Gabriel Mohammed- Evaluation

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

The first shot of our film shows Hope as a young girl, sitting in the corner of the room she is imprisoned in. The use of this shot allows our audience to empathise with the main character as at this point she is an innocent young girl whom the audience would not want to see harmed. This is an important connection formed very early on between the main character and the audience as they are on her side. a similar technique is used in the action thriller film "Salt"- the first sequence shows the main character vulnerable and desperate in a similar way to our film.

both of these shots allow the audience to empathise with the main character.

In the flashback scene we slowed down the approach of the van to draw attention to it, this creates enigma for the audience as they are drawn towards it but are not quite sure of the significance of it yet.

Another way we created enigma was to use a point of view shot from the point of view of the kidnapper, the antagonist. From this the audience can tell what role he plays but there is still enigma as they know nothing about his past or his motives to do this.

In our flashback sequence we took inspiration from the flashback sequence of the BBC show "Hunted", a lot of quick jump cuts are used. We used them to show that Hope's memory of her abduction is hazy and that it still plagues her.


2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The main character in our product, Hope Hardy, is a strong female lead. She has taken into her own hands the safety of her life and has matured as a character. This shows her in a positive light as she is shown to be independent of other people and not a “damsel in distress”.

The main antagonist shown is the kidnapper he is shown as a middle aged man. This creates him to be a binary opposite of Hope Hardy which allows the audience to more clearly see the roles of these two characters and allow them to empathise with Hope. 

Social class is left out of the opening for the characters and is not shown or mentioned. This creates a more accepted main character and allows the audience to empathise with her without judgement and no matter what their position.


At the beginning of our opening, the main character is shown as a young girl; she is shown as an innocent victim here. This portrayal of the main character could be construed as a negative stereotype on women- that they are weak and vulnerable. However we believe our film shows her growing to become a strong independent woman which challenges the stereotypes set forth by some.

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?

 A classic release of a film  runs in major cinemas for around 4 months at first. After this there would be DVD/Blu-ray releases as well as subscription based streaming/downloading services like Netflix and lovefilm. However that could be tough for an independent film like ours so other options for us could be to show in smaller indie cinemas such as the Duke of York's picture house in Brighton. 

Another way for a lower budget film to be able to distribute affordably would be to follow the example of "Pulp" and to distribute via Xbox live or a similar new media outlet. This way we would be able to reach our target demographic of 15-29 year olds which is a similar demographic for Xbox customers. Although the main audience is usually males which we would want to diversify upon. 

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

We hope for our film to be accessible and enjoyable to both males and females. We don’t want to pin down on a certain gender demographic as we feel the film can be universally liked by all. However as the main character is a strong female who portrays a good image for feminism hopefully our film will appeal to women a lot and not just men.

The age classification of our film is a 15 which will allow us more freedom with violence, strong language etc. to make the film more realistic. The age rating will be the only barrier for the audience for our film so we wish for as large an audience as possible and for the film to reach many people. Our target age demographic is that of teens and young adults, within the age bracket of 15-29. We feel that as our main character is representing this age group this demographic would feel more connected to the film and enjoy it more. However we do not want to limit our film and hope that an older audience also enjoy it as well.

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

We aimed to attract our audience in a number of different ways. By having our main character as a 16 year old we will attract a younger teen audience as they feel they can relate to the character more as well as there also very little British thrillers focusing on teens. this attracts our audience again as we are not producing our film for an over saturated market. 

we also attract a larger female audience due to our main character being female. She portrays a strong view of an independent woman which people appreciate as we don't show Hope as a "damsel in distress" type character and she is actually the lead.  

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

Most of our filming for our piece was done on a Sony Handycam. We were already familiar with this piece of equipment as we used it extensively for the filming of our preliminary piece. It was very simple to work with and we did not need to learn much to be able to effectively use it. this was good for us as first time film makers.

Sony HandyCam HDR-XR550V

We also used another camera to film with, the Sony hdv tape camera. We decided to use this camera because it had better functionality to create a focus pull effect which was something we wanted to use. however it did not turn out as effectively as we had hoped so we abandoned the idea.

 

Sony HDV

The software we used to edit our film on the Apple Macs were: Final cut pro, and garageband. I had not used either of these programs before and was uncomfortable using them at first, however with some guidance and after being able to practice with it i grew more comfortable with it. We used it to de-saturate the colour and add in text amongst other things.

The other piece of software we used was Garageband, this was a very simple tool that i have had previous experience with so i felt more confident using it we used garage band to edit and create the sound for our film. We recorded and added a voice over as well as adding foleys where needed. 

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

Our final film was very different from our preliminary film, not only in content and topic but also the quality, as we had improved as filmmakers over the course. The film we produced for our preliminary task was a vampire horror whilst our final film was more grounded in reality, it was a grittier more realistic telling of a thriller.

For our prelim we used text to convey the dialogue and story of the piece and while this was effective, due to the fact that we were replicating early silent films, we felt a voiceover was better suited to "Losing Hope Hardy".

This also shows how our editing skills have progressed since creating our prelim. Then, when we were new to final cut pro, this shot was very advanced for us but after we grew to know how to use final cut pro better we were able to use it to de-saturate, add a time stamp and various filters and effects.

Lighting and shadows were very prevalent in both of our films and i feel that we progressed in our use of low key lighting and our ability to create shadows for effect. in "Library of doom" we used the shadow of the antagonist to surround the heroine implying that she was trapped. This was the extent of our ability and although it worked very well and i am still proud of it, i feel our use of lighting and shadow in our final film was far superior. both technically and also in the message it implies.

The editing techniques we used also improved between our films. For our preliminary task we used a match on action, and whilst it worked our later match on actions in "Losing Hope Hardy" were much more fluid and natural.

Another area in which we progressed was sound. As we created the first film to be a silent film there was no dialogue or foleys, and the only sound present was the parallel, offscreen soundtrack. In our final film we changed this a lot and used many foleys to set the scene for the flashback sequence. We also used a voiceover to give the audience an insight into Hope's mind.

Helen Scarlett - Evaluation

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

 

In these shots because of the point of view angle of the camera, although we see what the antagonist sees, we do not actually see any physicality's of the character. This coincides with the genre of the piece as it creates enigmas for the spectator, as to who the antagonist is.







This shot is a close up of the main character. This shot is just before the flash back to the day she was taken. The close up shows the spectator that we are going to see her thoughts and also shows that she thinks of this day a lot.



This is another example of a close up of the character just before a dream or memory. This shot is from the thriller film Shutter Island. Like our film this close up is used to introduce the memory. The close up also shows the emotion of the character so the spectator knows if its a sad or happy memory.

 

In these shots the lighting is low key chiaroscuro. This coincides with the thriller genre as it connotes a sad, mysterious mood. We used low key lighting here as it is with the voice over, so it shows how she is feeling. It shows the light and dark parts of her thoughts.



This is a shot from the thriller film Se7en. It is an example of other ways low key lighting can be used in this genre. In this scene the detective finds photos of John Doe's victims and learns the truth of their horrible torturous deaths. The low key lighting helps to show the horror and fear the detective feels.



This is a shot from Hope's memory. In this shot we used high key lighting to show that she had a happy childhood before she was taken. Also the colours are overly bright and look almost unnatural, which shows something bad is about to happen.

 

This is an example of high key lighting which also connotes something bad is about to happen, but also that this was once a happy time for the main character. This shot is also from the thriller film Shutter Island.

 

 

In our flash back we used high contrast lighting to help convey how much this moment has haunted Hope. This technique is often found in flash backs of thrillers. We decided to do this as the colours contrasted well with the previous shot from our flash back which shows how confused the character is and that she still doesn't actually know how or why it happened.

 

This is a shot from a flash back from the thriller TV series Hunted. This shot also has high contrast lighting as it too shows the main protagonist's haunting memory from her child hood. We thought this was effective as it highlights how much this one traumatic moment in time has shaped the present day character.

 

 

 

 

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our main character Hope is a strong female teenager.

However, in the flash back to when she was captured, Hope is wearing a bright pink jacket and a light blue hat. This connotes the character is young, innocent, girly. The younger Hope is 5 years old. Her clothes look clean and new and suggest that her family are of a high social class. The young Hope is a stereotypical little girl. We decided to represent this character as we did as we wanted the spectator to feel remorse for the sweet little girl who would lose everything. We also use shots of the young Hope on a swing, which is stereotypical for films with children.

 

 

The older Hope is wearing plain clothes in dark colours. This shows the spectator how she has developed in the past 12 years. She is now full of anger and rage emphasised by her costume. The older Hope is 17 years old and now represents the lower social class as she has no money, no family, and nowhere to stay after her escape. We decided to represent this character thus as we wanted her character to come across as a girl who has given up, but still has the potential power to be a true heroin of the film.

 

The antagonist of our film is a man of an older generation and probably working class as he owns a van along with having the resources to keep a girl captive for 12 years. This character is a stereotypical antagonist as he wears black which contrasts with the child’s bright colours and drives a black van. Throughout the opening of our film the antagonist holds all of the power, and seems as though he will always be in charge of the situation. We decided to represent this character thus because we wanted a traditional antagonist to the thriller genre.

 

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
There are many ways we could distribute our film to its audience.

Internet. We could distribute our film through sites such as Bloody Cuts, which is a site for film makers to post their film, or part of a film so people in the film industry can see their work, and maybe offer to work with the film maker.

Cinema. We could distribute our film through the cinema. However, it is often hard for independent film makers to have their product shown in a cinema. An independent cinema would be a good placed to show our film as it would attract audiences who have enjoyed other independent films as well as our target audience.

TV. Another way of distributing our film could be through the TV. A lot of channels take on films to be shown exclusively on their channel. The film could also be cheaply advertised on this channel to target it's audience.

Gaming Consoles. Recently a low budget film, Pulp has come out. This film was the first feature film to come straight out onto Xbox. This would be perfect for our film as it will be a cheap as all the advertising could be done on the Xbox as well. This would reach our target audience as it is similar to the target audience for the console. However, females are our target audience, and stereotypically the Xbox's audience is males.

This is a trailer for the film Pulp.

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
Because of the age and sex of our main protagonist our target audience is 15 to 20 year old females as our main character is a strong female protagonist around the age of our target audience.

We have found there is a gap in the market for thriller films aimed at a female audience.



Our film will have a 15 certificate as it will take in our whole target audience.

Here is some feed back from members of our target audience who have seen our film opening:

"It engaged it's audience from the start"

"It made us ask questions about the plot"

"We came away wanting to see the rest of the film, to find out what would happen"

Other films our target audience may be interested in are:

All of these films have strong female protagonists who, like Hope are seeking revenge for what's wronged them in the past.


 

5. How did you attract/address your audience?

Our film is attracting it's target audience as the protagonist is similar to the audience. Hope is the same age as our target audience, and because of her dark hair she looks like a 'girl-next-door' type of girl which means the audience will easily be able to emphasise with the character.  The props and costumes addressed our audience as they were modern and therefore something the audience would recognise form their every day lives, emphasising the realist thriller genre.




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

Cameras. We used a Sony Handycam HDR-XR550 camera to film the majority of our film. It was simple to use. We easily set the white balance, recorded and re-watched our footage. This camera was effective as because it was small we were not limited as to from what angle we shot from as we would have been with a bigger, heavier camera which we wouldn't be able to get up high.

For the flash back scene, we wanted to do a focus pull from Hope on the swing to the van pulling up behind her. For this we used a Sony HDV camera. However in the end we decided that it didn't create the effect we wanted so we cut it form the final piece. This camera was slightly more complicated to use.

 

 

 

Voice Recorder. We used a H2 Zoom Recorder to record Hope's voice over. We decided to add the voice over to our final piece as without it we found our target audience were left confused about what had happened. This was easy to use and created a clear sound. We found it picked up the smallest of noises which was useful when it came to recording a background sound track.

Final Cut Pro. For editing our film we used Final Cut Pro on apple macs. Although this was a different software I had used for my GCSEs once I had gotten used to it I found it easy and effective to use. Since our first film I have become more confident with this software and am now able to create a better and sleeker edited film.

This is a tutorial for using Final Cut Pro.

Garageband. When adding sound to our film opening we used Garageband on apple macs. I found this hard to use at the beginning as I had never used anything like it before. However, by the time we had finished the sound, which was the final thing we had to do I felt confident that I could easily use it again.

This is a detailed tutorial for using Garageband.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Our Preliminary film and our final film were very different, but in the time between the two we learnt new techniques and became a lot more comfortable with the technology we were using.

Text. In both films we used text. In our preliminary the text was very Gothic outlined with a Gothic pattern and with a black background. In our final film we used a simpler font so it didn't take anything away from other things happening on screen and it had a film background. i think the latest text was more effective as it shows the character, and the font helps to represent the film as it the words 'losing' and 'hardy' look as though they are crumbling like Hope's hope for escape.
 

Match on Action.

 

In both films we used match on action. I think that the match on action has improved in the second film as thanks to more knowledge on editing it was more fluid from one shot to the next. The newer match on action is also more effective as it so drastically changes from a high angle to and almost worm eye view, which emphasises the power of the character.

Lighting (shadows).

 

In the two films we experimented with how to get the greatest effect across though lighting. In the first film we used a light from behind the antagonist so a shadow was cast upon its victim. this was effective as it shows which character was in power. in our final film we used lighting to create a different effect. This time we wanted to find a way to make the character seem weak and lonely, instead of showing one character's power against the other. Again we put a light behind the character, but this time we shot from a different angle, looking at the character. This created a halo effect on the actor which emphasised the innocence, fear and loneliness of her situation.

Text vs. Voice Over.

In our first film, instead of speech we made our film a silent film and had the words they were supposedly saying come up on screen. We thought this would be the best way to bring across the old Gothic movie genre. However, in our final film instead of using speech between characters we had a voice over to help the audience understand what was happening. Both of these were effective in their own way, but I think the voice over was the most effective as it communicated better with a modern audience, which was our target audience for both films.