A2 Media Evaluation

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

Narrative
My film predominantly follows the theories of Claude Levi-Strauss. In my film their is a battle between good and evil throughout. Good and evil are binary opposites, which Strauss argues are the main structures within film. My whole film revolves around the concept of what is reality and what isnt however common parts of reality still take a major role in structuring my story. Good and evil are one of those common styles within film that remains in mine. The good character is shown to be so by the fact that he doesnt do anything that deserves punishment in the film at least. Even though nothing is known about what he had done previously in his fictional life the viewer should not feel concerned about it. Other ways in which I displayed his goodness are the school bag, which shows he is an innocent school kid who cannot deserve the punishment that is put on him. On the other hand the evil character within my film is apparent through more obvious forms. The evil character is an unknown creature that has magical powers and because there is a common fear of the unknown the character is instantly demonized. On top of that the costume the creature wears is a black hooded cloak that covers the whole body including the face. Black clothing is often considered evil and menacing especially when the character is also hidden. Another method I used to show off the evil character was sound, I added in some weird unknown sounds to match the atmosphere of the creature. Finally the most obvious attribute that demonstrates evil within my character is violence. Violence and particularly unwarranted violence are almost always considered bad and evil. However the good character and the evil character would not be so clear if it was not for them both interacting. Good needs bad and bad needs good, which is why the two are so common together.

Mise-En-Scene
In terms of mise-en-scene my film follows the forms and conventions of real media products. My whole films is shot in a wood or on the edge of a wood. So immediately it is difficult to show any different parts of a wood/forest that arent common in other media products. I wanted an isolated location for my second scene where the main character is walking, and the field with one path makes the character look insignificant and distant to anyone else. An example of a wide open area such as a field used in other media products is in The Road (picture below). The wide open area with few people does create an isolated atmosphere and my film has a similar look. In my other scenes the mise-en-scene is a dense wooded area. This includes plants, trees, ditches, dead leaves and mud. This all helps create an eerie, dull and lifeless atmosphere, which is exactly what I wanted my film to have. However in multiple other media products it is the same case. Overall mise-en-scene within my film is very generic but it is what I wanted to help make the film less confusing and easier for the viewers to feel like they have connections with the places and characters.

Sound
My film has two songs played throughout one of which is much more common in film and the other less so. The first song heard in my film is Amon Tobin Creatures, which challenges the conventions of real media products. The song is much more minimalistic in some parts and even drops to silence. I used this song to show the unknown characteristics of the evil character because it is also an unknown song with unusual parts. I challenged the forms and conventions of real media products by using silence to show fear and shock. Whereas in most films loud music or noises are used to show shock or surprise because it makes the viewer more engaged. However in my film I used silence at the end of the build up because I felt it made the viewer feel entirely in their own world almost as if it was in their own head and they were imagining it. The other song used in my film is The Chromatics Tick of the Clock. This song is much more similar to real media products as it has a fast paced drum beat to help increase the fast paced action.

Scene 1 Fast Paced Running

The scene starts with loud fast paced music and a boy running furiously through a forest. I wanted to throw the viewer straight in without any knowledge of what is actually going on. I purposely wanted the blurred shots and handheld shots to help confuse the viewer and make them feel tired after just watching the first scene by trying to keep up with the action. The fast pounding music is reflective of the characters pounding heart as he flees through the forest for an unknown reason. I used quick cuts to help increase the speed of the scene and varied camera movements to make sure the viewer never felt as if they had a moments rest. I also wanted some close ups of the characters face to not only show what emotions he was feeling but to also make sure the character was familiar to the audience because the identity of the character is important because of the twist towards the end of my film where he finds his own dead body. So I felt it was crucial to familiarize the audience with the character to avoid any confusion further on. In the scene there are several shots of leaves and branches flinging back and forth as the character runs through them. This is used to help show the environment the character is in and its dangers. Scenes in other films and TV programs often use these effects to also demonstrate the environment and the atmosphere. The film Casino Royale has a very similar scene (bottom picture). It has lots of camera movement and sweeping branches to create a truly realistic forest scene. The final part of the scene I cut to black to represent the state of the main character and to shock the viewer. It also gives the viewer time to rest after a very energetic scene.

Scene 2 The Reveal

The second scene of my film is where everything is explained. The first scene leaves the audience wondering what has happened and the second answers all the questions. It is also the first time where the creature can completely be seen. It is in the first scene to give the audience a taste of what is to come but it is easy to miss. The second scene is much slower and quieter. The music is very eerie and atmospheric but also quiet. This is to contrast against the first scene where everything is so fast and loud. The scene shows the character simply walking back from school through a peaceful part of the countryside when he receives a text telling him to go through the woods. The scene is meant to build the character and show his innocent past. I left the shots to run longer than in the first scene to show the slow pace of life the character had been having that day. I wanted to create a relaxed feel to calm the audience and the lingering shots do that. Finally I wanted to include a small part of the chase scene at the end of scene two to ensure the audience understood that what happens in scene two is before scene one. The reason I wanted to play with time in my film was to help further the story in an unusual way because the plot is also unusual. However the main reason was because I felt it really helped build tension and always keep the audience on the edge of their seat.

Scene 3 The Second Chase

The third scene of my film starts off with a shot of the main character quickly sitting up while looking at the camera. I chose to do this because it challenged the forms and conventions of real media products by breaking the rule of never look into the camera. I liked the fact it was shocking for the audience as it had no previous warning. I wanted to make the second scene feel like it was almost a time out for the audience and by starting the third scene with this quick, violent motion it would shock the audience back into real time. The first part of the scene is a slow chase scene where the character is injured and cant run properly. I added this to make him look even more helpless than previously. I cut between the main character and the creature to make the characters fleeing seem pointless as the creature is always there watching. The main part of the third scene is when the main character finds his own dead body. It was difficult to shoot this part because he has to engage with the other body. I eventually managed to get the majority of the shots without both bodies being in shot. However when I did need both bodies I used another person with similar clothes. It came out really well because I composed it with only small parts of the body being shown at once. The way I managed to get the shots of the body where with point of view shots. This way the audience feel like theyre looking through the eyes of the character thus freeing the actor to play the dead body.

Scene 4 The Ending

Scene four is a repeat of scene two as it shows the character is stuck in a time loop being forced to go through the same situation over and over again. I used exactly the same shots but to make sure it wasnt to similar I cut some parts out. This made it quicker and easier for the audience to grasp what was happening. I used a different sound track to the second scene because I needed a more conventional way to build suspense because the plot was too confusing to use an unconventional song as well. I ended the scene with the shots of the character walking into the woods again but instead of seeing what happens this time it fades to black. I also boosted the music at that moment to help the audience feel that the protagonist might have a different outcome this time around.

Poster
My poster complies with the conventions of real media products in almost every way. The title placement of my film is towards the bottom half of the poster just like The Matrix and multiple other posters. It is in an easy to read spot and because it fits conventions it is where most people would expect the title to be. The size of my title is also very similar to The Matrix. It is not overwhelming but is big enough to attract attention and dominate any other text. The font I used is compliant with the font in the film to ensure they match. Despite this the font is still similar to others. It is a basic, bold font that is always in upper case. Another part of my poster that is similar to real media products is the tag line below the title. Mine is placed just below the title in a smaller size just like the This is England poster. It is the conventional place to put it because after the viewer reads the title they will go down to read the tagline. The next part of my poster that is similar is the reviews at the top. Just like This is England where there are awards I have chosen to put a review. It is again the normal place where reviews and awards are on posters. It is out of the way of the main picture and doesnt distract from the title.

The final similarity between my poster and others are the production quotes at the bottom. They show who the film was made by, who distributed it etc. It is always in a much smaller font to not disrupt the picture or text but to give the viewer some added information.

Double Page Spread

My double page spread also follows the conventions of real media products. A main feature of real media products is the larger letter at the beginning of the main text. This is seen in almost every magazine as it shows where to start reading. I have chosen to follow this convention to ensure my page has a realistic look. Another part of my double page spread that complies with conventions is the large picture taking up one whole page. It helps give an idea of what the film is about in a quick way. It also engages the viewer when looking through the magazine.

The font I have used is again very similar. It is black on a white background to ensure its easy to read and is in a typewriter font because that is what most magazines and newspapers use.

The final similarity is the title. The title still follows the theme of the font it was in the film and on the poster. However it is in a more headline position to attract attention.

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

The title remaining consistent throughout my main product and my ancillary texts was important. It really helped give the film an identity. It meant there was a theme throughout so whenever someone saw the title Reality in that specific font they instantly thought about my film.

The colour scheme throughout my main product and ancillary texts has remained consistent. The film is very dark and sinister so the colours of my poster and double page spread should match. The colour is always black accompanied with dark browns and reds. A dark figure is in both of my ancillary texts except one is of the antagonist and the other the protagonist. I did this to contrast between the two and to give the viewer an idea of what the film is about by just looking at the poster and double page spread.

Throughout my main product and my ancillary texts I used colour correction. I always boosted to blacks and shadows to match the plot of the film because it is very dark and sinister.

The concept of reality is present in my main product and ancillary texts. In my film reality is always questionable. I used conventional shots to display what seems to be normal reality but it all changes. In my poster the dark figure is made to look like something that is not in normal reality. Then again in my double page spread the image is quite unrealistic with the warped clouds and the dark figure. Overall the theme of reality is clear throughout.

What did you learn from your audience feedback?

 From my audience feedback I learnt that the plot was clear to some but confusing to others. However this is what I wanted to achieve, a film where it leaves the audience questioning at the end. A film that plays with time and reality is always confusing and because thats what theyre meant to be. Audience feedback was also very helpful when filming and editing the film. During filming I would always ask the crew and actors what they thought of the shot and then adjusted according to their judgment. For example the shot where he spots his own dead body, I wanted an over the shoulder shot but after feedback from others I saw that it would not look authentic. Several points throughout editing I would show people what I had done so far and ask what they thought it needed. This really helped me analyse what the audience needed to feel a certain way. The music throughout my film was tweaked lots of times because of feedback. For example when the character falls and everything goes black I originally kept the music playing but after someone telling me it would be better if the music stopped as well I changed it. Audience feedback also helped me with my ancillary texts. My poster and double page spread pictures where mainly chosen by taking into account everyone's opinion.

How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Wordpress

Wordpress is the blogging website I used to upload all of my media coursework. Wordpress has good features that make it very easy for anyone to set up a blog. It was very easy for me to upload images, text and files. It was also easy to link Youtube videos to my blog. Wordpress works very well with other programs such as Youtube and Scribd. Overall it was a great blogging website that let me upload everything with ease.

Sony Vegas

Sony Vegas was the program I used to edit my final film in. It is much more professional than other editing software such as iMovie. It was surprisingly easy to use despite its professional features and it also gave me a lot of flexibility when it came to editing. It has all the basic features such as cropping, adding music, cutting clips and adjusting colours. However it also has a lot more to give. There are features which allow you to convert footage into different HD formats and frames per second. Also there are great colour correction and colour grading tools, which helped my film looked much more professional. Overall Sony Vegas was easy to use and gave me great results.

Youtube

Youtube is a video sharing website that allows to upload your own videos and browse others. Youtube was incredibly useful in my media coursework because it allowed me to upload my film and get instant feedback. However it also helped me watch other short films and clips of films to inspire me. Youtube is very easy to use it is simply search what you want and its right there. Youtube allowed me to embed videos into my blog to help show what short films inspired me, what music I had chosen and to actually put my film into my blog.

Scribd

Scribd is a program which allows you to upload PowerPoint presentations onto Wordpress. This was very helpful as presentations where used throughout my coursework and Scribd really conveys them nicely on a blog.

InDesign

I used InDesign to make my double page spread. I had already used InDesign in my AS coursework so it was more familiar to me. It was easy to import images from the desktop into InDesign and then edit them into professional looking pictures. Adding text was also very easy as it had lots of guidelines and rulers to help make the pictures and text match. InDesign lets you chose from a wide variety of fonts and effects to help the thing your working on to look however you want it.

Photoshop

Photoshop was another program I used in my AS coursework so it was again familiar to me. It lets you upload images and edit them with lots of different effects. It also makes adjusting different files very manageable. Adding text it also easy on Photoshop, which is why I used it to make my poster. I imported my image and then used text boxes to easily place the text I wanted. I adjusted the saturation of my image as well as adding a faint vignette. I then blacked the edges to help frame the image. Overall Photoshop is a great program that anyone in the media industry will use.

Camera

The camera I used for my film was a Canon 550d. It is a DSLR which means the quality of the footage is much better. It helped me get a professional look for my film. It has great features, which allow you to adjust exposure, shutter speed, ISO and F point. All these features helped me get every shot exactly how I wanted it.