, equilibrium and harmony.Just like in the Lord of the Rings, the narrative starts in the tranquil starting in the rustic peaceful place of Hobbiton. I have then shown that something while break the state of peace shown in my cross-cutting which will cause disequilibrium.

Genre and how the opening suggests it:
I used eerie music to set an atmosphere from the beginning of sequence. I searched YouTube for un-copyrighted, sinister music. The Harry Potter series has been known for its use of eerie music - Hedwig's Theme over the opening titles of each film.

How the character is introduced: 
She walks through the door in the second shot. She is the only full bodied person we encounter and so it is assumed that she is our main character (protagonist or antagonist is unclear).

Special Effects: 
Once I uploaded my footage in iMovie, I edited the lighting of every shot by giving the frame a dark, blue hue. I used LiveType to create my production credit and Motion to create my film title. Most thriller films rely more on makeup and props than special effects to create the tormenting mood.

Exam Preperation- Disability Analysis - Coming Down the Mountain

Camera Work

• Pan around face while subject keeps a constant eye line off shot - making the subject look menacing and obsessive
• Bird eye view of both subjects - verisimilitude
• Point of view whilst in tree, also shows inferiority
• Focus changes
• Handheld while the characters POV is moving
• Distanced long shot which contrast with the previous frame making it look like a drug deal which symbolises his bad decision 
• Isolation when on bus due to the background and foreground being out of focus and the subject being in-focus 
• establishing shot with zoom
• Shot from beneath dad - superior

Editing

• quick cutting / short shots - creates a sense of speed because they are cut very quickly 
• cross cutting between the two subjects one watching the other sleep - makes him look vulnerable and innocent and week with cuts to david looking menacing, determined and lotting across from him
• Cross cutting- of movement over time 
• When he is shooting his brother - editing of the frame narrowing the audiences ability to view the whole frame therefore only focusing on the 'target' - he doesn't like his brother due to his disability
• fade in & zoom to ariel view 
• zoom in on subject with voice over talking about him - helps to tell the story in the voiceover by focusing us more closely on the subject
• shows old documentary, ancient CGI video during (black and white) - symbolises evolution and his brother is a throw back of the evolution - he is a potato with eye tentacles, then it cuts to a shot of him eating in an animalistic way
• several uses of ellipsis to more the narrative along  
• front on then side of same thing happening to explain while voice over
• credits appear at 2:27 - quite late on into the film. Director may have delayed the credits to introduce effectively the characters and the story 
• shot reverse shots of the speakers - conversation 
• Dad treated them more =ly, the mum favoured Ben and did not say goodbye to David
• Dad eats a full english, ben eat all week-a-bix, david eats nothing - ladder of superiority 
• Ben tries to steal from the dads plate - he can get away with things more 
• Cuts longer on dad 
• Cross cutting from bus stop to holiday - David is always leading Ben and it has always been that way
• Shots in classroom are long - banter between teacher and students = normal life, only time he is away from Ben prolong normality, David will get a better job than Ben (ASDA reference) 
• reflection of the explosion (could be CGI) behind his head - bad idea
• bus journey short and long shots to contrast - dizziness, also soft focus on everyone else other than Ben 

Sound

• voice over of subject continues story
• music - weird upbeat but not too exciting 
• explosion onto old documentary, music continues
• Sound Bridge- radio across two shots, quietens when voiceover comes on and dygetic sound 
• voice over is over music again
• teachers voice is fuzzy while he concentrating on unicorn
• voices on bus is slightly muted with voice over 
• music is slower and weak, sad piano, no beat 
• dialogue- Ben is mumbled

Mise En Scene

• Costume is very average, working class
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First Edit - Film Introduction

• This edit does not have the final title of the film's name at the end. 

1st cut- feedback

I showed a rough cut (see above) to a focus group devised of people I had interviewed previously about my film opening.
The general consensus from this first edit was that it was a bit boring to watch and they were not quite 100% sure that it was a thriller.

To improve, I decided that I was going to add a secondary plot line, shown with the use parallel editing of black and white shots showing someone digging a whole.

Discuss the issues of media ownership in the production and exchange of media texts in your chosen media area.

"Discuss the issues of media ownership in the production and exchange of media texts in your chosen media area." 

In this day of global media conglomerates there has never been a greater issue concerning the way in which films are delivered to today's modern audiences. In the 21st century, movie piracy is on an all time rise and with advancements in new technology, it is becoming easier for younger generations to download films from the internet illegally and be untraceable. However, more quality, short films are being created and uploaded onto the internet-making it easier for young, aspiring film directors to get a foot into the industry.

Using cheap digital cameras and sites like Youtube, many more amateur or 'indie' films are being created although 2/10 make any viral audience because of media giants like Disney who still come up on top of media sales due to their ability to use 'cross-media ownership'. Many ammeter film makers upload their low budget films to film maker competitions or festivals such as the 2014 'Your Film Festival' which is currently being held and ending in March 2014. The festival gives low budget film makers a chance to showcase their work and have a chance to have their short film shown at the 2014 Venice Film Festival and win for a prize of £300,000. An example of a very successful short movie that was uploaded to Youtube in... was... This film was put into the cinemas and made a  gross of....

There are several styles of releasing a film to public viewing in order to gain certain types of audiences and generating the most income from the film. Simultaneous release is when a film is released in the cinemas and onto other formats such as DVD, the internet and television around the same date. This strategy's main advantage to the consumer is that the consumer may choose when and how they view the film. 

• In the course of the years simultaneous release approaches have gained both praise, with Mark Cuban claiming movies should simultaneously be made available on all media allowing viewers to choose whether to see it at home or at the theater,^[3] and disapproval, with director M. Night Shyamalan claiming it could potentially destroy the "magic" of moviegoing.^[4] 

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DRAFT: Exam practice essay: What significance does the development of digital technologies have for media institutions and audiences.

"What significance does the development of digital technologies have for media institutions and audiences."

Introduction- Digital technologies such as smart phones, tablets and computers and social websites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram are essential for film production companies in order to market and distribute their films in the 21st century. It is important that film marketing companies keep up to date with technology as it grows rapidly. Large companies such as Disney have several Facebook pages for their films to promote upcoming sequels and new films to keep up with evolving technologies.

Pre film opening- Before film production companies have distributed films for public viewing, many companies hold preview events and ask for audiences' critiques. This causes a buzz of the new film. These filmed interviews of members of this audience can then be used in adverts which entices possible future audiences due to the good review. Cross media synergy is often used before a film's premier in the form of adverts seen on the television and also on websites such as Youtube before videos which can be viewed on phones, tablets, game consoles and computers. It has become quite common that young children make fan-made trailers of a film such as Disney's Tangled which add to publicity. This is critical for film distributors and production companies to predict popularity. Social 'buzz' created on the internet about potential actors in films before they come out for public release can also act as pre-production marketing. Press were keen to be the first to publicise the un-named actor who will play Mr. Grey in 50 Shades of Grey in 2014 even though the film will not be coming out until early 2015. Photos of the set and filming locations can be found easily on the webpages of news companies such as E!News and social bloggers such as Perez Hilton.

Production- Disney's film 'Tangled' was criticised in the news and by animators due to it being the first use of a new animation technology, an improvement from CGI which enables there to be no need for hand-drawn animation. Many amateur cartoonists were in uproar over the effect this would have on their livelihoods, creating bad press. Usually, this would cripple small production companies such as 'Sixteen Films' as they do not have the privilege of vertical distribution like Disney as if the film were to receive bad press, the film could still be distributed easily and cheaply. If a film is going to be in 3D or IMAX, this can attract investors as these new steps in technology are appealing to audiences. However large companies can be affected by bad press but are not as affected. Disney's film John Carter (2012), although in 3D and had a large budget of £153.1 million, did not receive a profit due to critical reviews before public release, crippling box-office sales, only receiving £18.3 million on its opening weekend.

After film opening- Many characters that have had 'meme's created about them have fan created twitter pages which act as free marketing for the company. This however only applies to large grossing films from very successful film companies such as Disney and its film Tangled which grossed a box office of £5.1 million in the UK. The film, although aimed at a target market of 5 - 12 year olds, had a large viewing audience of teenagers and young adults who have more access to the internet, allowing more 'word of mouth' marketing on social media, making its reach worldwide. This form of marketing is the most effective and cheap but cannot be relied on as a main form of marketing. Fortunately for the production company 'Bedlam' who produced 'The King's Speech', 'word of mouth' marketing worked extremely effectively. The production company relied on this as it only had the budget to distribute the film in a limited number of cinemas and slowly feed it into worldwide cinemas. In total, 'The King's Speech' made a gross of £85.1 million.

Exhibition- The film 'The Angels Share' produced by the company '16 Films' did not make much at the box office compared to Disney's 'Tangled'. 'The Angels Share's s considering it's limited viewer market (as it is certificate 15) and had a low budget, performance at the cinema was more than expected making a total of £185,000. Some say this is due to the fact that the director Ken Loach was well renowned creating awareness for the film. 'Tangled' made a gross of £5.1 million, 27 times the gross of Sixteen Films. in the 21st century, the cinema is one small way how people view films. One factor that will always affect all film sales is the audience finding a cheaper way to view the film through piracy and film viewing platforms like Netflix which enables films to be viewed on portable devices such as tablets. Most large films, such as Tangled do offer direct links to Netflix and LoveFilms on websites such as IMBD. Films take a physical form in DVDs which can then be watched on demand but do not cost the consumer after initial purchase, unlike Netflix, which causes the film to loose possible money.

Conclusion- In conclusion, although making and distributing films has become easier and cheaper for everyone, large companies such as Disney make more of a profit by using cross-media ownership ironically, dominating the market. In the future, I believe that eventually, viewing platforms such as Netflix will over take the cinema due to how expensive a cinema trip can be. It is possible that laws may be changed so that films can be distributed to Netflix and DVD sooner after release. Because of an increase in smaller, portable devices that take away the need for a DVD player and TV system, eventually, all technology may be synced, disallowing the use for DVDs and Blue-Ray.