Question 7

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

Preliminary task

In the preliminary task we did a short sequence to practice our roles in the group. Looking back at it, there are a number of things that I think we have improved on.

For a start, the titles are very basic, although it was only a rehearsal for the final product, I still think we could have made more of an effort on them, in order to find out what works well and what doesn’t on screen.

I think that the first shot (a pan of me walking down the corridor) was a bit jagged, in the final product we don’t have any pans of this type, but the ones we filmed (and didn’t include) were a lot smoother.

The shot reverse shot was only used once, I think it would have been better to switch position every time the other person spoke. But we did stick to the 180° rule.

We could have benefitted from using a boom microphone as there seems to be a lot of echo in the room that we filmed in.

The Noise

We made sure to stick to the 180° rule by splitting the film up and putting titles inbetween the shots that would be breaking the rule.







Although I myself didn't do the editing for our film, I know how much work it is because I sat in with the editor on most if not all editing sessions. Therefore I can understand why continuity editing would be very difficult. We did our best to keep continuity because it makes the film more credible but in some cases we just didn't have the shots that matched up. We managed to force the shots to match, here is an example:



The torch goes from being in her right hand, to being in both, to being in her left, so that the sequence makes sense and she doesn't suddenly swap hands because this would dramatically decrease the scare factor of out film.





We experimented with many angles, a particular shot I like is the torch landing on the floor (1). I think it really works as part of the horror narrative because it's the kind of shot you would see in a real media product. This shot not only allows the audience to see the perspective of the torch, but it also means we can't see much of the characters, so it leaves the audience in the dark, and implies off screen violence which can be a good way to create a horrific atmosphere without making it a blood and gore film.
The next image (2) is another experimental angle we used, to get this shot we had to climb onto the bed and hold the camera instead of using a tripod. It is very effective because the angle allows you to follow her around the room, and discover as she does.

We also experimented with filming technique. The next image (3) is a point of view shot which shows the audience what Lucy is seeing as she sees it. In order to obtain this image, we had to give the camera to the actress to hold while she walked over to the papers. This could have presented problems of continuity, but we only used a small sample of the POV to avoid this.
The final image (4) shows us filming without a tripod once more, the handy-cam technique has been used for years by camera operators, by because we hadn't used it before, it was new to us, and knowing the conventions of horror films, we thought we would try it out. I think it turned out really well and adds to the product over all, it was definitely worthwhile.

Compared to the preliminary task, there is much more chance to experiment with angles and film techniques, so I think that is why it looks better than the preliminary task in that context.

As we used an experience drama student as our actress, she was used to acting, and being directed, so directing actors was not too difficult. After reading the script and shot list, she had a good idea of the type of character she was playing. A lot of the time, directing involved looking at the camera screen, and doing multiple takes to ensure we got the right shot. It took some really close attention to detail, and more than one pair of eyes to be certain that she was convincing.

Seeing as we only used one main actress, and one extra, organising actors was not a major challenge. Generally, we stuck to the call sheet and got most of the shots on the shot list done on the first night of filming; which was very beneficial, because that gave us more time to work on the final few shots on the second night, as these were much more important.

Compared to the preliminary task directing actors and organising actors was actually easier in The Noise, but this is because there was more planning involved. From this I have learnt that good preparation means good results.


Logging and capturing footage was simple enough, the difficulty came with trimming and editing clips because we had to decide what clips to use, how far to cut them down and so on. The improvement from the preliminary task is that in The Noise the shots are much more fine cut, therefore flowing better.

When it came to designing and adding soundtrack and sound effects, The Noise is by far more advanced. We played around with the recording more and added many layers of sound, whereas in the preliminary task, we just kept the sound in its raw form and made no changes to it, and had no soundtrack of sound effects added. We managed to overlap certain parts of the soundtrack in a relatively unnoticeable way and create suspense successfully.

There wasn't much to designing titles, we kept it simple and went with Arial font, white text on black background. Although the design was simple, we managed to improve on it from the preliminary task. By decreasing the screen time of each title and adding fades, we were able to make them look like real film titles. However I still feel that they were too plain, but they suit the film quite well. This is a main criticism that we got from our audience feedback, so given the opportunity, I would make a few small changes to make the titles more interesting.

Exporting video was not really different either time. We didn't use a complex DVD menu either, and burning to DVD was practically the same as exporting video.


Overall we have all vastly improved on our roles in the group and learnt something about each other's roles too. I am extremely pleased with the final product, and proud of everyone involved in making it.

Question 6

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

 

Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I have annotated screenshots from the film to explain how I have attracted and addressed my audience:

 

Once the film was complete we showed it to a few people aged 16 - 20 to see if it was the kind of film they'd watch. Here are their thoughts:

Question 4

Who would be the audience for your media product?

• •The age group for my target audience will be 16 – 25year olds.
• •This is the most popular age group for modern horror films. With the recent popularity of paranormal horrors I think my film will be sure to appeal to this audience.
• •The gender that my film will appeal to difficult to determine.  Females tend to see paranormal horrors more than males, but I have chosen a main character who is attractive and dressed in a way that should draw a male audience aswell.
• •The social class of the audience for my film will be C2, D and E. I think this audience will find the film easier to relate to and enjoy the narrative.

Question 3

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

• A distributor launches and sustains films in the marketplace
• Independent distributors handle films which are not financed by Hollywood
• As our film would be independently distributed it would not be market until it premieres at a film festival
• A Film Sales Agent finds an appropriate distributor
• As the opening weekend could generate up to 30% of overall box office earnings, we would need a good marketing strategy

Bullet points adapted from:  http://www.skillset.org/film/jobs/distribution/article_4958_1.asp

The distribution company we would chose is Buena Vista International. The reasons for this is that they are known for successfully distributing films which are similar to ours. They clearly know how to connect to the target audience we are reaching for, based on their advertisements for other films, examples below (Cold Creek Manor, Scream, The Sixth Sense).

• They are a well known credible company whose previous distributions are popular and well-liked 
  
• This distributor would be a good financialy stable provider
• They have strong links with UK cinemas, so exhibition of our film would be wide and profitable 

Based on the posters for the above films, I have made my own version of what a poster for The Noise would look like: 

Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups? 

The two screenshots I have taken are the main characters from Scream and The Noise. Evidently they are both young females who are on the phone, so the social group being represented is teenage girls. One is an American film, and the other (ours) is British.

Both characters costumes are casual clothing. Even though the films are from separate decades it is still obvious that they are for wearing around the house. In The Noise we have already established that Lucy is lounging around reading a book. In Scream the first thing we have seen is the girl answering the phone, so the audience is unaware that she is about to watch a movie (which is soon disclosed) but the surroundings make clear that she is in a homely environment.

Both characters have open body language inviting the audience in as their friend and showing that they are vulnerable characters. The shots used in Scream show that she is alone in the house, by making it seem big ; this emphasises that she isolated through the size of her body in proportion to the house. A variety of shots used in The Noise but most do not show much of the house. We used a lot of close ups mid shots and long shots in the second half of the opening, and we used mostly mid shots in the first half. The main reasons for this are that our opening sequence was restricted to just two minutes, whereas other films usually exceed this, giving them more opportunity to show the character and their environment. It was very important to us to create an innocent characterization in the short space of time, as we want the audience to care about what has happened to Lucy. As they have just answered the phone they both have inquisitive expressions as does anyone who answers the phone and doesn’t know who is there.

Both characters speak on the phone however this is where the differences occur. In Scream she is having a conversation with the creepy voice on the phone, whereas in The Noise she is questioning who is there, and getting no response, only the sound of white noise can be heard (hence the film title The Noise).

The make-up used in Scream is very subtle and almost unnoticeable; ours differs to this as it is obvious that Lucy is wearing make-up. Even though the make-up styles are clearly different, they are both there for the same effect, as these are the attractive styles at the time that the film was made; this should therefore attract a male audience and help the female audience to identify with the characters. The subtle use of the make-up has connotations of innocence, which even is the audience does not consciously notice, they will subconsciously feel the effect of the make-up, on their relationship with the character.

Both shots show that each girl is on the phone, which is a very important prop in both situations, as this is where the danger is disclosed to the audience, in the case of Scream is becomes clear to the character that there is a danger too, but in The Noise, Lucy thinks nothing of it and eventually gets annoyed by the constant ringing of the phone and unplugs it.

The young people in Essex and London will be able to identify with the character Lucy. Even though there is no one else home, it is obvious that someone in the house is earning a good wage by the material possessions visible in the house. Young people in Essex and London will be familiar with the wide screen TV, the dress code of Lucy’s costume and the accent apparent in the dialogue.

The location (a house in Essex) helps to establish her as a C2 class person, because of the stylish interior design, and the fact that she is using her leisure time to read a book rather than watch TV. Even though this may not be an activity that a majority of the film audience does, they should at least recognise the connotations of reading the book and hopefully aspire to be in the C2 class (or higher), if they are not already.      

Question 1

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

My media product uses many conventions of real media products. The first example is the setting/location; image seven shows an exterior shot of the house in which the character Lucy is enjoying her leisure time. This is known as an establishing shot and is used in many films and TV series’  to set up the location for the audience and can be used signify a change of location, which it does in my media product. The purpose of using this establishing shot (along with some other exterior shots to show the area) is to show the audience a time lapse as the opening sequence I have created uses non-linear narrative.

Another convention that my media product conforms to is how the opening suggests the genre. Image six shows the protagonist Lucy, backing into a dark figure. This imitates classic horror conventions because the audience knows something that the character does not yet know, they have seen something which they may not even know what it is, which creates suspense. Usually if the audience cares for the character they will feel fear, and hope for the character to be okay, this is the response we are hoping to achieve by including this shot.

Image three shows how the character is introduced. By using a fast paced introduction the audience will be drawn in and confused as to what is going on. Every aspect of this introduction is designed to be seen in the cinema, the dark lighting makes it difficult to see what is going on, and all the commotion should interest the viewer and make them want to find out why she has found herself in this situation. Although this technique has been used in real media products, such as Goodfellas (1980) I think we develop it slightly as the way the narrative has been designed there is still more to be found out once we reach that point in time again, as the event has not actually happened yet.

Image four represents the story and how the opening sets it up. It follows horror conventions because something is being shown to the audience from a point of view shot, so it is as if we are discovering this occurrence as the character herself. This technique is used to make the audience feel a close relationship to the character, and create the anxiety that she would feel from seeing this.

Image five shows a very important shot about camerawork and editing. This shot emphasises the peculiarity of the book being ripped up on the bed for no apparent reason. Once the narrative reveals what has happened the meaning behind this would be clear, so to use it in the opening sequence creates an enigma that the audience’s curiosity needs to be satisfied. Editing the three images together with the sound effects and build up music is characteristic of real media products of this genre.

Costumes and props are illustrated by image eight as typical features of most media products. Using a costume which is complimentary to a girls figure can result in a wider audience. The light colours suggest innocence, while the actual pieces of clothing themselves were chosen in relation to current fashion trends. In relation to real media products, clothing is always chosen in indication of something, whether it is time period, for example the period drama North & South, or social group, for example, the dress code in Attack the Block. In relation to props, horror conventions usually show what may seem an unimportant prop in the beginning of a film, which is later revealed to be an important part of the narrative. This is what we have done, by showing Lucy reading the book, and 

being interrupted by the phone, it shows the significance of both props.

Image two demonstrates the way we have used colour correction in the editing process. Real media products may use this technique to enhance, or reduce the effect of something on screen. It is often used to change lighting for a desired effect. In our product we boosted the intensity of colour red in order to make it more symbolic of blood; a convention which transpires in many horror films.

The title and font style presented in image one challenges forms of real media products. It is very plain, the reason we went for this type of title is because it can be quite effective in some horrors. As we had a limited window so show everything we wanted, we didn’t want the titles to take away from the effect of the events on screen. Most real media products would use a font which can be associated with the theme they are portraying.

The title of my film definitely challenges conventions of real media products, because of the font used not differing from the other titles (only the font size). In terms of meaning The Noise is a short title which is clear and direct. However it can have a number of implications as to what the noise actually is. It suits a horror film because the paranormal noise used is significant throughout the opening sequence and the rest of the film.

Production update

We continued to shoot our film yesterday evening. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we were unable to use our previous location, so had to come up with a short notice solution, seeing as we are limited for time. We tried to keep the script as close to the original as possible, changing the location from the living room to a bedroom.

A negative point about changing the location was that the lighting wasn’t ideal for shooting in, but hopefully this can be overcome in editing. A positive point about changing the location to a bedroom was that the book being moved to a different room adds to the paranormal atmosphere. Overall we think it went well.

Production update

Yesterday's filming went well. We managed to shoot about half of our opening sequence including more than the planned shots on the shot list. We went for different angles and shots which will give Joe (the editor) more to work with when we reach the post production phase.

Our actress is unavailable for filming today (as planned), but once we arrange a new date, we will return to the location to finish the filming and reshoot any shots that need to be re-done.

Pre production update

I have print screened the email that I sent to the actress we will be using in our film. I feel that communication and organisation are important factors in our production to ensure everyone is on the same page and the shoot goes well.

Sending this email to her helps us to keep to our schedule and not waste time once we arrive on set. I have also forwarded the email to the other members of the production team so that they are aware that as a team we have contacted and made clear what we want the actress to do before we arrive. The team has also been sent an individual email explaining what to do, where to be and when for the shoot.

Pre production update

As of yesterday we have secured an experienced drama student and a suitable location for our filming. We have now arranged to film on the following dates:

Wednesday 7th March

Thursday 8th March

In due course the actress will be contacted about costume and props needed for the shoot.