Finished Film Opening

Here is my finished two minute film opening. There are still a few small things I can see that I would like to have changed if time had allowed; but overall I am pleased with the final product.

Evaluation - Audience Reception

I targeted a few individuals who fitted my target audience description: Young adults, mainly girls as the film is based around girls and their relationships with each other when under strain from more mature issues. I was interested to see the response towards the film and was plesantly surprised by the amount of interest. Factors such as my deliberate decision to avoid showing the protagonist's face were commented on with positivity; this encouraged and helped me to see how my film appears to others and to become familiar with parts of it that worked well and other weaker parts of it that I can improve on or not attempt again in the future.

I used a table to allow them to evaluate my film opening after allowing them to watch it. Below is each person who evaluated my film and their response from the table they filled in:


1. Olivia

2. Rachael

3. Shereen

Progression from my Preliminary Task

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

When reflecting upon my Preliminary Task I see how far I have come in developing my camera skills, techniques and editing.

In my Preliminary task I only used one panning shot and the other shots were all static. In my two minute film opening I used a greater amount of moving shots to create a faster pace to certain parts of my piece.

With this shot from my preliminary task I use a panning shot to show Rachael walking all the way around the room. I feel that this shot in comparison with my other reasonably short shots is a little abnormal as it lasts for a fairly long time and created an awkward pause within the piece. If I had tracked her from a variety of different angles and maybe taken a close up of her face as she is walking I may have managed to convey a little more emotion into this piece.

In my two minute film opening I deliberately avoided showing my protagonist's face, however I used a variety of mid-shots and extreme close ups on different parts of her along with the use of voice to introduce her. I feel this is an improvement from the introduction of my characters in my preliminary task as we learn nothing about them or the tone of the situation from them from the filming or editing techniques used.

In my film opening I had a much shorter panning shot following the protagonist's feet. I feel as this shot was far shorter than my tracking shot in my preliminary task it created a much faster pace and was more effective as it would have ensured the audience attention was held. 

In my preliminary task I made the mistake of cutting from a mid-shot to an extreme close-up. This created an uneasy sensation and made the film feel disjoined and prevented it from flowing smoothly. In my two minute film opening I did use extreme close ups but I built up to them by using mid-shots and close-ups beforehand to made the transition more gradual. 

Throughout my filming I was aware that I needed to stick to the 180 degree rule and stay on one side of my character whilst filming at all times. This technique was something which I learned how to incorporate in my Preliminary Task and through practice it became second nature when filming my film opening. 

Evaluation- Attracting and Addressing an Audience

How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract my target audience I used a young female protagonist who represents a believable person whom my audience would be able to relate to. The issues running through my film are issues which young adults often have to face in some way or another and learn to overcome in their own ways. The journey that the protagonist finds herself on is one which involves themes such as searching for identity and acceptance- an issue which all teenagers have to deal with in some form or another whils they grow in the ever-changing world.

I would use social networking sites such as Youtube, Facebook alongside with Viral Marketing to distribute my product as these are formats which young people frequently use and share media with each other. I like the technique that 'The King's Speech' distributors used when they relied on word of mouth and the timings of the release of the film to enable people to see the film and encourage viewing through positive feedback to people whom they are involved with.

Evaluation - Distribution under a Media Institution

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

After my interview with Simon Egan (producer of 'The King's Speech), it became clear from him that finding a company to distribute your film is not too challenging if the script is likable.

'The King's Speech' recieved funding from the UK Film Council; now that has closed down I would approach the BFI, which now if the funding body for British films. Now that there are new regulations about tax breaks for British films, my film is desirable as it is set and made in the UK using British actors. I may also approach Bedlam Productions for help with funding and distributing my film because of their links with Momentum Pictures.

I name a conscious decision not to name any of the roles or people involved in my film as I felt it did not follow the conventions of a Drama film with more serious tones and themes.

Below is my full interview with Simon Egan who produced 'The King's Speech', we discussed points such as how a small production company such as Bedlam managed to gain the interest of a huge institution such as Momentum pictures, along with other distribution and production issues the film faced whilst being made.

Bedlam interview

Evaluation- Technologies

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

Whilst producing my film opening I managed to learn a great deal of skills in regards to using equipment. These skills will prove themselves as invaluable to me when I am filming my next task in the future.

I have learned how to use a camera and to change simple functions on it such as the filming mode to suit the setting in which I am filming a particular scene. I also managed to become familiar with different filming techniques such as tracking shots and managed to incorporate them in my piece to keep it fast-moving and to create a sense of movement to the piece.

I have also become familiar with the use of a tripod and becoming aware of uneven surfaces whilst filming and how this can affect an image. I learned how to create a tracking shot effectively with the tripod by keeping the character within the shot and anticipating the movement of the character to keep her within the shot.

I also used the clapper board to help myself organise my shots for when I returned to them in the editing process.

I also became familiar with using a mac and the programs on it throughout my editing process. It proved fairly time-consuming at first, but once I had gotten used to certain techniques and learned some keyboard shortcuts it became much easier to edit and place my clips together in the correct sequence for my film.

I managed to learn how to cut and split clips on Final Cut Express along with using simple video and audio transitions and the layering feature. I also used more advanced features such as colour correction to make changes when the lighting in my shots was contrasting to a large degree. By using Final Cut I also learned how to import files from imovie which was extremely useful for me.

I used Livetype to create my opening credits and my production company name. This proved challenging at first but after watching tutorials to familiarise myself with the program it soon became second nature when using it.

By learning to use all these different technologies and programs I have ensured that my editing process will take less time in the future as I will already be familiar with the basic conventions that I will be using.

Evaluation - Target Audience

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my film would be predominantly young adults as there would be dark themes and tones to the film which would be unsuitable for young children or family viewing. Despite the fact that the film would be suitable for adults, I feel that the target audience should be young adults as they are more in touch with the issues shown in the film.

Here is a photograph showing an example of the sort of person my film is directed towards.

Their tastes would probably be fairly current is they are interested in films including current issues that the youth of today face. Watching TV dramas such as Skins and Waterloo Road and listening to current pop and r&b music such as Eminem and Lady Gaga. These different people and the media they produce all tackle issues facing teens such as drinking and drugs.

Evaluation - Nine-Frame Title Analysis

In what ways does your media product use, develop or 

challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

From my research into other films of the Drama genre with serious tones I had discovered fairly early on that title credits did not overlap into the film opening. By doing this it ensures the audience's attention fixed fully on the plot unfolding before whilst adding to the impact of the piece. I decided to follow this trend, and consequently kept my title credits minimal and presented them before the film actually begins. In 'The Godfather' the only title we are given is the name of the film, and in the film 'Public Enemies' we are presented with the date in which the film is set. After a fair amount of thought I decided not to show the name of the film, and just keep the credits as simple as possible by stating the name of my production company. I did not need to put a great deal of thought into the production company name as I wanted to make it personal to me. I felt that by keeping the colour scheme black and white it would create a stark contrast and hold a certain originality. The font is similar to that on a typewriter which could be tied into the typing that takes place in the opening scene of the film. The contrast of the black and white could be used to show the ideas of happiness and sadness or positivity and negativity- themes carried throughout the film.

 The location of the opening scene begins inside a living room, the focus is held on hands typing whilst a voiceover brings the audience into the story. The opening setting is realistic and relatable, creating the illusion of a normal household. This immediately makes us as the audience want to know what the problem of the film is going to be as the illusion or normality and safety that the home usually represents is challenged from the onmicient tone of the voiceover that speaks as if reflecting upon a great tragedy. The first shot of the film is an extreme close-up, which reveals little of the setting, but the shots gradually become wider which represents the character opening up to the audience as the voiceover continues and she tells her story.

 Our next shot is yet another extreme close-up. The use of the laptop as a tool to aid the voiceover was something I feel worked well in the piece overall. It reinforces the words we are already hearing and tells us something about the nature of the character. The fact that the story is being told to nobody in person and is just being recorded in a solitary fashion shows us a reflection of the protagonist's character. She is not attention-seeking or wanting to appear brave, she is just wanting to share her story. The idea of her writing it instead of telling a group of people could also show how the events may still be fairly raw to her.

The angle of the camera changes with each shot in this scene, however the focus remains constantly on the computer and the protagonist typing. This can reflect the confusion felt by the character whilst also representing how she has tried many different approaches to solving the issue of finding her sister, reinforcing her persistent and caring nature.

The opening of the film suggests the genre mainly from the tone of the voiceover. The shots are fairly neutral, however the tone of the voiceover is serious and we hear of themes and concepts such as 'regret' which are common in the drama genre. The music used aid the voiceover in achieving its sombre tone.

Our character is first introduced by us seeing her hands. I decided from an early stage to avoid showing her face to a large degree in this particular part of the film. The voiceover tying in with the words being typed act as the protagonist's face in many senses as the film opens. The fact that we do not see her face creates a sense of guilt- which we may relate the fact that she feels she was too late to help her sister.

As the shot widens here there is more clarity to the scene we are watching. We are allowed to see a little more of our protagonist, but her face is still hidden. This is the final shot that focuses on out protagonist typing. The fact that it is wider and allows us to see more shows how she has finally reached a clarity of mind and has come out of her state of confusion throughout her journey in the film.

This next shot shows a setting which we are to see later on in the film. The voiceover is still reflecting on her journey, so we are now taking a step back to see not just the person who has journeyed through hardships, but the settings in which some of the key events would have taken place. This shot allows us to almost look into the protagonist's memories themselves.

The shot of the bird is mainly observational, however it could show how the protagonist is spreading her wings and allowing the burden of her guilt to be lifted from her.

The church shot shows a loss of faith- not a direct religious loss of faith- but the challenges of losing faith in yourself. This is something which the film does tackle and is eventually resolved in the end.

Evaluation - Representation of Social Groups

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

In my film opening the focus is directed towards a young protagonist in her late teenage years. In the film she is faced with trying to find her younger sister, Tasha, who has gone missing due to becoming involved in drug usage and peer pressure. The older sister- our protagonist- has to face her own issues to try to find and help her sister overcome hers. Issues such as loss and the struggle of dealing with things we cannot change in life and the hopelessness that this brings are just some of the challenges this young teen has to face throughout the film.

Across the drama genre, teenagers are faced with many challenges and issues such as: drug usage, peer pressure, school and social circles, leading double lives behind the backs of their parents.

We can see examples of teenagers struggling to overcome these issues in films such as Adulthood which focuses on young adults involved in gangs, violence and drugs. This reflects the frequently held perception by many that teenagers are troublemakers and that the reasons for their faults and attitudes are reliant on not just society but upbringing and friendship circles. This is something that is relatable to the character of the younger sister in my film opening.

Another different representation of teenagers is within the social circles of school life and the stereotypes that young people are labelled with. In films such as St Trinians we see examples of these firm social circles and stereotypes being used in relation to teenagers. The stereotypical 'reckless youngster' is something which I incorporated in the character of the younger sister. Even though we do not see Tasha in the opening of the film, the fact that she has gone missing reflects the rash side of teens and how they can become wrapped up in a situation that is far bigger and more dangerous than they first may percieve it to be.

Subtle uses of setting is something I used to subliminally suggest the darker tones of the film. There are two locations in the small montage that show our protagonist going through first an alleyway and then a tunnel with graffiti on the crumbling walls. The fact that the protagonist strides boldly through the tunnel, ignoring the intimidation of the darkness and the threat of who could be nearby shows that she has the strength of character to not allow herself to become caught up in that area of teenagehood. This makes her a contrast to her younger sister who has fallen prey to this.

The protagonist herself is a somewhat neutral character, she faces her own issues but holds strength and determination. She is relatively protective over her younger sister, and the fact that she is already aware of her sister mixing with the wrong people shows that there must be a strong bond of trust between them. There is the idea of hiding these issues from parents as the elder sibling takes on perhaps a more understanding parental role as Tasha would believe that her parents would not hold the same understanding as her older sister- therefore the protagonist would have been the main bank of support.

In the film 'Children of Men' the protagonist may not been a young adult faced with exactly the same issues, but he is dealing with an issue that involves a risk and a character changing journey- similar to the protagonist in my own film opening. Both characters are relatively ordinary looking, their clothes are normal and relatively plain which represents the neutral side of them. Both however speak in serious tones and show little humour, this represents their strength of character and their focus on the task they are trying to follow.