Sunday 12 February 2017
Preliminary Exercise
On Friday, last week, we completed our preliminary exercise:
A continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, before exchanging several lines of dialogue. Demonstrate a match-on-action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.
What is the 180-degree rule in context of this task?
The 180-degree rule is a guideline used on-screen, which shows to the audience the positions of two characters from one perspective. It requires using an imaginary, straight line connecting the two characters, which cannot be crossed. The camera must be kept on only one side of the line in order to keep the spatial relationship between two characters consistent, to avoid the viewer becoming disoriented. The image below shows an example of the 180-degree rule
What is match-on-action shot?
A match-on-action shot is a cut in which one shot changes to another, however continuing the action from the first shot to the second. For example, the first shot may capture a close up of a person opening a door, and then the shot changes to a long shot, however still depict them opening the door, therefore the action (door opening) is continued on from the first shot to the second. This creates a seamless, continuous effect, making it professional and smooth running.
Here is an example of the match-on-action shot in practice
What is shot/reverse shot?
A shot/reverse shot is a technique used in film, in which two or more characters positioned opposite from one another are often engaging in conversation. The camera shows one character looking at another, who is off screen, and switches between the two. It flicks between showing each character interacting with the other off screen character. This gives the impression the characters are looking at each other because they are opposite each other and are focused on the same fixed point (where the other character would be positioned). It creates a continuous effect, therefore making it smooth running, and allows the audience to realise the characters are interacting, without showing both of them in the shot.
Here is an example of the shot/reverse shot technique being practiced in film:
How did the task go?
Overall, I felt that we performed the task successfully. We were placed in a randomly generated group, so I was working with people I wasn't entirely familiar with. This didn't impact the task as much as I initially thought it would because we all felt comfortable putting forward our ideas to one another, therefore everybody contributed. We each naturally assumed and took on roles, and my role was to direct but everybody assisted each person with their role. A minor hitch was that we only had one hour of planning, however, we used it effectively and planned almost everything we needed to.
Casting
The casting of the roles was difficult, as we had to find two actors (one male and one female) who were both willing and had a free period at the time of filming. We cast the male role fairly promptly, however, we had to find a female role outside of the planning lesson, because so many available females weren't willing to become a part of the production vice versa.
Plot
The original plot of calling off a wedding the day of the wedding had to be discarded, due to lack of appropriate location and costume, so we opted for a break-up plot fairly close to their wedding. I devised the overall plot and then as a group we made minor tweaks, ensuring it was realistic and engaging. I also came up with each angle and shot beforehand so the storyboarder had no difficulty when drawing and creating ideas. The difficulty regarding the plot was that it was very unrelatable, therefore it was difficult to direct it to make it seem realistic as it was based on a situation little people our age had found themselves in. On the contrary, it was an easy-to-imagine scenario and the originality makes it more interesting for the viewer as it is unique.
Location
The project was set within one of the character's office, so being based in a professional environment (school) made it easy to find a suitable location. Our location was convenient, as it was positioned very close to our classroom, meaning transporting equipment back and forth was little hassle. The room was good too, because it was quiet, meaning there would be no background noise and the dialogue would be picked up best. The disadvantage regarding the location was the size of the room chosen and the lighting. The room was so small, making it difficult to move the equipment around, make sure the crew was out of shot and move the camera into spots to achieve a good enough angle. We had to reposition the furniture in the room before filming to be able to fit the tripod and camera into the corner for particular shots, this made space between the door and the seating quite limited, which made the office appear even smaller on camera. There was only one source of natural light in the room (a skylight) as well, so it was badly lit making it necessary to turn on the lights. This was a problem because artificial lighting creates an orange, fake glow whereas natural lighting is preferable as its more attractive and creates a more relaxed environment. On the other hand, the plot was a heated conversation, therefore it was not relaxing and this effect wasn't necessary. Artificial lighting may make the film appear grainy too, however, the images came out fine.
Filming
It didn't take long to set up the equipment and become familiar and adjusted to using them, as I'd used all three (tripod, camera and SD card) before in my free time. Aligning and filming the shots outside of the room was easy because there was plenty of space to move freely and place the camera away from the actor to obtain the desired shot. It was straight-forward and plain sailing to film the shots with no dialogue, as the male character's face was not in shot and didn't show him laughing. On the other hand, filming the dialogue was difficult as he kept smiling, laughing and looking into the lens of the camera. We worked around this by mainly filming over his shoulder, and having his face in shot as little as possible, as well as asking him to control himself as well as he could. Filming inside the room was difficult because of the lack of space. This meant the camera had to be awfully close to the actors, making it hard to get an appropriate shot. Regarding the 180-degree rule, we established where the line we could not cross was (next to the actors) and made sure we did not cross it with the camera. Filming was also made difficult, as the camera went dead so we had to plug it in and keep it connected to the wall, meaning we had less movement with it.
Editing
Editing was a new experience for the entire group, as none of us had used the software (Adobe Premiere Pro) prior to this. We soon became adjusted to the software, and it seemed straightforward. However, we encountered problems with it, as the PC was having difficulty running it smoothly and therefore refused to playback the video, making it impossible to edit. We tried rebooting the program, which did not solve the issue. We then restarted the PC, which only temporarily solved it, as the problem occurred again. In the end, we were cautious with how many programs we had open, and made sure most of them were closed besides Adobe Premiere Pro.
If you had the chance to do it again, what would you change/do better?
If I were to redo the task, I would opt for a larger, better lit location, as the size of the room made it hard to manoeuvre, as well as obtain the best angles possible. Moreover, I would use a microphone, to ensure the audio was as high quality as possible, as the audio came out quite muffled. I would also follow the 180-degree rule more precisely, as it is filmed over different shoulders of one character at a certain point, which gives the impression of breaking the guideline, even though the line was not crossed. I would be more careful with the angles to make sure they were as appealing as possible and I would correct the mistake made in the video, where the character goes to sit down the lighting and angle is different in contrast to the next shot of him. This mistake occured because every footage we originally recorded of him sitting down wasn't appropriate, and had to rerecord it later on.
Here is the finished result:
Overall, I'm fairly satisfied with the outcome of the task, and found it enjoyable to film and edit with my team.
Thanks for reading
-Wendy
Saturday 11 February 2017
Evaluation Q. 1
In What Ways Does Your Media Product Use, Develop or Challenge Forms and Conventions of Other Real Media Products?
When analysing and evaluating how my media product utilised conventions of other real media products, it's important to look at it from certain perspectives. Firstly, you must compare it with the generic conventions surrounding feature films and feature film openings in general. Furthermore, the elements that make up my film opening must be compared to its chosen genre, as the genre of a film is one of the main drivers that define a film's codes and conventions. This means I will primarily be evaluating the extent to which my film opening conformed to the conventions of the Post-Apocalyptic genre as well as the Drama genre. During my research and planning phase, I researched the many conventions of these genres and analysed professional and amateur film openings in both my chosen genres as well as generic film openings. I also conducted research into what the general public expected from film openings and film openings in my genres, so I had a clear idea as to what both entailed and could apply this to my film opening sequence.
Title of Film
The image below depicts the title of my film as shown in my opening sequence.
Placement of Title
It is common, in generic feature film openings, for the title to be placed in between the opening sequence and the rest of the film. I decided to uphold this convention and placed the title at the end of my opening sequence as this would separate the scene from the rest of the film. This is an effective method because separating the opening scene from the film makes it more memorable as it stands out - a more memorable opening sequence is, therefore, a successful film opening. The brief interlude created by separating the two is also effective because it separates the audience from the film too. This will, therefore, leave them gripped and anticipating the rest of the film more because they have to wait a brief moment while the title is on screen before the rest of the film begins, so this placement will excite the audience more. This is why it is common for the title to separate the majority of the film from the opening sequence and hence why I chose to follow the convention. Furthermore, the title's passive and friendly connotations correspond with the scene in which the protagonist meets the dog as the rest of the opening sequence is very heavy and the idea of a 'companion' would contradict with the theme of isolation and desperation created in the first part of the sequence. It also wouldn't make sense in any other part as the audience has not yet met the 'companion'. This is an example of me following convention, once again, as placing the title where it makes the most sense is common within films. Take the Post-Apocalyptic animated feature film Wall-E for example, the title 'Wall-E' doesn't appear on screen until after the audience has actually met Wall-E.
The Title Itself
The title itself, 'The Companion', is a conventional title because it directly correlates with what the film is about - the man and his companion. Although in the opening sequence, the dog is not yet established as his friend, the audience can understand that he soon will be and therefore it links to what the actual film is about and therefore plays to generic film opening norms. Also, having a short and to-the-point style is common in both post-apocalyptic and drama films as having a short and snappy title means it's easy to remember for the public and sounds far more dramatic. 'The Companion' is very short and snappy and therefore conforms to the generic convention asking that film titles are simple. On the contrary, when comparing it to real media products within the Post-Apocalyptic genre, it's fairly unconventional because it sounds a lot more passive and positive than the dark themes addressed in the Post-Apocalyptic genre. Post-apocalyptic films tend to have titles that correlate with destruction or isolation, such as 'Doomsday' or 'The Last Man On Earth'. 'The Companion' does the exact opposite of this as it has the opposite meaning to being alone and it sounds light and happy, therefore showing that I have challenged a typical norm within the post-apocalyptic genre.
Title Style
When presenting my title, I wanted to be a bit more unconventional. In the post-apocalyptic genre, distressed looking fonts are more common as they correlate with the destroyed environment in which the genre is defined by. Take the title of 28 Days Later for example, a post-apocalyptic film. It's typed in a very distressed font with a logo picture iconically associated with the post-apocalyptic genre. I chose to challenge this convention because, firstly, I wanted to maintain consistency to create a seamless, professional effect by keeping the title the same style to the credits. Furthermore, a destroyed font that connotes danger or destruction would correspond with the lighthearted footage involving the dog, where the mood has been lifted. I wanted the scene to be wholesome and lighthearted, and using a distressed style would definitely not emphasise this, hence why I challenged this particular norm. In terms of transition, it is common for the title to be solely seen against a solidly coloured backdrop, or solely against the footage of the film. I developed on these conventions by placing the title on both, when the footage ended it cut to a black screen however the title still remained onscreen. The reason I developed on these conventions is because I wanted the title to be directly linked to the scene in which the dog arrives, so putting it on top of the footage stressed this. However, I still wanted the audience to really absorb the title, so putting it against a black backdrop once the footage had cut was the most effective way for them to really do this because there was no footage for them to be distracted by. Furthermore, incorporating the black screen reinforces the idea of a brief interlude that leaves the audience anticipating the rest of the film and therefore build excitement. This is why I developed on both of these conventions.
Setting/Location
When forming the ideal setting in my mind, I referred primarily to the post-apocalyptic conventions as opposed to the drama genre or generic feature films. This is because, firstly, drama films do not typically have a specific iconic setting so long as they're realistic and correspond with the character's situation - which it does. Secondly, post-apocalyptic films are almost solely defined by their setting, if I didn't conform to the conventions surrounding a post-apocalyptic setting then it would not be a post-apocalyptic film, full stop (unless, of course, the setting changes to a post-apocalyptic environment later in the film, but I wanted my genre to be identified almost immediately). A typical post-apocalyptic setting would generally convey desolation and death - it would be isolated and look rundown as there is no longer a structured civilisation present in the world. Rural environments would be overgrown and buildings would be decayed and derelict. Common colours seen in post-apocalyptic settings are brown, earthy/sombre tones. I played on this convention by, firstly, involving an
abandoned and rundown chapel - though the audience cannot explicitly see it is a chapel. The audience can see that it's boarded up, overgrown with ivy, moss and vegetation and is decayed. Therefore, it is a conventional location for a post-apocalyptic film because it conveys isolation and abandonment perfectly. On the contrary, when involving my scenic location at Thetford Forest, I did develop the conventions a little. Instead of conveying death and destruction through the environment, I wanted to maintain an element of peace to emphasise the beauty and emotional nature of the scene. I did decide to use a landscape overgrown with dead and brown vegetation and incorporate an empty setting to conform to the conventions of a post-apocalyptic setting, however, I intentionally selected a day in which it was sunny, as sunshine seeping through the trees and vegetation made the overgrown and isolated environment look peaceful and therefore corresponded with the themes of my film in particular as opposed to just the themes of the post-apocalyptic genre. I still used a post-apocalyptic, overgrown and earthy environment, but just twisted it a little to connote peace rather than unsettle the audience, therefore developed on the convention slightly. Another location used in my film opening that really conformed to the post-apocalyptic film setting was the road. The road seen near the beginning of the opening was empty, long and straight. The emptiness of something that would typically be full of traffic really showed that there was no civilisation and emphasised how isolated the setting was, therefore was a conventional location to use. In terms of time, post-apocalyptic films are usually set in the future or on an alternate timeline - definitely not in the present world though. I made this clear by using an unfamiliar setting that clearly wasn't part of our contemporary world.
Costumes and Props
Again, I followed the post-apocalyptic genre conventions regarding costume and props because, yet again, drama films do not have iconic costumes and props so long as they're realistic to the situation. Costumes and props make a huge part up of the iconography surrounding post-apocalyptic films, they help construct the mise-en-scene to allow the audience to be convinced by the film as well as identify the genre. Costumes will include rugged survivor type costumes, often involving earthy or sombre colours such as greens, browns, greys and blacks. Gas masks are commonly seen in post-apocalyptic films as well as weapons to play on the themes of death, destruction or violence commonly seen in post-apocalyptic films. I followed these conventions closely so that, when paired with my location, the audience could really understand that it was set in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Props
One of the first props seen by the audience is an animal skull and another is later seen half way through the sequence. I incorporated these props purely to help construct the mise-en-scene and aid the exposition created in my opening. Although it isn't necessarily common to see skulls in post-apocalyptic films, it is common to see environments that represent death, destruction and decay. I thought the perfect way to
channel death and decay in a subtle way was through incorporating the skulls. I made my actor ignore them which made it seem as though he was conditioned to this destroyed environment, suggesting to the audience that firstly, the setting had been like this for a while, therefore denoting history and thus aiding the exposition. Secondly, that death was the normal thing for the world that he lived in. It also suggested something about his character, that he was so 'dead inside' to even be phased by something so unsettling. Therefore, I used the convention of using props to connote death, however, developed on this convention by using something that isn't commonly seen in generic films. Another prop I used was a gun - guns are very commonly used in post-apocalyptic films. This being said, although I followed the convention of using a gun, the type of gun I used was less common in post-apocalyptic films. Guns seen in post-apocalyptic films are generally very built up, large or shot-gun type of guns.
They often look broken or developed on to really reinforce the idea of survival/scavaging for survival. The gun I used was a pistol, which is a very simple looking gun. The reason I wanted to use a more simple looking gun as opposed to the larger or more complex gun commonly seen in the post-apocalyptic genre was because I wanted the simplicity to reflect on the idea that the protagonist was in his most bare state - which was also reflected through the natural setting. This is why I developed on this convention slightly. A prop I did closely follow convention with was the weapon used to kill the female character. Handmade weapons are often used in post-apocalyptic films because there are no modern resources so the characters often have to scavenge or make their own supplies. I used a handmade weapon with multiple materials wrapped around such as duct tape and various fabrics. This reflected the idea that the murderer had to make it, also reflecting his bloodthirsty nature as he went out of his way to make a weapon with found supplies, suggesting his priorities. This is why I followed this convention. It is common for post-apocalyptic characters to be carrying luggage as they're obviously surviving in the world, this is why I made my character carry a bag.
Plan:
This is the plan I created to work from:
When analysing and evaluating how my media product utilised conventions of other real media products, it's important to look at it from certain perspectives. Firstly, you must compare it with the generic conventions surrounding feature films and feature film openings in general. Furthermore, the elements that make up my film opening must be compared to its chosen genre, as the genre of a film is one of the main drivers that define a film's codes and conventions. This means I will primarily be evaluating the extent to which my film opening conformed to the conventions of the Post-Apocalyptic genre as well as the Drama genre. During my research and planning phase, I researched the many conventions of these genres and analysed professional and amateur film openings in both my chosen genres as well as generic film openings. I also conducted research into what the general public expected from film openings and film openings in my genres, so I had a clear idea as to what both entailed and could apply this to my film opening sequence.
Title of Film
The image below depicts the title of my film as shown in my opening sequence.
Placement of Title
It is common, in generic feature film openings, for the title to be placed in between the opening sequence and the rest of the film. I decided to uphold this convention and placed the title at the end of my opening sequence as this would separate the scene from the rest of the film. This is an effective method because separating the opening scene from the film makes it more memorable as it stands out - a more memorable opening sequence is, therefore, a successful film opening. The brief interlude created by separating the two is also effective because it separates the audience from the film too. This will, therefore, leave them gripped and anticipating the rest of the film more because they have to wait a brief moment while the title is on screen before the rest of the film begins, so this placement will excite the audience more. This is why it is common for the title to separate the majority of the film from the opening sequence and hence why I chose to follow the convention. Furthermore, the title's passive and friendly connotations correspond with the scene in which the protagonist meets the dog as the rest of the opening sequence is very heavy and the idea of a 'companion' would contradict with the theme of isolation and desperation created in the first part of the sequence. It also wouldn't make sense in any other part as the audience has not yet met the 'companion'. This is an example of me following convention, once again, as placing the title where it makes the most sense is common within films. Take the Post-Apocalyptic animated feature film Wall-E for example, the title 'Wall-E' doesn't appear on screen until after the audience has actually met Wall-E.
The Title Itself
The title itself, 'The Companion', is a conventional title because it directly correlates with what the film is about - the man and his companion. Although in the opening sequence, the dog is not yet established as his friend, the audience can understand that he soon will be and therefore it links to what the actual film is about and therefore plays to generic film opening norms. Also, having a short and to-the-point style is common in both post-apocalyptic and drama films as having a short and snappy title means it's easy to remember for the public and sounds far more dramatic. 'The Companion' is very short and snappy and therefore conforms to the generic convention asking that film titles are simple. On the contrary, when comparing it to real media products within the Post-Apocalyptic genre, it's fairly unconventional because it sounds a lot more passive and positive than the dark themes addressed in the Post-Apocalyptic genre. Post-apocalyptic films tend to have titles that correlate with destruction or isolation, such as 'Doomsday' or 'The Last Man On Earth'. 'The Companion' does the exact opposite of this as it has the opposite meaning to being alone and it sounds light and happy, therefore showing that I have challenged a typical norm within the post-apocalyptic genre.
When presenting my title, I wanted to be a bit more unconventional. In the post-apocalyptic genre, distressed looking fonts are more common as they correlate with the destroyed environment in which the genre is defined by. Take the title of 28 Days Later for example, a post-apocalyptic film. It's typed in a very distressed font with a logo picture iconically associated with the post-apocalyptic genre. I chose to challenge this convention because, firstly, I wanted to maintain consistency to create a seamless, professional effect by keeping the title the same style to the credits. Furthermore, a destroyed font that connotes danger or destruction would correspond with the lighthearted footage involving the dog, where the mood has been lifted. I wanted the scene to be wholesome and lighthearted, and using a distressed style would definitely not emphasise this, hence why I challenged this particular norm. In terms of transition, it is common for the title to be solely seen against a solidly coloured backdrop, or solely against the footage of the film. I developed on these conventions by placing the title on both, when the footage ended it cut to a black screen however the title still remained onscreen. The reason I developed on these conventions is because I wanted the title to be directly linked to the scene in which the dog arrives, so putting it on top of the footage stressed this. However, I still wanted the audience to really absorb the title, so putting it against a black backdrop once the footage had cut was the most effective way for them to really do this because there was no footage for them to be distracted by. Furthermore, incorporating the black screen reinforces the idea of a brief interlude that leaves the audience anticipating the rest of the film and therefore build excitement. This is why I developed on both of these conventions.
Setting/Location
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| The setting shown in post-apocalyptic film 'The Road'. Brown tones. |
When forming the ideal setting in my mind, I referred primarily to the post-apocalyptic conventions as opposed to the drama genre or generic feature films. This is because, firstly, drama films do not typically have a specific iconic setting so long as they're realistic and correspond with the character's situation - which it does. Secondly, post-apocalyptic films are almost solely defined by their setting, if I didn't conform to the conventions surrounding a post-apocalyptic setting then it would not be a post-apocalyptic film, full stop (unless, of course, the setting changes to a post-apocalyptic environment later in the film, but I wanted my genre to be identified almost immediately). A typical post-apocalyptic setting would generally convey desolation and death - it would be isolated and look rundown as there is no longer a structured civilisation present in the world. Rural environments would be overgrown and buildings would be decayed and derelict. Common colours seen in post-apocalyptic settings are brown, earthy/sombre tones. I played on this convention by, firstly, involving an
Costumes and Props
Again, I followed the post-apocalyptic genre conventions regarding costume and props because, yet again, drama films do not have iconic costumes and props so long as they're realistic to the situation. Costumes and props make a huge part up of the iconography surrounding post-apocalyptic films, they help construct the mise-en-scene to allow the audience to be convinced by the film as well as identify the genre. Costumes will include rugged survivor type costumes, often involving earthy or sombre colours such as greens, browns, greys and blacks. Gas masks are commonly seen in post-apocalyptic films as well as weapons to play on the themes of death, destruction or violence commonly seen in post-apocalyptic films. I followed these conventions closely so that, when paired with my location, the audience could really understand that it was set in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Props
One of the first props seen by the audience is an animal skull and another is later seen half way through the sequence. I incorporated these props purely to help construct the mise-en-scene and aid the exposition created in my opening. Although it isn't necessarily common to see skulls in post-apocalyptic films, it is common to see environments that represent death, destruction and decay. I thought the perfect way to
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| Stereotypical gun seen in post-apocalyptic films |
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| Left: iconic post-apocalyptic outfit Right: my protagonist's outfit |
Costume
Costumes in post-apocalyptic films are very similar throughout the genre. They're often very rugged and of sombre/earthy colours. Characters will often be layered up with weapons, tools and multiple garments - they look like they've been surviving for a while. They'll be quite concealed and often wear gas masks, hoods or masks. I followed this convention by dressing my protagonist in green and brown colours, layering him up with a coat, boots and a brown scarf, really emphasising the fact that he is a survivor and therefore conforming to the conventions of the post-apocalyptic genre. I also made him wear a gas mask to further establish the genre as gas masks are arguably the most iconic part of the post-apocalyptic genre. For the female character's outfit, all that is shown is her green knitted sweater. The green colours are conventional of the post-apocalyptic genre, however, I developed on it slightly to very subtly suggest her interest in nature. As when forming the character, I imagined her to be a very passive character who loved animals, suggesting one of the reasons the protagonist took to the dog so well. Green is a colour associated with nature and therefore links to this passion. The costume of the murderer is entirely dark colours, wearing mostly black or dark blue. Although he's not dressed up as a conventional 'survivor' per se, I wanted him to wear dark clothes to represent a source of evil, as darkness is associated with evil. Furthermore, having him not dressed as someone who looks like they're surviving off the wild is effective because it suggests that he actually survives from looting and stealing off other survivors and isn't necessarily as proper survivor because he cheats and hurts others to survive. This is why I slightly broke the convention.
Camerawork and Editing
Camera Shots and Angles
The camerawork was the area in which I swayed more from post-apocalyptic to drama films, as it was my main priority to reflect the character rather than the environment. I did incorporate long shots to depict the environment, which is common in post-apocalyptic films. However, I did not use any wider shots than this because I wanted the audience to see the character in his surrounding as opposed to just the surroundings, whereas in the post-apocalyptic genre it is more common to see extreme long shots to allow the audience to become familiar with the very unfamiliar setting.
This being said, the reason I didn't use extreme long shots is because the location alone wouldn't have been enough to establish the genre so it would have been a waste of time. Furthermore, I wanted to mainly let the audience focus on the character and his situation and emotions and let them identify the post-apocalyptic setting through visual prompts such as costume and props when paired with the overgrown backdrop. Hence, I used a long shot to balance the character and visual prompts with the setting to really create a better understanding as opposed to just allowing them to identify the post-apocalyptic environment only by location because they likely wouldn't have guessed it was post-apocalyptic solely with the setting. The shot type I used most predominantly was the mid-shot. This is because this is the most natural shot, it is how people would see people if they were engaging in conversation with them in real life. This shot is one of the most commonly used shots in generic feature films because of the fact that it is so natural and minimalistic; it's professional.
Therefore, using mid-shots a lot heightens the professionalism of my film which is why I chose to use conventional shots predominantly. Furthermore, in drama films, mid-shots are common because they simulate a real life view of people. In drama films, it's important to portray realism which is why I chose to use mid shots heavily throughout my film opening. Another reason mid-shots are used a lot in drama films is because they allow the audience to connect to the character more and therefore empathise with them because of the fact that they're given a real life, natural perspective on them. It isn't warped by overwhelming them with less or more space in the frame. This, therefore, allowed me to signify to the audience which characters they were supposed to empathise with and which they weren't because they were able to see them at a level that wasn't too intimate or too distant and therefore connect with them. Hence why I chose to follow the same technique drama
films use. Close-ups are used in drama films because they show the character's expression and emotion clearly, allowing the audience to empathise with them. In drama films, it is extremely important to portray emotions realistically, this is why using close-ups is effective in obviously getting across that emotion to the audience. I used this technique in the scene in which my character is crying over his loss. The audience can see his expression and tears very clearly and therefore are able to understand his emotion because of the intimate angle. In terms of camera angles, I chose to use mostly neutral angles like eye-level. This is because these are the most professional looking angles and are the most commonly used angle in generic feature films, so I decided to stick to this convention because I didn't want to warp the audience's interpretation of characters and also maintain professionalism. On the contrary, during the sequence, I did use a canted
angle. This type of angle is not very common in any feature films because of it's odd and mildly unsettling look. The reason I challenged this convention is because it's a very artistic angle and creates a striking effect. Furthermore, I wanted to reflect on the idea of disruption of peace and disruption of normality, which is the psychological effect this angle has on the audience. It reflects on the lack of order in the world and this is the reason I chose to break convention.
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| Using a long shot was the most effective way to establish the post-apocalyptic setting because I could use visual prompts along with the location to allow the audience to identify it. This is why it was more effective to break convention and not use extreme long shots |
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| Even though this character is only shown briefly, the audience are given a close view of her which allow them to make that connection with her because it's the most natural perspective. They're not too overwhelmed by how intimate/distant it is. |
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| Drama films typically use close-ups to portray emotion. This close-up is called a 'choker shot' and I used it to really overwhelm the audience with emotion because they have such an intimate view of the character crying. |
Camera Movement
I didn't use an excessive amount of camera movement but kept it quite balanced between still, tripod shots and movement. This is a conventional technique used in generic feature films to maintain professionalism and seamlessness, which is why I kept to the norms. I used tracking shots predominantly. This is the most conventional camera movement to use, particularly in drama films, because it follows the character on their journey and in drama films characters are obviously the main focus. I added a slow zoom effect in post-production to one of the shots. Zooming is a conventional camera movement seen in cinema as it can help establish a dynamic between two characters or signify a subjects importance. I used this technique (a slow-pull in to be precise) to create a tense atmosphere at the beginning because the audience are forced to become close to the character which has quite an unsettling effect. Furthermore, it simulates the idea of the character crying for help because the audience are forced to look closer at him and read his facial expression, therefore reflecting on the character's broken state. In the last shot I kept the camera unstable to create a shaky effect. The reason for this is because it represents a sudden break in normality; the character has met the dog and it has turned what he knew about the world upside down. Using unstabilised shots is very uncommon in feature films because it can look quite unprofessional, however, I chose to ignore this convention.
Editing
I kept editing very conventional, using techniques that are very commonly used in feature films such as the match-on-action effect to create seamlessness. My cut pace was very neutral, using not excessively long or short shot lengths to create a calm, neutral atmosphere, which is very conventional in feature films, particularly dramas. The editing in dramas is not something that is really taken note of because it is so neutral, and I chose to conform to this convention. On the contrary, in post-apocalyptic films, the editing is often quite fast paced as post-apocalyptic films are usually full of action. This being said, at the beginning of post-apocalyptic films, the editing is quite slow or neutral to show how there isn't much going on in the protagonist's life because the world is so desolate. This is why I followed this technique.
Credits
The font and style of my credits are very neutral; the font is plain and white. This is quite uncommon for a post-apocalyptic film as credits are often in a distressed font that corresponds with the theme of destruction common in post-apocalyptic films. The reason I chose to use neutral fonts is because it looks professional as conventional post-apocalyptic fonts can look quite overbearing and tacky. It is quite uncommon to see fonts large and in the centre of the screen as often this can distract away from the footage. The reason I broke this convention is because it creates a nice, professional effect and also allows the audience to read them as they're clear.
Narrative
In most feature films, it is very common for the character to be introduced at the beginning. I chose to follow this convention. However, the narrative structure of drama films often aim to show a journey of the character's emotions, generally showing their lowest point during the climax. I challenged this convention by introducing the character as a broken man and at his lowest point at the beginning. From the first moment the audience meets him they know he's depressed just by his body language etc. Then later in the sequence, he shows his desire to end his life. This is unusual at the beginning of a drama film as the emotion is often later established when the characters have at least begun their journey. I also wanted to create a mini-story in itself at the beginning of my film - a grieving man, broken and depressed, meets a dog and it changes his life around. I believe this mini story foreshadows the rest of the film as it will shot the dog helping the man deal with his grief. This is shown when the man doesn't kill himself because of the dog, showing how he's willing to let go with the dog's assistance. Creating a mini-story at the beginning of a film is very uncommon as most films only use the opening to create an exposition and perhaps reveal some of the plot. I challenged this convention because I believed that I could form an exposition through this tiny story that foreshadows the film as it will engage the audience more than a slow start and I thought in itself it was quite an artistic way to begin a film.
Themes
I dealt with themes very conventional of a drama film: grief being the main one. Although the themes of violence and death associated with post-apocalyptic films were present, I wanted to mainly focus on the themes addressed in drama films as the emotions would have been invoked by a dramatic theme common in dramas.
Sound
Sound Effects
Throughout the opening, I picked and chose where I wanted to incorporate sound effects, which is quite unconventional as often if there are sound effects involved it's either of everything onscreen or nothing at all. I incorporated the noise of fabrics rustling to emphasise the theme of loneliness as there was quite an element of isolation to the lone noise of what the character is doing and nothing else. I then muted any other sound effects eg. footsteps etc. except the sound of the character breathing through the gas-mask. This is quite an uncommon technique but I chose to use it because it creates an artistic effect and also emphasises the idea of loneliness as the audience are even able to hear the sound of a character breathing because of the lack of life in the world.
Music
The music I used was very conventional of the drama genre because it's very emotive and played on a more natural sounding instrument eg. piano and strings. The music heightens the emotion of the scene and rises and falls in the right places to suit what's happening on screen, which is a really conventional technique. This being said, emotional music in a post-apocalyptic film is quite uncommon because the music is often more mechanical sounding which is used to unsettle the audience and create tension and the idea of desolation.
Narration
Narration is really common in both drama and post-apocalyptic films because it's a way of telling the audience how they're feeling. This is especially common in post-apocalyptic films because the characters are usually isolated and have nobody else to share their thoughts with, so in order to make sure the audience understands narration is commonly used. I used narration for these same purposes.
Character
My character is very typical of someone in a drama; they're able to convey their emotion realistically and the realistic portrayal of emotions is one of the most important aspects of drama films. He's realistic because he behaves like a human being and isn't presented as some tough, unbelievable/unrelatable character commonly seen in other feature film genres, which is why he's appropriate for a drama film. He's also a conventional character because he's an adult male which is the most common sex/age of a film protagonist to be in Hollywood cinema. His age is suggested through both his physicality as well as the low and masculine sound of his voice. Although he's more emotional than the stereotypical male character in cinema, his masculinity and age is conventional.
Incorporating a female in the role of a victim is very commonly seen in cinema, I followed this convention because it makes the murderer look more bloodthirsty because they're preying on someone who would typically be deemed defenseless in our society. Furthermore, the fact that the murderer is a male is conventional because men are often depicted as brutal and violent in films - it's not common to have a female antagonist because it goes against this image of women being empathetic, nurturing and gentle that society has created.
I broke convention, however, by using a dog as one of the main characters. This isn't often seen in cinema because it's quite hard to control dogs etc. I broke convention because the simplicity of a dog representing hope works best and it makes my film opening more moving.
Incorporating a female in the role of a victim is very commonly seen in cinema, I followed this convention because it makes the murderer look more bloodthirsty because they're preying on someone who would typically be deemed defenseless in our society. Furthermore, the fact that the murderer is a male is conventional because men are often depicted as brutal and violent in films - it's not common to have a female antagonist because it goes against this image of women being empathetic, nurturing and gentle that society has created.
I broke convention, however, by using a dog as one of the main characters. This isn't often seen in cinema because it's quite hard to control dogs etc. I broke convention because the simplicity of a dog representing hope works best and it makes my film opening more moving.
Overall, it's clear to see that I have adopted many conventions set by both generic feature films as well as my chosen genres. I have, however, picked and chosen each convention to follow as well as challenged many others to really create an original and powerful piece.
Plan:
This is the plan I created to work from:
Friday 10 February 2017
Evaluation Q. 2
How Does Your Product Represent Particular Social Groups?
As my film was set in an unfamiliar, post-apocalyptic environment involving no structured civilisation, it was relatively difficult to clearly represent particular social groups as there was no obvious presence of a society. This being said, particular social groups can be reflected through each individual character through many different aspects, including their mannerisms, costume or role within the narrative etc. The opening sequence presents this small band of people that each represent an aspect of a crime. For example, the murderer is presented as the oppressor whereas the female is presented as a victim and the protagonist is representative of those affected surrounding the victim and the crime. The film opening gives a voice to those associated with the victim and who are suffering grief; represented by the protagonist.
Protagonist
The social group my protagonist represents is widowers or males (or people, to be more vague) grieving a loss. When people suffer losses, it often has other problems attributed to it. For example, it is likely for those in mourning to develop depression or a cynical mindset of the world. The reason I wanted to reflect this social group is so that there was a body of people that could relate to him and his situation (a very large body of people, as death is inevitable and almost everyone is likely to have experienced a loss at some point in their life) which will, firstly, make him a much more realistic character and, secondly, invoke emotion and empathy within the audience, therefore making my film opening far more memorable and moving. The protagonist's representation of a grieving man is reflected through several aspects of him:
Costume
Historically, in western culture, it is customary for an individual to dress in black or very dark attire when they are in mourning, this custom can be most notably seen at funerals when people are often expected to wear black garments to show respect for the deceased. When people are dressed in black in everyday life, especially in the past, it signifies to other people that they are grieving the death of a loved one and is, therefore, a universally recognised tradition. Although my protagonist's outfit is primarily a
conventional post-apocalyptic survivor outfit, the character is predominantly wearing black (black top and trousers). The use of black clothing subtly implies his portrayal of a grieving man as he is conforming to this tradition - though subconsciously - and using a visual prompt to suggest he has suffered a great loss. This is why I have effectively represented his social group (grieving man/widower).
When looking at his costume closely, it could be used to represent those who are going through hard times even further. For example, his green coat and stripy scarf envelope the darkness that he wears underneath. These more colourful elements to his outfit represent the light in the world around him, that he fails to see because of the darkness - or sadness - within him. It's only when the dog comes along that he does begin to see the lightness in the world. This represents the depression he feels because of his loss, as he's so miserable he can't possibly see any light in the world. It could also represent how his post-apocalyptic environment is the cause of his burden as the green reflects the natural, broken down environment that has caused his problems (the apocalypse).
Makeup
I chose to put makeup on my character to make them look very beaten. This really stressed the idea that he is a man who has gone through hardships and emphasises the idea that he is, once again, a broken man. The idea of him being a broken man reflects on what has caused him to be 'broken' - his loss. This therefore effectively reflects his status of a grieving man.
Character Movement and Expression
The portrayal of the character is the element that really gives a voice to the social group that he represents. When the audience first meets him, he's seen slumped against a wall staring off tearfully into the distance. His body language makes him look very miserable and therefore accurately portrays the emotion a grieving person would be feeling.
In the shot where the character falls to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion, I felt it accurately portrayed the image of a grieving man. This is because experiencing the death of a loved one is arguably one of the worst feelings somebody can get and it can often
make someone overwrought with sadness. I channelled this concept my making my actor pretend to be suddenly very overwhelmed with emotion when the flashback occurs, suggesting that just thinking about his loss can have that effect. This is further reinforced when the character is crying as it is a true sign of sorrow, therefore mirroring the emotion felt by those grieving.
The character then pulls out a gun, ready to end their life. I thought this was effective in really making the audience understand how large an impact losing someone can have over one's life. It really reflects the feeling those experiencing grief can feel as suicidal
thoughts is common of those affected deeply by the loss of someone as it can leave them feeling as though they have nothing left to live for.
The last few shots involving the dog, I felt, subtly portrays the social group of grieving men because it shows to the audience that he needs support and help from another individual to help him accept his loss and begin to recover from his hardships. Those who are in mourning often just need support and help and this was my way of showing the audience this idea.
Setting
The desolate, decayed and distressed buildings and landscapes reflect on the fact that the character is a broken man, grieving his hardships. This is because everything looks very
broken and distressed and, in itself, represents what the character is like on the inside, too, which is caused by the fact he is in grief. Furthermore, the isolated setting really stresses the idea that he is feeling alone. People experiencing grief can feel very alone in the world, particularly if it has caused them to become very depressed or they have nobody to support them. The lonely environment reflects this idea even further as it shows him as physically alone with no-one to seek support from and therefore I thought represents his social group quite well. The very natural and stripped down environment suggests to the audience that he is, firstly, in his most bare and vulnerable state because the emotion he has felt and the loss he has experienced has stripped him emotionally. This is represented by the setting. Furthermore, the natural setting suggests that death, and therefore grief, is a part of nature and that everyone will experience it. Therefore, the setting effectively represents his social group.
Music
Although the music's primary purpose was to heighten the emotion of the scene, the emotional nature of the music actually helps to reflect the emotions he is feeling on the inside to the audience, which are caused by the fact he is in mourning. In particular, the music intensifies in areas in which he's most sad, showing that it identically mirrors the emotions he's feeling by fluctuation. Therefore, the music helped to really represent his social group.
Narration
Employing narration was one of the most effective ways to truly channel the character's social group accurately. This is because it was the best way to get across the character's thoughts and feelings which really let the audience understand the emotions he felt because he is a grieving man. For example, his tone of voice when he says 'There's no human left in any of us' sounds very cynical and defeated. This suggests his very defeated and cynical attitudes which show that experiencing a loss was enough to change his perspective on the world. This is common within those who are grieving, as they often develop a very cynical mindset. Furthermore, they can fail to see the light in the world, too. The idea that he believes there is 'no human' left in anybody on Earth really suggests just how little happiness he can see in the world and reinforces the idea that grieving people have very cynical mindsets on the world because they have experienced such a large hardship. The protagonist repetitively says 'have you ever felt...?' to the audience. This line is effective in representing his social group because firstly, he's trivialising issues the audience may have felt by almost patronising them in a way. This shows that he's feeling very sorry for himself which is often the case for those suffering a loss. Secondly, the repetition really makes the audience understand how he's feeling and shows how much experiencing a loss can take over an actual person's life. It also shows that he hasn't got much going for him because the repetition enforces the idea that this is all there is to his life. This reinforces the idea that grieving men cannot see any happiness in the world as all they can think about is their loss. His tone of voice and words accurately shows the emotion felt by a genuine grieving man.
Camera Shots and Angles
I used close-ups to depict his expressions and therefore accurately capture the emotion felt by this particular social group. I used long shots to enmesh him in his background and create a sense of isolation and the feeling of being lost, which relates to the feelings people who are grieving get. I used a canted angle to simulate disruption and therefore show the destructive impact a death can have on someone's life.
Female
The female character in my opening represents a victim, as she's seen being murdered. She is represented effectively as a victim through her scared facial expressions. The way she is screaming at the camera conveys fear and desperation and therefore accurately channels the kind of emotions a victim would feel when being attacked or, in this case, are about to die. Furthermore, the idea that this is all the audience sees her as reflects on the idea that victims are often just seen as merely victims in society. They're not represented, particularly in the media, as individuals but simply victims, this is all they are remembered for and this is all my audience sees the character as.
Murderer
The murderer seen killing the protagonist's partner is represented as an oppressing figure in society, or simply as what he is - a murderer/criminal. The fact that he is targeting a female, who are often percieved as defenseless in our society, emphasises the fact that he is bloodthirsty. His bloodthirsty nature is highlighted when he strokes the weapon against his victim's face in a taunting method. Although his bloodthirstiness is very extreme, it still portrays an exaggerated version of a criminal, as they're often ruthluss. Furthermore, the idea that all the audience sees him as is a murderer could be interpreted two ways. Firstly, often society deem, particularly smalltime criminals, nothing but criminals and do not give them a chance of redemption. This is channelled through the fact that all the audience sees of this character is killing another character and not of them doing anything else that could reflect their nature. Another interpretation is the idea that often criminals, particularly if they're white, are represented as an individual and highlighted for what they do other than their crime. For example, with the case of Brock Turner (seek here for more information) he was often referred to by the media as 'Champion Swimmer' etc. as opposed to 'rapist' or 'criminal'. The idea that my criminal character is only seen as being a criminal could be interpreted as suggesting that this is all that he should be seen as and that his better qualitities should not be highlighted. This is two representations of a criminal.
Representation of Age, Gender and Class
In my opening sequence, class is not really represented because it's set in a world where there is no civilisation, thus meaning there is no order or hierarchy represented. Age isn't explicitely represented in contrasting ways because all the characters are of a similar age. However, they're seen doing very 'adult' things, eg. murder and attempting suicide. This shows the terrible actions performed by adults in contrast to children. In terms of presenting grief, anybody can experience grief within any class and at any age, so it shows a very human depiction of grief suggesting the lack of difference between each class.
When representing gender, I showed two male characters in very contrasting ways. The protagonist is seen to defy what is often expected of males, as he's very emotional whereas men are often portrayed as tough and emotionless. This contrasts with the murderer, who is presented as very ruthless and violent. The fact that he is male and is a criminal conforms to a stereotype and therefore represents criminals in a very stereotyped way. This is the same with the female gender, females are often portrayed as victims, oppressed and weaker than males. By choosing to portray the victim as a female shows that both victims and females are presented in a stereotyped way, too.
Plan
As my film was set in an unfamiliar, post-apocalyptic environment involving no structured civilisation, it was relatively difficult to clearly represent particular social groups as there was no obvious presence of a society. This being said, particular social groups can be reflected through each individual character through many different aspects, including their mannerisms, costume or role within the narrative etc. The opening sequence presents this small band of people that each represent an aspect of a crime. For example, the murderer is presented as the oppressor whereas the female is presented as a victim and the protagonist is representative of those affected surrounding the victim and the crime. The film opening gives a voice to those associated with the victim and who are suffering grief; represented by the protagonist.
Protagonist
The social group my protagonist represents is widowers or males (or people, to be more vague) grieving a loss. When people suffer losses, it often has other problems attributed to it. For example, it is likely for those in mourning to develop depression or a cynical mindset of the world. The reason I wanted to reflect this social group is so that there was a body of people that could relate to him and his situation (a very large body of people, as death is inevitable and almost everyone is likely to have experienced a loss at some point in their life) which will, firstly, make him a much more realistic character and, secondly, invoke emotion and empathy within the audience, therefore making my film opening far more memorable and moving. The protagonist's representation of a grieving man is reflected through several aspects of him:
Costume
Historically, in western culture, it is customary for an individual to dress in black or very dark attire when they are in mourning, this custom can be most notably seen at funerals when people are often expected to wear black garments to show respect for the deceased. When people are dressed in black in everyday life, especially in the past, it signifies to other people that they are grieving the death of a loved one and is, therefore, a universally recognised tradition. Although my protagonist's outfit is primarily a
When looking at his costume closely, it could be used to represent those who are going through hard times even further. For example, his green coat and stripy scarf envelope the darkness that he wears underneath. These more colourful elements to his outfit represent the light in the world around him, that he fails to see because of the darkness - or sadness - within him. It's only when the dog comes along that he does begin to see the lightness in the world. This represents the depression he feels because of his loss, as he's so miserable he can't possibly see any light in the world. It could also represent how his post-apocalyptic environment is the cause of his burden as the green reflects the natural, broken down environment that has caused his problems (the apocalypse).
Makeup
I chose to put makeup on my character to make them look very beaten. This really stressed the idea that he is a man who has gone through hardships and emphasises the idea that he is, once again, a broken man. The idea of him being a broken man reflects on what has caused him to be 'broken' - his loss. This therefore effectively reflects his status of a grieving man.Character Movement and Expression
The portrayal of the character is the element that really gives a voice to the social group that he represents. When the audience first meets him, he's seen slumped against a wall staring off tearfully into the distance. His body language makes him look very miserable and therefore accurately portrays the emotion a grieving person would be feeling.
In the shot where the character falls to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion, I felt it accurately portrayed the image of a grieving man. This is because experiencing the death of a loved one is arguably one of the worst feelings somebody can get and it can often
 |
| This shot is reminiscent of somebody looking up at God. Turning to God - or away from God - in times of mourning is common and this was a way to play on this theme as it simulates the idea that he is looking to God for guidance, or even questioning God as he's looking up to a higher power, thus reflecting on the actions of his social group: grieving men. |
The character then pulls out a gun, ready to end their life. I thought this was effective in really making the audience understand how large an impact losing someone can have over one's life. It really reflects the feeling those experiencing grief can feel as suicidal
The last few shots involving the dog, I felt, subtly portrays the social group of grieving men because it shows to the audience that he needs support and help from another individual to help him accept his loss and begin to recover from his hardships. Those who are in mourning often just need support and help and this was my way of showing the audience this idea.
Setting
The desolate, decayed and distressed buildings and landscapes reflect on the fact that the character is a broken man, grieving his hardships. This is because everything looks very
 |
| The brambly setting represents pain, which reflects the pain he feels from his loss. Also, thorns are used to shelter a plant from threat. This could be interpreted as a grieving person shutting off the world as a method of them coping with their loss, which is common within this social group. |
Music
Although the music's primary purpose was to heighten the emotion of the scene, the emotional nature of the music actually helps to reflect the emotions he is feeling on the inside to the audience, which are caused by the fact he is in mourning. In particular, the music intensifies in areas in which he's most sad, showing that it identically mirrors the emotions he's feeling by fluctuation. Therefore, the music helped to really represent his social group.
Narration
Employing narration was one of the most effective ways to truly channel the character's social group accurately. This is because it was the best way to get across the character's thoughts and feelings which really let the audience understand the emotions he felt because he is a grieving man. For example, his tone of voice when he says 'There's no human left in any of us' sounds very cynical and defeated. This suggests his very defeated and cynical attitudes which show that experiencing a loss was enough to change his perspective on the world. This is common within those who are grieving, as they often develop a very cynical mindset. Furthermore, they can fail to see the light in the world, too. The idea that he believes there is 'no human' left in anybody on Earth really suggests just how little happiness he can see in the world and reinforces the idea that grieving people have very cynical mindsets on the world because they have experienced such a large hardship. The protagonist repetitively says 'have you ever felt...?' to the audience. This line is effective in representing his social group because firstly, he's trivialising issues the audience may have felt by almost patronising them in a way. This shows that he's feeling very sorry for himself which is often the case for those suffering a loss. Secondly, the repetition really makes the audience understand how he's feeling and shows how much experiencing a loss can take over an actual person's life. It also shows that he hasn't got much going for him because the repetition enforces the idea that this is all there is to his life. This reinforces the idea that grieving men cannot see any happiness in the world as all they can think about is their loss. His tone of voice and words accurately shows the emotion felt by a genuine grieving man.
Camera Shots and Angles
I used close-ups to depict his expressions and therefore accurately capture the emotion felt by this particular social group. I used long shots to enmesh him in his background and create a sense of isolation and the feeling of being lost, which relates to the feelings people who are grieving get. I used a canted angle to simulate disruption and therefore show the destructive impact a death can have on someone's life.
Female
The female character in my opening represents a victim, as she's seen being murdered. She is represented effectively as a victim through her scared facial expressions. The way she is screaming at the camera conveys fear and desperation and therefore accurately channels the kind of emotions a victim would feel when being attacked or, in this case, are about to die. Furthermore, the idea that this is all the audience sees her as reflects on the idea that victims are often just seen as merely victims in society. They're not represented, particularly in the media, as individuals but simply victims, this is all they are remembered for and this is all my audience sees the character as.
Murderer
The murderer seen killing the protagonist's partner is represented as an oppressing figure in society, or simply as what he is - a murderer/criminal. The fact that he is targeting a female, who are often percieved as defenseless in our society, emphasises the fact that he is bloodthirsty. His bloodthirsty nature is highlighted when he strokes the weapon against his victim's face in a taunting method. Although his bloodthirstiness is very extreme, it still portrays an exaggerated version of a criminal, as they're often ruthluss. Furthermore, the idea that all the audience sees him as is a murderer could be interpreted two ways. Firstly, often society deem, particularly smalltime criminals, nothing but criminals and do not give them a chance of redemption. This is channelled through the fact that all the audience sees of this character is killing another character and not of them doing anything else that could reflect their nature. Another interpretation is the idea that often criminals, particularly if they're white, are represented as an individual and highlighted for what they do other than their crime. For example, with the case of Brock Turner (seek here for more information) he was often referred to by the media as 'Champion Swimmer' etc. as opposed to 'rapist' or 'criminal'. The idea that my criminal character is only seen as being a criminal could be interpreted as suggesting that this is all that he should be seen as and that his better qualitities should not be highlighted. This is two representations of a criminal.
Representation of Age, Gender and Class
In my opening sequence, class is not really represented because it's set in a world where there is no civilisation, thus meaning there is no order or hierarchy represented. Age isn't explicitely represented in contrasting ways because all the characters are of a similar age. However, they're seen doing very 'adult' things, eg. murder and attempting suicide. This shows the terrible actions performed by adults in contrast to children. In terms of presenting grief, anybody can experience grief within any class and at any age, so it shows a very human depiction of grief suggesting the lack of difference between each class.
When representing gender, I showed two male characters in very contrasting ways. The protagonist is seen to defy what is often expected of males, as he's very emotional whereas men are often portrayed as tough and emotionless. This contrasts with the murderer, who is presented as very ruthless and violent. The fact that he is male and is a criminal conforms to a stereotype and therefore represents criminals in a very stereotyped way. This is the same with the female gender, females are often portrayed as victims, oppressed and weaker than males. By choosing to portray the victim as a female shows that both victims and females are presented in a stereotyped way, too.
Plan
Thursday 9 February 2017
Wednesday 8 February 2017
Evaluation Q. 4
Who Would Be The Audience For Your Media Product?
Plan:
Transcript:
First of all, what is a target audience and how is it identified? A target audience is a specific group of consumers a film is aimed at. The target audience for films varies from film to film depending on the individual themes and content. However, the genre in which the film is made in will help identify a film's target audience, as certain genres, based on their typical themes and iconography, will appeal to particular audiences. For example, the violent and chaotic content and themes of the action genre will stereotypically appeal to men whereas the emotional and passive content of a romance film will stereotypically appeal to women.
After I had composed my general idea for my feature film opening and had the genres, characters and other similar elements established, I had to identify the target audience for my film. Identifying my target audience this early on, during the early planning and ideas stage, was important in order to integrate features into my film that will further appeal to this target audience and therefore certainly rain in this select group of viewers.
How did I identify my target audience during this stage? In order to identify my target audience, I had to analyse several areas of my film opening plan. Firstly, I had to look at the genre.
Genre plays a huge role in helping to define what the target audience for a film is. This is because, as stated before, the genre of a film often helps to define the key themes and content of a film. For example, if it is a post-apocalyptic film similar to mine, then the audience is guaranteed to see a post-apocalyptic setting as in order for it to be a post-apocalyptic film, it requires a post-apocalyptic setting. In action films, the audience is likely to see violence and chaos and so on. Not all genres are this demanding, however, for example, drama films don't often require a specific iconography but merely rely on the realistic and emotional portrayal of a person - though this is most definitely required for it to be categorised as a drama film.
Identifying my target audience for my film opening sequence was difficult because I chose to follow the conventions of two different genres as opposed to one and, as stated before, the genre can have a huge impact in regards to defining the target audience of a film. The genres my film was created in were drama and post-apocalyptic and the target audiences surrounding these genres contrast subtly. For example, because of the typical violent and dark themes of the post-apocalyptic genre, it would typically appeal to men, whereas within the drama genre, the more emotional themes would appeal to women as they're deemed as more sympathetic (Though this isn't always the case, many drama films are male oriented, likewise with post-apocalyptic and women.) Because of this, I decided that my film was aimed at both genders, as the genres incorporated elements that appealed to both. With regards to the genre and age, however, both of these genres wouldn't be appropriate for younger audiences such as children. This is because in drama films the content is often very realistic and deal with realistic issues that children wouldn't find interesting or relatable. Furthermore, drama films often deal with heavy themes, such as death and grief, these themes would be inappropriate for children. Likewise, with most post-apocalyptic films, they often include violence and dark themes which therefore wouldn't be appropriate for children, either. There are exceptions to this though. Take Wall-e for example, it's a post-apocalyptic film aimed at children.
Now, I've mentioned a lot about how the genre impacts the target audience for a film, but now I need to look more specifically at my film's content. The reason my film is aimed at young adults is because the themes and content are relatively mature. For example, within the first two minutes of the film you already meet a cynical man who wants to kill himself. This aspect of suicide is far too mature for children and therefore restricts the audience to young adults and up. Not only are you introduced to the themes of suicide, but a murder is depicted, too, which is far too shocking and mature for children. Not only is the mature content such as the gun, suicide or murder inappropriate for children, but the way in{} which the characters are portrayed is too. For example, children expect to see heroes that are tough, the protagonist in this film is emotional and defeated and not what would be expected of a generic hero in a film for children. They would not be captivated by him because he simply isn't cool enough - he's far too realistic and humanlike.
The next thing to look at is the cast. The reason it is primarily aimed at young adults is because of the choice to cast young adults in the roles. Why does this make it most appropriate for young adults? Because, simply, they can relate to them. People would much rather watch a film containing their own age demographic. Examples of this include the Bridget Jones franchise, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and every Colin Firth film in existance. Though any age can enjoy these films, they are specifically directed at older audiences because they star older actors. Likewise with my film, although older people could enjoy my film, it is mainly directed at young adults because it stars young adults. This is why my target audience is young adults.
The next thing to look at is the incorporation of the dog. Although it can be argued that almost everybody loves dogs and dog lovers could be classed as an entirely separate audience anyway, the reason this aspect makes my film more appropriate for young adults is because within this age group there has risen a dog-loving fad. This trend is evident everywhere you look on social media, which is predominantly used by young adults. So, the dog opens up the target audience to dog lovers, but because dogs are such a huge part of the young adult image nowadays, it justifies this choice in target audience further.
When looking at which gender this film would be suited to, I believe that it is appealing to both men and women. This is because both the post-apocalyptic genre and the heavy themes and content are appropriate for men because they stereotypically enjoy watching violence. The emotional aspect of the film and the lighthearted ending would stereotypically appeal to women as they are considered more empathetic than men. Furthermore, the incorporation of a conventionally attractive male protagonist would typically appeal to women. Not only this, however, he would also appeal to men because they have a male character they can relate to, as typically men don't enjoy watching a film with a female protagonist unless they're attractive because they can't relate to them.
If I were to describe an exact embodiment of who the film would specifically be aimed at then it would likely be a heterosexual couple. The female partner loves dogs and emotional films, she saw the trailer to the film and liked it because of the dog and the attractive protagonist. She convinced her partner to go see it with her and he liked the look of the film because it is a conventional post-apocalyptic film and he does like dogs, though he is not as enthusiastic about the film as his partner.
Plan:
Transcript:
First of all, what is a target audience and how is it identified? A target audience is a specific group of consumers a film is aimed at. The target audience for films varies from film to film depending on the individual themes and content. However, the genre in which the film is made in will help identify a film's target audience, as certain genres, based on their typical themes and iconography, will appeal to particular audiences. For example, the violent and chaotic content and themes of the action genre will stereotypically appeal to men whereas the emotional and passive content of a romance film will stereotypically appeal to women.
After I had composed my general idea for my feature film opening and had the genres, characters and other similar elements established, I had to identify the target audience for my film. Identifying my target audience this early on, during the early planning and ideas stage, was important in order to integrate features into my film that will further appeal to this target audience and therefore certainly rain in this select group of viewers.
How did I identify my target audience during this stage? In order to identify my target audience, I had to analyse several areas of my film opening plan. Firstly, I had to look at the genre.
Genre plays a huge role in helping to define what the target audience for a film is. This is because, as stated before, the genre of a film often helps to define the key themes and content of a film. For example, if it is a post-apocalyptic film similar to mine, then the audience is guaranteed to see a post-apocalyptic setting as in order for it to be a post-apocalyptic film, it requires a post-apocalyptic setting. In action films, the audience is likely to see violence and chaos and so on. Not all genres are this demanding, however, for example, drama films don't often require a specific iconography but merely rely on the realistic and emotional portrayal of a person - though this is most definitely required for it to be categorised as a drama film.
Identifying my target audience for my film opening sequence was difficult because I chose to follow the conventions of two different genres as opposed to one and, as stated before, the genre can have a huge impact in regards to defining the target audience of a film. The genres my film was created in were drama and post-apocalyptic and the target audiences surrounding these genres contrast subtly. For example, because of the typical violent and dark themes of the post-apocalyptic genre, it would typically appeal to men, whereas within the drama genre, the more emotional themes would appeal to women as they're deemed as more sympathetic (Though this isn't always the case, many drama films are male oriented, likewise with post-apocalyptic and women.) Because of this, I decided that my film was aimed at both genders, as the genres incorporated elements that appealed to both. With regards to the genre and age, however, both of these genres wouldn't be appropriate for younger audiences such as children. This is because in drama films the content is often very realistic and deal with realistic issues that children wouldn't find interesting or relatable. Furthermore, drama films often deal with heavy themes, such as death and grief, these themes would be inappropriate for children. Likewise, with most post-apocalyptic films, they often include violence and dark themes which therefore wouldn't be appropriate for children, either. There are exceptions to this though. Take Wall-e for example, it's a post-apocalyptic film aimed at children.
Now, I've mentioned a lot about how the genre impacts the target audience for a film, but now I need to look more specifically at my film's content. The reason my film is aimed at young adults is because the themes and content are relatively mature. For example, within the first two minutes of the film you already meet a cynical man who wants to kill himself. This aspect of suicide is far too mature for children and therefore restricts the audience to young adults and up. Not only are you introduced to the themes of suicide, but a murder is depicted, too, which is far too shocking and mature for children. Not only is the mature content such as the gun, suicide or murder inappropriate for children, but the way in{} which the characters are portrayed is too. For example, children expect to see heroes that are tough, the protagonist in this film is emotional and defeated and not what would be expected of a generic hero in a film for children. They would not be captivated by him because he simply isn't cool enough - he's far too realistic and humanlike.
The next thing to look at is the cast. The reason it is primarily aimed at young adults is because of the choice to cast young adults in the roles. Why does this make it most appropriate for young adults? Because, simply, they can relate to them. People would much rather watch a film containing their own age demographic. Examples of this include the Bridget Jones franchise, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and every Colin Firth film in existance. Though any age can enjoy these films, they are specifically directed at older audiences because they star older actors. Likewise with my film, although older people could enjoy my film, it is mainly directed at young adults because it stars young adults. This is why my target audience is young adults.
The next thing to look at is the incorporation of the dog. Although it can be argued that almost everybody loves dogs and dog lovers could be classed as an entirely separate audience anyway, the reason this aspect makes my film more appropriate for young adults is because within this age group there has risen a dog-loving fad. This trend is evident everywhere you look on social media, which is predominantly used by young adults. So, the dog opens up the target audience to dog lovers, but because dogs are such a huge part of the young adult image nowadays, it justifies this choice in target audience further.
When looking at which gender this film would be suited to, I believe that it is appealing to both men and women. This is because both the post-apocalyptic genre and the heavy themes and content are appropriate for men because they stereotypically enjoy watching violence. The emotional aspect of the film and the lighthearted ending would stereotypically appeal to women as they are considered more empathetic than men. Furthermore, the incorporation of a conventionally attractive male protagonist would typically appeal to women. Not only this, however, he would also appeal to men because they have a male character they can relate to, as typically men don't enjoy watching a film with a female protagonist unless they're attractive because they can't relate to them.
If I were to describe an exact embodiment of who the film would specifically be aimed at then it would likely be a heterosexual couple. The female partner loves dogs and emotional films, she saw the trailer to the film and liked it because of the dog and the attractive protagonist. She convinced her partner to go see it with her and he liked the look of the film because it is a conventional post-apocalyptic film and he does like dogs, though he is not as enthusiastic about the film as his partner.
Tuesday 7 February 2017
Evaluation Q. 5
How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience?
In Evaluation Question 4, I established the primary audience for my film as young adults and justified it with evidence from my opening sequence. Today, I will be discussing how I attracted and addressed this audience.
When I identified my target audience as young adults, I began to think of ways in which I could tailor my film opening in order to address or attract them. The first thing that I utilised to attract as well as directly address my audience was the cast. I chose to only cast young adults in the roles. This is an affective way to address the audience because involving an actor the same age as the audience will allow them to relate to the character, as people are more likely to relate and empathise with a character that is most similar to them i.e the same age group. This addresses and attracts the audience especially because it gives them representation, hence why they're more likely to relate to the character.
The age of the cast is not the only element that attracts the audience to the character. The physical appearance of the character will attract more widespread audiences because he is conventionally
attractive. According to psychological studies, people are more inclined to like and empathise with those they find attractive, so using an attractive actor as the protagonist will automatically make
people more inclined to watch the film. The film is targeted at both men and women, and the gender of the character helps attract these audiences. For example, because the character is an attractive male, heterosexual women will be more inclined to watch it as he will appeal to them. Similarly with male audiences, because the main character is a man, they will likely feel able to relate to him better because he gives representation to men, which will, therefore, make them more inclined to watch the film as they have a character they can connect with.
Another way I attracted young adults is through the genre. Because genre helps define the target audience of a film, by following the conventions of the genres I chose closely, I was able to really appeal to the target audience commonly associated with these genres. This is because they would, firstly, definitely be able to identify the film as one of their favourite genres, but secondly, they would enjoy the use of common conventions as it's what they love about the genre. This is how I attracted young adults because the target audience associated with post-apocalyptic films is young adults. This is evident by the surge in popularity of post-apocalyptic films among young adults, for example, World War Z, Mad Max and so on.
The themes and content helped attract my audience too. This is because I involved very heavy and emotional themes such as suicide and grief. The reason this appeals to young adults is because
modern young adults are very open and serious about emotions and mental health issues, so a film giving representation to those who are suffering grief, depression or suicidal thoughts would be appealing to 21st Century young adults as it's very topical and sensitive and doesn't stigmatize or trivialize issues that they are commonly very passionate about. It gives a relatively accurate portrayal of someone who is struggling. Involving topical themes is an effective way to attract this age demographic because young adults nowadays are very informed and aware of current events.
The last subject matter in terms of the content of the film that I used to attract young adults was the use of the dog. Although the dog was originally part of the initial plot ideas, I developed this idea of incorporating the dog in order to tailor the film to young audiences. As stated in my evaluation question 4, loving dogs has become a huge fad among young adults, and therefore the incorporation of a dog would appeal to this trend. Furthermore, the type of dogs that seem to receive the most
attention from young adults is large, fluffy and goofy dogs. I played on this idea by casting Riot in the role as opposed to any of the other dogs I had considered to cast, because the other dogs would have been considered boring breeds and Riot fits well with the trend of large, fluffy and goofy dogs, therefore immediately appealing to a stereotypical young adult.
Lastly, in terms of distribution, I uploaded my film opening onto YouTube. This distribution device is most commonly used by younger audiences and therefore uploading my film here is the most effective way to directly address young adults.
In Evaluation Question 4, I established the primary audience for my film as young adults and justified it with evidence from my opening sequence. Today, I will be discussing how I attracted and addressed this audience.
When I identified my target audience as young adults, I began to think of ways in which I could tailor my film opening in order to address or attract them. The first thing that I utilised to attract as well as directly address my audience was the cast. I chose to only cast young adults in the roles. This is an affective way to address the audience because involving an actor the same age as the audience will allow them to relate to the character, as people are more likely to relate and empathise with a character that is most similar to them i.e the same age group. This addresses and attracts the audience especially because it gives them representation, hence why they're more likely to relate to the character.
The age of the cast is not the only element that attracts the audience to the character. The physical appearance of the character will attract more widespread audiences because he is conventionally
attractive. According to psychological studies, people are more inclined to like and empathise with those they find attractive, so using an attractive actor as the protagonist will automatically make
 |
| Cast of the protagonist. |
Another way I attracted young adults is through the genre. Because genre helps define the target audience of a film, by following the conventions of the genres I chose closely, I was able to really appeal to the target audience commonly associated with these genres. This is because they would, firstly, definitely be able to identify the film as one of their favourite genres, but secondly, they would enjoy the use of common conventions as it's what they love about the genre. This is how I attracted young adults because the target audience associated with post-apocalyptic films is young adults. This is evident by the surge in popularity of post-apocalyptic films among young adults, for example, World War Z, Mad Max and so on.
The themes and content helped attract my audience too. This is because I involved very heavy and emotional themes such as suicide and grief. The reason this appeals to young adults is because
The last subject matter in terms of the content of the film that I used to attract young adults was the use of the dog. Although the dog was originally part of the initial plot ideas, I developed this idea of incorporating the dog in order to tailor the film to young audiences. As stated in my evaluation question 4, loving dogs has become a huge fad among young adults, and therefore the incorporation of a dog would appeal to this trend. Furthermore, the type of dogs that seem to receive the most
attention from young adults is large, fluffy and goofy dogs. I played on this idea by casting Riot in the role as opposed to any of the other dogs I had considered to cast, because the other dogs would have been considered boring breeds and Riot fits well with the trend of large, fluffy and goofy dogs, therefore immediately appealing to a stereotypical young adult.Lastly, in terms of distribution, I uploaded my film opening onto YouTube. This distribution device is most commonly used by younger audiences and therefore uploading my film here is the most effective way to directly address young adults.
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