Evaluation Question 7

Q.7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

The main thing we learnt when filming the Preliminary task was the basics in how to use the camera/tripod and then Final Cut when it came to the editing stage. It allowed us to practise the basic techniques used in all films to create the slick and professional look that we have become accustomed to nowadays. The briefing for the Prelim Task was to include the the basic shots, such as the 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and a match on action and we were allowed to experiment with close ups and mid shots. The task allowed me to become familiar with the basics of Final Cut and helped with the 'final piece' as we knew how to cut together different shots in a fluid motion.

 

This task led onto our first short film, 'The Package', which was also compulsory and allowed me to familiarise myself with the Filming Equipment and the computer softwares, such as 'Final Cut Pro', in even more detail than before. We, as a group became much more comfortable with the multitude of different shots available for us to use and we undoubtedly experimented with these options to become even more familiar with the camera and its workings. The 'Package' was useful as it allowed us to experiment with different locations and experience lighting changes along with changes in location scenery (For instance; we experienced problems when the Junior School children were playing on the fields outside of the classroom, as when we returned to film at a later date, they were no longer there). The 'Package' was certainly useful, especially with the editing stage as it was the first time we had to edit together shots from different locations (cut from outside to inside), which we didn't realise was a problem until we watched the film back and had to fix the Match on Action in order for the shot to work. This was especially useful in relation to our 'Final Piece' as we had to link two completely different locations together smoothly and this was invaluable practise before-hand.

The major difference between these two tasks and our final version was the planning that was involved before the film was produced and even shot. We went in relatively blind to these tasks and produced most of the shots on the spot, which contrasted to out 'Final Piece', which involved shot lists, storyboards, shooting schedules, filming dates and so on. The visual storyboard that we produced was especially helpful as it allowed to view some of our original ideas and realise, which shots were realistic enough to produce but most of all, allowed us to stick to our original plans, unlike the 'Package' task. These tasks were also completed at school and so we had relatively little practise filming in locations outside of the familiar school grounds. Thus, location proved to be an obstacle in our film as we had to completely defer from one of our original plans (the car park) and change to another location. This was because we were not allowed to use the 'Gun' in the car park location, due to the fact that it was a public place.
I was initially, fairly nervous about the filming locations, and so decided to recce the darker locations (alleyway and kitchen) prior to the actual filming days. We faced a few problems in our recce's, especially with lighting as it was often too dark. The kitchen location, when placed into final cut was far too dark and the Recce was invaluable as we knew to add a few more lights in order to get the right atmosphere in this important final scene. We realised that we would need two filming lights instead of the one we had for the Recce, otherwise the shot was simply, far too dark.

The Recce also helped me to become more confident with the filming equipment as we had not had much practise with the lighting and sound equipment in the two previous tasks. We also had a similar problem in the editing for our final film as some of the alleyway shots were too dark and had to be re-shot in order to create the effect that Charlie and I wanted from the start of the project. The tracking shot behind the second antagonist was taken from one of the shots in, 'The Package' that worked extremely well. In 'The Package', we decided to hold the camera behind my head as I walked down to corridor. At first this was an idea to save time but turned out to be one of our favourite shots, thus providing us with the reason to add it into final film. In this way 'The Package' was extremely helpful for us as aforementioned, it allowed us to experiment with different styles of shots, which we could later include into our film. 

In terms of being prepared for the actual filming, 'The Package' and 'The Preliminary Task' undoubtedly helped us, as we knew to plan ahead and make certain what we were doing in each filming session, in order to make it as fluid as possible. After the initial planning, the filming went relatively quickly as we knew exactly what we had to do. Due to the planning, we were confident enough to experiment with different shots from unusual angles, which gave us more options, when it came to the editing stage of the task and allowed us to see if there were any others shots that worked better than the original plans. Many of our initial plans did change because of the two tasks, as some of our ideas were too-far fetched and it was useful to know this before we started filming. An example of when we changed some of our initial plans was the heated discussion between the protagonist and the second antagonist. We decided to add a few quick cuts to show the growing tension between the two characters, which was motivated editing as it was suggesting what the outcome would be. This was instead of our initial plan to have the camera still and watching them from a distance and then cut to the close up of the protagonist shooting the antagonist.   

    As aforementioned, the prelim tasks were invaluable to us, especially with the editing in Final Cut. They allowed us to become familiar with the different effects, such as fades and transitions and meant that we could experiment further on the final task. We were not planning on having many special effects in our film, due to the fact that we have a voice over and so that would almost narrate the action on screen. However, the prelim tasks helped me learn how to detach audio and then disable it in order to relay other sound over the top. The prelim tasks also taught me how to adapt and change songs downloaded from itunes, which was useful to us, especially at the start of our film as we wanted to slow the music down in order to build tension at the start and adhere to the film noir/thriller conventions, in which our film is based upon.
Overall, the prelim tasks were extremely helpful as they ultimately allowed us to improve our camera skills and familiarise ourselves with the editing software's we were going to need for the actual filming process. However, they were invaluable to us, mainly because they highlighted the importance of planning ahead and making sure you know exactly what you are doing. Charlie and I certainly learnt this the hard way and when it came to the actual filming, we were ready and managed to complete it fairly quick and efficiently. By simply planning your shot list, costumes, equipment and travel plans ahead of time, the filming process is made a whole lot easier.

MT

Evaluation Question 6

We have learnt a lot about technologies during the film making process. We certainly experienced many problems, none more so than sound but dealt with it accordingly and are satisfied with our final product. If we could re-do anything, we would certainly spend more time focusing on the sound in our film as we didn't realise it's importance to the opening as a whole. However, we were pleased with our use of the Camera and other technologies during the process and are happy with the final product. I have definitely learnt a lot throughout the production process and am pleased with the way in which I, along with my partner dealt with the new technologies that were put in our way. I feel as though I am ready for the future and am certain that I will not make the same mistakes that I made this year in our next project.

MT

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Q5

How did you attract/address your audience?

The targeting of our film was heavily based on age, due to the increasing 

destruction of gender barriers and norms in the modern film industry. We 

rated our film a 15, as shown in Question 4, and chose to target slightly older 

cinema goers, although we hoped to retain some of the excitement and 

key features of the modern thriller genre, and thus attract a younger

 audience as well.

In the course of our research and planning phase, we carried out a 

questionnaire in order to get a better idea of how to target and address 

an audience. This can be seen below.

From our results, we felt as 

though the subgenre we favoured
was best targeted at the 25-30, predominantly male market. 

Film Noir, and the features of it, including suspense and tension, were most popular 

with this group, with younger members of the group surveyed favouring features 

such as fast pacing and action, which would be difficult to achieve with the 

resources and experience available to us, and was also not something we were 

particularly keen on trying to do.

In order to gauge the success of our film in terms of audience and targeting, we 

showed our film to a group of potential audience members, and then asked where

 the film could be improved and how they felt it might appeal to them or other age

 groups or target audiences. Some of our audience members had already filled out

 our Research and Planning questionnaire, and we specifically ensured that these

 people were asked about how they felt we had represented the opinions they had

 given us.

I have put our key findings and feedback from our screening into a Prezi, in 

order to best depict the information we obtained.



CM

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Q4

In the course of our Research and Planning, we made 

the decision that our film should be certificated BBFC 15. This is not 

only an appropriate rating for the film, but also contributes to our 

targeting of the film.

Our key target demographic has been the 25-30 male market, and 

an active cognitive audience. However, we believe that 'ShadowMan' could 

in fact appeal to a far wider audience than this, both in terms of gender 

and age, due to the fairly sophisticated tone of the film. The film has 

the violent themes and fast pace that might attract our specifically

 targeted audience of younger men (and even a younger audience of 15+),

 whilst also retaining the style, substance, and strong storyline of the Noir genre, 

which may attract the slightly older audiences of 35+ and even 45+.

To generalise tremendously, our model viewer would likely be a fairly 

intellectual male in his late twenties, possibly a cinema enthusiast or 

artistic individual, the sort of person who might be an amateur film 

critic or aspiring director or screenwriter. American arthouse films 

such as 'Her', as well as more eminent, male audience-targeted films

 such as 'Fight Club' would likely appeal to this individual, alongside 

films of a similar nature to ours, 'Road to Perdition', 'Batman Begins', and

 other dark gangster/vigilante/revenge stories being good examples.


The hope, of course, is that although we could entertain a niche audience 

of this type, a wider audience may be attracted to our film in larger chain 

arthouse cinemas, venues such as Clapham Picture House or Ritzy Brixton, 

although this would undoubtedly be limited by the film's rating. The film's 

reach would also have an effect here, as larger multiplexes such as

Cineworld or Vue may not show 'ShadowMan', especially not on multiple 

screens or on huge 3D screens such as IMAX.

CM

Evaluation Question 3

As seen above, our Ident has a fairly high production value to it and in particular works well with the genre of our film, a Thriller. Many Thriller films will have similar production companies as that is the area they specialise in. We wanted to create a production company that looked both quirky and edgy, but seemed to fit with this idea; that they only produce thriller pictures and are not diverse, unlike companies, such as Twentieth Century Fox. As to why we chose the name, 'Paranoiac Productions', Charlie and I are not particularly sure. We were browsing the web ideas and happened to stumble across the word, 'Paranoiac' and we instantly decided that it would be the name of our production company. This is because it sounded edgy and thought it fit the mood and tone we were looking for in our film, 'ShadowMan'.
Essentially, a production company helps to create a film. They will aid with areas such as the money involved with a film, the casting, finding and employing a director and actors. A production company are also in charge of the equipment  that is used on set during filming and so will have to deal with broken equipment. They are also in charge of the actors safety and so are responsible for any injuries that may occur.



You can see above, an annotated clip of our film, informing you on who might distribute and exhibit our film. Many exhibition companies will be closely linked with distribution companies. We were testing out a few different titles and so explaining the different fonts that occur throughout.

Who might Distribute our film:

• Independent British Company, such as 'Vertigo', who have worked on micro-budget productions, such as 'Monsters' by Allan Niblo and James Richardson. 'Vertigo' are based in London and are the kind of company we would expect to distribute our film as they are known to pick new, up and coming thrillers. 'Vertigo' are undoubtedly a small company who aim their films at a british audience and nothing else. They vow to produce and distribute at least 4 films per year, meaning that our film would be something they could possibly be interested in. 

• Film4 would also be another distribution company that would distribute our film. They have distributed films to a British audience, such as 'The Inbetweeners 2' and 'Frank' starring Michael Fassbender. However, the big-budget feel to the Ident at the beginning of the film, might mean that a company, such as Film4 would be turned away from our production. 

Distribution:

• The distribution process is undoubtedly similar to exhibition in that it is split into Majors and Independents. 
• Majors are those affiliated to large Hollywood companies, such Warner Bro's who distribute 18.3% of the films we see nowadays and United International Pictures (UIP) who release films connected to Universal and MGM studios and have distributed 10.2% in comparison to Warner Bro's.
• These films are usually mainstream Hollywood blockbusters and so would not fit the style of our film in any way. Most of these companies will either be subsidiaries of even larger conglomerate companies or have branches into other countries such as the UK and even the Indiewood market, who interestingly produce more films than Hollywood per year. 
• The smaller more independent companies as aforementioned ('Vertigo Films') release a much wider range of films in comparison to the larger conglomerates and often focus on particular Niche audience's in specific countries, instead of aiming for a multi-international audience.
• Companies such as, Artficial Eye and Metrodome will distribute titles, which include Foreign Language films, Docu-Drama's and like our film, non-mainstream, cleverly shot independant  films. Artificial Eye have distributed independent films, such as 'Nymphomaniac' and so would fit our film perfectly. 

MT

Evaluation Question 2

Evaluation Q2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Our protagonist can be compared to Tom Hank's character in 'Road to Perdition', 

Michael Sullivan. Both characters are motivated by their families, lose family 

members to organised crime, and change their allegiances in a fashion that 

places them at odds with dark and powerful figures. The key difference 

between the characters is that Sullivan spends the remainder of his film

 running from his new enemies, whereas the protagonist of 'ShadowMan' 

specifically goes looking for his enemies in order to exact a kind of vigilante 

justice and vengeance. This character does conform to certain tropes, 

especially those surrounding revenge 

('Vengeance Feels Empty' [1] 'Who's Laughing Now?' [2]), there 

is also a sense of remorse and self loathing within the character, conforming 

to the 'Dirty Business' [3] trope. This sort of vengeful character is not really a figure 

who can be used to represent any particular social groups, however his position 

as a white man means that he is a privileged figure, and may suggest why he feels 

such responsibility to his family, as his character would traditionally fall into the 

breadwinner/protector archetypes. Our use of an older, male, main character 

is also an example of targeting, as a key part of our market is the 25-30 year old males.

In terms of gender in general, the opening to 'ShadowMan' only ever has male 

characters onscreen, which may be neglecting a need for female characters, 

and could alienate female audiences. However, the absence of women in 

the opening could be said to emphasize the loss suffered by the protagonist.

 In any case, the fully male cast of our opening sequence represents 

the world of crime as a male dominated enviroment, which in turn 

implies that men are more predisposed towards violence, murder, 

and other forms of crime. The murder of the protagonist's family

 has implications that they were unable to protect themselves, and 

that he was able to protect himself, which enforces his status as 

a would-be archetypal breadwinner/father figure.

'There is also a clear social hierarchy evident in our film, although 

this is existent in the crime world, where the two antagonists are 

at different tiers of the criminal hierarchy. This is denoted by 

their clothing and attitudes. There is evidence of wealth in the 

second antagonist, and this can be said to be categorising 

people based on income. As mentioned earlier however, the

 characters in which this is seen are both in some form of 

criminal organisation, which distances it from reality and 

social hierarchy in the workplace or generally.' [4]

All in all, our opening sequence contains strong representations 

of gender and social status. The representation of gender, although

 not wholly negative, does conform to tropes and archetypes, and 

thus could be accused of perpetuating stereotypes. In terms of 

representation of social status, although potentially negative, due

 to the categorization of characters based on income and social 

standing, is fairly representative of the world of organised 

crime, a world which we were not really concerned with in terms 

of negatively representing it.

Below is a clip from Road to Perdition demonstrating it's plot and aesthetic similarities to our
film, 'ShadowMan', the representations of male dominance and male behaviour are
especially notable, as well as that of criminal hierarchy.


 

[1] http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VengeanceFeelsEmpty

[2] http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhosLaughingNow

[3] http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DirtyBusiness

[4] Representation in 'ShadowMan' http://alleynsmedia-mead.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/representation.html

CM

Evaluation Question 1

Evaluation Question One:

   
 ^^^^Annotated clip explaining just some of the conventions of original Film Noir movies and how they link to our own film.




^^^^ Another annotated clip, with more on Evaluation Question 1

MT

Rough Cut 2

This is pretty much our finished version. However, our music suddenly stops in the scene between the Joe Rose and Michael Hajiantonis. Apart from that, this is our final version. The completely finished version will appear in a few days time once the sound problems have been fixed.

Rough Cut for our film

Rough cut:

This version employs the music that we will not be using for our final project but was similar to idea that we had at the start of the process. A lot of work is still to be done.