Evaluation Question 3

The most realistic and appropriate type of film distributor that our film would use would be part of a small independent company since it would only appeal to a niche audience. The first screening if the film would most likely be at a cinema, but an independent cinema. so a typical movie launch as this is where it would c-gain the most recognition during the first weekend it would be released.

I would say that the company that would most likely produce out film would be a company such as Warp Films. This is because they specialise in films aimed at a niche audience which obviously wouldn't apply to many people.

Having our film produced by Warp Films would gain us some kind of audience without a doubt as Warp have built a loyal audience who will watch anything they produce just because it was Warp who produced it. This cannot be said for a company such as Warner Brothers because they don't have a loyal audience base.

However, there may not be enough people from the Warp Film audience basis to allow us to make a profit on out film, there is the possibility that we could just break even. On the other hand, it we chose Warner Brothers to produce our film we would be more likely to gain a large profit because they would be able to put forward a larger budget to make the film with, whereas Warp only have the capability of putting forward smaller budgets meaning the film wouldn't include some of the effects and actors\actresses because they simply cannot afford it.

Evaluation Question 5

In order to attract our audience we had to do a lot of research into many different areas, such as the BBFC's age ratings and restrictions. This was so we could be sure that we were aiming our media product to the appropriate audience. This is important because our media product might not be easily understood by the wrong age range. We also tried to use the element of mental illness to possible attract a mass audience. Viewers who have/ have dealt with mental illnesses may have an interest in our media product.

We tried as hard as possible to make everything in out piece relatable to a wide variety of people. For example we used two teenage girls as our characters so we could gain a teenage audience. We used an older man for the 'figure' so it adds an element of thrill to out piece which would possible attract an older audience.

Evaluation Question 6

From the making of our main task, I have gained a lot more experience with different technologies that were incorporated into our piece. This ranges from things such as the different editing softwares, like PremierPro for example, and different cameras. I applied my varied knowledge of different technologies to ensure that we created and completed the main task to the best of our abilities.

Blogger was also a main part of the main task as this is where all of our planning and research was documented. It was important to put a lot of effort into your blog as a large chunk of marks would be coming from this.

Using the editing software was much easier after using it when editing my preliminary task. I believe that our main task turned out better because of the previous experience with the software. We even watched some YouTube tutorials to show us how to create different effects to make our piece even better.

Evaluation Question 1- In what ways does your media product use, develop, challenge forms and conventions of real media

Our media product conforms to the idea of a physiological thriller because the man that Charlotte sees in the woods is a figure of her imagination. Throughout the piece, she becomes drawn into her own world and she is captivated by him without any legitimate reasons. This eventually makes the viewer question her sanity.

Although our media product doesn't come specifically under the thriller genre, is true but it does however come within sub-genres such as physiological, mystery and possibly even fantasy. The story line is the main point of what makes the thriller a thriller. This includes things such as the characters development but also the effects and sounds that have been added to give and extra dramatic effect on the way people view the product.

The costumes that our characters wear in our media product show their personalities The edited effects which we put on out production shows how much danger our characters could possibly putting themselves into. This then emphasises the terror that the figure creates and portrays the way that Charlotte get stuck in a trance when she spots the figure.

Evaluation Question 7- progression from preliminary task to the main task

When working on my preliminary piece I was working in a different group and it contained more people. In my opinion I have learned a lot since my preliminary task was filmed. I feel like I learned more about camera angles, shots and movements. In my main task I filmed for different angles from my preliminary task. This was because I wanted show that my skills had been developed and to make the film look better.




My preliminary task was edited in a very beginner style. I had never used the software before so I was getting used to it whilst using it. Therefore my main task was edited to a higher standard since me and Eve both understood how to use the software more. For example, my main task had dissolve filters between clips, it had been through some colour correction and it had music in the background. This was quite a jump from my preliminary task which was a rather basic piece compared to the main task.




I found it easier to handle the preliminary task as there wasn't as much pressure put on it and my group got it filmed quite quickly despite some filming location malfunctions. We were pretty delayed when it came to putting our film through the editing process. We gave ourselves enough time to edit the footage but it didn't quite go to plan. This delayed us, making mine and Eve's film the last one to be uploaded to the school's YouTube page.




Although I feel like the majority of my skills had improved from the preliminary task and moving onto the main task, I still feel as though I lacked some of the other skills needed such as time management and motivation. However, I believe that my main task is a huge improvement from my preliminary task because of the change of style and technique.

Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for The Man With The Wooden Shadow will be the older ages of the teenage spectrum. This is because I believe 15 onwards is the age where people start to become more aware of mental illnesses and how they can affect people around them. However, our film doesn't contain any strong language or violent scenes so it could be applicable to other ages but I think they wouldn't be able to grasp the full concept of the film. Also, our film doesn't apply to any particular gender, mostly because the theme of our film isn't specific to a gender as the contents of it can affect anyone.


I feel that our film would allow members of the audience to connect and relate to it on a personal level. This is because our film deals with sensitive topics, which the audience may use to research mental illnesses to help gain a better understanding of them. Some members of the audience may use the film for immediate gratification. They would enjoy watching the film purely for the thrill rather than the meaning behind it.

Evaluation Question 2: How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In our thriller opening you see what appears to be two typical teenage girls. This relates to your stereotypical white middle class individuals. This is the one of the social groups that our thriller piece represents as it is purely based on our two characters.




 Another type of social group that our film represents is  people who struggle with mental illnesses. The two characters you see at the beginning of the film are long term friends but one of the friends (Charlotte) starts to witness figures in the woods and she becomes to feel drawn towards them without knowing why. Because of this,  the complex message and storyline of our thriller piece, we decided to make the age rating rather high for a film that doesn't contain strong language, violent scenes or sexual scenes. We believed 15 was a suitable rating for our thriller piece because this is when people start to become aware of problems that might occur with other members of society. Also, we believe that some of the scenes may not be suitable for younger viewers such as the running through the woods late at night as it can be dangerous.




The message we aim to give to our audience is one of positivity. We are trying to promote support for the mentally ill, whether that be from parents, friends, partners ect. We aim to show people that you should be supportive of your friends because there's no way of knowing what they are dealing with. Because of this our film could also apply carers of people who suffer from mental illnesses. This is because they can use our film to help understand how mental illness suffers' brains work differently compared to 'normal people'.

Final Production- 'The Man With The Wooden Shadow' Thriller Task

Audience Uses and Gratification and Categorisation of our Thriller Task

Audiences can relate to a piece of media in many ways. They may use it to feel some kind of release from their lives, or just to get some kind of use out of the piece.

Our thriller task will apply to the BBFC ratings at 15. We believe this is the appropriate rating because at 15, teenagers become increasingly aware of the issues surrounding mental illnesses, which this film could ultimately be viewed as portraying.

 We decided on 15 rated and not 12 or 12A because we believe our film will include scenes of violence which aren't appropriate for under 15s. On the other hand we don't believe that the film should be rated at 18 as this would limit the audience for the film. Also, our film doesn't include strong language or horror, meaning that we would be limiting our films possible success rate without meaning to do so.

We believe that "The Man With The Wooden Shadow" would come under the 'personal identity' and the 'entertainment' category in Blumer and Katz's theory. This is because our audience will watch the film and  possibly connect to the story line on a personal level. Its possible that some of the audience will just watch the film for their own pure entertainment rather than using it for personal uses but much more for immediate gratification.

 We don't believe that the Hypodermic Needle Theory could be applied to our film because the audience is capable of understanding the content of the film, which would then lead them to comprehend what is being represented. In contrast, there may be viewers that develop the incorrect idea about people struggling with mental illnesses. This could be avoided by simply giving a definition and/or explanation of mental illnesses at the beginning of the film and also giving a warning of what the film is going to contain.

Our film is mainly aimed at a  niche audience. This is because there could be a small audience who will go and watch the film purely based on the contents of the film relating to their own interested rather than the trailer. We believe that the audience that watches our film would be of an a-typical standard which could, in rare cases, make the feedback for our film positively biased.

Textual Analysis- Black Widow (student film)

A textual analysis on a student film. This film was produced by following members of my class.

Textual analysis - Black Widow from courtney1998

Thriller Task Risk Assessment

This is our risked assessment, that is fully filled out and has been approved and signed by a person of authority. We have been given the go ahead to start the production of our thriller task.

Thriller Task Storyboards

Here is the storyboards for our thriller task. This storyboard explains how we are expecting our thriller task to go, if there isn't any problems. It shows what we aim to show, scene by scene.

Location of my thriller task

Me and Eve have decided that the location of our film will be in some near by woods. We have chosen this because we believe that this location fits better with the theme of our film, hence the name "The man with the wooden shadow". We also believe that we will be able to get lots of interesting footage at this location and we also have a very creative idea of how the characters names will appear and disappear on/off screen. The pictures have a difference in season, but that is to show how seasons and weather can affect the genre of a film.

Production Tips

Here are a few tips that will make your production method easier and better!

-Plan locations which you wish to film at and make sure you check what the weather is going to be like. This gives you an upper hand when planning your shoot because you can plan around what equipment and precautions you may need to take e.g. a cover for the camera if it is raining. This helps to minimise errors around continuity and can help with the overall pace of the process.

-Remember the 180 degree rule. This can also help with continuity, as it is always going to be a major part of your film. Without continuity, your audience will find it difficult to believe that your piece all happened at the same time. Also the 180 degree rule makes sure that camera angles don't confuse the viewers. 

-Shooting more footage than needed is always a must because then, if some of your shots didn't turn out right or had issues, you will have back up footage so you won't have gaps that don't make sense in your film.

-Risk assessments are important to complete so whoever is in your film knows if there could be any dangers present during the shoot. It is also important to have with you because then you know what needs extra attention paid to it and how to prevent injuries from happening to anyone present.

-Plan around peoples schedules, make sure you know when they are free and how long they are free for. this way, you won't have them leave half way through because they have to be somewhere. Also, tell them that you need them longer than you actually do, this way if you finish early they'll be happy. 

-Make a list of props, equipment, cameras ect. that will be needed for your shoot, this way nothing will be forgotten. 

-Make sure to get your shots from multiple angles. This is so the viewers can get a better understanding of the setting. It also demonstrates your understanding of camera angles, it also helps to keep the viewer entertained.

BBFC movie ratings

 

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is an organisation that gives films age ratings and key features to why it received that age rating. When examining a film to give it it's age rating, they look at  discrimination, drugs, horror, dangerous and easily imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex, and violence. If a film has quite a lot of these elements in it, it may result in it being given an age rating of 18. If a film contains none of these elements, it may be given a U rating.

The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.

PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film should not unsettle a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content may upset younger, or more sensitive, children.

Films classified 12A and video works classified 12 contain material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child

The 15 rating means no-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a 15 rated video. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age.

Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy / rent an 18 rated video. No 18 rated works are suitable for children.

The R18 category is a special and legally-restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. R18 videos may not be supplied by mail order.

Preliminary Task Feedback Video

Evaluation questions for our Preliminary task

Here is the PowerPoint that contains the answers to the evaluation questions for our preliminary task.

Preliminary Task Evaluation Questions and Answers

Thriller Pitch Video

Below is mine and Eve's pitch video. During this conversation we talked about uses and gratification for our film and what kind of audience and age range our film would apply to.

We basically discussed our entire plan and then got a verdict on whether we could have the go ahead to begin filming out thriller film project

Thriller Task Pitch

Title:
The man with the wooden shadow

Genre:
Mystery thriller

Length:
90 minutes (this is so that it gets to the climax of the film quicker so that viewer don't become bored or disconnected from the film, if the film is too long viewers will become bored and won't connect to the characters)

Audience:
 my film will be aimed at people who enjoy mystery thrillers, they will be aged between 15-25 years of age. We believe that this is an appropriate age range for the film because younger people might not fully understand the complicated context of the film e.g. why it's only the girl who can see the man
Story Line:
there are two friends on there way home and they're beginning to run late so they decide to take the short cut through the woods. However, the sun is beginning to set and its getting dark so they start to run through the woods. The girl begins to get invested in the running, believing that it has become a game. Her friend, who is male, starts to become short of breath and begins to fall behind as he cannot keep up with the pace of her friend. The girl starts to become overwhelmed with excitement as she believes that it is a game. As she gets lost in the game, she goes in the wrong direction and ultimately ends up running out into an open field, where she suddenly stops in her tracks. She embraces the crisp cold air and all of the sounds she is hearing. There is music which begins to create a mysterious are and her eyes are fixed on one point across the field there is a black figure standing deadly still, with his hood up and his face barely visible. By now the moon has come up and the night has fallen. The moon is lighting up the small amount of flesh that we can see on his face, a shadow is falling across the rest of his face. Finally the boy has caught up with his friend and he walks slowly up by her side, still out of breath, he bends over leaning on his knees and says "what are you looking at?" she doesn't reply to this, so he says "you went the wrong way, Charlotte we need to leave". He stands and waits for her however she doesn't move, he says "what are you doing, we're going home", without moving a muscle she says "no wait".
Her eyes still locked on the figure, she starts to slowly walk towards the black figure in the distance. Her friends looks at her with a confused expression on his face. The figure turns around and walks back into the woods, she screams, "WAIT" at him and starts to run towards him. Her friend shouts to her "there is nothing there, we need to leave, NOW". She turns to her friend and says "no. He was there, I saw him". The girl starts to turn around, frantically looking for the figure. Her friend pulls on her arm several times and pulls her back towards the woods. He says, "we need to leave. right now!". She replies with a simple and short "okay" still looking back, she is guided back into the woods.

Textual Analysis- American Horror Story

Below is my textual analysis to the opening title of the first season of American Horror Story which is Murder House.